Several months ago, a post appeared on my timeline. It was a desperate cry that said, “Stop pulling on your dogs’ leashes! Let them stop and sniff - it is good for their mental health!”
The post was mostly supported by likewise outraged people, who were saying things like “Yes! Tired of seeing how people drag their dogs and don’t let them explore!” and “Some people shouldn’t own dogs! They are live beings and deserve a freedom of choice!” A few comments that had a grain of common sense to them (“but what if the dog already did its business and a person is just trying to get home in time so that they can get to work?”) were suppressed, and their authors - attacked and labeled supporters of inhumane practices.
It made me really sad that a statement so ignorant and misinformed can get so violent and eviscerating so fast. After all, the author made the post based on their observations of the dogs in their neighborhood, which is not indicative of much. Yet, many people took it personal, probably felt guilty, and decided it was necessary to engage in this conversation.
Of course, dogs need to sniff and I have no doubt that most people let them. However, the intensity, the frequency, the perseverance of sniffing must be established by a person, not by a dog.
I often see clearly irritated people, looking at their watch or shivering in the wind but patiently waiting for their dog to sniff every single clover leaf on their path home. Likewise, I see people pulled by their dog left and right to a spot that dog found particularly interesting. Stopping a dog from this rude behaviour is not “cruel” or “inhumane” - it is something that makes sense and is fair. After all, I do not see much value in having a relationship with a dog in which you are not a partner but an inconvenient weight at the end of the leash that sometimes is useful in that it provides food.
Do what makes sense and ignore opinionated but clueless by-passers. Let them talk and remember that they are usually the ones whose dogs cannot walk on leash because the owners respect their animals’ free will so much that they abandon their own.