Dog on the beach

[Redebs]

So I'm here on the beach with two small grandchildren. Just about to sit on the only dry rock (I really NEEDED to sit down) when a smallish dog runs up and tries to pee on it. Grandkids aren't happy with dogs running up to them and peeing on their shoes.

Owner nowhere in sight, although they must have just arrived at beach.

I tell the dog 'No! Off you go!" but it ignores me and carries on sniffing. Total disregard. It cocks a leg, so I take a hold of the collar and guide it away. I'm annoyed, but calm and gentle. It has sprayed over the rock and immediately runs to another part of it to spray again. I repeat, taking collar and pulling dog away. Dog is unconcerned about it and quite happy sniffing everything.

Owner comes up and starts being all passive aggressive. At first I thought he had come to retrieve his dog or apologise, but turns out he wants to accuse me of 'pulling his dog'. I was about to accept his apology, but then had to assure him I was appropriately gentle with his dog but I didn't want dog urine on the children.

He protested that it was a public beach ( presumably giving his dog freedom to pee on anyone) and it didn't look like I was gentle. I again assured him I was gentle and that I have had dogs myself. He replied that that didn't count for HIS dog.

While he was muttering away, his dog squatted and pooped amongst the rocks and I pointed to it and helpfully asked him if he had a bag. He said he did, because he was a RESPONSIBLE dog owner. I replied, 'Excellent!'

He went away complaining to anyone near that I had PULLED his dog and how totally unbelievable it was.

I suffer from extreme anxiety and depression, so I'm venting here to get it out of my system.

I held it together throughout. Dignified, calm, reasonable. Just feeling so angry now.

Bluddy ignorant man.

@oakleaffy

What you describe is not absence of compassion. That is instinct in some environments where dogs feel the need to compete. Battles for dominance are common in the animal kingdom (including in the human race) and are not a sign of an absence of compassion.

I have had dogs my whole life and have seen them show plenty of compassion. When we had my old dog, the younger dog used to take care of her when she started losing her sight. She fought another dog away from her when she got attacked and mourned when she died.

@oakleaffy

Of course, the human race never displays any of these violent tendencies does it. We're just pretty smart monkeys. Self serving monkeys. What good do we do?

Dogs "dont have compassion" because -

The old and infirm get bullied and nudged out.
Young will abuse old.
Males form packs around females
Males will fight for dominance around females.
Males will rape females.

Let me know when the penny drops.

My neutered male began to push boundaries with older iller spayed female in last week of her life.
He didn’t make allowances
He tried to push his luck, but when she was PTS at home, he never really got over her loss.
Compassion as in what humans have isn’t really a canine thing.

Both of these dogs found a critically injured cat 🐈 on a walk - they didn’t leave the cat’s side
I took cat to vet immediately as could feel grating loose bone under his coat
( all three of us hitched a lift)

It wasn’t compassion in human sense that made them stay next to Henry- probably curiosity?

Either way they saved Henry’s life
Henry had been hit by a car- fractured hip and femur- torn claws.
and was in clinical shock, with grey gums ( he allowed me to carry him flat alongside two dogs in the back of a car- he probably wasn’t well enough to protest, poor cat.
Vet said he’d not have lived had he not been brought in.
He had plasma expanders immediately while his owners were contacted.

Henry survived after surgery and crate rest for months.

@oakleaffy

I studied animal behaviour at university as well as watching my own dogs. Compassion is definitely not just limited to humans. There are various instincts and survival modes that influence animals which means they may not show compassion at the same time a human would and they may not show it the same way but at the same time, they are not humans. What I know for certain is that many animals, including dogs, can have compassion

Humans are superior to animals. They have intelligence, creativity and imagination.

And look what we've done with it all! Completely fucked the planet for all creatures and made lots of them extinct.

Obviously yanbu and the owners broke the law, the dog was put of sight and bothering people which is out of control clearly. The owner is a nasty piece of work.

So many replies putting dogs over humans especially children with no care for safety or comfort of humans who legally trump dogs no matter what silly views owners might hold about them being equal. They are property and should be under control that means in sight at all times and nor running up to people ever. Its basic law ffs.

Animals have an intelligence that we don't necessarily understand because it is not the same as ours and many of them show compassion.

