I hear ya, Wendy.

Its sad, but a rainy day in the spring makes me happy because we can go to the good park without problems.

What's even more upsetting is that a lot of the dogs that people have allowed to run up to us have not been "friendly". Then when the owners see that I'm upset about being charged by a strange dog they throw their hands up like "what do you want me to do?".

How about you keep that beast on leash untill you train it! Ugh! Put it on a long line! Its amazing to me that so many people will still take a dog they have zero control over and let it loose on the public.

If everybody would just take simple steps to control their dogs life would be a lot nicer. I always avoid strange dogs, but being approached by a dog that is actualy friendly and trained has never caused an issue for me.

If the owner can at very least stop the charge by telling the dog to wait, or call the dog back, sometimes we have a new friend. At the very least we have nothing to worry about.

I'm out everyday, just like you. Heat, downpouring rain, snowstorms, below zero windchills. You never see these people for six months out of the year! Id love to be able to enjoy a nice early spring walk, but that's when they all show up with their crazy, understimulated, pent up dogs.

Whenever the subject of time comes up I think of this line from Jack Freeman.

"Watches? we don't need no stinking watches!"

The Fallacy of Time Management - track #15
http://music.napster.com/jack-freeman-music/album/the-business-of-living/12450875

I'm just thankful I can play fetch with Koenig until 6:15 at night now w/o the glow in the dark ball!

We don't do DLS so we never change - just go with the natural flow of the sun. Ticks my husband off doing to his knife show being switched times but otherwise no whoop.