I NEVER used to walk my dogs on leads. The day after I had Nico, he was off the lead on the mountain. Like I knew that Zeus would not come back, I knew instantly that Nico would. Kai, Jay, Simba, Storm all joined us as adults, all went off the lead in no time, I trust these guys no less, (well most of them) but times have changed. A dog doesn't have to do anything wrong to be reported these days, it only has to give someone "reason for apprehension." Most dog owners are sensible, most dogs are well-behaved, but even the best of them have their moments ... don't they Ross!!!
Though I still don't like walking on leads, and I'd never have a dog on an extended lead near a road, I have to confess that I now do find the benefits of them for walking in rural locations where there is a chance of being caught out by a dog walker, a cow or a sheep. I guess we are all entitled to change our minds, to change our routines to benefit our current situations! The only thing I would say, if you are buying a retractable lead ... don't buy cheap!
As we know with social media, we should never trust everything we read and see, so for the benefit of nice photos, very often leads are photoshopped out!!!!
