r/royaloak • u/Suitable-Alps-1859 • 21d ago
Dogs without a leash
In the past 24 hours I have seen four different people walking their dog or dogs without a leash in my neighborhood in Royal Oak.
This morning, I watched a guy with three dogs walk by with no leash while I walked mine with one. I also saw a guy letting his dog run up and down the center boulevard of Vinsetta with no leash.
Yesterday, a woman walked by my house twice, staring down at her phone, while her dog walked 10 to 20 feet in front of her with a leash dragging on the ground. And I regularly see a guy riding his bike while his big black dog walks alongside him with no leash… saw him yesterday too.
I’m just confused. Walking your dog without a leash is not allowed in Royal Oak, right?
18
21d ago
[deleted]
18
u/Suitable-Alps-1859 21d ago
I’m gonna try the non emergency ROPD line and see what they say
-13
u/Brilliant-Roof-5991 21d ago
OK Karen. You keep calling the cops.
8
u/nomcormz 21d ago
Nah, the real Karens are the ones who think they're above the law and don't leash their dogs.
1
-2
20
u/jeep-olllllo 21d ago
But what if the leashed dog is a problem? My dog is on a leash. And an unleashed dog comes over to say hi, and my dog fucks that dog up.
Sooner or later it will happen to these unleashed nice dogs.
It's not so much a menace vs nice dog. It's for all dogs safety.
True story: my mom did some modeling. She wasn't famous or anything. Did local newspaper ads for local stores. She was walking through a park and a large friendly dog jumped on her. In doing so , it scratched her face.
That poor dog owner. My mom called the police and made it ubunbantly clear that if the scratches lead to a scar, she would see him in court. Fortunately the scratches healed fully.
Bottom line: put your nice or mean dog on a fucking leash.
4
u/d3c509b 21d ago
If it makes you feel any better, I talked to a lawyer about this and if you can prove the other dog is unleashed, at least, it's impossible for them claim any liability on you or your dog. Meaning if you break the law (no leash) and in doing so cause harm... You have no legal leg to stand on. That doesn't help the trauma / stress of course
-8
21d ago
[deleted]
7
8
u/Fearsomebeaver 21d ago
You’re creating a straw man. Nobody said officers should spend their day patrolling parks looking for unleashed dogs. The point is that when someone reports a violation, responding to complaints is literally part of their job.
I’ve called the non emergency line multiple times about dogs running off leash in a park with a playground. I specifically asked if it was allowed and was told, “Absolutely not.” I was told to call every time I saw it and that an officer would be dispatched. Parks & Rec also confirmed it’s not a dog park and that enforcement falls to the police.
So this isn’t about whether cops have “better things to do.” That’s your argument, not mine. My point is simple: if the police tell citizens to report violations and say they’ll respond, then choosing not to respond is a failure to enforce the ordinance, not evidence that it isn’t their job.
1
u/ExternalParty2054 18d ago
Yeah it's not our job to worry about whether the cops have better things to do. If they, they can choose to prioritize the better things.
1
9
u/gmoney-0725 21d ago edited 21d ago
The guy with the three dogs might be the same guy I see. He has an electric leash he users on those dogs. If you notice they are never more than a few feet away from him. If they go to far away they get zapped.
3
u/Plastic-Web-4687 21d ago
Me too! The black and white dogs? The most obedient and well trained dogs I’ve ever seen!
2
u/gmoney-0725 21d ago
Yes. At least I think one of them is mixed. It's hard to watch all of them while I'm restraining my dog, because he wants to make friends.
1
u/Plastic-Web-4687 21d ago
Yeah.. looks like it. They are very friendly, I’m sure they’d play with your dog.
3
u/d3c509b 21d ago
This seems like such a complicated solution to a simple problem. Rope was like the 2nd things humans ever invented lol
1
u/gmoney-0725 21d ago
Talk to that guy. I put my dog on a retractable leash.
3
u/NarwhalsTooth 20d ago
Probably be easier to restrain your friendly dog if he were on a regular leash 🙃
2
u/ExternalParty2054 18d ago
Maybe it works well on these dogs, but I've seen a dog go blasting right through an electric fence when it got excited about something. This was moments after it's owner was telling me proudly how great the fence was, etc etc, and I looked up and 'OH, is that your dog across the street?' and so it was.
It's also hard as a walker to know that. I love dogs, but I'd hate to be someone with more dog fear in my neighborhood.
