to be sick to death of having to put up with other people's dogs

[WriterofDreams]

I am not a dog person. I think they're nice but I don't want to pet a dog or be anywhere near them really. This partly comes from being attacked by a dog as a young child.

This was never a problem when I lived in Ireland, where a dog is a subservient pet that is to be kept in line. In busy areas dogs are generally kept on a lead at all times and IME if a loose dog ever came up to me the owner always apologised and pulled the dog away. In the park where I used to go walking any dog that wasn't on a lead was taken away by the pound, whether the owner was close by or not. This was to protect the wildlife in the area.

Since moving to England I have come to hate dogs, not really through any fault of their own. There is a common near me where I often go walking with DS, who thankfully is still in a pram so I don't have to worry about him. On every single occasion, often more than once, a large dog has come up to me, often running. On a couple of occasions a dog has jumped up on me, scaring the absolute shit out of me. On practically every occasion the owner has either not been anywhere in the vicinity (as the dog has run far ahead of them) or has smiled indulgently and uttered the immortal phrase "he is very friendly!" before feebly calling the dog and offering no apology for the fact that dog invaded my space and scared me. On a few occasions I have been scared witless by dogs viciously fighting on the path.

AIBU to think the owners have a responsibility to keep their dogs close to them and not allow them to harrass other people?

Bravo Valhalla if you are one of the few in my experience who do not indulge their dogs' poor behaviour at the expense of the non dog loving greater community.

But we need more people like you.

We need more cultural shame and we need the lame dog owners to start to realise that they are indulging themselves at the cost of other people's enjoyment of the outside environment.

But pigs will fly first! Brits love their pets far more than they love their countrymen.

Brits love their pets far more than they love their countrymen.

Good God, I wonder why?

She was an amazing and extremely clever dog, I adored her. But she spoilt me for all the out of control dogs which I see so much of now.

What I mean is they had to train her (with three very young kids in the middle of nowhere, my dad working overnights, my mum on her own) they had to be absolutely dedicated to it at a very difficult time for their young family.

They didn't see the dog as a fluffy toy, she was a family pet who had to be trained to be a guard dog effectively so the training was very thorough.

What I mean is training doesn't even seem to be on the agenda for people when they talk about getting a puppy. It's all about the fun side, not about the work of it.

Incidetially my best behaved dog is currently sleeping in her bed which is filled with pillows, cushions and blankets (all mainly pink, she is dd1's princess dog). My unruly terrier is asleep in a dustbin full of rubbish .

I doubt very much the vast amount pillows and fluffy things Whippy has, will impact much on her training, if that was the case Devil Dog would be the world's best behaved dog, since he appears to believe he is only worthy of rubbish or dirty washing

"Bravo Valhalla if you are one of the few in my experience who do not indulge their dogs' poor behaviour at the expense of the non dog loving greater community."

Wrong, queen.

I do not indulge the non-dogloving.

I have well behaved dogs. They are nonetheless what you might consider to be indulged.

You're right on one thing... I love my pets far more than not just my countrymen but yours too, regardless of wherever you come from.

"What I mean is they had to train her (with three very young kids in the middle of nowhere, my dad working overnights, my mum on her own) they had to be absolutely dedicated to it at a very difficult time for their young family."

I admit to having only 2 children but I have had at least 2 dogs, often more as a result of fostering dogs, throughout their 14 and 16 years. As I said we currently have three large breed dogs. I've lived in the middle of nowhere with them, I still have no transport and my children do not have a father and never have had - he walked out when DD2 was 7 weeks old and has offered no support since, not even when I had cancer.

Times have been hard.

But it's still a piece of cake to train the average young Shep, unless she is very thick or unless you're doing it wrong.

YANBU. I totally agree with you and identify. A dog once ran up to me and jumped, scaring me (though I'm not as a rule scared by dogs). I said to the owner, 'Can you keep your dog on a lead?' and he swore at me.

I will ALWAYS love my dogs more than my fellow countrymen, because they don't judge everyone else all the time.............

there's always something in Vallhala's post's that warms yer cockles

I have a staff which i dont walk on a lead on the field and it is ridiculous how many people scream and wrench their dogs away. She is friendly and non aggressive. I wouldnt let her off the lead if she wasnt.

On the other hand there is a man over the road with a very aggressive dog and he refuses to put it on the lead for some strange reason.

I can see both points. I am scared of dogs running loose myself. Being brought up on the 80's on a council estate where everyone just let their dogs out on a morning didnt help. You used to come across large packs of dogs whilst playing out and they would chase you.

TBH i think you will have to find somewhere else to walk. The majority of the dogs will be fine but their will always be that idiot with an aggressive dog he can do nothing with and refuses to put on lead.

I would also put my dogs away if somone came into my house and they were scared of them. I love my dogs and know they wouldnt harm anyone but i also understand people having a fear of them.

*Valhalla "Another thing... I'd love you to sue ME for personal injuries, nijinsky. Not that I wish my or any dog to bite you nor that I wish some fool to lure a dog from his owner but so that I could laugh at you.

So sue me. How much do you think you'll get?

A decent lawyer will never promote that a client serves a writ if, even if the case is won, the defendant hasn't the funds to pay either the sum demanded in compensation or his own costs.*

Since I am a solicitor, I can't see this being a problem for me. Your dog bites me, you get sued. The courts are there to decide the outcome. However since you normally post common sense answers, you will be aware that the Animals Act imposes strict liability on the owners of animals. If you are suggesting that you have no income at all and rely entirely upon charitable donations, then there are other remedies out there, such as specific performance and injunction. I assume that you also own some tangible property, if not a house or a car, then something of value to you?

