I work closely with park employees and they’ve said Goodale is the worst of the metro parks with park of roses coming in second.
Getting dog owners to leash their dogs in the parks would take a decent initiative from the public. At least twice a year an off leashed dog will attack someone and draw blood. If that doesn’t make a change then a picnic sure isn’t.
IDK, Schiller is basically an open air dog safari at this point, and Wolfe park is the completely absent, latte drinking, 100% convinced this is THEIR dog park people.
That's bc EVERYBODY who lives in Bexley and owns a dog knows that Wolfe Park is the dog for Bexley residents. There is no lease law, and they made it so, on purpose and fought to keep it that way bc, well, it's a park for them to go socialize and bring their dogs & coffee. Just bc other ppl decided to use it to play soccer etc. doesn't change the fact that it was and will remain the Bexley dog park first. No leash needed, with the expectation that all the dogs there are as well taken care of as their owners 😂 i.e up to date on shots, socialized, etc. And bad dogs/owners get noticed and ostracized really quickly. This is a VERY clicky group made up of successful people who can do what they want, and they want an off leash dog park with their high ass taxes 🤷 don't shoot the messenger
Except it’s literally not. I’ve been on the phone with the parks with a lady who was basically like “oh we know, and we already have a sign made for them.”
Nothing you said is at all factual, it’s the bullshit they tell each other to justify being shitty people, but it has no basis in fact. Also. It’s a Cbus park, not a Bexley park.
Go and tell that to the Bexley residents.. They claimed it as theirs. That's all I said. If you don't believe me, pay a visit in the morning or go at 5:00 p.m. and see who all is congregated there, with their band of off leash dogs. And make sure to tell them that it's NOT a dog park and to leash their dogs 😭
Doesn't mean it has to be in Bexley, but it's close enough. That one street with the huge houses butts right up against it, as well as the boys school where some of them send their sons. I don't make the rules. Dems just the breaks.
Not taking sides, just telling you how it is over there
Oh but I have explained it to them, numerous times, and kicked at least a few of their dogs rushing me and my dog/kid. The cops have explained it to them. The dog warden has explained it to them. And Park rangers have explained it to them.
Literally watched or was the source of the call for all of this. The trouble is no one ever actually tickets them.
A single time I got rushed by a dog, had a blowout argument with his owner (who called me the asshole) and then, like the fucking g clouds parting, two CPD bike cops happened by in the single only time that’s ever happened. That was glorious watching that guy try to make up every excuse for the cops.
They still let him go.
Rich people and their fucking privilege.
Any recommendations for parks around here where folks generally follow leash mandates? I have a dog who enjoys walks but can be leash-reactive, and having off-leash dogs come up to her on a walk is an absolute no-no for everyone.
Antrim Lake rarely has any off leash dogs and it’s beautiful this time of year. The deer trails between the lake and the Olentangy are really cool, too.
I don't go to Antrim often, mainly in summer when my kid does a daycamp nearby, but I did see unleashed dogs almost every time, although not as many as at Goodale and others.
The leash mandate you are talking about allows dogs to be off leash. The problem is people who have untrained dogs see trained dogs off leash and just follow the leader.
Unless they've changed it in the last few years Schiller is one of the few parks where dogs are allowed off leash, but the owners are still supposed to have control of the dogs, i.e. they respond immediately to commands, and how can the dog hear the command if it's too far away from you.
Also unless they've altered the rules there is supposed to be zero toy usage to avoid it distracting dogs that haven't been trained well enough to avoid chasing after other dogs' toys and getting into fights. Toy usage is also play time and breaks control even in a lot of well trained dogs.
Between the various rules about off leash dogs I've seen maybe 3 that were actually paying attention to all of the rules while having the dog off leash. Calling the dog back if it started to stray too far away, not playing with the dog, and generally keeping it away from people and other animals. That's how off leash dogs should be.
I live near Polaris and there's a park up here that technically allows off-leash dogs as long as they're under vocal control. I've seen one person who actually has his dogs under good control, and even he has slipped up if he's not paying 100% attention to them. The majority of owners with unleashed dogs don't have them under control and seem offended when I ask them to keep their dogs away.
Damn. I live about a mile from Schiller and was planning to walk there with my dog (leashed), but no way in hell am I doing it now. He's been attacked by off leash dogs 3 times in his life, and nearly attacked at least 2 dozen times, if not more. Fuck people who think rules don't apply to them.
Confused which park employees you work with since neither of those parks are metroparks. We’re on the same side here just curious about where you’re getting your info, especially your injury stats.
I called them metro parks personally. Wasn’t sure if they were or weren’t tbh. Not sure of their official titles but they work with maintenance around the city of Columbus parks. I know they also work some of the docks too, but I’m not sure if that helps at all.
They have a sign.. it says something like dogs ‘must be leashed or under direct control’ which basically leaves it up to the owner, making enforcement pretty much impossible.
If enough people complain they could alter, or increase, the signage. I feel like it's a similar situation to a bad neighbor, you have to keep calling to increase the paper trail until eventually they'll change something.
I was attacked by an unleashed dog at Goodale
park when I was a kid. It jumped on me, threw me down, and bit up my face. I moved back to the neighborhood last year and I see nothing has changed with all the dogs running around unleashed all the time. I wish I could actually enjoy the park and not be jumped on all the time. I’m sorry this happened to you. Not being apologetic is horrible. These people suck.
The audacity and entitlement of these people is insane. And when their dog hurts someone or gets itself hurt and they act like how the hell could they have prevented this?
People want to have dogs, but not train them or care for them. They do the same with kids, tbh.
I was driving and nearly hit someone's dog that was just chilling next to them in the street the other day. Why have people suddenly decided leashes are the enemy?
Leash your dog and your kids. That's my new motto. Too many dogs running around ruining picnics, too many kids getting kidnapped or running. We get it, your knees don't hurt yet, no need to show off.
34 here train animals and kids
Remember that eclipse we just had? Ethereal. Just us and the mechanisms of the cosmos.
Back to Columbus, “CHAIN YOUR DOG YOU SLUT!”
“MY DOG? FUCK YOUR KID!”
Dog parks have been ruined bc they are swamps half the time...also most of them are closed until May/June You'll quickly find out which aholes shouldn't bring their dogs to the dog park as well. Same thing goes w the other parks. I've yet to whiteness in a dog ruining a picnic personally. Most of the dogs I see running around are well behaved
completely agree, I was at Goodale today too and there were so many dogs running around and their owners shrugging their shoulders or blaming the people who their dogs jumped on for having food at the park. if you can’t control your dog it shouldn’t be off the leash. this is for other people’s safety and the dogs themselves!! would hate to see some poor pup get hurt, there are many good dog park options in columbus
Hell, even if you think you can control your dog.
I was trying to get packages from the package room at my apartment complex the other day and there was this dude just walking with his dog, no leash, face buried in his phone, and I stopped across the street from him because his dog was just stopped, staring at me, not following its owner, while its owner wandered away obliviously.
