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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want to smack dog owners around a bit?

300 replies

smuggins · 15/08/2010 18:36

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.

OP posts:
SanctiMoanyArse · 15/08/2010 19:34

WTF?

I dont even have a dog an d found you title wrong

YABU to want to smack dog owners or anybody else fulls top.

You don;t have to like dogs (theya re dogs, not bears) but nopbody ahs to like anything

I dont like tory politics but I ahve no desire eitehr to stop people having themn or smacking said adherents around the chops

ragged · 15/08/2010 19:35

See, I think it's sad that OP is so determined that basically dogs shouldn't exist as ordinary and common parts of our society. They do exist, you've got to come to terms with it.

Vast majority of dogs are harmless. Vast majority of dog owners know their animal and wouldn't let it pose a risk to anybody.

If I was approaching you on the path with my teenage son who wore a hood over his head, would you rail at me for allowing a knife-wielding thug to approach your family?

SanctiMoanyArse · 15/08/2010 19:35

(Oh and apols for tory analogy, am tired and ill and it was all i could think of- sorry)

You can substitute with anything personally dont quite fancy the look of

Vallhala · 15/08/2010 19:37

Sorry - laws can also be applied under the Dogs Act 1871, not two Animals Acts!

Oh, and OP, I'd like to see you try to smack this dog owner around a bit... and so would my 2 GSDs and Labrador, who may not take kindly to it.

Just as I haven't taken kindly to you, or "the wife" ("the wife"? WTF?).

I think you're over-reacting. More to the point, I think you're a prick.

willsywoo · 15/08/2010 19:38

I regularly walk my dog in open spaces where there are no prohibitions about dogs,she is a good natured dog but doesn't approach people as she is usually chasing her ball.SO MANY people think it's ok to approach her WITH their small children to stroke her and say 'oh is'nt she lovely,is it ok to stroke her',and proceed to do so even before i have answered.I hate people doing this and would never have allowed my children to do this.If your wifey had spoken to me like you say she did i would have told her to fuck off.I might just add i always carry dog poo bags and hate it when people don't.Dogs are banned from loads of places nowadays,there are plenty of dog free parks and beaches to use if you really can't live and let live.As for dogs licking faces....bloody disgusting.

ilovesprouts · 15/08/2010 19:38

yawn

Minxie1977 · 15/08/2010 19:40

YABU - swearing at a stranger out having a nice walk (with her bear/cat/hoody or whatever) is awful. You sound like hysterical weirdos to me! How was dog out of control!?! There are far more human attacks on children - do you shy away from them too?

thesunshinesbrightly · 15/08/2010 19:41

Vallhala - well said again!!

They sound like horrible people.

Ephiny · 15/08/2010 19:42

YABU, you weren't being 'threatened' by the dog, all it did was take two steps towards you! Some dogs are friendly and curious, and while I agree owners shouldn't let them jump up or lick people etc, that wasn't what happened in this case.

It sounds like you and your wife were the only ones showing any aggression - it was rude and nasty of her to swear at the owner like that, and you look very unpleasant for suggesting you'd like to inflict violence on people for nothing more than taking their dog for a walk! Sounds like you deserve each other.

cupcakesandbunting · 15/08/2010 19:46

YANBU. I'm sick of this 'dogs are like humans' bullshit. No, they are animals with a killer instinct. You do not, and will never, know what your dog is going to do next. You can hazard a guess and be right most of the time but you will never know for certain.

Vallhala · 15/08/2010 19:47

Sunshine, cheers! :)

Don't suppose you have a spare muzzle do ya? The OPs wife seems to need one... :o

majafa · 15/08/2010 19:47

We have had dogs over the years, we currently hava a puppy, a German Shepherd,
she is very cute at the mo, but she will get very big, but when I walk her she is always her lead, unless, as we are lucky enough to live in the middle of nowhere
we let her off, as long as we can acertain there are no people about, if some one comes along shes put straight back on.

Starlight I agree that dog licences should be brought back, with hefty fines for those who dont have one.
And compulsary training for dog and owner, however that my opinion..

rainbowinthesky · 15/08/2010 19:48

Do dogs have a killer instinct and if so is it more than a human would? Surely if this were the case they'd all be going round killing all day??

Ripeberry · 15/08/2010 19:48

The dog sounds like it was well trained. What I hate is owners who let their dogs (usually pairs) run off ahead down country paths and then these dogs spot you and run towards you barking their heads off.

