Letting Your Puppy Off Lead
When you think about it, restricting a puppy's experience of the world to walks on a leash is tantamount to animal cruelty. Imagine if someone did that to you! Puppies need to run and play. They need to be able to go off and explore scents that waft over to them. Puppies who love the water should have the experience of swimming and fetching — it's what makes their hearts and souls sing.
For a list of puppy parks across the United States and in Canada, visit www.dogparkusa.com. There is other information on the site for finding places and ways for more off-leash time, and a resource for forming a puppy park in your area should you be interested in doing so.
Unfortunately, many conscientious and caring puppy owners live in places that make it difficult to allow this. Certainly someone living in the heart of a large city can't let their puppy off leash; even the parks in most suburbs have leash laws; and with countryside being gobbled up by developers everywhere, even rural puppy owners need to fear that a car could come barreling along even the most remote road at any time.
A romp outside with another puppy or dog is wonderful for all involved in every way.
Because of this, a movement started years ago to set aside special puppy parks and puppy runs that would provide safe, enclosed space for puppy owners to gather and let their puppies run free. There are now several such Puppy Parks in large cities like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco. Large parks in the suburbs often designate times that allow puppies to be off-leash (typically early mornings and evenings). Sometimes you can find playing fields or tennis courts that are fenced in. Even these provide some space for your puppy to cavort at will. Beaches also post signs alerting puppy owners as to when they are welcome.