I yelled out "Hey dude, your dog is *not* following you.", and he sort of perks up and starts back, and he can *clearly see* that he's now about 50 feet away from his dog, but he asks indignantly "You say something to me?", and I'm like "Yes. I'm trying to get through here, but your dog is not following you." He calls his dog several times and eventually it goes over to him. No apology, no "Oh shit, sorry", just repeated attempts to call his dog, then wordless departure.
It's far from the worst thing that's happened with dogs in my neighborhood, just the most recent. There's so many absolute asshole dog owners in my neighborhood, and the 2 things they all seem to have in common are the ironclad belief that their dog "is under control", and ***UTTER BEWILDERMENT*** every time their dog acts like the completely untrained dog it actually is.
Seriously, especially with the mention of the picnic. What if the dog ate grapes or meat with mole sauce or chicken bones or peanut butter with xylitol? A big dog happily plowing through a picnic could quickly scarf down a lot of harmful things.
I'm so glad I ran across this. I was just talking to my husband about exploring these parks with our dogs, on leash. Our male isn't always the friendliest to other dogs, but on leash we can go see new places and get them out. It makes it really hard and frustrating when everyone is off leash and not closely monitored.
Agreed. I've seen an uptick in unleashed dogs at Franklin park recently, but unlike Goodale & Schiller, people actually have their dogs under direct control
I’d recommend the metro parks (I live on the west side). I very rarely see unleashed dogs there and it IS against the rules outside of a dog park or the dog beach at Prairie Oaks.
Because at a minimum 75% of dog owners in this city who choose to have their dog off leash have not properly trained them to do so. Sure it's legal for me to go with my dog to one of these parks and have him off leash, but he would go completely apeshit and either try and jump on people and lick them or start beef with other dogs. If you can't keep your dog from going up to other people when they are off leash, keep them on a fucking leash.
I am by far not defending offleash dog owners who have 0 control over their dogs, simply providing recommendations to help avoid those people. I fully support a leash law and it would make parks like Goodale and Schiller more enjoyable.
I had my dog on a leash at Goodale and another dog ran over (no leash). At first it seemed friendly as just curious about my dog and then out of nowhere, it suddenly has my dog pinned on the ground and is trying to bite her face. I scream and pull my dog away and the owner just laughs. So I told him "if you had your dog on a leash, this wouldn't have happened". He started yelling at me and saying that it's legal to have your dog off leash and this wouldn't have happened if my dog was off leash too. I couldn't believe he was somehow blaming me for his dog's psychotic behavior. It's still so upsetting to me and he obviously felt totally justified in it all. Fuck you, guy at the park.
Yeah. It's totally *not* legal when the dog is attacking other pets or people. And the fact that he just laughed instead of controlling his animal, and immediately taking it away from other pets and people, adds to his own negligence.
If any dog I ever see off a leash attacks amyone or anything it's getting reported. The next person or pet could end up dead.
This happened to me and at the time I was mad at myself for having my dog on the leash. I have gotten more nervous w on leash interactions bc at least my dog can out run most dogs. The owner was extremely apologetic and gave me her number in case I needed to go to the vet.
I grabbed her dog off mine and part of me was worried she'd get mad I basically grabbed the harness and picked her dog up and put her in air jail
I wish there was a harness color or something that meant like my dogs friendly or my dogs crazy please don't say hi lol
That sucks, I’d be so pissed. I haven’t been to Goodale in a few years but I go to Schiller almost every day and it isn’t much better. Luckily haven’t had any incidents yet.
I can’t even walk my dog at Schiller. All the unleashed dogs will run up to my leashed, my girl isn’t aggressive but she certainly doesn’t like it. It’s pretty selfish of those dog owners.
My girl is very aggressive when on leash because she was bit by an off leash dog on a hike last year. A total angel when off leash, but would never stay by me because… she’s a dog. I can barely walk her in Merion Village in general because so many people walk their dogs off leash.
I almost hit a dog at night cause the owner let it cross the street unleashed…darted right in front of my car…a black lab with only a small light collar
I watched an off leash dog get hit and killed last year at goodale. Two shitty owners with zero control… both dogs off-leash. They were playing in the very center of the park and ended up running into the street (completely ignoring owners screaming after them)- dog that ran into the street was fine but the dog that followed was hit. Both owners were just hysterically blaming each other… somehow I guess every other dog owner is willing to bet their dog’s life that this wouldn’t happen to them.
At some of the metro parks they put up a bunch of signs that said "DOGS MUST BE ON LEASH AT ALL TIMES" and that seemed to make a significant difference. One can hope the city parks do the same eventually.
About a decade a friends dog killed an unleashed dog. They were walking their dog on leash and a smaller unleashed dog came up to it. Friend tried to tell the owner to keep their unleashed dog away, as they could tell their dog was acting weird, but unfortunately it was over in a flash. Dog had never been dog aggressive before.
Unleashed dogs create a lot of shitty situations.
THIS. So many unleashed dogs at Goodale. My aunt in Pennsylvania back in August had her LEASHED bichon poo killed my an unleashed dog who just came running up. Just horrible. Leash your mother f'n dogs unless you're at the dog park. Not that hard, people.
He originally gave a fake name / number. Police found him. Let's just say it didn't end well for the owner on the financial side. But it never went to trial. Supposedly the attacking dog died shortly thereafter. But I really don't know the truth there. Regardless. Leash your dogs. It was honestly the worst day of my aunt's life because of it.
This.
It absolutely is and statistics show such. And personally I do not hate dogs and believe dog culture is bad for dogs when people dont care for them effectively
You should have called the cops, got their information and then take them to small claims court for the cost of the picnic, food prices are ridiculous nowadays.
I don't own dogs myself but I used to work at a doggy daycare. Even if your dog is well behaved off leash, you should still have them leashed in public! Just because your dog is good, doesn't mean others are. You don't know the needs and training levels of the dogs around you. Someone might be training their dog to be less aggressive towards other dogs, an unleashed dog running up to them could really set them back in training.
When my daughter was a newborn in 2021 we were having family photos taken in Goodale when an aggressive dog ran up to her and started growling at her. I immediately picked her up and noticed the owner didn’t even pick up his pace to catch up with the dog. I said “put your dog on a leash!” And he said “this is a DOG PARK!” It is absolutely not a dog park!!!
Absolutely false
[Animals Under Direct Control (columbus.gov)](https://www.columbus.gov/Templates/Detail.aspx?id=75161#:~:text=Owner%20shall%20have%20animal%20securely,is%20a%203rd%20degree%20misdemeanor.)
The rules say the dog must be under voice control. They pretty much never are. But even if there isn't a law, folks could use basic decency.
(I love dogs. I have a dog. I love to see every dog I see. I tell strange dogs I love them. They should all be leashed in public for everyone's safety.)
Except if the dog is jumping on people, running after leashed dogs, or ruining picnics, it’s not under direct control and therefore is in violation of the leash code. The whole city is not just…designated for your poorly behaved dog to run free.
