Sick to death of dogs

[SwordToFlamethrower]

Went to the beach today with dh and dd1.

Got jumped on by a dog off its lead. Owner said "oh. Sorry"

Two dogs ran up to us and started growling and snapping at me and dd who was playing on the sand.

Another dog ran up to us, had no idea what it's intentions were!

All off lead, all owners using their baby voices "don't do that Fido darling!"

Dog shit bags everywhere despite their being loads of bins and even free dog bags!

Absolutely so fed up of entitled dog owners and their nasty little dogs.

I love dogs and have owned them for most of my life. My daughter has been knocked over/snapped at / barked at by out of control dogs multiple times just walking round our estate and is now very scared of dogs she doesn't know despite having had one since she was a baby. My last dog, on the lead, was properly mauled by a loose Akita with form for menacing other dogs whose owner let him walk up the main road off the lead.

I don't blame the dogs. I blame the owners. Generally speaking people who are scared of or dislike dogs feel that way because of owners who don't control their dogs and then sneer at the people their dogs bother for being scared of them. If you want people to like dogs, keep your dog under control.

Our beach is immaculate and very well frequented by dog users. Everyone picks up after their dogs. In the summer, it is split into north and south ends for dogs and children, and still, people plonk themselves down at the first available location, at the dog part of the beach, too lazy to walk to the right part. Dog owners keep the beach going when it's deserted in the winter by using the local facilities. You sound like the sort of person who is feeding fear into your children regarding a dog coming anywhere near them. And I don't believe two dogs came running up growling at you - I've never seen this happen in over 40 years, unless the dogs were playing - they 'play growl' when mouthing one another - as puppies do in a pack - it's a joy to hear.

I love dogs but there are far too many around now, and unfortunately lots of them are badly trained with stupid owners.

However when I had my old boy I did come across quite a few dim people who didn’t have dogs creating merry hell because of their own stupidity. Like the ones who completely ignored the enormous picnic area where dogs were only permitted on leads and set up in the open fields at the back of the park. They then got cross because people were walking off lead dogs.

And the ones who took their kids to an area where you never see anyone but dog walkers for the majority of time but on the very rare occasions it snows they head there in droves because of the decent sledding. They would then screech at the dog owners for being there, despite the fact they never usually go near the place.

Bad dog ownership is an epidemic. I wish there was more enforcement of the law. Dogs should be kept under control at all times when out in public. Every single dog walk I go on (twice a day), I meet dogs that are not under control.

If your dog will approach other people or dogs, it is not under your control and should be on a lead.

@IthinkIamAnAlien
Totally agree OP and with all the similar posts calling out the absurd world of so many entitled dog owners who expect others to meekly accept their smelly, badly behaved poo machines.

My dog doesn’t smell, thanks. Not all dogs are smelly, just like not all humans are smelly but some are.
And poo machines? How many bowel movements do you think dogs have per day cos last time I checked, mine only has 2.
Oh, and not all are badly behaved either!

@breathinbreathout has summed it up perfectly.

Some people are irresponsible owners.

I also never understand some dog owners, usually the fur baby brigade, who say they are better than kids. Your dog isn’t going to pay taxes to look after you when you’re old so it’s a stupid thing to say

I am a dog lover - had many rescue dogs over the years and I think you are being given a hard time,

My current dog can be snappy and upset if off-lead dogs approach too close - so she is not off-lead most of the time unless I am sure of the surroundings. I have been accused of dog-cruelty, being ridiculous and other undeserved and unwelcome comments.

Dog-friendly places do not mean dogs-only or that dogs have priority. It certainly does not mean dogs can be off-lead and not under control so that they annoy people and other dogs.

Dogs are animals (I love mine but that is just me) and should not have PRIORITY
anywhere.

It’s not a few dog owners. It’s a regular occurrence.
The idea that until your dog is well trained, you keep it on a lead, just isn’t there for nearly all owners.

Even otherwise nice, considerate people I know allow their untrained dogs off lead which then chase children, really terrifying them, or their dog bounds up to people , jumping up and barking. These nice people, then fluster and apologize, and then let their dog off lead again.

And even if it were a minority, there are so many dogs now, that a minority still makes bad encounters an almost daily occurrence in parks or beaches. Especially if you have small children. My kids never went up to dogs, ever. Dogs chased and growled and jumped and knocked over them regularly. My toddler was knocked over by a pack of about a dozen dogs running together full pelt in a children’s park! The owners should never have allowed a pack to form like that. It’s bloody dangerous!