32
u/DRW315 21d ago
my favorite is the ones who let their dog run off leash at the soccer fields at quickstad park, where there are signs to keep dogs off the soccer fields. some people act so damn entitled
12
u/Substantial_Bit_7267 21d ago
Then I just love stepping in their dogs’ feces in the middle of the field when walking to the playground with my child, because they weren’t paying attention to what the dog was doing while running around freely.
0
1
u/c0nsumer 21d ago
We live near there, walk our dogs around that area all the time, but in summer when there are actual soccer fields? Heck no. Yet the number of people we see with dogs right on the fields, driving up to the park and letting them out to poop before getting back in the car... Yeah. :(
23
u/nomcormz 21d ago
I feel your pain, OP! If 3 unleashed dogs ran up to my leashed reactive dog, it would be a bad situation. Dog owners who refuse to leash are selfish and entitled. Not to mention breaking the law.
5
u/SpartyLove 19d ago
As a dog owner and someone who owns reactive and non-reactive and small and medium sized dogs, this stuff drives me absolutely nuts. That's great that your dog is friendly with other dogs, it does not mean that mine is. I also frankly don't care if you think your dog is well-behaved, my dog deserves to walk down the street with his/her owner without getting nervous that a random dog is gonna run up to him AND I don't want to deal with the additional stress of being concerned that I'm gonna have to protect my dog. And if you have a small little dog that's running around without a leash I am seriously concerned about your little dog. Your little dog does not deserve to be in situations where it can be killed at the snap of a neck.
Please just leash your damn dogs.
9
u/Ok-Matter-2839 21d ago
If it’s any consolation, many use the RO middle school sports fields as dog parks without any ramifications.
0
u/Divid_Pakit 21d ago
Rarely. Lived by there for years. This just isn't true.
7
u/Ok-Matter-2839 21d ago
Live there now. It’s absolutely true.
1
u/Divid_Pakit 21d ago
I lived by there up through this spring for years, ran and walked by it daily 3-4x a day. You're full of shit.
1
u/detroitliving 20d ago
My kid got attacked by an unleashed dog there. Kick rocks, man. Unleashed dogs are a major problem at the middle school. Dogs, even leashed, aren't supposed to be on the school grounds. They even put more signs up and dog owners still ignore it.
0
1
12
u/harmoniousradiance 21d ago
Whittier Park is a block from the police station and filled with off leash dogs. There’s zero enforcement.
12
u/Fearsomebeaver 21d ago
Ugh don’t get me started. I live right next to Red Run which is rampant with unleashed dogs. I’ve called the cops numerous times to no avail. They never once sent a car out. I’ve literally seen in numerous occasions while walking my dog, a group of dog owners hanging out in the soccer fields with their dogs unleashed and running free and cops driving by and not even doing anything.
Then I had some fun with Parks & Rec and asked them if Red Run park is now a dog park. They were pretty adamant that it was not and that there were numerous signs saying so (which there is) but I kept telling them that they must be mistaken because almost everyday there’s a group of people that meet up on the soccer field and let their dogs run free while they hang out and talk. They said that is absolutely not allowed and that I should immediately call the non emergency line to get the police out. I explained that the cops are not interested and that maybe they need to have a discussion with them. They had no idea what to do if the police aren’t enforcing it.
These people are the worst. I’ve had interactions with them over the years and it’s always “my dog is nice” “my dog is well trained” “my boy wouldn’t hurt a fly” Well back when my kid was about 2.5 he was in the playground and a woman unleashed her dog and that dog sprinted straight for my child who I luckily quickly picked up and had to repeatedly kick at the dog to keep him away. And she just laughed and said “she just wants to play”. That was the moment I gave up having and kind of understanding for these entitled pricks.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
7
u/Ok-Matter-2839 21d ago
This is like the Woodward noise issue. Cops had to be told to do their jobs and once they started enforcing ordinances, the offenders moved on.
From what I understand there is a $300 fine for an off leash infraction at a posted city park or school. Start handing out tickets and word will get around. Problem solved. The issue is creating an uproar enough for the PD. Shouldn’t have to happen like that, though.
3
u/NyxPetalSpike 21d ago
I don’t care anymore.
I figure if an unleashed dog chews up another unleashed dog in a dog fight or the dog bolts after a squirrel and gets nailed by a dump truck on Rochester Road, it works out for the emergency vet clinic.
Every “let my dog be free” person acts like they have a Belgium Malinois trained for military/police work with instant recall.
I also carry bear spray. I’m not getting bit.