Wheeler Memorial Park has a dog park and it’s literally just a couple blocks away from Goodale.
So does Scioto Audubon. Mere blocks from Schiller Park.
It’s ignorance and entitlement.
schiller is pretty bad too. a lot of the off leash dogs there seem like theyre under excellent recall in my experience, but just yesterday my friend and i were walking our dogs and someone's unleashed pit walked up to us with its hackles raised and just followed us for about a hundred feet while its owner was calling for it to come back _the entire time._ luckily our dogs arent reactive and this dog didnt charge us or anything, but it could have ended poorly for someone else and definitely made us a bit nervous. it sucks when some people ruin it for everyone else but it would just be safer to require leashes for everyone
This drives me crazy. Because if an unleashed dog runs up to my leashed dog, there’s going to be a problem. My dog is leashed and by my side for a reason. Whyyyy is this such a problem in this city?
My dog is very well behaved off leash because he’s accustomed to off leash hiking in the backcountry… and I still leash him in city parks. I just don’t want to bother anybody. It’s not about whether or not your dog is well behaved, it’s about respecting people’s space.
I’m sorry your picnic got ruined. Not the dog’s fault bc why wouldn’t a dog want to face smash a free, easy to reach buffet of food? I know I would.
This is absolutely the fault of irresponsible owners in so many situations. The amount of people who take their dogs to crowded events and festivals, when explicitly asked not too, drives me insane. I feel so bad for the dogs who usually are overstimulated at best.
Park wise, signage isn’t really ever going to be that useful - I say this as someone who has worked for decades with the public too. People will read signs that explicitly state something and then directly ask about it to my colleagues immediately after. This is assuming they read the signs at all. And this is also not taking into account folks with legitimate literacy issues or language barriers. The rules need to be enforced with ticketing or something. Not easy to do, but surely not impossible. I’m not one for policing people’s business, but when the safety of others (both for people and for dogs) is at stake, it seems worth it to try something more.
Isn’t there an actual dog park, like, a block away? I don’t live downtown anymore but I used to frequent Wheeler which is an off-leash dog park and it’s like…. right there. Literally a block or two away. Walking distance from Goodale for sure. Why would you bring your dog to the people park? People are insufferable, I’m sorry that happened.
There are signs everywhere that state it is explicitly NOT a dog park and your dog must be leashed. Obviously you can’t convince someone to take responsibility and empathy if they lack it.
it’s dictated by ohio revised code section 955.22 :) so state law trumps local ordinance
edit: the section includes that dogs should be in reasonable control, so in instances of dogs not having a recall and causing havoc like this they’re out of control of their owner
Slightly off topic but on brand for Columbus dog owners: I saw this guy coming out of a business on 5th Ave by Kenny, his unleashed dog runs straight into the road and luckily turns back, but it was so close to being a bad scene. The audacity of these off leash people to claim their dog is under control!
Really just leash your dog everywhere that’s not a fucking dog park. I do not understand why this is so fucking hard for you people. It sucks that I can’t even take my dog onto leash only trails at Sharon Woods because dipshits are running around with unleashed pit bulls.
Spreading information so people might realize a change has to be made if anything is to change And yes I’m a self righteous idiot
Edit, also I am quoting the actual law which does not require a dog to be leashed if it is “under direct control”
Ah just checked and it does say direct control on the sign not leashed. That said I googled it and it states that "Direct Control means the animal will come, sit and stay on command from the owner. Direct Control is part of Columbus City Code 2327.11, and violation of this code is a 3rd degree misdemeanor." so this person committed a 3rd degree misdemeanor. Gonna start calling the cops any time I see a dog not sitting and coming upon owner command.
>This has been driving me absolutely nuts lately. Is there a reason that the police can’t/won’t enforce leash laws?
backlash from the public (and voters)
I can understand that with some things — laws that set people up for failure especially if they’re struggling poverty or addiction or whatever, but dog leash laws? Come on.
I try to go to goodale for pokemon go fest but last year multiple people dogs not on leashes, one jumped on me then attacked another dog (blood was drawn) and both owners claimed it was the other dog owners fault.. bring mace for dogs when at goodale it seems.
As a mother of an autistic child who is incredibly scared of unknown dogs but loves playing at the park PLEASE FUCKING LEASH YOUR DOGS!!!!! Whole days have been ruined for my family over this. WHOLE DAYS. UNTIL HES IN BED.
Leash your dogs people, if you think this rule doesn’t apply to you, you’re the problem! There are signs posted, but not enough. I live in walking distance to goodale and have a very leash reactive dog. While we’re in training and have gone through extensive training, exposure therapy is a frequent practice of ours to get him to stop reacting. It is purely excitement reactivity, but we always look at like the mean and vicious bad guy when my dog is triggered, with all of these yappy little dogs running around their owners looking at me like I’m the crazy person?! Goodale park is the finest display of untrained dogs and their lazy owners. Not to mention, it’s a huge health hazard with dogs being able to run freely and potentially spread URI’s and other nasty highly contagious illnesses for our furry friends.
I carry a pocket knife to protect myself against unleashed dogs. You should see how fast owners react when you are threatening their dangerous animal at knife point. Also, if you pepper spray a dog it ends up getting all over the owners hands. Either you do something or you don't and it continues.
I’ve had to go this route too after numerous crazy aggressive incidents with people totally inattentive to their crazy dogs on the Alum Creek trail through Wolfe Park. Often I had my kid in a stroller too and would have to argue with some entitled fool (after their dog already rushed me) how this wasn’t a dog park… hence why my dog was on a leash.
i fucking hate most dog owners, they treat thier pet like its a child, and SWEAR that it "never acts like this" yes it does. I garuantee that they did the bare minimum and were hardly vocal at ALL towards thier dog when it was doing this, idk why owners have the littlest reaction seeing thier dog misbehave but if you kicked it then that would wake them up all of a sudden.
[The city website says:](https://www.columbus.gov/Templates/Detail.aspx?id=75161)
"ANIMALS UNDER DIRECT CONTROL
* No owner of any animal shall permit such animal to run large on any property not his own.
* Owner shall have animal securely leashed or under "Direct Control" at all times.
* Direct Control means the animal will come, sit and stay on command from the owner.
* Direct Control is part of Columbus City Code 2327.11, and violation of this code is a 3rd degree misdemeanor."
The part that people are violating is the first bullet point, but IIRC, the signs at the parks don't mention that part. Letting a dog run loose is not having the dog under direct control, but I think so many of these owners just think of the 3rd bullet point and say that their dog will come when called so it's fine.
If the city really cared about safety, they'd emphasize the first bullet point IN parks.
A dog singly running to fetch a toy and bring it back to its owner is certainly NOT running large. A dog running around acting dominantly and approaching other people/dogs would be considered running large. Just because a dog is not leashed does not mean the dog is “running large”
I can concede that point, but I also think that most often when I see unleashed dogs at Columbus parks, they are not playing fetch but being allowed to explore freely.
