Mostly due to the saying of people "Free as a bird", but also due to the topic of the paper. Though I dont think there should be a difference. I think that no pet should be kept if it requires a leash, cage or any other form of freedom deprivation. Domesticated dogs can be an exception, but in general a pet should choose to be with you because he likes you and doesn't want to go and should be able to leave whenever it desires too.
I'm glad you make an exception for dogs. I've been attacked by dogs more than once.
Some of these were because it was an ill-treated dog.
Most of the time, however, it is just circumstance. Last weekend, I was jogging on a forest path, rounded a corner and suprised a dog whose owners probably considered it a well-behaved pet-- and the owners looked liked 'responsible members of society' (i.e. not trying to prove they were tough).
The dog was off-leash.
Because both I and the dog were caught off-guard, this immediately turned into an aggressive situation. The dog was threatening to attack me, and the owners had a very hard time getting it to back down-- it wasn't responding to their voice commands, it kept barking and lunging at me.
long story short, from my perspective, any domestic animal weighing above 4kg should always be on a leash when out of the house, as a matter of public safety.
I feel you. I have been attacked once and it truly frightened me. I still think most dogs cant be held as most people are to incompetent to care properly for a dog. So my point of view is more that having those dogs in the first place is perhaps a bad idea.
