K1999 - I think you're missing the point. We're not talking about female dogs, we're talking about female dogs on heat. The link I put on my previous post explains the issue - please read it. We're talking about the difference between a female dog on heat having to miss out on a walk for a couple of weeks twice a year and a male dog having to be on a lead the entire time. Most female dogs are spayed either before or after their first season so it isn't like it's going to affect them much, whereas it would affect a male its entire life. The OP is really not being unreasonable and most of the negative comments here seem to be from people who don't really understand the issue.

I should clarify when I say wouldn’t take them out, not without being on a lead anyway....

Well said Just-T. I’m amazed at most of the responses here to what was actually a perfectly reasonably post, if slightly clumsily put. Re the ‘bleeding’ bit - this was a pun on the word used as a slight swear word (bleedin’, bloody, damn etc) and the fact that a dog on heat is bleeding. It’s not unreasonable for her to want to breed from her dog and it is unreasonable to expect all intact males to be kept on a lead when they are otherwise well-behaved. It’s most definitely not reasonable and in fact totally irresponsible for owners of female dogs on heat to walk them on a busy dog-walking area like Wandsworth Common. I don’t have a dog so don’t have an axe to grind. Most dogs on the Common are well-behaved but standing up for the rights of people to walk their dogs on heat will just mean the dogs are a lot worse behaved.


https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice ... eason.html

Wow, I had no idea there were so many dog haters out there! We don’t have dogs and personally having grown up in the country we wouldn’t have one in London. However, completely understand people choosing to.
My mother’s a dog breeder in the country though and would never consider taking one of her dogs out when on heat. She does have the luxury of a garden for her dogs to run around in but imagine if she was in London she’d would also adjust accordingly with early walks as original poster suggested. Definitely feel like most of the replies come from a lack of knowledge of dogs and what is recommended by any vets or people with knowledge of dogs. It’s in no way a selfish post just a common sense post when it comes to dogs and behaviour!

Oh dear. People here are hugely anthropomorphising in their ‘feminist’ views of females in season being allowed the same freedom as males. The biological fact is that ‘in the wild’ an in-season female in contact with an intact male would without doubt become pregnant. It is instinct not bad behaviour. And actually, at a certain time during her cycle the female will also go off in search of a male. It is annoying to have to keep her in during this time but it is for her own safety and it will not harm her 3-4 weeks at a time. You cannot say ‘but she has the right to go out’ as she is not a human battling for equality! This is NOT the same as saying a girl has every right to wander the park at night in a short skirt and not expect to get raped because that is true enough but these are dogs, not our daughters. I have a female lab and found it excruciating to keep her in but think it’s very irresponsible to do otherwise. I’ve also seen what it does to intact males and it is sheer torture (for them and the owner).

On the note of dog poo, I also find these parks appalling but that’s not what this post was all about.

Well said NV husband. I'm glad the OP posted this as she's received the exact opposite response she was expecting ... hopefully she will re-consider her views and behaviour. Why should her dog who, she treats as a breeding commodity, have full access to the Common and other dogs be expected to only emerge at night when everyone has gone home, stick to the roads etc. Does her dog also try to hump women and girls who are menstruating?! Yuk. Her huffy sense of superiority just gobsmacked me, but you do see it now and again around here. It's her dog who should be off the Common!

This thread proves to me that dog owners live on another planet.
The fact that some people defend the OP and call us ignorant means they don't get our point.

If you can't keep your dog on a lead, they should not be on the Common. Regardless of their menstrual cycle (!)

Why are my taxes paying for a the upkeep of the beautiful Common, only for dog owners to ruin it for the rest of us.
Has Wandsworth Common become the "go-to" park for dog owners as the numbers have sky rocketed over the last decade.

I am sick and tired of the number of dogs I see chasing the wildlife. I am sick and tired of the number of dogs scaring young children (we live in NappeyValley for gods sake!). I am sick and tired of seeing dog poo.

