[m0nty]

I took my three-year old, intact bearded collie for a walk where we met a couple with a spaniel bitch. They carried on walking, and about 10 minutes later (when they were a good distance away) we let ours off the lead. He raced off towards them at high speed, which is not unknown for him but largely under control these days. We eventually got him back and (almost as an aside) the owner of the other said "ours is in heat at the moment." Could have warned us pal, we'd never have let him off.

About eight weeks later, I took him for a walk along the same canal and let him off. Rounded a corner where he'd got a bit ahead, and he was just gone, disappeared without a trace. I started off as quickly as I could down the canal, passing various people who (as if it were some kind of joke) said things like "oh yes, going very fast that way". Eventually, got him back because a cyclist had the common sense to apprehend him and wait for me - "my dog does this all the time." This was after almost a mile, so the dog hadn't been hanging around.

Beardies have a reputation for going AWOL, but on this occasion I can only presume he had some memory of that fine young spaniel he'd pursued previously, and decided to rejoin the chase. I haven't been back there since. Have considered getting him neutered but we basically like him as he is and have learned to be super-careful at any time. Helps to be warned if someone has a bitch who is likely to be especially interesting at a given time, most owners are good about it but a few just don't seem to understand.

[bloodorange]

You are taking your dog for a walk off leash and feel that others who are walking their dogs ought to do something to ensure you dog does not run off? Otherwise they don't understand the issue?

I assumed "off leash" because if he can run off even when on a leash, then it's worse than I imagined.

[thatguy0900]

Not to pile on, but ""ours is in heat at the moment." Could have warned us pal, we'd never have let him off." is a pretty extreme sense of entitlement, you should really reconsider how much other people should care about your dog and it's behaviors, ideally it should be none

[astura]

Stop letting your dog off it's leash... Wtf?

[tomcam]

Why... why did you let an intact male off leash at all?