Deb D’Andrea, Nederland.  Several places I’ve traveled to offer the ability for dogs to enjoy themselves off leash. There are huge fenced parks along the coast, in the middle of mountains, and smaller areas in cities that struggle for a patch of grass. If there are some dogs within the park fenced area, I’ll let Tiki and Bear off leash as I know they are very social and I’ve worked with them throughout their whole life. I keep Sally close, as she sometimes enjoys meeting dogs and other times wants nothing to do with them. Even after three years, I have witnessed a trigger with her when meeting new dogs. This unpredictability is the reason I am overly cautious with her; although she loves to play with most dogs and absolutely loves kids.

When we’re out on the trail hiking, I keep my Girls on 25 foot leashes should we run across wildlife or another unpredictable dog. This provides them the opportunity to sniff and enjoy our walk; and gives me comfort knowing I don’t have to worry. The other day I was in Boulder walking a trail, and around the corner comes this dog, off leash, no person in sight. The dog came right up to my Girls and, fortunately, Sally was fine with the dog. About 5 minutes later a women running with a stroller comes around the corner and I ask her if this is her dog, she said yes and kept running. It’s these instances where people assume because their dog is friendly; it’s ok for their dog to approach other dogs. This is not a true assumption.

If Sally had been reactive to her dog approaching us, the woman was no where in sight to take control of her dog. This is not how the Boulder City Sight and Sound tags are supposed to work; but sadly, it’s typically what I’ve experienced and eventually this behavior will result in the entire program going away.

One can never assume dogs want to meet, one can never assume dogs will just get along, and it is the responsibility of the person to not only keep their dog safe; but also ensure others safety. I can’t count the number of times people have yelled out “They’re friendly” as their dog(s) come racing up to meet my Girls or other people’s dogs. This is not cool.

Till next time. Deb D’Andrea, founder of 4TheLuvOfDogz & the Caribou Dog Ranch is recognized by the State of Colorado as a Certified Canine Massage Therapist and will visit your home or Vet’s office to work with your dog. Canine Agility may be offered at the Caribou Dog Ranch in 2017 if there is interest. Deb currently has limited availability for new Petz Nanny Clients; and she bakes up fresh dog treats & doggy birthday cakes per order. For information contact Deb at 720-675-7078 or email: info@4theluvofdogz.com.