Morning feedings this weren't too eventful besides Cooper almost eating a yellow jacket.
However, this afternoon after feeding Cooper I tried to get him to play with his raccoon or tennis ball. I had no success but while I was making my attempts a neighborhood dog who gets walked off-leash decided to pay us a visit. The dog got within a few yards of Cooper but probably because I was there wouldn't approach any closer, not that I would have allowed contact. The dog's owner started calling but instead of immediately leaving the dog decided to sniff around and went into our garage. At this point I had to chase the dog off.
I have mixed opinions of dogs off-leash. I come from South Georgia in the country where many dogs live and roam free. In fact, we have had stray cats and dogs become pets and all have continued to live outside. We did have some problem dogs who eventually ended up with an electronic fence. This freedom makes me not want to overly criticize letting the dog off-leash but I have come to understand that social norms are different in neighborhoods. Since there are numerous other wild animals that can cause damage or poop in a yard including stray cats and dogs, raccoon, squirrels, etc I think it is up to a homeowner to avoid leaving things out that might be a problem (garbage, food, etc.) So in my opinion it is okay for the guy to walk his dog off-leash (since it is not an aggressive dog and seems fairly well trained) but he should be able to monitor it, call it out of yards if needed, and bag any poop.
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