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I enjoy taking walks when I can through different parks or wooded areas. More often then not I put on some music and tune out the world. Using my eyes and often not my ears to take in the sights is my special time.

While on these trips I'll often encounter others with a similar idea. They're walking, talking on their phone, accompanying their pets or friends and family. A normal stroll for any and everyone.

Speaking loudly into your phone in public has always annoyed me and that's never going to change. This is an inconvenience of living within the modern world. My real pet peeve is the leash law and many aspects that surround it.

The leash law has a purpose. First and foremost restraining your pet.

The more densely wooded regions are often designated as an off-leash area and you can let your pet roam freely. This is a great thing especially for those in urban areas. My big beef with this is often with the owners. Depending on the day and hour you can have many people out at the same time.

I have my music relatively loud and yet I still hear owner after owner yelling for their dog. I understand you want your pet to come to you when you call their name but this becomes extremely tiresome at some point. I had four people all yelling at once or alternating, annoying.

There are ways to train your pet to come immediately and if they're not coming back to you then you might want to look into the reason.

There is a certain etiquette that is implied but not written stone.

Some general guidelines I think most would agree upon:

Your pet should come when called
Dogs shouldn't be in heat
Your dog isn't aggressive
You know how to break up a fight

Pet ownership is a big deal and I often see a lot of strange behavior usually by owners and not the dogs themselves.

I've never been afraid of animals but I do know some people are. I've had numerous dogs charge up to me and most want to play. Some also charge and bark away at you but I never felt threatened. There's not much you can do at this point in an off-leash area.

I still often see dogs going after each other in a malicious manor quite frequently. Some owner is trying to get another dog to stay away and they're understandably upset. They're yelling "Who's dog is this?" while the owner leisurely strolls up and asks "What's the big deal?".

The last aspect I noticed that was especially bad on my last outing was in respect to pet waste. There are certain sections that stink of dog droppings. Public garbage or specifically designed pet waste containers abound but I notice a large number of people not using them. The number of bags either on the ground, on branches or sitting out in the open was alarming. I guess when people pick up after their pet they discard it right then and there? If that's the way you operate why bother picking up in the first place? Sometimes a bin is within a couple of steps. I don't understand this.

As usual, I'll tune out the world by putting with my headphones while enjoying the sights and sometimes the smells or sounds of nature.

About this post

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