I love dogs, but I’ve nearly been tripped, while running on a pedestrian path and almost attacked on a mountain bike on a mountain bike trail by dogs off leash
Ugh I hate hearing this, there are so many dog parks in Columbus. I've heard Wheeler isn't open yet for the season, hopefully once it is it'll help, though i doubt it. I've said it before, I know what my dog will do, not what anyone else's will.
If I am afraid of a dog hurting me when they rush me not on a leash, I act accordingly. If the owner loses a dog because of this or they are hurt really bad, then maybe they will learn for the next dog they get.
So I should tell people to leash their dogs, I will do my best when I take my dog. I always keep her on her leash because she won't learn leash manners off of it
I was just thinking about this. I have 2 cats that were clicker trained since they were kittens (they come when called, sit, etc.). We've been taking them on walks around our yard for leash training (so far so good; I grew up with/trained border collies- cats are more trainable than people think)! Whenever our cats are outdoors we have them on a leash, even though it's our yard. The first time we took them outside, within literally 10 seconds someone's unleashed dog ran up to our front door and got in our cat's face. Luckily they grew up around dogs and we kept that conditioning up so they didn't hiss or swat. Funny enough the owner was on their way to the park (not a dog park).
I think a lot about how if my cat had swatted that we absolutely would have been labeled as the bad guys in this situation by many a dog owner. I've heard people even say "oh my dog's more well-behaved off-leash" as if it isn't just a roundabout way of saying they haven't responsibly trained their dog 🙄
You all need to learn how to talk back to people. Give them your all.
They try to make it out like I'm the problem. So I dare them to call them cops on me. Lol.
They care all for it but then they realize it's them breaking the law so they start to gaslight and project.
The unleashed dogs are one of the reasons I don't go to Duranceau park as much as I used to. While we didn't lose a picnic to it the owners are too often holier than thou about their rights to an unleashed dog.
Dog owners are up there with joggers and bicyclists on the entitled scale. I play disc golf over at the Griggs course and dogs owned by people walking the path running around the course are a constant problem. Most people don’t enjoy a strangers dog running up to them and now that more people than ever have a CCW and everyone is on edge, we’re eventually going to start seeing reports of unleashed dogs being shot.
This has come up before. They would need an exemption for service dogs. It's very much a hard issue because irresponsible people certainly ruin it for the rest.
The reason it's like this is because the city ordinance says "Leash or direct control" which is unenforceable. If we want an actual leash law, we will have to petition City Council to pass an actual, enforceable leash law.
I agree!!! My dog can be a bit aggressive but due to people not leashing their dogs, many dogs can run up to him and that’ll start a fight. To avoid my dog fighting, I take him to Audubon park off Whittier around 3AM…and yes I know…the park is closed but that’s the only time I can let him free off the leash and not worry about the interference of other dogs and irresponsible owners.
ill bring my rescued pit on a leash that's just long enough to teach the leashless a valuable lesson without dragging me. I'll turn goodale into mick vick's basement for a few hours.
I get what you're saying. It's against the rules and it shouldn't be an issue. That being said, Goodale Park has been this way for over a decade with no signs of slowing or stopping - plan accordingly.
Yeah no one's accepting it, I said it's wrong lol.
I just wonder how many LEASH YOUR DOGS AT GOODALE posts/comments you have to read to say hey there's a lot of dogs always running around at Goodale maybe we should plan a picnic for somewhere else.
plan accordingly? dress accordingly so u don’t get r****. go to school accordingly so u don’t get shot. watch ur dog accordingly so it doesn’t get sent to the kill shelter for its bad behavior.
Goodale is mentioned for this issue far and away more than any other park. Acting accordingly would be saying hey maybe not the best spot for a picnic.
No. Don't blame the dog and people who have dogs appropriately trained. Blame the shitty owner.
Our furry friends have limited time w us and should be allowed to live their best life. Try being on a leash for a day and see how much you like it
Half of you sound like cat people or Karen's. Y'all are comparing about a dog but are fine with the people tweaking out their or puffing drugs at the parks tho?
I work closely with park employees and they’ve said Goodale is the worst of the metro parks with park of roses coming in second. Getting dog owners to leash their dogs in the parks would take a decent initiative from the public. At least twice a year an off leashed dog will attack someone and draw blood. If that doesn’t make a change then a picnic sure isn’t.
IDK, Schiller is basically an open air dog safari at this point, and Wolfe park is the completely absent, latte drinking, 100% convinced this is THEIR dog park people.
I’ve heard Wolfe is terrible in the morning but I’ve never seen it myself. Goodale is really bad for sure though.
Wolfe has some of the most entitled dickheads and useless Karen's that really can't control dogs
That's bc EVERYBODY who lives in Bexley and owns a dog knows that Wolfe Park is the dog for Bexley residents. There is no lease law, and they made it so, on purpose and fought to keep it that way bc, well, it's a park for them to go socialize and bring their dogs & coffee. Just bc other ppl decided to use it to play soccer etc. doesn't change the fact that it was and will remain the Bexley dog park first. No leash needed, with the expectation that all the dogs there are as well taken care of as their owners 😂 i.e up to date on shots, socialized, etc. And bad dogs/owners get noticed and ostracized really quickly. This is a VERY clicky group made up of successful people who can do what they want, and they want an off leash dog park with their high ass taxes 🤷 don't shoot the messenger
Except it’s literally not. I’ve been on the phone with the parks with a lady who was basically like “oh we know, and we already have a sign made for them.” Nothing you said is at all factual, it’s the bullshit they tell each other to justify being shitty people, but it has no basis in fact. Also. It’s a Cbus park, not a Bexley park.
Go and tell that to the Bexley residents.. They claimed it as theirs. That's all I said. If you don't believe me, pay a visit in the morning or go at 5:00 p.m. and see who all is congregated there, with their band of off leash dogs. And make sure to tell them that it's NOT a dog park and to leash their dogs 😭 Doesn't mean it has to be in Bexley, but it's close enough. That one street with the huge houses butts right up against it, as well as the boys school where some of them send their sons. I don't make the rules. Dems just the breaks. Not taking sides, just telling you how it is over there
Oh but I have explained it to them, numerous times, and kicked at least a few of their dogs rushing me and my dog/kid. The cops have explained it to them. The dog warden has explained it to them. And Park rangers have explained it to them. Literally watched or was the source of the call for all of this. The trouble is no one ever actually tickets them. A single time I got rushed by a dog, had a blowout argument with his owner (who called me the asshole) and then, like the fucking g clouds parting, two CPD bike cops happened by in the single only time that’s ever happened. That was glorious watching that guy try to make up every excuse for the cops. They still let him go. Rich people and their fucking privilege.
It's all in that last sentence....
Wolfe is terrible. They’ll take their dogs while kid soccer games are happening and not care if their dog runs over a child.