I've told this story on Mumsnet before but some years ago a dog saved my life / a very serious injury. I was waiting at pelican crossing and a man with a guide dog was beside me. The green man lit up, the road appeared to be clear and I was about to step out when the dog threw itself sideways across its owners legs and pushed its head against me stopping me in my tracks as a car went by at what might have been 70 or 80 miles an hour. It was as if it appeared out of no where and of course went right through the lights. Without the dog I'd almost certainly have been hit by it. I was not it's owner - it had no relationship with me but it chose to find a way to stop me at the same time as its owner

Broke the law how? What law? The dog was allowed on the beach wasn't it?

OP - Did the dog piss on your grandkids/possessions or not? Couldn't really work that out from the vague way you wrote that bit in your OP. The dog pissed on the rock you wanted to sit on and you were concerned he might piss on/near grandchildren. So what you dois move them away and don't sit on the rock. If feeling faint then sit on the rock anyway. You either really needed to sit there or you didn't. You can't have needed to sit there that badly if you still had the energy to grab hold of an excited dog a few times.
You say you suffer from anxiety and yet you are 'brave' enough to grab a strange dog by the collar in frustration.
You are very lucky you weren't bitten.
Even if the dog owner was present, the dog is still going to piss.

I was wondering how long it would take Boomboom22 to appear 😃

Doh, it was out of sight of the owner passing, to the extent that op had to grab the collar twice. It was very close to kids with no owner in sight controlling it. Therefore against the law.

No I don't think animal abuse is in the slightest bit funny.
I said the image of my dog going airborne while looking confused funny, in a cartoon way.

@Prescottdanni123 as per my post above.

Absurd argument. It’s irrelevant if I go out or not. And btw, one of the reasons I don’t go outside as much to any of the multiple parks around me is thanks to dogs running riot in those parks.

When I was in the States recently I enjoyed walking a lot in some of the dog free outside spaces. And as I said, that’s not the point it’s not just about me , some people do go out a lot or even if they go out occasionally they should be able to enjoy a dog free space.

And I didn’t mention anything about “streets” , I’m talking about parks and beaches. There are dog owners and dog lovers on this thread who would prefer some areas are dog free so it’s not just about so called dog phobic people.

I’m not trying to change my words - I maintained I suggested there should be no dogs around period. The reasons I said no dogs whatsoever, is because without fail some selfish owners push boundaries and let dogs off their leash where it’s not allowed.

Or as a pp pointed out have those ridiculously long leads which means their dogs still end up quite far away from them and their lead is tripping people up.

It’d be far easier to keep things simple and prevent them being in some beaches and parks altogether . I think there’s more chance of that being adhered to. When you start saying dogs are allowed but dog owners have a responsibility to do X and Y, it’s like certain dog owners only read the first part about dogs being allowed and discard of their responsibilities.

You are incredibly entitled and selfish not to consider things from other peoples POV. I’m proposing spaces for dogs to run free AND spaces to be dog free so that people have a choice. You on the other hand just think about what you want and what suits you.

This. I’d be more concerned about how it was out of the owners control tbh. That’s like my daft neighbour who let her dog run way ahead of her.

And btw, re. PP bringing up toxic waste of course I’m not happy about environmental waste in the sea and how water companies have behaved shamefully on this recently, I personally don’t go swimming in it but that’s other story altogether.

Irrespective of that problem I don’t want to have the additional problem of going for a walk on a beach and additionally have to dodge the inevitable out of control dog (s) and /or dog poo. Many others feel like me, including some dog owners.

There is no such law.

If you took my dog by the collar and started dragging it around the beach I'd be pissed off tbh.

The law says under control at all times. If it is out of sight it cannot possibly be under control. As the owner has no idea what the dog is doing. So yes it clearly breaks the law.

Well if you could see your dog that'll never happen will it, unless you allow it to approach strangers.

Couldn't you just find another rock to sit on. Sounds like lots of other dogs had peed on "your" rock if the dog was so insistent on marking it for himself. Doubt he meant to pee on anyone's shoes.

Not the point at all though, why wasn't the owner in sight and could recall the dog which was clearly bothering people.

On a side note my beautiful country park is back to normal now picnic goers have buggered off now . It's pissing down and dog is having a great run around but there is no litter around now such as cocktail sticks chucked around benches , beer bottle tops etc . It's bliss again .

If it had jumped up and peed on a proper seat OP would have a point but it was a rock

as for asking him if he had a bag bang out of order

tbh well done for him not telling you to fuck off

this is from someone who can’t stand dogs and have frequent alterations with dogs and dog owners as I commute on a cycle path