The most stupidity I have seen recently is from XL bully lovers or owners, all over Facebook crying how terrible it is their fur baby can’t run free on the beach without a lead or a muzzle, how cruel it is the new laws have been brought in etc and it’s all down to idiot owners so why aren’t they looking at themselves? These people have no right owning an unstable animal that could turn at any minute

Oh, and why do a majority of the anti-dog brigade think that most owners use the term ‘fur babies’ 🤣 I don’t know any dog owners in real life who use that term. I’ve seen social media posts using the term but it’s been mainly from cat owners!

Trying to equate animals and children by their ability to pay tax is beyond stupid.So children have value because they might, and it is might, pay tax in the future? What about people who take more out of the tax/benefits system than they put in? What is their value?

Dog owners are entitled to place the better than children value on their pets if they so wish. Can't see why you even let the concept live in your head rent free.

Course ya did

These threads invariably serve to allow the angry underbelly of mumsnet to vent. The subject matter is irrelevant and often fictional eg a dog ate my sandwich/shat in my child's pram/stole my tv. It helps keep them off AIBU ranting about their SIL/MIL/Neighbour It's helpful from a containment perspective.

Yup

We can't let our dog off lead as she had a terrible start to life and now doesn't like so much (3 dog behaviourist and although better, still wouldn't trust her outside house) yet when we walk her with leads saying nervous, scared ,stay away, we still get families asking if their kid can stroke her. Our dog looks friendly and is absolutely stunning and fluffy but we still have to say no several times. People say oh little Johnny will just stroke their back, and wonder why I tell them to fuck off. My DB dog is massive and looks scary and loves kids, excellent recall (unless theirs a puddle, which he wants to play in) but funny how he doesn't get these problems and little Johnny is told no straight away.

Oh that only took two comments before someone compared a human to an animal 🙄

Here we go again 🙄

I'm sick to death of people.

People are just sick of them though, beaches, mountains, cafes, pubs. Dogs everywhere in a way that just didn’t use to happen. People are moaning because it is a problem which people didn’t have to put up with but do now! This thread shows that most dog owners deny there is a problem but clearly there is.

Agree with pp who said that dog ownerships should have far stricter controls. Lock down was a nightmare for dogs, so many idiots bought one with no thought of how they would look after it long term. Dog ownership is a privilege, not a right and if you are not prepared to put in the training, time, care, attention and potential fuck ton of money a dog might need, you shouldn’t be allowed to have one.

I have lots of dogs and yes, I do prefer them to most people. That however does not mean they are not well trained. All have excellent recall, none would ever approach a person or another dog on a walk (they are not let off lead until this training is firmly fixed in them and one has never learned, so he’s on lead for life) and yes I of course pick up after them. I beach walk them daily, but we always go at first light and rarely see anyone other than other dog walkers. I would not take them to the beach in the middle of the day because yes, it will probably be full of children doing normal things that children do - shrieking, screaming and running around and my dogs aren’t used to that and wouldn’t like it. So I alter my routine accordingly.

And frankly op, you could do the same. Most beaches are not dog friendly, go to one of those? It would be silly of me to go to a restaurant or on a holiday that is specifically child friendly, then moan about the “entitled children” wouldn’t it?

I’ve never stepped in other people’s children’s shit. They don’t seem to run up and lick me or sniff my crotch either.

I’m crying with laughter at “magnet for dogs”.

Come up with some better examples for your dog bashing thread OP. A dog came within a hair’s breadth of your darling child in the middle of winter on a beach that is dog friendly - that’s all you’ve got?

We're long overdue legislative review in dog ownership. We need much tighter controls in place to make the level of dog ownership in this country sustainable.

Dog licensing with annual fee
Mandatory insurance to protect those injured by dogs (like car insurance)
Dogs on leads in public places
Limit of number of dogs in cafes/places of business
Greater penalties for not picking up after your dog.

I'm a dog owner and I love dogs, I would 100% support the above.

Need to tackle the issue of the owners not the dogs.

Another week, another anti-dogs thread. Tedious.

Dogs are unlikely to go extinct any time soon and there always be some thoughtless owners.

So you need to adapt and stop over-reacting to every encounter with a dog.

First of all it would be common sense to avoid a beach that attracts a lot of dog walkers.

Frankly most of the time what you need to do is simply ignore the dog if it comes near you and stay confident and the dog will just return to their business of playing on the beach.

They can also pick up on your fear and negative body language so you are not helping yourself by freaking out...

So why have you taken your dd and let her play in the sand?!