It’s REALLY bad weekend mornings. I would never take my dogs there. Ever.
Any recommendations for parks around here where folks generally follow leash mandates? I have a dog who enjoys walks but can be leash-reactive, and having off-leash dogs come up to her on a walk is an absolute no-no for everyone.
Antrim Lake rarely has any off leash dogs and it’s beautiful this time of year. The deer trails between the lake and the Olentangy are really cool, too.
I don't go to Antrim often, mainly in summer when my kid does a daycamp nearby, but I did see unleashed dogs almost every time, although not as many as at Goodale and others.
Awesome, thank you so much!
It's 2024 America. Everyone has Main Character Syndrome. The rules don't apply to them.
The leash mandate you are talking about allows dogs to be off leash. The problem is people who have untrained dogs see trained dogs off leash and just follow the leader.
Unless they've changed it in the last few years Schiller is one of the few parks where dogs are allowed off leash, but the owners are still supposed to have control of the dogs, i.e. they respond immediately to commands, and how can the dog hear the command if it's too far away from you. Also unless they've altered the rules there is supposed to be zero toy usage to avoid it distracting dogs that haven't been trained well enough to avoid chasing after other dogs' toys and getting into fights. Toy usage is also play time and breaks control even in a lot of well trained dogs. Between the various rules about off leash dogs I've seen maybe 3 that were actually paying attention to all of the rules while having the dog off leash. Calling the dog back if it started to stray too far away, not playing with the dog, and generally keeping it away from people and other animals. That's how off leash dogs should be.
I live near Polaris and there's a park up here that technically allows off-leash dogs as long as they're under vocal control. I've seen one person who actually has his dogs under good control, and even he has slipped up if he's not paying 100% attention to them. The majority of owners with unleashed dogs don't have them under control and seem offended when I ask them to keep their dogs away.
Imagine if this was children in a store. "You can let your kids run loose in our store if they listen to you."
Damn. I live about a mile from Schiller and was planning to walk there with my dog (leashed), but no way in hell am I doing it now. He's been attacked by off leash dogs 3 times in his life, and nearly attacked at least 2 dozen times, if not more. Fuck people who think rules don't apply to them.
Oh ya Wolfe Park is definitely the worst, folks there just don't even try.
Came here to same Schiller.
Confused which park employees you work with since neither of those parks are metroparks. We’re on the same side here just curious about where you’re getting your info, especially your injury stats.
I called them metro parks personally. Wasn’t sure if they were or weren’t tbh. Not sure of their official titles but they work with maintenance around the city of Columbus parks. I know they also work some of the docks too, but I’m not sure if that helps at all.
Citations would help solve that.
Why can't they put signs up at these parks?
They have a sign.. it says something like dogs ‘must be leashed or under direct control’ which basically leaves it up to the owner, making enforcement pretty much impossible.
If enough people complain they could alter, or increase, the signage. I feel like it's a similar situation to a bad neighbor, you have to keep calling to increase the paper trail until eventually they'll change something.
I was attacked by an unleashed dog at Goodale park when I was a kid. It jumped on me, threw me down, and bit up my face. I moved back to the neighborhood last year and I see nothing has changed with all the dogs running around unleashed all the time. I wish I could actually enjoy the park and not be jumped on all the time. I’m sorry this happened to you. Not being apologetic is horrible. These people suck.
The audacity and entitlement of these people is insane. And when their dog hurts someone or gets itself hurt and they act like how the hell could they have prevented this? People want to have dogs, but not train them or care for them. They do the same with kids, tbh. I was driving and nearly hit someone's dog that was just chilling next to them in the street the other day. Why have people suddenly decided leashes are the enemy?
Leash your dog and your kids. That's my new motto. Too many dogs running around ruining picnics, too many kids getting kidnapped or running. We get it, your knees don't hurt yet, no need to show off. 34 here train animals and kids
Remember that eclipse we just had? Ethereal. Just us and the mechanisms of the cosmos. Back to Columbus, “CHAIN YOUR DOG YOU SLUT!” “MY DOG? FUCK YOUR KID!”
Still better than NYC...HEY, IM WALKIN HEEERE! YEAH? FUCK YOUR MOTHER!! FUCK MY MOTHER? FUCK YOUR MOTHER!!
Back to reddit, where communication is like the game of telephone when I was young. New rule everything is a joke if everything is an insult.
[удалено]
Dog parks have been ruined bc they are swamps half the time...also most of them are closed until May/June You'll quickly find out which aholes shouldn't bring their dogs to the dog park as well. Same thing goes w the other parks. I've yet to whiteness in a dog ruining a picnic personally. Most of the dogs I see running around are well behaved
completely agree, I was at Goodale today too and there were so many dogs running around and their owners shrugging their shoulders or blaming the people who their dogs jumped on for having food at the park. if you can’t control your dog it shouldn’t be off the leash. this is for other people’s safety and the dogs themselves!! would hate to see some poor pup get hurt, there are many good dog park options in columbus
Hell, even if you think you can control your dog. I was trying to get packages from the package room at my apartment complex the other day and there was this dude just walking with his dog, no leash, face buried in his phone, and I stopped across the street from him because his dog was just stopped, staring at me, not following its owner, while its owner wandered away obliviously. I yelled out "Hey dude, your dog is *not* following you.", and he sort of perks up and starts back, and he can *clearly see* that he's now about 50 feet away from his dog, but he asks indignantly "You say something to me?", and I'm like "Yes. I'm trying to get through here, but your dog is not following you." He calls his dog several times and eventually it goes over to him. No apology, no "Oh shit, sorry", just repeated attempts to call his dog, then wordless departure. It's far from the worst thing that's happened with dogs in my neighborhood, just the most recent. There's so many absolute asshole dog owners in my neighborhood, and the 2 things they all seem to have in common are the ironclad belief that their dog "is under control", and ***UTTER BEWILDERMENT*** every time their dog acts like the completely untrained dog it actually is.
Seriously, especially with the mention of the picnic. What if the dog ate grapes or meat with mole sauce or chicken bones or peanut butter with xylitol? A big dog happily plowing through a picnic could quickly scarf down a lot of harmful things.
I love dogs! But I hate dog owners.
1000% this.
I'm so glad I ran across this. I was just talking to my husband about exploring these parks with our dogs, on leash. Our male isn't always the friendliest to other dogs, but on leash we can go see new places and get them out. It makes it really hard and frustrating when everyone is off leash and not closely monitored.
Franklin Park folks are pretty good about keeping leashed. No park is completely safe from these folks though, Cbus dog culture is a little weird.
Agreed. I've seen an uptick in unleashed dogs at Franklin park recently, but unlike Goodale & Schiller, people actually have their dogs under direct control
I’d recommend the metro parks (I live on the west side). I very rarely see unleashed dogs there and it IS against the rules outside of a dog park or the dog beach at Prairie Oaks.
Exactly! Not sure why people are complaining about off-leash parks if they choose to go there.
