Walking the dogs.

I find it rather interesting that depending where you live, the rules for walking with your dog vary.  

In Holland, in most provinces unless you are within the specific confines of a dog park which is fenced, your dog must be on the lead at all times.  Where I live, I am very close to fields with cattle, sheep, horses – but in Holland these fields are divided by water and there is a paved path (meant for bicycles and pedestrians) which go along side the fields and at the edge of the housing area.  Here all the dogs are on a lead and are walking – as in with a purpose to get somewhere – unlike when they potter around to use the toilet.  There are special dog “toileting” areas, and here dogs are also supposed to be on the lead, but you see the people all standing around with them, chatting and holding the lead whilst the dog decides what to do.  There are poles, and sand and lots of dog waste bins (which have free poop bags in a dispenser).   You are definitely supposed to pick up your dog waste and properly dispose of it in the frequently found bins, and there is a hefty fine if you don’t – but along with parking enforcement, the people who would do that have been reduced to almost no one as a result of the 2008 economic crisis-induced cost reductions.  Then we have the dog parks, most housing areas have one or more – they are decent sized (40m x 60m or so) and fully fenced with latching gates, a bench and sometimes various obstacles for agility permanently placed.  People who use them tend to know each other and which dogs can play off lead together.  I typically go down there with three of the girls at a time and let them run around like nutters.  I try to get them to do the tunnels and the weaves and the balance beam – sometimes it works sometimes they are more interested in sniffing out who was there earlier.  I don’t take the girls to the park when they are in season, we do on-lead walks and quick trips to the toilet area — and I am always ready to pick them up if needed.  Because we live in a flat, they do need to go out beyond our tiny garden.
In the Czech Republic, some parks require you to walk with the dogs on the lead, but the general rule seems to be that they need to be either on the lead or under voice control.  When I walk at the local castle park, they do require you to clean up after your dog, but it would appear to me that in the countryside that doesn’t seem to be the case, although in urban areas it is required.  I am fortunate to live in a rural area with a lot of winding roads and pretty views.  But the back garden is almost the size of my local dog park in Holland, the girls really enjoy running around whenever they can convince me to let them be outside.  I am surprised by how often they are happy out in the rain as well!

I compare this to the UK where places like Battersea Park require you to have them on a lead and pick up after them – but where walking in big parks like Hampstead Heath don’t seem to have that rule – and not everyone picks up after them but most owners seem to and it is legally required.  But in the rural areas in the UK, it seems to me one is more likely to find the dogs off lead than on.  Mine aren’t used to that and find dogs running up to them from everywhere rather startling.

Yesterday I was walking in the park by Krasny Dvur, an earlier palace rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 17th and 18th century.  It is a lovely place, but the girls need to be on the lead.  I really appreciate the fact I have someplace this lovely to walk with the girls!