30/10/2026
A Dog Walker's Story
Being a dog walker has its moments. I was walking two calm and friendly dogs. In the distance, I saw a woman with a very young puppy.
Suddenly, the puppy spotted my dogs and started running straight toward us. The woman called out to him, but he completely ignored her and kept running. To make matters worse, she didn't even try to walk faster to catch him—she just kept standing there and calling.
Of course, the puppy didn't listen. He ran right up to my dogs and started jumping around like crazy. Even though my dogs are friendly, the puppy's wild energy started making them act a bit unpredictable and a bit dangerous for the little guy.
Finally, the woman walked over, picked up her puppy, and apologized with a smile:
> "Oh, we're training."
>
Training? At just 15 weeks old? I just don't understand how letting an untrained puppy run free in a public place—where he completely ignores you and you don't even bother to hurry after him—counts as training.
This time, we got lucky because my dogs are friendly. But what if he runs up to an aggressive dog? What if he runs out into traffic and gets hit by a car?
I will never understand why people let young dogs run completely free. Why not just use a long, 10-meter leash? That way, your dog gets freedom to explore, but you still have control and can stop them instantly if you need to.
An untrained puppy—whether 15 weeks or 15 months old—should not be running loose in public places. Hopefully, that owner learns before it's too late.