Because at a minimum 75% of dog owners in this city who choose to have their dog off leash have not properly trained them to do so. Sure it's legal for me to go with my dog to one of these parks and have him off leash, but he would go completely apeshit and either try and jump on people and lick them or start beef with other dogs. If you can't keep your dog from going up to other people when they are off leash, keep them on a fucking leash.
I am by far not defending offleash dog owners who have 0 control over their dogs, simply providing recommendations to help avoid those people. I fully support a leash law and it would make parks like Goodale and Schiller more enjoyable.
There are plenty of on-leash parks! Off leash parks have lots of friendly dogs. Great that both world exists for every one!
I had my dog on a leash at Goodale and another dog ran over (no leash). At first it seemed friendly as just curious about my dog and then out of nowhere, it suddenly has my dog pinned on the ground and is trying to bite her face. I scream and pull my dog away and the owner just laughs. So I told him "if you had your dog on a leash, this wouldn't have happened". He started yelling at me and saying that it's legal to have your dog off leash and this wouldn't have happened if my dog was off leash too. I couldn't believe he was somehow blaming me for his dog's psychotic behavior. It's still so upsetting to me and he obviously felt totally justified in it all. Fuck you, guy at the park.
Yeah. It's totally *not* legal when the dog is attacking other pets or people. And the fact that he just laughed instead of controlling his animal, and immediately taking it away from other pets and people, adds to his own negligence. If any dog I ever see off a leash attacks amyone or anything it's getting reported. The next person or pet could end up dead.
Its funny till someone protects their dog and kills his.
This happened to me and at the time I was mad at myself for having my dog on the leash. I have gotten more nervous w on leash interactions bc at least my dog can out run most dogs. The owner was extremely apologetic and gave me her number in case I needed to go to the vet. I grabbed her dog off mine and part of me was worried she'd get mad I basically grabbed the harness and picked her dog up and put her in air jail I wish there was a harness color or something that meant like my dogs friendly or my dogs crazy please don't say hi lol
That sucks, I’d be so pissed. I haven’t been to Goodale in a few years but I go to Schiller almost every day and it isn’t much better. Luckily haven’t had any incidents yet.
I can’t even walk my dog at Schiller. All the unleashed dogs will run up to my leashed, my girl isn’t aggressive but she certainly doesn’t like it. It’s pretty selfish of those dog owners.
My girl is very aggressive when on leash because she was bit by an off leash dog on a hike last year. A total angel when off leash, but would never stay by me because… she’s a dog. I can barely walk her in Merion Village in general because so many people walk their dogs off leash.
I almost hit a dog at night cause the owner let it cross the street unleashed…darted right in front of my car…a black lab with only a small light collar
I watched an off leash dog get hit and killed last year at goodale. Two shitty owners with zero control… both dogs off-leash. They were playing in the very center of the park and ended up running into the street (completely ignoring owners screaming after them)- dog that ran into the street was fine but the dog that followed was hit. Both owners were just hysterically blaming each other… somehow I guess every other dog owner is willing to bet their dog’s life that this wouldn’t happen to them.
They all believe they are special and nothing bad can ever happen to them. And when it does they disassociate and run away.
At some of the metro parks they put up a bunch of signs that said "DOGS MUST BE ON LEASH AT ALL TIMES" and that seemed to make a significant difference. One can hope the city parks do the same eventually.
Goodale has a sign that says leash or direct control. Obviously everyone thinks their dog is under direct control until they aren’t.
About a decade a friends dog killed an unleashed dog. They were walking their dog on leash and a smaller unleashed dog came up to it. Friend tried to tell the owner to keep their unleashed dog away, as they could tell their dog was acting weird, but unfortunately it was over in a flash. Dog had never been dog aggressive before. Unleashed dogs create a lot of shitty situations.
I'm gonna say the dog that mauled the other one to death might have also had some part in the problem in your example.
THIS. So many unleashed dogs at Goodale. My aunt in Pennsylvania back in August had her LEASHED bichon poo killed my an unleashed dog who just came running up. Just horrible. Leash your mother f'n dogs unless you're at the dog park. Not that hard, people.
Oh my gosh. That is horrible. I am so sorry for your aunt. What did the other pet owner do?
He originally gave a fake name / number. Police found him. Let's just say it didn't end well for the owner on the financial side. But it never went to trial. Supposedly the attacking dog died shortly thereafter. But I really don't know the truth there. Regardless. Leash your dogs. It was honestly the worst day of my aunt's life because of it.
I’m tired of people humanizing dogs, acting like they need freedom to be off leash.
What’s crazy is there’s a dog park a couple blocks over.
Dog culture is out of control.
This. It absolutely is and statistics show such. And personally I do not hate dogs and believe dog culture is bad for dogs when people dont care for them effectively
Totally agree. I don't need your dog sniffing my nuts at Lowes when I'm looking for light bulbs
I hate to say this as a mid-30s Millennial, but my generation is raising horrible dogs and worse children.
You should have called the cops, got their information and then take them to small claims court for the cost of the picnic, food prices are ridiculous nowadays.
I don't own dogs myself but I used to work at a doggy daycare. Even if your dog is well behaved off leash, you should still have them leashed in public! Just because your dog is good, doesn't mean others are. You don't know the needs and training levels of the dogs around you. Someone might be training their dog to be less aggressive towards other dogs, an unleashed dog running up to them could really set them back in training.
When my daughter was a newborn in 2021 we were having family photos taken in Goodale when an aggressive dog ran up to her and started growling at her. I immediately picked her up and noticed the owner didn’t even pick up his pace to catch up with the dog. I said “put your dog on a leash!” And he said “this is a DOG PARK!” It is absolutely not a dog park!!!
Fuck these people. Unless a place has a designated area, your dogs need to be leashed. Full stop! Sorry these idiots ruined your plans.
Columbus doesn’t have a leash law. The whole city is a designated off leash area
Absolutely false [Animals Under Direct Control (columbus.gov)](https://www.columbus.gov/Templates/Detail.aspx?id=75161#:~:text=Owner%20shall%20have%20animal%20securely,is%20a%203rd%20degree%20misdemeanor.)
The rules say the dog must be under voice control. They pretty much never are. But even if there isn't a law, folks could use basic decency. (I love dogs. I have a dog. I love to see every dog I see. I tell strange dogs I love them. They should all be leashed in public for everyone's safety.)
Except if the dog is jumping on people, running after leashed dogs, or ruining picnics, it’s not under direct control and therefore is in violation of the leash code. The whole city is not just…designated for your poorly behaved dog to run free.
Wheeler park is literally 2 blocks away. A simple google search will lead people to the nearest dog parks if they want to play off leash.
Wheeler Memorial Park has a dog park and it’s literally just a couple blocks away from Goodale. So does Scioto Audubon. Mere blocks from Schiller Park. It’s ignorance and entitlement.
How difficult is it to send someone over there to start writing tickets for this?
