To think some dog owners are just bloody ignorant?

[DeepPurple]

DH and I went to sell some junk unwanted items at a car boot sale today. We took DD (21 months) with us for the first hour then my DF came to collect her.

The car boot was in a field and when we arrived it was already very busy with both sellers and buyers. Many people wandering around had dogs with them on leads.

I bought DD a sausage sandwich and popped it on the table near her pushchair to cool down and gave her some of the bread to munch on.

A pig ignorant woman walked past my stall with her large dog off it's lead. The dog ran around to the sandwich and bit it, scaring poor DD senseless in the process.

DD was screaming like mad. I got in between the dog and DD and shouted at it to get away. The woman was stood at the next stall laughing! I shouted to her to put her dog on a lead and she just laughed again and walked off. No apology, didn't offer to replace the sandwich and didn't bother to check DD was ok.

DD ended up eating my sandwich as the queue was too long to wait for another again.

DD has been scared by a large dog before and I've been trying to gradually introduce her to dogs to get her over her fear. Now she's been set back again

I've nothing against dogs or dog owners. Just a small percentage really annoy me with their attitude. If the sandwich had been in DDs hand the dog could have easily bitten her getting it off her

And breathe. Rant over.

I'm not getting involved in dog-relared posts now.

I metaphorically got a new one ripped by daring to worry about a boy being attacked on a beach by 1 of 2 loose rotts on a dog free beach.
The same beach my dog-phobic daughter had been on a few days before.

I'm a dog-bashing passive/aggressive. Apparantly.
No I worry about my DD.

(And yes I know its wrong to thread about a thread but I was F**king pissed off by this)

BTP you were right and I was wrong.

At a car boot sale, at a general rather than dog walker park, on a shared beach, a dog should be on a lead and at the end of the lead should be somone capable of controlling the dog.

Most dog owners are caring, considerate and responsible. I'm afraid as a non-dog owner I dont see these dog owners or their dogs because they fade into the background. The ones who stand out are the out of control ones.

That's nice to know, Kytti. My comment was a lighthearted one after a long, tiring weekend, reflecting my immediate vision of a mad Scooby-Doo type whizz past and snatch and not a reflection upon the OP's understandable annoyance and concern although the inevitable "it might have been the child" type comments from some are extrapolating. I wouldn't have my dogs offlead at such an event and would be mortified if my dog had acted as in the OP as it happens albeit that it would be unlikely with my well behaved, leaded in appropriate places, well supervised and controlled dogs. I would also have apologised profusely and tried to make amends. Fortunately some people on here had the wit to comprehend that.

I think that people can be foul creatures which spread disease but I don't go around suggesting that I might "kick the damn thing[s] into next week.". I prefer to be more rational.

And, there are several items/creatures which nobody needs to own but I shan't start a list. I've a feeling that you may have plenty on your own.

Not so sure about the "lol" at the end of your comments. Were they meant to be funny?

DBF is far from an idiot. I won't say more than that because she is more than capable of defending herself.

Kyitti - How do you define a public place? My dog is still young and not perfect on recall so I walk him in some local woods that are generally people free. Am I not allowed him off lead there because 'technically' it's a public place?

Or beaches in the middle of November who are only used by dog walkers? Does that magically become 'public' if the sun is shining?

There are a lot of idiot dog owners, the same as a lot of idiot parents. So should we ban children from public places?

oops x posts

I thought most restaurants/pubs don't let dogs in while serving food? I think that's very sensible. Plus, I used to waitress in a busy coffee shop and I have vivid memories of having to dodge a (very cute) toddler while carrying loaded trays with hot drinks and soup etc on them. It was awful - the kid was running up and down the shop floor and I was petrified I would trip over him and pour boiling coffee on his head. The parents just sat there and let him do it. Nothing unpredictable and knee-height should be allowed to run about when people are carrying food/hot drinks, IMO.

Going back to the OP, I would have been livid at the owner's attitude! I'm a dog-owner and would have been incredibly apologetic if my dog had done such a thing (although he would have had to be doing it while on the lead, in a situation like a car-boot sale, as he would not have been let off). That said, I am feeling guilty now for letting my mum's dog race up to a toddler a couple of days ago. I had my dog and mum's puppy on leads in one hand, and two bin bags in the other, and was trying to take the bin out while exercising the 3 dogs. I didn't know one of the neighbours had a toddler staying. The dog in question is a Golden Retriever - friendly, but huge. Luckily the toddler and father didn't seem bothered, but I'm conscious it could have gone the other way.

There's no law which bans dogs from restaurants, TooImmature, just from food preparation areas. Anything else is down to the proprietors' discretion.

BitterandTwistedChoreDodger most beaches have set times when they are off season for dogs ,don't they.
So dog owners are aware when they can and cannot take them.

