Pandemic changes dog-walking etiquette

During a widespread health crisis (such as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic), how does dog-walking etiquette change?

With many regions experiencing “shelter-in-place” or “safer-at-home” orders, people seem to be stepping out with their pets for one of the only allowable forms of exercise. In most spots, running and walking (and dog walking) are sanity savers for people and their pets. That means people who may not have habitually hit city sidewalks and walking trails with their canine companions are out there. As such, plenty of folks may not have a working knowledge of common pet walking courtesy or grasp how such standards may shift during a pandemic.

Hey, got that dog under control?

10 tips for walking dogs during a widespread health crisis

Here are a few simple guidelines we might consider, if we’re out walking our dogs during such a season.

1. Use a basic leash. This is not the time for those stretchy bungee-type leashes, which allow dogs to get closer to other dogs and their handlers. Nor is it the time for retractable leashes, which let dogs get way too far for easy retrieval when others approach. The basic dog leash is 5’ to 6’ – giving the owner solid control.
2. Give others wide berths, especially if they also have dogs. It’s impossible for humans to maintain the recommended six-foot distance from one another, if our leashes become tangled, simply because one or both of us allowed our dogs to get too close to one another. And who wants an unfamiliar dog to jump up on him or her, even if the human handler is still six feet away?
3. Keep your dog under control. We all have cabin fever these days – even our dogs. But we still have to manage our pets when we are out, especially when people or pets approach us.
4. Put an adult in charge. A small child may enjoy holding the dog’s leash. But is it prudent to allow a preschooler to manage the family pooch, when another dog is coming near? (Trust me on this one. It happened.)
5. Get between your dog and others. On the path or sidewalk, it’s best to put ourselves between our pets and others. My dogs, for instance, are trained to walk on the left side of me, as that puts them on the road shoulder for safety. On the trail, I put them in the same spot and ask others to pass on the other side, human-to-human, rather than dog-to-dog.
6. Keep it moving. Minimizing interactions between our own dogs (and us) with others is central to health and safety during a pandemic, right? So if we don’t stop stepping along, any encounters will be over much quicker. It’s really that simple.
7. Don’t stop to chat. Running with two dogs this week, I had to pull them both to a halt, guide them across a busy two-lane road, and take a detour because two ladies were standing in the middle of the sidewalk juncture for a chat. Um, has anyone heard of social distancing these days?
8. Be ready to get out of the way, if needed. Not everyone out there is going to exercise common sense while exercising their dogs. Sometimes we have to take extra measures to make up for this.  I have ducked through brush and brambles to leave the trail and even dart across county highways many times when dog walkers approached too closely and refused to share the walkway appropriately.
9. Pick it up. Just because there are fewer people out and about, and no one might spot a dog leaving a pile on the sidewalk or elsewhere, it doesn’t mean the dog walker doesn’t have to pick it up. I tie a couple of plastic bags to my belt for this purpose. Others carry special dog poop baggies. However we handle it, we cannot just leave it behind. And if another dog is stopping to potty (or the owner is picking it up), let’s give them some room to finish the job.
10. Off-leash is off-limits. Some owners customarily allow their dogs to play off-leash while they are out and about, especially in open spaces (such as parks or wilderness trails). During a pandemic, when folks are sheltering-in-place, this is not advisable. Who wants to approach (or be approached) to retrieve a loose dog, if needed?

Who's walking whom?

 

As pet owners, we all appreciate the opportunity to enjoy the out-of-doors with our furry friends, especially when we are faced with spending so much time in our own homes. We cannot go many places during a pandemic, but we can still get out and walk our dogs. Let’s not jeopardize this freedom. A few simple guidelines and a little common sense can make dog-walking safe and enjoyable for all of us, even during a pandemic.

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