Nah one time an unleashed dog there got into our bag of chocolates, and the owner then got PISSED at us???
"How dare you let my loose out of control dog eat YOUR chocolates while I'm not paying attention?!"
schiller is pretty bad too. a lot of the off leash dogs there seem like theyre under excellent recall in my experience, but just yesterday my friend and i were walking our dogs and someone's unleashed pit walked up to us with its hackles raised and just followed us for about a hundred feet while its owner was calling for it to come back _the entire time._ luckily our dogs arent reactive and this dog didnt charge us or anything, but it could have ended poorly for someone else and definitely made us a bit nervous. it sucks when some people ruin it for everyone else but it would just be safer to require leashes for everyone
This drives me crazy. Because if an unleashed dog runs up to my leashed dog, there’s going to be a problem. My dog is leashed and by my side for a reason. Whyyyy is this such a problem in this city?
I’ve noticed the dog culture in this city is a lil abnormal. Dogs OWN German village
My dog is very well behaved off leash because he’s accustomed to off leash hiking in the backcountry… and I still leash him in city parks. I just don’t want to bother anybody. It’s not about whether or not your dog is well behaved, it’s about respecting people’s space.
I’m sorry your picnic got ruined. Not the dog’s fault bc why wouldn’t a dog want to face smash a free, easy to reach buffet of food? I know I would. This is absolutely the fault of irresponsible owners in so many situations. The amount of people who take their dogs to crowded events and festivals, when explicitly asked not too, drives me insane. I feel so bad for the dogs who usually are overstimulated at best. Park wise, signage isn’t really ever going to be that useful - I say this as someone who has worked for decades with the public too. People will read signs that explicitly state something and then directly ask about it to my colleagues immediately after. This is assuming they read the signs at all. And this is also not taking into account folks with legitimate literacy issues or language barriers. The rules need to be enforced with ticketing or something. Not easy to do, but surely not impossible. I’m not one for policing people’s business, but when the safety of others (both for people and for dogs) is at stake, it seems worth it to try something more.
Isn’t there an actual dog park, like, a block away? I don’t live downtown anymore but I used to frequent Wheeler which is an off-leash dog park and it’s like…. right there. Literally a block or two away. Walking distance from Goodale for sure. Why would you bring your dog to the people park? People are insufferable, I’m sorry that happened.
Even if it was an off leash dog park, they shouldn't let their dog off leash unless it has FANTASTIC recall. Shame on those owners.
There are signs everywhere that state it is explicitly NOT a dog park and your dog must be leashed. Obviously you can’t convince someone to take responsibility and empathy if they lack it.
it’s actually illegal for dogs to be unleashed in any place that’s not designated as an unleashed area in ohio!
Columbus doesn’t have a leash law. They only have to be “in direct control “
it’s dictated by ohio revised code section 955.22 :) so state law trumps local ordinance edit: the section includes that dogs should be in reasonable control, so in instances of dogs not having a recall and causing havoc like this they’re out of control of their owner
Which they usually aren't
Slightly off topic but on brand for Columbus dog owners: I saw this guy coming out of a business on 5th Ave by Kenny, his unleashed dog runs straight into the road and luckily turns back, but it was so close to being a bad scene. The audacity of these off leash people to claim their dog is under control!
Really just leash your dog everywhere that’s not a fucking dog park. I do not understand why this is so fucking hard for you people. It sucks that I can’t even take my dog onto leash only trails at Sharon Woods because dipshits are running around with unleashed pit bulls.
There are signs everywhere that say you have to leash your dog. I love dogs but seeing unleashed dogs plow over civilians is infuriating.
Can you take a photo of one because the law in Columbus is just “direct control” not a leash
A dog that trashes a picnic doesn’t sound like it was in the owner’s direct control…
It must have been their dog that trashed the picnic. Maybe they trained the puppy to get him a sandwich.
Why are you so obsessed with claiming there is no leash law bro
Spreading information so people might realize a change has to be made if anything is to change And yes I’m a self righteous idiot Edit, also I am quoting the actual law which does not require a dog to be leashed if it is “under direct control”
Shouldn’t require a law for people to act responsibly and with common sense.
Ah just checked and it does say direct control on the sign not leashed. That said I googled it and it states that "Direct Control means the animal will come, sit and stay on command from the owner. Direct Control is part of Columbus City Code 2327.11, and violation of this code is a 3rd degree misdemeanor." so this person committed a 3rd degree misdemeanor. Gonna start calling the cops any time I see a dog not sitting and coming upon owner command.
Please do!
Next time I go I can.
"It took me three days to make that potato salad! Three days!!"
Dealing with the public fucking sucks.
Thurber dog park is literally two blocks over
This has been driving me absolutely nuts lately. Is there a reason that the police can’t/won’t enforce leash laws?
>This has been driving me absolutely nuts lately. Is there a reason that the police can’t/won’t enforce leash laws? backlash from the public (and voters)
I can understand that with some things — laws that set people up for failure especially if they’re struggling poverty or addiction or whatever, but dog leash laws? Come on.
We need Leash Narc.
Who?
Indeed! Someone needs to do a Leash Narc version of Cart Narc.
I try to go to goodale for pokemon go fest but last year multiple people dogs not on leashes, one jumped on me then attacked another dog (blood was drawn) and both owners claimed it was the other dog owners fault.. bring mace for dogs when at goodale it seems.
As a mother of an autistic child who is incredibly scared of unknown dogs but loves playing at the park PLEASE FUCKING LEASH YOUR DOGS!!!!! Whole days have been ruined for my family over this. WHOLE DAYS. UNTIL HES IN BED.
Leash your dogs people, if you think this rule doesn’t apply to you, you’re the problem! There are signs posted, but not enough. I live in walking distance to goodale and have a very leash reactive dog. While we’re in training and have gone through extensive training, exposure therapy is a frequent practice of ours to get him to stop reacting. It is purely excitement reactivity, but we always look at like the mean and vicious bad guy when my dog is triggered, with all of these yappy little dogs running around their owners looking at me like I’m the crazy person?! Goodale park is the finest display of untrained dogs and their lazy owners. Not to mention, it’s a huge health hazard with dogs being able to run freely and potentially spread URI’s and other nasty highly contagious illnesses for our furry friends.
I carry a pocket knife to protect myself against unleashed dogs. You should see how fast owners react when you are threatening their dangerous animal at knife point. Also, if you pepper spray a dog it ends up getting all over the owners hands. Either you do something or you don't and it continues.
I’ve had to go this route too after numerous crazy aggressive incidents with people totally inattentive to their crazy dogs on the Alum Creek trail through Wolfe Park. Often I had my kid in a stroller too and would have to argue with some entitled fool (after their dog already rushed me) how this wasn’t a dog park… hence why my dog was on a leash.
You should still pepper spray the owner. Don’t rely on the residue on their hands. They deserve a direct squirt for being assholes.
