to want to smack dog owners around a bit?

[smuggins]

Just been for a walk with DD in the backpack.
Walking across a lovely meadow, we saw a woman walking her bear (might have been a large dog - looked like a bear to me) in the distance. As we approached each other, the bear sat down and awaited its owner. As we came closer, it stood up and took two (meter long) steps towards us. Naturally (evolution, survival instinct, etc) we shied away. The owner cheerily told us that the bear was 'a real sweetie' and meant nothing by it. The wife was a bit riled so said something along the lines of how the hell are we to know that, its a fucking bear and it was coming towards my child and its not on a leash. The response was 'well, you weren't to know, so have a nice day'.

Why do dog owners assume that we all love dogs. I hate dogs. And why were we made to feel bad for being threatened by the bloody bear. There are countless stories of 'real sweetie' dogs biting people - be they strangers / family / children. Do the dog owners know the law on such matters? Not sure I do totally, but I'd like to think that if an injury occurred because of a dog owners lack of control of their animal, they would be liable for that injury and the dog will be destroyed. Anyone know any different?

Anyway. I don't like dogs. Keep yours under control. Please.

"I think, on balance, you are statistically more likely to be attacked and injured by an out of control human, than a dog. And whilst there is a case for keeping certain humans on leads, you don't hyperventilate with fear every time a human walks past, do you?"

fellationelson I agree, and actually statistically, more fatalities are caused every single year by slippers and balloons than dogs and more injuries too. Yet few people have a somewhat less irrational fear of slippers or balloons, few people try and avoid their children having to be near them for fear of injury...

floweryblue - I am no expert but I wouldnt advice carrying your puppy when you see another dog. It teaches them to be afraid and is very tempting for another dog to want to investigate such a happening.

advise not advice

Guide dogs are not dangerous or unpredictable though. They are very well trained. They can handle even the most badly trained and unpredictable toddlers and children and even adults and other dogs. Most dogs don't even come close to approaching the level of training and composure that guide dogs have.

Starting with I Like Dogs A Lot.
However a little while ago, SA (2.7) and I were feeding the duck and a huge labrador bounded up also having a nice time. It jumped up at DS and knocked him over. Owner laughed and said dog meant no harm. Fair enough, these things happen. But owner let dog jump up 3-4 more times, each time knocking DS over. Owner found it funny. We did not and DS is now scared of dogs which is a right pain in the butt.
Again I Like Dogs but on this occasion did not like the owner - people like this give dog owners a bad name and it is usually so undeserved.

Back to the OP.

Your experience was unnerving to say the least, but you deserve flaming for the way you put it.

Your post would better have read: " To want to smack these dogs owners round a bit."

And "Dog owners assume we all love dogs"? No they don't. And who's this inclusive "we", anyway?
Nobody "made you feel bad", you made yourself feel that way.

And less of the "Keep your dogs under control". My dog isn't threatening you.

I'm not a born dog lover, but posts expressed as your is get on my threepennies.

midori1999 Tue 17-Aug-10 00:10:00

"I agree, and actually statistically, more fatalities are caused every single year by slippers and balloons than dogs and more injuries too. Yet few people have a somewhat less irrational fear of slippers or balloons"

Sorry for C&P midori, but slippers and falls / stairs I can understand (I've broken bones this way) but balloons?

I googled balloon fatalities last night but the results were about hot-air balloons.

It's way OT I know but surely I can't be the only one wondering about potentially-lethal objects being put into party bags?

I wouldn't say that a fear of dogs is irrational compared to say clowns overly-large shoes and balloons though.

I am scared of balloons but have no fear at all of dogs (even big bear ones, in fact I owned one as a teen - my mum and dad kept him for me when I moved out). I had always thought I was slightly unhinged but thanks to Midori I now know that I am perfectly sane

Milady, I would imagine they cause people heart failure when the pop unexpectedly or they die from panic attacks caused by constantly waiting for the balloon to pop. Or maybe they are swallowed?

Mucho balloons for my parents 70th then. They're victims of an equity release scam and the interest is going up and up

To rainbow, we weren't carrying the puppy, DP grabbed her in his arms after the v agressive other dog ran at her, and was being v threatening to her, in order to protect her. All the rest of the walk puppy was either on the lead or roaming free, depending on what we/she felt most comfortable with. We're not experts either so glad of any advice.

atmywitsend, the exact same thing happened to me as a toddler according to my mum, and you know what the dog owner told her when she told him he should have his dog under control - it was my mum's fault for letting me run around in a children's playground!!!

The high school my oldest DC went to in the US was a latex free zone (including balloons) as apparently a good few people are allergic. Or so the notices went anyway. However peanuts were welcome. But only service animals.

Haven't read all of this, so someone else has probably said it. Obv dogs must be under proper control and I know there have been some incidents of children being attacked or even killed by dogs. But, add up the number of children who have been abused, injured, tortured or killed by their mother's BF/partner. Seems to happen every week. Does this mean that all step-father figures are potential killers? Sense of proportion called for IMO.

tametiger - another view is to weigh up how many people's lives are improved/made happy by contact with dogs as opposed to damaged. I think we can all agree that more people are made happy than hurt or injured.

As an odd coincidence though, aren't more people harmed by people or dogs they know than by strangers! The reported cases of dogs hurting children do generally seem to be children in their own extended family rather than random kids they have bumped into. Hmmm, I really am talking myself out of my own phobia , am v proud of myself!

I can't stand those long retractable lead things. I was riding my bike one day and the silly cow of a dog owner let the lead out just in front of my path and I had to stop my bike and almost fell off.

Dog owners generally think that everyone loves dogs as much as they do and are totally shocked when they find out that actually we don't.

DNA profiling of dog poo not a bad idea if councils are going to analise our rubbish!!!

Then at least we could prove that the odd bag of strange poo in our wheelie is not our responsibility, so we shouldn't have to pay for it to be disposed of.

I am far more worried about the occassional person putting some litter in my wheelie than I am about them just throwing it in a hedge.

Dogs may get a bad press with some but I see and hear the other side far too often. Normally I come across this in rescue but today it was a chance meeting with a local and his three tiny terriers.

All were rescue dogs. One had been kicked over a long period of time and was a nervous wreck. He stood and let me stroke him yet trembled despite his willingness to befriend me.

Another doesn't let her owner out of her sight, having been abused, and was more aloof.

The third was a young miniature Jack Russell. She licked my hands and wagged her little stump of a tail. She is beautiful, despite having only half of her left ear...

... an ear that was bitten off by * child*.

Not one of these abused dogs was more than 12 inches tall.

god what a polite and considerate dog owner

she bothered to reassure you despite the fact there is no aggression in a dog taking a couple of steps

and didn't rise to your abuse but wished you a good day

well, i will continue to teach my children to be as cautious around dogs as they are around cars.

Oh, FGS. Not everyone likes dogs. Not everyone likes children. Which is why I don't let either my dog or my child get in other people's way. But equally I think if they are under control and behaving they should be entitled to a little respect and space. Live and let live???

There are rubbish owners out there. There are rubbish parents out there. The dog-owner in the OP didn't sound unreasonable and her dog as described seemed to be under control. So yes, you are unreasonable. You'd expect to get flamed for calling all parents rubbish on the basis of one parenting decision you disagreed with.

BTW, I can guarantee without a chance of contradiction that my dog has:

• made less noise than my child (my lovely neighbour has been known to mention when she's heard my DS kicking off but she's never heard my dog barking)
• never bitten/hit or been agressive with anyone. Unlike my son. Who isn't a psychopath (just 22mo).

So by most standards here I should put the dog in the buggy and my son on a leash??? Or worse?