Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

1 2 3

AIBU?

Was this dog owner being unreasonable - or is this normal dog owner behaviour????

73 replies

joshandjamie · 12/03/2014 19:08

Frankly if I am being unreasonable in my thinking, I don't care.

So this afternoon I'm down at the river playing football with my DSs, using our jumpers as goal posts. A dog comes along and starts ferreting around our things (I was on the phone to husband at this point - he is abroad and he rang for a quick chat before boarding his plane home, so I was watching this all, but from a slight distance).

The boys stop their game and wait for the owner to call the dog off. We'd had several doggy interruptions and we always stop so that the owners can call their dogs away instead of overexciting the dog by kicking the ball around. My boys are also slightly anxious around dogs as we've never had one.

This owner does nothing but is watching the dog from about 20 meters away. The dog then lifts its leg and proceeds to pee all over one of our jumpers - I was at this point trying to wave at the kids to get them to lift the jumper up. The boys just stood there shocked. The owner watched all of this, came up to the boys and said rudely: 'What's the problem, he's not going to bite?' And then sauntered off.

I was still on the phone but think even if I hadn't been, what would I have done? Dogs are dogs, they can't control where they pee. But for the owner to do or say nothing, and then be rude to my kids because they were standing there looking stunned? Knobhead.

OP posts:

Report

fifi669 · 12/03/2014 19:10

I'm shocked! What a knob

Bumbez · 12/03/2014 19:11

I have a dog and I'd be mortified if he did that, in fact I would call him away. Yanbu

BerryMojito · 12/03/2014 19:11

I have dogs and I would be mortified if they peed on somebody's clothes! What an absolute dick!

BerryMojito · 12/03/2014 19:12

Love the shared vocab Bumbez !

lyrasdaemo · 12/03/2014 19:12

That is dreadful! Should have at least offered to pay for cleaning...

WooWooOwl · 12/03/2014 19:13

The owner was rude not to have apologised, and he shouldn't have acted as if there was no problem.

But I don't think the owner should have been expected to call the dog away instantly as soon as it went anywhere near your children, the owner has as much right to use the park to excercise his dog as you have to let your children play football.

BackOnlyBriefly · 12/03/2014 19:14

Not all dog owners would allow their dog to do that, but a great many develop the notion that it's not their problem and it's up to you to get used to their dog's behaviour.

As for dog's controlling where they pee. Let's face it the reason people take them for a walk is so that they pee and shit as far from the owners garden as possible.

pianodoodle · 12/03/2014 19:15

I wonder if he didn't noticed the dog had gone on the jumper and just thought the boys were afraid of it?

He was still rude anyway though.

Binkyridesagain · 12/03/2014 19:17

My dog would have been called to heel as soon as I had seen you, only because otherwise I would never be able to get him away from the football.
If by any chance he had got close enough to your clothes to pee on them I would have been mortified and either offered payment for washing or replacement or offered to wash them myself and arranged to return them to you.

Chottie · 12/03/2014 19:20

That's disgusting. I hope it doesn't put your DS off playing football in the park.

DandyDindie · 12/03/2014 19:22

Another dog owner here - totally unacceptable! It's eejit a like this that tar us all with the same brush

sweetkitty · 12/03/2014 19:23

That's just disgusting. I have a large boisterous puppy, she'll go bounding over to meet anyone human or dog and she loves everyone and wants to play. I know she has a jumping problem and I'm trying to train her but in the meantime I call her back and put her on a lead if we meet children.

dollius · 12/03/2014 19:25

Eh? Why didn't you shout at him??

LOL at "using jumpers for goalposts". God I used to love that show.

joshandjamie · 12/03/2014 19:25

Earlier there had been a couple with their dog. The dog came running up and started grabbing the jumpers in its mouth and running off with them. Well the couple ran around like lunatics trying to grab the dog and the jumpers and were massively apologetic. I just laughed with them and said no problem. No I wasn't wildly happy about the jumpers being dragged around but equally it wasn't the end of the world - and the owners response was apologetic.

This arse however was something else.

OP posts:

joshandjamie · 12/03/2014 19:27

I didn't shout at him as I was a distance away trying to talk to my husband on a long distance connection as he was boarding a plane. But honestly, I was so dumbfounded I'm not sure whether I would have said anything regardless.

OP posts:

DameFanny · 12/03/2014 19:27

Not a dog owner but I'd be consoling myself with the thought that it probably treats its owners belongings similarly...

JJenson · 12/03/2014 19:28

He was unreasonable to be rude and unreasonable to not apologise for the dog peeing. I don't think he was unreasonable to not rush to get the dog away from you, though. Some people like dogs and are happy when one joins them for a sniff/play and as others have said, the dog and his owner have the right to be there.

candycoatedwaterdrops · 12/03/2014 19:28

I would be so embarrassed if that were my dog, not that it would have happened because I would have put him on a lead as we approached. YANBU!

SauvignonBlanche · 12/03/2014 19:31

I think you have answered your own question when you describe the actions of the other dog owner you encountered.

MeMySonAndI · 12/03/2014 19:33

I have dogs but I hate those dog owners who are so besotted with their flipping dogs that they smile saying how wonderfully friendly the flipping dog is while it jumps on you, your child and/or your picnic.

I once went for a walk with an idiotic couple who brought with them two "extremely friendly" Rottweilers that jumped on everyone we found, from a 2 year old to an elderly lady in a wheelchair. They smiled and told everyone how friendly the dogs were and then turned to us to say they were trying to improve the reputation of the breed.

So please don't get angry with dog owners, most of us considerate enough to manage the behaviour of our dogs.

PinkyHasNoEars · 12/03/2014 19:34

A dog once peed in my picnic basket at the beach. His owner wet himself laughing.

YANBU.

everlong · 12/03/2014 19:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Email address

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

imonaplane · 12/03/2014 19:47

This owner was vvv unreasonable! I would be mortified if my dog did this. YABU to tar all dog owners with the same brush - this is not normal dog owner behaviour.

CocktailQueen · 12/03/2014 19:50

YANBU!!! Yuk. And it's the actions of quite a few unreasonable dog owners that tarnish the reputation of all other dog owners!

We were at the beach once when a dog ran up to us all, tried to eat sandwiches from our picnic, then weed on dn's changing bag! My sister blew her stack.

VivaLeBeaver · 12/03/2014 19:53

I had this once when a dog came and pissed all over my picnic.

I must admit I was snotty with the dog owner who was trying to pretend he hadn't noticed. Never really said sorry and walked off.

If my dog did that I'd be so apologetic.

Flip

1 2 3

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.