Leash laws cause dog bites, it's as simple as that.
Around the world, responsible dog owners are facing breed bans, strict leash laws, and brutal restrictions that make properly socializing their dogs nearly impossible. What happened to the concept of "man's best friend"? When did the world start hating dogs?
To figure out how this anti-dog sentiment has grown to absurd levels, we must look objectively at the changes in how we keep dogs in human society.
To quickly summarize, it is clear to us that leashes cause aggressive behaviours, when used inappropriately. All the evidence shows that tethering dogs is unethical. Most experts equate the "fight" response in dogs to this sense of being unable to flee, whether tied to a fixed object or the dog's owner via a leash. Dogs who know they can't flee will often feel the need to fight, it's as simple as that.
Since leash laws were enacted, many people now seem to believe that since dogs must be leashed, they don't have to "train" their dogs...they simply physically control them with a leash. Clearly, those who use leashes in an attempt to control their dogs are the ones with the dogs that must be physically restrained. These kinds of dogs are not the ones you'd want to meet walking down the street or living next door. Properly raised dogs have no need for a leash. They're trained. They respond to verbal commands, with no "need" for a physical restraint of any kind. Again, now that leashes are mandatory in most communities, many dog owners don't even attempt to properly train their dogs. Instead, they simply use leashes to attempt to control them. ...Bad idea...
Now, certainly it is possible to teach a dog to pretty much ignore a leash. Hundreds of thousands of North American dogs walk obediently beside their owners with or without leashes. More importantly, they don't feel threatened by non-threatening situations, thus negating the desire to either fight or flee. That is just one of the benefits of proper socialization.
But ethical dog trainers sometimes wonder aloud why it is not only acceptable but mandatory to affix a rope around the delicate neck of a dog in order to leave the owners' property? Afterall, the overwhelming majority of aggression incidents occur on private property, not out in public where leash laws apply, and involve people who know the dog and are voluntarily interacting with it at the time, not strangers passing by on sidewalks or in public parks.
Sure, irresponsible dog owners might let their dogs run amok without leash laws. That's why leash laws were created. But shouldn't those individuals be the ones penalized, and not the rest of us who find it abhorrent to strap a rope around the necks of our perfectly behaved and well-mannered dogs?
To better understand the issue, let's look back at how leash laws impact dog owners.
In the first half of the 20th century, dogs were seen as little more than possessions. They lived half as long as they do today (in many cases), and they were allowed to roam loose in their neighbourhoods. Back in those days, serious dog attacks were rare. But when dogs are not properly supervised, they behave...well...like dogs. They dig and bark and chase; all behaviours that are frowned upon by most citizens.
