Put your dogs on a leash. Seriously

I need to vent about something that happened today because it genuinely scared me.

I was walking my two dogs back to my car at Discovery Park when a large 100 lb dog ran toward us completely off leash in the parking lot. He charged at us, jumped on me, and went straight for one of my dogs.

I had to step in front of my dogs and yell for him to back off. Thankfully, the owner was able to grab him, but it was extremely close and frightening. When I confronted the owner, she told me to “please leave.” No apology. No accountability.

I don’t care if your dog is “friendly” or “has never done that before.” When a big dog runs full speed at leashed dogs in a public space, it creates panic and can turn into a fight in seconds.

What made it worse is that shortly after, I saw another person with three dogs off leash in the same area. One of her Samoyeds wasn’t listening to her at all and refused to get back to the car, so I quickly put my dogs in the car to avoid another potential incident.

Discovery Park is not an off-leash park. If your dog does not have flawless recall especially around other dogs, people, and distractions, it needs to be on a leash.

This isn’t about being controlling. It’s about basic safety and respect for other people trying to enjoy public spaces without fear. Please be aware of your surroundings and leash your dogs.