To have shouted at this dog owner

[swanandduck]

I am terrified of dogs. I can't help it, I've always had that fear. I was walking up the road in the snow yesterday and a woman was walking down, with a ski pole to keep her balance, and her two dogs running around, not on leads. I called out to her asking her to put them on leads as I don't like dogs and she ignored my request and one of them came tearing up at me barking his head off. I was petrified and, when she had half heartedly called him off, I shouted at her that it was a public road and she should have them on a lead. She just walked off and ignored me.
Why, why, why do some dog owners think it's okay to let their pets jump all over strangers, even when the strangers are quite clearly afraid of dogs. On what level do they think this behaviour is acceptable? I always make it quite clear, by putting my two hands in the air and backing away, that I'm afraid of dogs, but the owners never bloody bother to grab the dog by the collar or to have him on a lead in the first place.

You sound quite 'obnoxious' actually. What on earth is 'aggressive' about not wanting other people's dogs to run and bark at you when you have a 'phobia' about them.

And if anyone challenges you they are 'aggresive'. If someone had a fear of spiders would you say it's alright to let a spider run up to them as long as it didn't actually touch them??

I suspect you are a dog owner who lets your dog run up at people and frighten or annoy them and is now getting defensive about it.

swanandduck - most messages here are very sensible and understanding, and many dog owners are responsible, I am always wary about letting mine off the lead, and even on the lead he has jumped up before - difference is he is small so can only reach the knees! Still, its not on. And my DD and I, and my puppy have been chased by dogs off leads before and been told its our fault as running away provokes dogs. Don't let toughasoldboots goad you. You know YWNBU - but sadly it happens all the time - just like some people don't bother about what their children do you know? Its that sort of "if I want to do it, then that makes it right" mentality. I'd have a stiff drink and put it down to experience

Whoa - Swan - you are fearless with humans.

I would love to own a dog more than anything but I have a small concrete patch of garden and work full-time which I think is no life for a dog.
However, today I went to the local PC World to pick up a laptop...in the carpark, a guy was walking along smoking with 2 enormous muscular rottweilers, off-leash with no muzzles or any kind of restraint, both with studded collars. I was absolutely terrified of them, especially because he was tiny and there is no way he could have controlled them if they had become aggressive. He was also wearing a hoodie and shouting expletives down his mobile phone.
I don't have a phobia of dogs, I love them. But today I was frightened. Imagine I had a small child with me, or if I really did have a phobia?
A prime example of truly irresponsible dog ownership. I have not read all the posts on this thread but I really do sympathise with the OP.

Thanks MNS am going to take your advice and open a bottle of wine.

Animation - I know. Humans, spiders, heights - bring em on. Just not dogs, pleeese. [terrifed emoticon].

On a normal day I would say YANBU but in this icy weather (and I must have missed something because I can't believe I'd be the first person to notice your mention of her using a ski pole to stay upright!) perhaps she didn't have them on a lead in case in case it caused her to slip??

Also, maybe she didn't reply because she was focused on this. Maybe she knew her dogs, although exuberant and prone to woofing at people, wouldn't pose real harm to you?

Just a thought.

My point there, Lobster, was that she was using a pole to stop herself from slipping but was letting her dog run and bark at other people which could cause them to slip, particularly if afraid of dogs.

I was brought up in Germany as a child and biten by a german shepherd and hospitalised. I now have three Weimaraners, german gundogs, they stay on the lead until we get to the dog park ( they do have them in England) I never leave a child alone with my dogs and would never take them into a childs park. We also walk off the lead in the local pinewoods and beach, I go early in the morning to avoid people and other dogs. When we do see others in these places they go on the lead. We go to dog training every week and have our kennel club awards. I would say it is wrong to claim that 3/4 of dog owners shouldn't have dogs. . But I don't know what you expect me to do if you or your child are afraid of my dogs and I am walking them on the lead or we are on my property.
It seems that the dogs are taking a bashing here not the relatively few owners who don't look after their animals properly.

It's lotster.

But if she was confident they wouldn't jump up at someone, or run in to them, causing them to slip, she may not assume someone would fall over from fright!

I do agree that dogs should be under control in a public place, but it was a day when getting around was tricky (ski pole) and sometimes it's hard for those to understand dogs to imagine the (sometimes) irrational fears of those that don't.

weimy

The dogs were not on a lead. I made that very clear in my opening post. I don't see anyone bashing the dogs, just the irresponsible owners.

Lotster

But her dog did run up to someone and she was completely unbothered. I really don't get your point.

Also, how does holding a ski pole prevent you from holding a lead in the other hand??

Yes but in subsequent posts by another they have mentioned dogs coming towards them on leads. Also others have made negative comments about dogs. I am able to read and I did understand your first post I just did not understand that I was not supposed to refer to comments made in subsequent posts.

I meant that perhaps she knew the dog wouldn't touch you, and cause you to slip, which you seemed to be concerned about.

They do sound like bouncy dogs who, if on a lead, would be more likely to pull her over.

"Also, how does holding a ski pole prevent you from holding a lead in the other hand??"

It doesn't, but you seem determined to ignore the fact she obviously needed it to walk and didn't want to attach herself to the dogs downhill.

Do you not understand that holding two dogs makes you more likely to fall over than not holding them?

You are demanding empathy from her, but have none to give it seems. At the end of the day you got woofed at, not savaged! Get a grip!

All I was trying to do in my post was show how not all owners are bad.

I live in Amsterdam and I've noticed that just about every Dutch kid politely asks if they can pet my dog before trying to touch him. It's clearly something that is drummed into them all and I'm trying to do the same with DD who loves all dogs and has no idea that some dogs are not as friendly as ours.

Swanandduck are you able to see the point I was making about comments from others? Because I am not sure why you felt the need to be so curt and rude.:(

I get quite sad when I read threads like this as it makes it quite clear to me why so many people dislike dogs and their owners.

It is not acceptable to let your dog run up to another person you don't know, nor another dog you don't know. If your dog does not have a reliable recall, you should either walk it in a safe area away from other people or keep it on a lead. At the very least, should your dog run up to someone, you should apologise profusely.

I can completely understand why a person who is already nervous of dogs would be frightened by one running up to them and barking at them. You were not unreasonable to ask the woman to put her dogs back on a lead or at least keep them under control and away from you.

I have a dog that isn't great with other dogs, although he is improving. I keep him under control and away from areas where dogs are likely to be offlead as I know owners cannot be trusted to keep their dogs away from him and under control. If a dog approached him he may well react badly. Yet frequently in places where dogs should be on a lead they are not and last time a dog approached him it attacked him, making him even more nervous of other dogs and setting our training back by miles. Oddly, I had shouted at teh owner 'get your dog on a fucking lead'. Nothing polite about that...