Why not, instead, simply respect the right of your fellow human beings not to be harassed by your dogs?

I don't want to be an animal whisperer. I just want to run in peace, without having someone's loose dog running around my legs trying to trip me up or jumping up at me, slobbering on me. Neither do I particularly want to listen to the mad shrieking that seems to accompany the average dog owner who cannot control their pet.

Never mind the dogs, luring people's loose dogs away is damned effective in training the owners. Its usually the owners that are worse behaved than the dogs anyway. At least, the dogs have the excuse of only behaving like dogs. What excuse do the owners have for their bad manners?

As I said before, round where I live, badly behaved dog owners are rare. Its obviously a chav free zone!

You know what I have of value to me? All I have of value to me?

My dogs.

Sure, you can sue me for my house. Doubt if my Landlord would be overly impressed if you took it though.

Sure, you can sue me for my car. Only...

.... I don't have one.

My dogs are well trained but if you tried to lure them away it wouldn't be them you would have to fear.

'I just want to run in peace, without having someone's loose dog running around my legs trying to trip me up or jumping up at me, slobbering on me' - In that case might I suggest you stop encouraging them to follow you? Just a thought.

I wonder if the reason I don't notice dogs being a nuisance is that I quite like them. A dog runs towards me I usually try to talk to it but the selfish buggers usually ignore me! And I am left making friendly noises to the empty air Maybe they are all well-trained round here too.

Only time I find dogs a nuisance when I am running is when I am not sure which way they are going so I dodge about trying to avoid them tripping me up.

Well, theres your answer then. Don't risk losing your dogs. (I'm sure you wont', as your posts away from this thread have always sounded responsible). I don't know why this is news to people. If you injure someone with your property, you risk getting sued. Obviously it doesn't happen that often, but the risk is still there. Animals have long been considered strict liability in this county, and thats why most horse owners have third party insurance as a minimum. There was a recent case where some vandals let horses out of their field, cutting through a padlock, where they got onto a road and caused an accident. The owner of the horses was liable, even though the fencing was in good order. Strict liability is liability without fault, hence if anyone's dog did bit or otherwise injure someone, there is a clear risk of being sued.

Apart from the risk of being sued, surely its just basic manners to keep your dog under control around people? Threatning people should they upset your dogs is just pathetic - what will you do if the next person they annoy is bigger and more aggressive than you?

I find the more aggressive the person, the more likely they are to be a seen in the far distance PFB parent who is shouting and swearing at me that I should take my fucking dog back down the foorpath and that dogs shouldn't be allowed in response to me putting my immediately recalled, immediately responsive German Shepherd on a lead and in a sit and stay beside me, to the edge of the footpath way before the bellower was anywhere near my dog and I.

Honestly... I am considerate and my dogs preety well behaved but nonetheless some of the abuse and shit that I have had as a dog owner (country dweller, this is mega-affluent picture postcard land, not south east London), is unbelievable.

And hey nijinsky, seeing that my dogs are effectively worh no more than a tenner each to anyone but me, you still haven't told me what you would gain from suing me. Sorry to take the wind out of your sails but I genuinely do own neither house nor car, nor do I keep piles of savings in the bank... you can have the kids if you want though! :o

PS - Most people are bigger than me.... finding someone more aggressive than me if my dogs were at genuine threat of harm would be something of a challenge.

I don't mind dogs, though would never own one. I think that the ones I encounter ought to be on leads, but I live in the city and only really visit play parks so it is reasonable to expect that. In more rural areas or larger parks and such I see no reason why well trained dogs shouldn't be allowed to have a run. Mind you, a friend and her dippy lab cross were having a clifftop trundle one afternoon and the dog tried to say hello to a gull. Gull flew off the cliff, dippy mutt followed (he was fine, if perplexed at the rapid scene change). It seems that some dogs would be safer on a lead :o

Dogs should be on leads AT ALL TIMES when in a public area. I am sick to death of having to scoop my children up when some hound from hell is running full pelt at us.

was I BU to take my lil rescue staffy to meet some of my elderly residents when we had tea and cakes in the garden the other day?.....absolutely....she sat there patiently waiting and in exchange for a paw and a stroke came home a few pounds heavier * p.s. the only thing in the garden that got mauled that day were the cakes ( given willingly)

I'm impressed nijinsky bothers to take the dogs back.

writerofdream Puppy can give a nasty bite?
Do you know they have baby teeth?
My pup chews on my hand, arm leg and it just about tickles. And he's a great big siberian husky.
I think they have to have adult teeth to hurt anyone.

I have to agree to dogs being on leads though.
My pup has always ran freely around our farm.
Then at 5 months old, last week, he ran into a road nearby and got his leg ripped off. It's being held on with pins now.
He'll be kept on a lead now.
20 metre one is fine, if on the farm.

Valhalla And hey nijinsky, seeing that my dogs are effectively worh no more than a tenner each to anyone but me, you still haven't told me what you would gain from suing me. Sorry to take the wind out of your sails but I genuinely do own neither house nor car, nor do I keep piles of savings in the bank... you can have the kids if you want though!

Point of principle. Worth far more than money. Its also a huge hassle being sued and can make your life hell. It sounds as though your dogs are very unlikely to attack anyone. Just pointing out though that if someone's dogs do inflict a nasty bite on someone which requires medical attention and time off work, they are potentially liable for compensation. If a dog bit through someone's achilles tendon, they could be permanently disabled. And I can't say that doesn't go through my mind when I'm running and a dog snaps at my heels.

I actually support the PDSA regularly, as did my mother although she was for many years while doing so a leukemia sufferer. I am an animal lover, but I do think its bordering on cruel for the ignorant to own dogs and to look on as they behave badly and harass people.