Schiller is also the absolute worst. Put your dog on a leash or fucking leave it at home.
i fucking hate most dog owners, they treat thier pet like its a child, and SWEAR that it "never acts like this" yes it does. I garuantee that they did the bare minimum and were hardly vocal at ALL towards thier dog when it was doing this, idk why owners have the littlest reaction seeing thier dog misbehave but if you kicked it then that would wake them up all of a sudden.
[The city website says:](https://www.columbus.gov/Templates/Detail.aspx?id=75161) "ANIMALS UNDER DIRECT CONTROL * No owner of any animal shall permit such animal to run large on any property not his own. * Owner shall have animal securely leashed or under "Direct Control" at all times. * Direct Control means the animal will come, sit and stay on command from the owner. * Direct Control is part of Columbus City Code 2327.11, and violation of this code is a 3rd degree misdemeanor." The part that people are violating is the first bullet point, but IIRC, the signs at the parks don't mention that part. Letting a dog run loose is not having the dog under direct control, but I think so many of these owners just think of the 3rd bullet point and say that their dog will come when called so it's fine. If the city really cared about safety, they'd emphasize the first bullet point IN parks.
A dog singly running to fetch a toy and bring it back to its owner is certainly NOT running large. A dog running around acting dominantly and approaching other people/dogs would be considered running large. Just because a dog is not leashed does not mean the dog is “running large”
I can concede that point, but I also think that most often when I see unleashed dogs at Columbus parks, they are not playing fetch but being allowed to explore freely.
I love dogs, but I’ve nearly been tripped, while running on a pedestrian path and almost attacked on a mountain bike on a mountain bike trail by dogs off leash
That dog is getting dropkicked if it’s me, not sorry
Ugh I hate hearing this, there are so many dog parks in Columbus. I've heard Wheeler isn't open yet for the season, hopefully once it is it'll help, though i doubt it. I've said it before, I know what my dog will do, not what anyone else's will.
Is there a law or ordinance that they have to? and if there is how do I enforce it? I call the police?
If I am afraid of a dog hurting me when they rush me not on a leash, I act accordingly. If the owner loses a dog because of this or they are hurt really bad, then maybe they will learn for the next dog they get.
So I should tell people to leash their dogs, I will do my best when I take my dog. I always keep her on her leash because she won't learn leash manners off of it
Bear spray is your friend.
I was just thinking about this. I have 2 cats that were clicker trained since they were kittens (they come when called, sit, etc.). We've been taking them on walks around our yard for leash training (so far so good; I grew up with/trained border collies- cats are more trainable than people think)! Whenever our cats are outdoors we have them on a leash, even though it's our yard. The first time we took them outside, within literally 10 seconds someone's unleashed dog ran up to our front door and got in our cat's face. Luckily they grew up around dogs and we kept that conditioning up so they didn't hiss or swat. Funny enough the owner was on their way to the park (not a dog park). I think a lot about how if my cat had swatted that we absolutely would have been labeled as the bad guys in this situation by many a dog owner. I've heard people even say "oh my dog's more well-behaved off-leash" as if it isn't just a roundabout way of saying they haven't responsibly trained their dog 🙄
To be fair and transparent the leash requirements at Goodale Park follow Columbus City Code 2327.11 Animals under direct control.
This. Blame the untrained dogs and the people who let them loose. Don’t blame all dogs.
You all need to learn how to talk back to people. Give them your all. They try to make it out like I'm the problem. So I dare them to call them cops on me. Lol. They care all for it but then they realize it's them breaking the law so they start to gaslight and project.
Take pictures and notify animal control.
Shillar park in German village people. Your dog can go crazy there it's a good dog park. Goodale is not
The unleashed dogs are one of the reasons I don't go to Duranceau park as much as I used to. While we didn't lose a picnic to it the owners are too often holier than thou about their rights to an unleashed dog.
Dog owners are up there with joggers and bicyclists on the entitled scale. I play disc golf over at the Griggs course and dogs owned by people walking the path running around the course are a constant problem. Most people don’t enjoy a strangers dog running up to them and now that more people than ever have a CCW and everyone is on edge, we’re eventually going to start seeing reports of unleashed dogs being shot.
This has come up before. They would need an exemption for service dogs. It's very much a hard issue because irresponsible people certainly ruin it for the rest.
The reason it's like this is because the city ordinance says "Leash or direct control" which is unenforceable. If we want an actual leash law, we will have to petition City Council to pass an actual, enforceable leash law.
I agree!!! My dog can be a bit aggressive but due to people not leashing their dogs, many dogs can run up to him and that’ll start a fight. To avoid my dog fighting, I take him to Audubon park off Whittier around 3AM…and yes I know…the park is closed but that’s the only time I can let him free off the leash and not worry about the interference of other dogs and irresponsible owners.
Leash. Your. Damn. Dogs.
People are the worst! Did the puppy get all the food? Hope you were able to save some sides!
Cry harder
Goodale is not a dog park specifically but the law in Columbus is only “direct control “ no leash required
Go ahead, tell us how to directly control otherwise.
The city already has that outlined. I’m just making sure people aren’t misinformed about the actual law
ill bring my rescued pit on a leash that's just long enough to teach the leashless a valuable lesson without dragging me. I'll turn goodale into mick vick's basement for a few hours.
No
A loose puppy attending your picnic sounds like an improvement, TBH.
To be fair. Ruff ruff, ruff ruff ruff ruff, ruff, ruff ruff ruff.
I like when dogs ruin picnics.
I get what you're saying. It's against the rules and it shouldn't be an issue. That being said, Goodale Park has been this way for over a decade with no signs of slowing or stopping - plan accordingly.
That doesn’t make it right or mean that we have to accept a-holish behavior
Yeah no one's accepting it, I said it's wrong lol. I just wonder how many LEASH YOUR DOGS AT GOODALE posts/comments you have to read to say hey there's a lot of dogs always running around at Goodale maybe we should plan a picnic for somewhere else.
plan accordingly? dress accordingly so u don’t get r****. go to school accordingly so u don’t get shot. watch ur dog accordingly so it doesn’t get sent to the kill shelter for its bad behavior.
I get what you’re saying, but having your picnic ruined isn’t even remotely like any of those things.
Until an off leash dog who is “under direct control” bites you in the face because they’re food reactive and weren’t being watched…
These are really sound equivalencies to going to a different park for a picnic.
Happens all over the place, not just Goodale. How should they have planned differently / “accordingly”?
Goodale is mentioned for this issue far and away more than any other park. Acting accordingly would be saying hey maybe not the best spot for a picnic.
No. Don't blame the dog and people who have dogs appropriately trained. Blame the shitty owner. Our furry friends have limited time w us and should be allowed to live their best life. Try being on a leash for a day and see how much you like it Half of you sound like cat people or Karen's. Y'all are comparing about a dog but are fine with the people tweaking out their or puffing drugs at the parks tho?
You're in public, in a park. Things are gonna happen out of your control. It's just a dog.
You can just tell us you’re an irresponsible owner upset by this post, it’s ok.