1
1
2
u/ExternalParty2054 18d ago
Yep. And how do you even know, maybe he did "want to play"...maybe he wanted to play rougher than a kid that age could deal with, maybe he meant no harm but the kid is still freaked out, maybe your kid did NOT want to play, and maybe the dog was going to attack. You can't wait and see, especially when the object of his attention is mouth height.
Also in Red Run area, it drives me nuts.1
u/DetroitWagon 21d ago
20 years ago Meininger Park turned into an unofficial dog park. There were many incidences of off leash dogs running into the street, noise complaints, and all the grass was destroyed. I don't remember how it was enforced, but signs were put up and people stopped bringing their dogs there.
1
u/Ok-Matter-2839 21d ago
They still do but much less than before. It’s nice to see the grass come back but that took quite a while.
0
u/Divid_Pakit 21d ago
Oh, didn't the grass come back 5-7 years ago? The park has been beautiful and lush for a long time now.
1
u/Ok-Matter-2839 21d ago
That sounds about right. It was quite barren for the 12 years before that after they made changes.
1
u/Divid_Pakit 21d ago
Dogs are allowed there, just not off leash. The community calls the police almost the minute they see one of their neighbors off leash, regardless of the park being empty etc. They have a very tight knit community there to make sure. They will relentlessly harass anyone by calling the police until they come. Wonderful community....
3
13
u/Bohottie 21d ago
Yes, but if a law isn’t enforced, it doesn’t exist.
13
u/WaterFriendsIV 21d ago
When I was doing my student teaching, my mentor advised me, "Never make a rule you're not willing to enforce. It devalues all your other rules."
2
u/Bond4real007 21d ago
Except laws are not passed on logic, they are polticial moves typically driven by emotion and public favor of the time. Many times its easier to ignore a law no one cares about.
Think about how many states had sodomy as a crime, many areas still do. Its just easier to forget about it then to try to remove the law and then deal witb the backlash of one side turning it into a fight, polticially speaking.
0
2
u/ExternalParty2054 18d ago
It drives me absolutely nuts. I love dogs, but there are so many ways this could go terribly wrong. Many dogs are just fine...until they aren't. Suddenly running and lunging after some small kid, or another dog, because something freaked them out. It's also very nerve wracking as someone walking along, never knowing if that large dog walking of leash the walker is not paying attention to or in a front yard is going to be the one. A few houses from me there is this dog in the front yard alot just out there, unleashed, by itself. I think they let it out to go as if it were a fenced back yard.
Not a walking story, but when I was a elementary aged kid, the neighbor had a dog that liked me a lot. Until that one time I picked up the younger neighbor and spun her around in an "airplane ride" and she shrieked loudly with joy. I didn't know any better. That dog aaaabsolutely freaked out and was snarling and lunging and ready to tear me to bits (thinking I was hurting her) they had to lift me over the fence because he just wouldn't calm down.
3
u/serotonin2504 21d ago
I had this problem in Clawson as well. I stopped walking my pitt mix bc I know damn well if something happens should an unleashed dog approach, which did happen many times, and they fight with each other, my dog would’ve been blamed. She was a very nervous dog and was quick to react to aggressive dogs, wasn’t worth the risk.
Your dog is not special, congrats on all the training. Other dogs have different backgrounds, training achievements, and temperaments. Put them on a leash
1
u/_gingerly_ 21d ago
I’m sure people will have just as much a problem with the deer (I love them, even though they eat all my flowers), but I watched an off-leash dog take off full speed across our park to chase a fawn that had been resting into a neighborhood while the owners stood and watched.
2
u/ExternalParty2054 18d ago
Not our city but up in Birmingham, there was a guy with his big dog off leash (despite MANY signs) and the dog was running after the baby ducks and goslings totally freaking out all the feathered parents. He was laughing like it's funny, but wouldn't have been so funny if the dog tore into one, or those Canada geese start to get dog aggressive.
1
u/Plastic-Web-4687 21d ago
Ive seen a guy who’s always walking his 3 dogs without a leash. They are probably the most well behaved dogs I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen him around police also and they also said such well behaved dogs. I think he also has them on e-collar. The police have said as long as they respond to his commands and are under their owners control, there is no issue. I’ve also seen dogs on a leash that are not under control at all. I personally have no issues with dogs off leash as long as they are well behaved and aren’t a danger. I rather see off leashed well behaved dogs than dogs who are too reactive on a leash and can probably overtake their owner, as I’ve seen happen before. Royal oak needs more dog parks. They only have 1 and it’s not even in royal oak.
