I also agree with Bob that the dog who appears to be uncomfortable is what I'd call excited.

But I think that too has no bearing on the local law that people are relying on (or should be able to rely on) when using the park.

PS

If that local law was NOT posted at the park, I'd probably work to see that that happened.

Interesting discussion-

A petition (by either party) could be made to the HOA for a portion of the park to be fenced off and designated for off-leash. Not a formal dog park, just a separate area (like going to the beach and knowing that some parts of the beach allow off-leash even though they are all connected).

An additional thought, say the above were to happen, but the on-leash dog was still excited even though the off-leash dog was on the other side of the fence. Would the owner of the on-leash dog still be uncomfortable?

Thanks for the input everyone. much appreciated!

Ok, the big reveal ..........drum roll.............. I am the owner with the off-leash dog.

Let me further explain. My dog is VERY well behaved and is ONLY concerned with playing fetch with me and getting some energy out running in the park. It's her favorite thing in the world and I know that no one else in the park will ever be bothered by my dog running up to them or bothering them in any way (other than her just playing fetch if that happens to bother them).

Often there are other off-leash dogs and even on occasion they will run up to us while she is playing fetch and she pays them no mind. The park also sometimes has kids playing ball, frisbee, tag, flying drones, riding hoverboards...you name it and she doesn't bother anyone. She is intensely focused on me as she doesn't want to miss the opportunity if I happen to throw the ball

I also incorporate training into our game of fetch. I will have her sit or down (with an implied stay), then throw the ball. She will stay seated or down and wait for my release before chasing down the ball. She then immediately brings it straight back and sits by my side. I will even sometimes release her and as she is SPRINTING to get the ball, I will recall her and she will turn and recall in the middle of chasing down the ball instead of retrieving it. Other times I will call out for her to sit or down in the middle of chasing the ball and she will. Then she will wait for my release to continue getting the ball. I say all this to show that any reasonable person seeing her play fetch would know she is very well trained and has an incredibly strong recall (even while obsessed with sprinting after a ball).

Most people that frequent the park know us and know how well behaved she is. We get compliments all the time. The other owner I'm talking about, keeps his distance. He is more than welcome to walk anywhere in the park. He can even walk right past us if he'd like and should feel more than comfortable my dog won't pay him or his dog any attention (as others owners walk past us with their dogs all the time).

It is his dog that is already visibly uncomfortable with my dog running around even though we are a good 100+ feet away. His dog starts lunging at the end of the leash and will sometimes bark. In my opinion it doesn't look like a dog that is excited and wants to play. It appears more like a dog that feels it is in danger. This is why out of respect for his dog, I usually just have my dog remain in a sit or down close to me when I see the other owner with his dog approaching the park area. I feel this is a considerate thing to do. The other owner will wait a few minutes looking in our direction and then just usually turn and leave once he figures his dog won't calm down and I haven't left.

I have seen the other dog have the same type of reaction to others as well. This other dog will lung at the end of his leash and bark at other off-leash and on-leash dogs and even kids riding by on bikes.

I should also note that my dog was trained on the remote collar and I always have it on her while in the park. I only have this on in case of some really unexpected emergency. I have not used it in several months and even back then it was for training purposes at low levels. I've yet to need it for an emergency recall, but it is there just in case.

With all this in mind, should I still simply follow the city leash ordinance even though it's sort of clear it's not something our private community as a whole cares about enforcing.

IMO if there are any other people or dogs in the park, time to put the leash back on. It sounds like there would never be an issue, but is it worth the risk? Is there anywhere else you can go for off-leash time?

On another note, have you gone to the park without your dog and tried to talk with the other owner? I may have missed it if you said earlier. They may be turning around because they're just not up to that level of distraction and it has nothing to do with you specifically. I have been there, and turned around because my dog was going bonkers and it wasn't going to be a positive experience for either one of us.

So then if the community as a whole doesn't care about that local law, there must be lots of people willing to either create and fund a private area for off-leash dogs, or to work for a public one in the larger community ...

I understand your frustration. (I really do.) But I believe that the way to fix it is to change the local law or establish a privately owned area with different rules.

