Hi. I'm a dog owner (of 1 year) living in a small town/suburb (generally dog-friendly) in a city (generally dog-unfriendly). Because of the extensive foliage and fresh environment away from urban life, where I live is very popular with dogs and babies. It turns out that this may be quite a problematic combination, coupled with the recent influx of non-parents and non-dog owners that just want to come and live here.

Part of the attraction of where I live is that it's a very safe place, and perfect for raising a dog. I adopted my dog at 2 months, so I've had the incredible opportunity to train and watch him grow, to the point where I've felt that I no longer need to put him on a leash when just going for a walk around (normally in wooded areas).

Unfortunately, I have now been harrassed on multiple times by a few different people chastising and threatening me for not having my dog on a leash. To my surprise actually, these people are dog owners themselves, so if anything, I expected them to be less hostile towards fellow dog owners. There have also been a few that are parents of toddlers/small children instead. They seem to be scared of the fact that my dog may harm their child; this sentiment I can understand to a certain extent, but at the same time I wonder whether they are contributing to the child's fear of dogs in general.

There is a law where I live, where dogs over 20kg must be kept on a leash, but there is also a law where dogs can be let free in parks/green areas etc. Considering that where I live is one big green area, and that I do put my dog on a leash when we go to crowded areas, I've always taken the law with a grain of salt. To clarify, my dog is actually not quite 20kg (the police aren't exactly walking around with scales either, so they never get involved unless someone actually complains), but he is quite big. He is also utterly harmless and really quite shy, but some people only see what they want to see.

I feel let down by the fact that I thought I lived in a dog-friendly place; a place where I could allow my dog to live a nice life, but I find myself dealing with opinionated and unfriendly people, something that I had never even considered before. I expected much of the difficulties raising a dog to come from raising the dog itself, not worrying about when another person will come up to me and complain. I also feel let down by the fact that a culture has developed where I live where dogs are forbidden by their owners from fraternizing with other dogs, out of fear of what might happen.

You might say, well why don't you just put your dog on a leash then? I realise this whole debacle may be more trouble than it's worth, and I should just take the high road here, but somehow I'm just not prepared to do that. The freedom that my dog has means that he knows to go to the toilet in suitable places outside, away from pedestrian paths and other places where people would walk through, and I naturally always pick up after him anyway. It means that he is able to exercise more by having the freedom to roam around, as opposed to being on a leash and being dictated by my pace all of the time. Frankly, I can't keep up with his pace, nor would I want to force him to walk at my (relatively) slow pace. It means that I am able to give commands that he understands instead of simply yanking him when he walks away from me, which all contribute to his mental growth.

So, if you are a dog owner, do you live in a dog-friendly place? What has been your experience owning a dog where you live?

If you are not a dog owner, do you live in a dog-friendly place? If you do, does this concern you somewhat?