It's for the safety of the dog, the owner and the neighbors.
There is a jerk who lives in the building next to mine. We used to have the same dog walking schedule -- 5:30am. It's a great time to walk a dog. Less people around, less trouble, except for this jerk and his dog.
The dog is a cute Collie without a leash. Arrgh!! I called him on this twice. He was very non-chalant and assured me that his dog was friendly. Then he got a look at Biggs' size. The jerked picked up his dog pronto, hugged it to his chest and turned sideways as Biggs and I passed him on the sidewalk.
Biggs was straining at his leash to get better acquainted with the Collie. No way, baby. I did not want any trouble from either dog.
Even with two encounters between us, the jerk still walks his Collie without a leash. So now, I get up at 4:30am and am out walking Biggs by 5:00am. I take a different route, which actually is more fun for Biggs.
Better safe than sorry. And, better not to see the jerk again and resist the urge to talk a leash to his ass.
Wish I could write him a ticket!
