leads and collars, dog foodNear my house there is a local network of hiking trails, picnic tables, grassy areas and dog spots right on the surrounding hills. It is a nice natural escape from the city and sidewalks, which surround it. On Monday, I went out there with a friend for some exercise up the trails. There are points were dogs are supposed to be connected to leads and collars so they don’t run free but past a certain gate they are free to run. This area stretches all the way up the higher elevation trails. For the owners of obedient dogs it is great but there are always those pet owners who must have never thrown leads and collars over their furry friends past getting them to this place. These dogs run like maniacs up and down the trails.

For whatever reason more people in this area have small dogs so you’ll see them coming, weave through joggers legs, sniff bushes and then bother other dogs. I feel for the owners of these wild dogs because our family’s old dog was just like this. We tried all of the leads and collars tricks to make her stay under control but nothing worked. She was a terror at dog parks but we loved her all the same. Always grabbed her with dog food in the hand. On steep trails though, I’m not so sure these dogs should be running around people.