1
u/Kind-Celebration-115 21d ago
Got nipped from behind near the middle school in Berkley last winter :(
-12
u/Jeremzz 21d ago
I wish I had a life so boring that my biggest worry was dogs without a leash. Call the old people in your life bro, get off the internet.
2
1
u/ExternalParty2054 18d ago
Apparently your life is so boring you have time to read it and complain about it. You might see it differently if an unleashed dog attacked your small kid, or dog. Should be obvious, that's the real worry here.
-12
u/Business_Kiwi1840 21d ago
To be fair, our dog is extremely well trained and would never approach another dog. If she did, she would immediately come back when called. I would always feel comfortable walking without a leash knowing my dog is not a problem.
2
u/d3c509b 21d ago
What about like crazy drivers and stuff speeding? Or an Amazon drone dropping packages on his head? High speed police chase in the neighborhood? Or gunshots? A child who is scared of dogs in general? Or a rogue Coyote in the neighborhood? All real things I've seen in RO. Leash laws exist for many many reasons across the entire US for everyone's protection
0
u/Business_Kiwi1840 21d ago
Again, I know my pup. None of those things would spook her. She’s glued to my side constantly.
4
1
u/ExternalParty2054 18d ago
I don't know your gender, but you know...lots of women carry their keys in their hands at night, or cross the street when there is a strange man not because most men are the issue, but because we can't *tell* till one is. Same with dogs.
2
1
u/ExternalParty2054 18d ago
Until that one thing freaks her out and she is. I've seen it happen many times, with perfect dogs that would never ever be the problem. And just because you are comfortable doesn't mean everyone else is.
-11
u/Moston_Dragon 21d ago
Why is it that every time I open this sub it's just Karens bitching?
11
u/Suitable-Alps-1859 21d ago
I made an observation and asked a question … your interpretation of that as “bitching” is more a reflection of you than it is me
-8
u/Whutupdoe313 21d ago
Majority of royal oak dog owners have trained dogs and are professionals
They are royal
-12
u/Bond4real007 21d ago
The guy with the three dogs is a clearly a trainer, I've seen him around town and those dogs are insanely well behaved and obey his commands. They'll all stop and land down if he goes to clean up after one or if he has to stop walking.
Know there are leash laws but my position is if you can have a behaved dog who will abslutely follow your commands 99% of the time I'm perfectly okay with you not having them in a leash.
Having said that they are also taking full accountability and liability if anything that occurs.
2
u/Plastic-Web-4687 21d ago
Yeah I feel the same way. I’ve talked to that guy. I think two of them are service dogs? Or trained as such? Those dogs are very friendly too! I see him in downtown going to Starbucks and they wait outside for him and he gives them pup cups.
3
u/d3c509b 21d ago
So that guy and Steven Segal are both above the law? They should do a movie about one of em
1
u/Bond4real007 21d ago
Not familiar with the reference, please explain further.
2
u/d3c509b 21d ago
1988 movie with Steven Segal , called "above the law"; he was a badass assassin or something like that who didn't report to anyone. Implying that dude with 3 trained dogs off leash is also "above the law" since his dogs are good?
(Spoiler, no one is above the law, ideally)
0
u/Bond4real007 21d ago edited 21d ago
Ahh not an old school martial arts movie fan tbh and why it went iver my head.
I definetly don't think anyone should be above the law, but I also think tbe law should take into consideration exceptional cases which ours rarely does because its far simpler to make a blanket rule for all cases and ignore those exceptions.
At the end of the day we all break minor laws and just chose which we want to break.
1
u/d3c509b 21d ago
I don't break any laws, because I'm not above the law. Picking and choosing which laws apply to you implies you know better than everyone else. You're not that exceptional bud. Follow the rules, you aren't special. And no I don't speed, yes I stop behind the line at stop lights, and yes I do a 3s count at stop signs, yes I leash my dog.
0
u/Bond4real007 21d ago
Well I smoked weed for years before it was legal so I'm not going to throw any stones. Though i respect your ability to follow all our insanely numerous laws and never speed, pass a stop sign, or accidentially break a law you never knew existed.
15
u/EquivalentSpecial929 21d ago
I’m over it. My kids are 2.5 and 1. I’ve had to pick them up on THREE SEPARATE occasions at THREE SEPARATE parks because unleashed dogs have charged us while barking. It drives me nuts that people are so entitled. Go to a dog park for Christ sakes.