Parking when there are dogs around

Move your dogs out of the carpark

You already explained it was because he wanted to be near to the park entrance so his DC weren't walking across the car park! You know how they have dedicated spaces near the entrance at supermarkets for families with small kids? This is the same logic. In any event, he is entitled to park in any empty space, and you are not entitled to be a) violent towards his property and b) not in control of your animals. So all round, YOUR fault.

Whether or not they should 'only exist' there, they were there. And the driver saw them there (at least you'd hope he did!). So he should have parked elsewhere.

Because its easier for everyone to have a space between each car to enable people to open doors fully and get between the cars. Obviously not an option on a busy car park, but an empty one... its logical surely?

In busy car parks I have to pull out of the space for my elderly mother to get in for example.

As a fellow dog owner, I'm afraid I agree that you are being very unreasonable. If I have my dogs in a car park, they are always on a lead. It is my responsibility to keep them safe. Drivers can park their cars anywhere they want. I don't get to decide where they park, and nor do you. The fact you think he should have parked elsewhere is irrelevant. Your opinions on his driving are also irrelevant. I doubt the driver tried to run over your dog deliberately as you seem to claim in one of your later posts. And I am not at all surprised by the driver's reaction when you banged on their roof.

Well you don't seem to be able to take responsibility either for your dog or your own terrible behaviour!

I dont get your rationale. Surely it's obvious that banging on someone's roof while they're trying to reverse is going to be MORE likely to cause them to lose focus and accidentally hit your dog?

And even if he was in the wrong (which he wasn't) surely it's obvious to anyone with half a braincell that waiting for him to park safely and get out then politely asking him to consider leaving more space next time would probably yield better results than hitting his car and swearing like a lunatic?

People like you give dog owners a bad name.

No, you weren’t unreasonable, just reactive.

He parked carelessly in an empty car park near dogs; that’s on him. Slapping the car and swearing escalated things, but it came from protecting your dogs, not malice. Both of you had a point, both handled it imperfectly. The fact you’re still thinking about it shows you’re thoughtful, not in the wrong.

YABU because your dog wasn’t on a lead and because you were standing in a car park, by the sounds of things. Standing about for a chat isn’t a sensible thing to do in a car park.

Was I the unreasonable one?

Errr...yes and you know it.☹️

As is common with these threads (even if they are genuine), when the PP gets told they are are unreasonable or in the wrong, instead of holding their hands up or (even easier) quietly leaving the thread they then start saying all sorts of irrelevant things as if it makes a difference to the issue being discussed.

Sorry you dog is old and infirm (been there) but what bearing does that have on a chap parking his SUV (how dare he) next to you. Or making his kids walk 50m to the skatepark. Or being on Tiktok.🙄

Even the calmest and oldest of dogs can bolt if they are unexpectedly spooked. Regardless of her temperament and age, you should still have her on a lead if you are standing about chatting to someone in a car park. It's the height of irresponsibility not to – for her sake, and for drivers using the car park.

The dad is also entitled to park wherever he wanted, regardless of how empty the car park was. Presumably you were parked in a space nearest the entrance to the park, hence why he chose a similar spot?

Your aggression in the moment and subsequent abusive name calling of him on this thread was/is unwarranted.

Leaving aside for the moment the OP's specific complaint, do people generally get wound up if someone else parks near them? Is it a personal safety thing or just general affrontery of someone else existing in space near you?

My dog has age related health issues too, poor eyesight, poor hearing and arthritis. So I’ve changed how I care for him, he wears a jumper to keep his joints warm in the cold and I put him on the lead in places he used to be off lead because I know he can’t anticipate danger or see/hear my commands as well. I have chronic pain, I still try my best to be nice to people and not swear at them and hit their property.

it is safer to reverse into a space btw, better visibility and less chance of hitting passing cars, wandering pedestrians and unattended pets as you drive out.

It's very unreasonable to have your dogs off lead in a car park, regardless of how 'well behaved' they are. There are children who are not well behaved. There are reactive dogs who (like my old rescue) are triggered by off-lead dogs. There are other people who want to park in a conveinent spot for them. Also, your dogs are elderly and can be spooked and run off. If anything were to happen as a result of your dogs being off lead you would be the one liable, so yes YABVU, and need to leash your pets.

What an ableist statement. I looked after a little boy with a heart condition. He could use a playpark for a little while, but easy, quick access to the car was essential. So essential he was entitled to a disabled badge. My daughter had badly bowed legs until she was 5, again she could play in a park, but needed to limit her walking distances. I am also a dog owner. He goes on a lead (and stays in the car till I am ready to actually walk him) in car parks. Dogs should not be wandering around car parks.

I think you need to just accept that you were in the wrong on this occasion. All the stuff about dogs being babies etc, not relevant.
it's a car park.
for cars.
He didn't screech his car into a dog exercise area and he did nothing wrong.

Pedestrians in a car park should only exist to be walking from their car to the location or back, or nipping through to Point C. They shouldn't be stood around yapping with their dogs off the lead

Parking near people using the car park as a social point is perfectly normal

It's annoying as hell when somebody parks next to you in an empty car park. But you acted like a bit of a knob.

😂😂😂.

Presumably because he didn't expect some psycho to start walloping his car and swearing at him because he had the temerity to park his car in a place specifically designed for that very purpose!

You cant love your dogs that much if you let them just wander around car parks where someone driving a car is hardly an unexpected occurrence!

You're lucky he didn't hit you back or call the police....if you were on your own with your kids and a strange man started hitting your car and told you to fuck off, how would you feel?

You're not deaf though right?
And both you and the dog can see the SUV.
This is all on you OP.

He didn't run over the dog. You've got no evidence that he doesn't like dogs.

You seem obsessed with them reverse parking, you've mentioned it 5 times.
So long as the dog wasn't in the space, it was still safe despite a car reversing nearby.
You hitting the car was dreadful behaviour.

I don’t know what entitled world you live in
to even think he was in the wrong

Your lack of awareness is staggering and your behaviour was appalling. He had children in the car - you smacked the top of the car and swore at him. You should feel embarrassed.

YABU - why are you allowing you precious dog to be in with a chance of being hit by letting it wander round a car park?!

I am sorry to say that the attitude of the OP is replicated all over the place with dog owners.

We walk daily and encounter many dogs. Most are fine but a fair few of them run up to us, jump up at us, very occasionally growling or barking and if we have the temerity to sit down then even more of them feel that we want to interact with them. We have had clothes dirtied by muddy feet and on one revolting occasion a dog left a trail of slobber on my partners jeans whilst the owner walked off and didn't even notice.

The one thing that always happens though is that they have attitude if you ask them to keep their dogs away from you. The absolutely believe that their dogs have the right to approach and interact with you whether you like it or not.

We get the usual 'they are friendly' and when we say that doesn't matter we still do not want to interact with their dogs we are abused and told that we are wrong to object.