I always carry a stick just in case as how on earth is the owner supposed to call off their dogs if they are yards away from their muts Angry

We had a bad experience years ago in some local woods, we took our grandad's dog for a walk and a strange dog came out of nowhere in the woods and started to follow us, it had no visible owner and no-one was calling it, no houses nearby and this dog kept trying to bite my grandad's dog.

It took no notice of us adults trying to shoo it away and at one point started to snap at us as well!

My dad finally managed to find a big stick and whacked it hard when the vicious dog jumped on grandad's dog.

I chucked a few stones to keep it at bay, we finally managed to get home (grandad's house backs onto the woods) and shut the gate on it.

Luckily, the vet said it was just a superficial wound, but our dog had to have an injection in case of any infections.

Most of the time it is the owners who are to blame for their dogs anti-social behaviour Angry

sherby · 15/08/2010 19:49

I had a proper stand up row with a woman in the woods 3 odd weeks ago over her dog.

Apparently my 2 year old should know better than to run away from dogs and its not her fault my son is afraid of dogs. Well neither am I or my DH or our DD but I think the fact that he has been knocked down by 3 separate dogs might have something to do with his fear.

That being said I have met some lovely dog owners, that put their dogs on a lead or the god is obviously well trained and sits and stays when we walk past. A lovely man with a huge rottie put him on a lead made him sit and actually stayed for 10 mins so DS could have a look and stand close to him in a controlled way. But I have also met some complete wankers.

Not sure if YABU or not tbh

willsywoo · 15/08/2010 19:50

Vallhala,agreed,well said...should we all go around 'smacking' people who's children are badly behaved?..Hmmmmm..maybe...:)

choufleur · 15/08/2010 19:51

Who said does are like humans?

There would probably be more dog attacks if they were like humans. We're often not that nice to each other.

Vallhala · 15/08/2010 19:51

cupcake, what? You can hazard a guess about yur husband or chidren and be right most of the time, yet not know for certain... should I therefore swear at your kids and accuse your husband of attempting or being likely to rape me because he passed me in the street?

Tsk.

We are ALL, to some extent, animals with a killer instinct.

cupcakesandbunting · 15/08/2010 19:51

"Do dogs have a killer instinct and if so is it more than a human would? Surely if this were the case they'd all be going round killing all day??"

Domestic dogs have been trained NOT to kill anything that moves. In the wild, obviously, things would be different or else Spot wouldn't be getting any din-dins. But it's still a dog and presumably the base instincts are still there somewhere. It's not had a human brain transplanted into its skull.

rainbowinthesky · 15/08/2010 19:52

If that is true cupcake then how come people kill far more than dogs do? I've not personally trained my dogs not to kill either.

cupcakesandbunting · 15/08/2010 19:53

Valhalla, I don't want to debate with you over this because a) I don't think you'll ever accept that dogs are NOT on a par with humans and shouldn't be let off leads at free will, depsite what the law states (I've seen you on other pooch related threads) and b) I think you're alright and don't want to lock horns with you over this. :)

rainbowinthesky · 15/08/2010 19:55

cupcakes - I dont think dogs are anywhere near a par on humans but I still disagree with you. There is a middle ground between thinking they are on a par with humans and thinking they are ready at any point to kill.

thesunshinesbrightly · 15/08/2010 19:55

Grin Vallhala i do.

Shall we slap him around a bit first seen as he can't control his wife Wink

MillyR · 15/08/2010 19:55

It is not just that dogs have been trained not to kill. Dogs are domestic pets - they have been selectively bred for many years to exhibit juvenile traits and be less aggressive than their ancestors. Many dogs wouldn't survive in the wild (if there was actually any wilderness left).

Comparing a dog to a wild animal is like comparing the dangers from a pig to the dangers from a wild boar. Well, it is more extreme than that because dogs were the first domesticated species and have been around a lot longer than pigs.

Vallhala · 15/08/2010 19:58

:) Cupcake, thank you for the compliment.

WRT off-lead and where, sometimes the law is an ass. I obey it when required to keep my dogs on-lead, but at times am buggered if I can understand why I have to!

Dogs on a par with humans, eh? Hmmm... better than some humans I know/know of, that's for sure! (Thinking ex-husband, my stepmother, her daughter, the OP...). :o