Dog lead etiquette

Apologies - yesterday's letter went out late, due to a technical glitch. It happens to the best of us and I've put some steps in place to stop it happening again. Fingers crossed anyway...

Wednesday is a funny day. Hump day they call it. Because it's the middle of the week.

So, I think I'm going to try something a bit lighter on a Wednesday. Not your usual business, technical and productivity gubbins.

Today, I want to talk about dogs. And their leads.

In particular, dog lead etiquette.

Because there is an unwritten rule amongst dog owners that far to many people don't seem to know.

Namely, if your dog is in the park and off-lead and you spy another dog that's on-lead, you need to put your dog on-lead too.

Yeah, Fido's having a fantastic time. Why should Fido's fun be ruined by Rover over there?

Well, you don't know what's going on with Rover.

Maybe he doesn't come back when he's called?

Maybe he's scared of other dogs?

Maybe he's just not very friendly?

We all know Fido's a lovely fellow, sticking his big wet nose into everyone else's business because he just loves life. But unless you know Rover, you're best off keeping Fido on a lead. In the same way as you don't go up and greet every stranger you see on the street, there's no need for dogs to always get involved with each other.

It's only polite.