The people following the ordinance are in the right. Additionally, they have relied on (or should be able to rely on) it .

If people flout it at will, then not just well-managed, well-trained dogs will be allowed off-leash. Then you have what is, in effect, an off-leash dog park integrated into a mixed-use park that includes a playground.

But for me, even that logical (to me) argument takes a back seat to the fact there is an existing law. Laws can be (and often are) changed. That would be the way to go.

All JMO!

People having their dogs off-leash in our private community park hasn't been an issue. Everyone has been responsible for their own dogs. Myself and a couple others are a little concerned that this one owner might create a problem if he wants to push things.

Everyone else is really dog and kid friendly in our community. He's been the only one that seems to have issues with off-leash dogs and it's really only because his dog is out of control on-leash (lunging and barking at other leashed and off-leash dogs not even close by and kids riding their bikes).

The grass area is not large enough to fence in an "off-leash" area. When kids are playing games, they'll use most of it so fencing off a size large enough wouldn't make sense. Changing the city ordinance seems very unlikely and I'm not sure how many other owners would want to go through the trouble.

He is in the right legally speaking and can cause problems if he wants to push the issue. I was just curious where other neutral dog owners (outside our private community) would stand on this.

I could drive her someplace else to play, but I play fetch with her often when I only have 20-30 minutes to spare. In reality, I would still take her if I had to drive her, but it would not be nearly as often and that would be a shame for her. Even if I stop, there will be other off-leash dogs for him to worry about.

One of the primary reasons for spending so much time training her as much as I have (and continue to do so) was so she would have the freedom to have fun off-leash. As mentioned, I also have the emergency back up insurance plan of the remote collar if the really unexpected situation comes up.

 Quote: Steve Tendler

People having their dogs off-leash in our private community park hasn't been an issue. Everyone has been responsible for their own dogs. Myself and a couple others are a little concerned that this one owner might create a problem if he wants to push things.

Everyone else is really dog and kid friendly in our community. He's been the only one that seems to have issues with off-leash dogs and it's really only because his dog is out of control on-leash (lunging and barking at other leashed and off-leash dogs not even close by and kids riding their bikes).

The grass area is not large enough to fence in an "off-leash" area. When kids are playing games, they'll use most of it so fencing off a size large enough wouldn't make sense. Changing the city ordinance seems very unlikely and I'm not sure how many other owners would want to go through the trouble.

He is in the right legally speaking and can cause problems if he wants to push the issue. I was just curious where other neutral dog owners (outside our private community) would stand on this.

I could drive her someplace else to play, but I play fetch with her often when I only have 20-30 minutes to spare. In reality, I would still take her if I had to drive her, but it would not be nearly as often and that would be a shame for her. Even if I stop, there will be other off-leash dogs for him to worry about.

One of the primary reasons for spending so much time training her as much as I have (and continue to do so) was so she would have the freedom to have fun off-leash. As mentioned, I also have the emergency back up insurance plan of the remote collar if the really unexpected situation comes up.

AHA, glad I sided with YOU

Important Point: as I noted previously, NOT all City Ordinances are applicable on the Private Property of a "gated community" -- Somewhat like living on a farm, estate, or ranch, dogs may NOT be subject to the Leash Law of a local municipality while they are INSIDE your Gated Grounds ... The main objection I have to Penalizing the OFFLEAD dog in this Specific case is my personal dislike of any "petty bourgeois" Tyranny of Bureaucracy whereby INOFFENSIVE people are Ruled & Regulated to an unreasonable fair-thee-well by a minority of "control freaks" Obviously, this is a Hot-Button issue with me, LOL.

Hmmm. It would be interesting to see if the city ordinance applies to our gated community. What would be the best way to check? I assume calling up and asking the city, even if I got to the right department would just get an auto "yes, it applies" answer whether it actually does or not.

 Quote: Steve Tendler

Hmmm. It would be interesting to see if the city ordinance applies to our gated community. What would be the best way to check? I assume calling up and asking the city, even if I got to the right department would just get an auto "yes, it applies" answer whether it actually does or not.

I'd probably get the ordinance number from the city and then go online and read it. It might be clear as written. (Of course, it might not be, too! But that's a good start.)