Then we see these kinds of posts.

Surreal.

I'm not a dog owner and know very little about dogs, so I can't comment on whether your argument is justified or not. However, this - "as they pick up their bleeding dog (sorry, couldn't resist!) and walk off, often with no apology" - made me feel quite ill. "Sorry, couldn't resist!" - is that funny?? It certainly sounds as though you think it is. And then the bleeding dog's owner should apologise? Jesus.

My jaw is on the floor at this post.
There are few things more selfish than backyard ‘hobby breeders’ who keep their pets entire to pump out yet more dogs for clueless owners - no responsible owner will buy a puppy from them

So the irony of one such person criticising other dog owners as selfish is not lost on me.

A few facts to clear up... a lady dog (this site seems to have an issue with the word ****..!) is in season for around 4-6 weeks in total, and is fertile for around 1 week of that, but can be bothered by boys for most of that time

Most vets recommend they are spayed after their second season, which will be at around 24 months of age, as most dogs come into season every 6-8 months plus a wait of a couple of months for the season to be totally over
Males can be castrated from a year, but 18-24 months is generally considered better from a developmental perspective. Contrary to what someone else in the thread said, young males can bother spayed females although usually the females will tell them off rather than play along (as an in-season female would)
Un-snipped males can also smell females from a mile away and will think nothing of leaping fences or chewing off their lead to get to them, so you’ve got the potential for escapes and traffic accidents when he gets a whiff of a girl.

Being a dog owner, especially in an urban environment, requires consideration and compromise, and not being selfish to those around you who may not like dogs as much as you do. In my experience, the vast majority of owners do this on the commons, pubs and cafes


You might think your dog is the best dog ever and therefore should be bred from so there are more like him, but really there are enough proper professional studs so do everyone a favour and get your dog snipped

So many people totally miss understood the original post she is not saying that her dog goes up to all bitches and leaves them bleeding! She is talking about bitches in heat... for those who don’t know, that is a **** on its period.
So those of you saying she should neuter her dog because we don’t need any more puppies etc, you should also spay your **** for the same reason.
Male dogs don’t chase spayed bitches, they only go after the ones in heat as they give off a scent.
Before my dog was spayed I had to stick to walking her at night, on quiet roads etc. This was the advice my vet gave me, it’s safer and more pleasant for everyone.
Judging by the ignorant comments in response to this post I feel that most should not even be dog owners as you have very little knowledge of dogs.

Also in defence of the OP- I have an in-tact male as he’s too young to be done. He’s very well behaved but if he comes into contact with a female on-heat then we have to leave the common.
I think the point is that the females are only in season for a short amount of time that it’s not a huge undertaking for everyone’s safety to steer clear of busy commons.
I was surprised that so many owners brought their females into such busy places as I always thought it was common knowledge not to!

I agree with the original poster. Any respectable and well read up dog owner knows to only walk their **** in heat either early in the morning or later in the evening.

Neutering and slaying dogs doesn’t stop unwanted litters. If people want puppies they breed regardless. Neutering and spaying dogs too early can cause developmental issues with bone formation and as the dog ages they present joint issues like arthritis etc.

Magnoliamum - this strikes me as victim blaming and erring toward misogynism. I’m sure you wouldn’t pursue that line of thought with humans. Is it ok to think like just because they are dogs?

Wow! Never before have I read a post on this site and felt more inclined to comment. This is shocking.

I agree entirely with NVhusband, the dogs on Wandsworth common are ruining the common, we are unable to use the common as my eldest child is so terrified of dogs. There are, of course, many, many lovely considerate dog owners but there seem to be so many that allow their dogs to gallivant around the common without any consideration to anyone or anything. Without a doubt, YOUR dog should be kept on a lead at all times if he is capable of displaying those awful behaviours you describe. Your entitled and selfish views are quite frankly horrifying and l sincerely hope the responses pointing this out to you make you reconsider your standpoint.