Just a reminder to everyone that (like me) likes to walk their dog off-leash because "they are so obedient/careful".

Mucho the other day blindly crossed road (actually a crossroad, for double the danger) to go smell a very interesting lamp post. A car was coming (very slowly thankfully) and I had to jump in front of it yelling like crazy.

Thankfully both Mucho and the car stopped at the exact right moment, but the car still went over him a bit (without actually touching him). He ducked and went under. A taller/larger dog would surely be hit.

Mucho and I got really lucky that both of us are unscratched (I did a Superman manoeuver where I tried to stop my car with my hands). This was a free lesson: it only takes a single bad moment for bad things to happen.

From now on Mucho goes off-leash only at the park, everywhere else, even for his potty, I have him on a leash, and not even those retractable ones.

We had a similar scary experience just this weekend when Zoe slipped out of her leash and harness in a busy parking lot. She was darting around, scared and confused as we and a bunch of people tried to catch her. Luckily she stopped by a car that looked like ours and my son was able to catch her. We are now committed more than ever to work on the stay, come recall command. In an emergency however, we did not have the same calm energy as when we do it at home, and I think our frantic energy must have scared her.

Mucho is very good with the "STOP" command (probably my tone rather than the word itself) - even when seeing other dogs I can usually get him to stay put. But I need to have seen the dog first, when he's actually decided to go greet, he just becomes deaf. It has become more and more pronounced, I believe as he matures sexually.

Had I seen the car coming before he crossed the road, I'd just made him stop - but I didn't see it! It wasn't his fault, it was mine, and I don't trust myself any more to be alert 100% while off-leash and near traffic.

I know. My son and I were literally shaking after our experience and thinking what could have happened. That's good about your stop command but I agree...it's just not worth it to trust ourselves or them off leash!

How scary! I never walk my dogs off leash even though I've trusted them to stay with me, if another dog, kid on a bike, etc is coming at them I can reel them in. So glad you are both OK

We do walk off leash, but only in the woods and fields, FAR from any moving vehicles, and only if there are no large dogs around. Kodi is EXTREMELY well trained, and I would still never, EVER take a chance on a road, even a quite one.

I second what Karen said. Our dogs are too valuable to roll the dice and gamble with their lives. Be sure that the collar or harness is very secure and your dog cannot accidentally slip out of it.

Ricky's Popi