So if its May-Sept (as I'm sure it is round here, that leaves 7 months when its open season)

I did take my DCs to Frinton when it was not out of season,( I wasn't aware, I think we were a few days early) there were several dogs there. I found my DCs a quiet space to play.

And my DS who was 9 at the time asked a man, very politely if he would mind taking his dog to the next breaker before letting him run, as his little sister was scared.
The owner said 'Off course' and complimented my son on his manners and his thoughtfulness to his sister.
So I'm not averse to sharing. I just wouldn't choose to go when its 'dog-time'

'Thanks Gnome, I'm really not one for p/a emoticons. I'll take that as a compliment, POG. I think.'

It was intended as one.

Oh wow I didn't expect it to kick off!

I'm not against dogs or owners. Just some dogs and owners. Those people that take their furry friend to a crowded place full of other dogs and any children then let then run around bothering people.

The sandwich was out of dd's reach but the dog was only inches from dd whilst biting it. Dd wasn't hurt but she's previously been scared by a dog and this has just made it worse!

I wouldn't hurt a dog or other animal unless I had to. If the dog had bitten dd I'm afraid I would have seriously hurt the dog whilst defending dd. I wouldn't kick a dog away, a sandwich isn't worth it.

I grew up with dogs and although I never intend to own one, I would rather dd had respect for animals and wasn't frightened.

Outside my local tesco (village type area) there always seems to be at least one person stood there with a dog, on a lead. I've been getting dd to wave at them and say hello (woof woof ) to them from a distance. Every owner has been perfectly lovely so far.

My rant is simply at those ignorant idiots who think the sun shines out of their dogs bum. Those who simply cannot understand why other people don't want dog slobber on their food. Those that let their dogs roam free in BUSY public places. A car boot is no place for an unleashed dog.

As a point to note; a friend of mine has a lovely ds the same age as dd. A few months ago an old, friendly, docile dog bit him. He narrowly missed his eye. The poor little mite will be scared for life. You San never know what your dog will do. They don't think like humans do. This has possibly put me on edge a bit more than I would be.

I did pmsl at the koi!

Scarred*

I have the opposite problem, unleashed kiddies who come bounding up to my dog and try to grab him and hug him. They think he's a cuddly toy.

Beach rules vary. Locally most of our beaches have a dog free area and then an area where dogs are allowed. If it's very crowded I keep my dog on the lead even in the doggy areas until we get to an area relatively free of people, but that's because he's only 11 months so still learning and lots of people get him excited (so less likely to behave, he still has bonkers puppy moments but at 11 months is too big to get away with it).

DS2 used to be scared of dogs, but his fear meant he tended to behave in a way that would encourage dogs to try and interact with him. I lost count of the number of times he would be running shrieking across the beach or moors with 3 dogs chasing him trying to play while I was screaming STAND STILL. Once he learned how to behave appropriately around dogs his fear went (to the point where I am now having to constantly tell him to take his hand out of the dog's mouth, he seems to like the dog chewing on it for some reason).

There was a post a while back where someone (might have been DBF) mentioned sticking your finger up a dogs bum. (To stop an attack, not just for the hell of it )Can't recall if it was recommended or not recommended as a course of action.

But I do sometimes think 'what if it was my DD. What would I do in the cold light of day?'

I've put my hands in worse places. Though I would never bite my nails again. Bleurgh

It was me.

I've heard it said in many dog circles, likewise using a stick to get a dog to open mouth and turn away in shock, in cases of desperate need to take action. Never tried it myself not to my recollection known anyone who has, never needed to, so I can't comment further. Certainly I wouldn't say that it was a recommended action.

OP has a very wise idea with the wave from a distance theory - it's what I taught my DDs to do too and worked well. They could acknowledge a dog without risk to themselves or dog.

I also have problems with stranger toddlers who approach my dog - and parents who encourage that. He's very friendly, adores children, but is a big puppy and still too jumpy (we are working on sit for approaches). He wouldn't be aggressive but he could certainly knock a young child over.

The only time he's managed to completely send a child (other than my own) flying was on a totally empty beach. The only people on the beach were me, the dog and a mum and dad with a young child (I was there first, so they'd come over near me) I was throwing a ball for him - he was minding his own business following the ball when a toddler ran straight into his path. It was awful as I could see it was going to happen but couldn't stop it as I didn't know the child's name- one of those slow motion moments. Luckily the mum saw it and said straight away not to worry it had been an accident.

I think there is a lot of naivity when it comes to comparing the danger factor of children vs dogs.

I have three DCs aged 11, to 15. I am perfectly strong enough to hold any of them and stop them from moving. There is no way I would be able to hold an equivalently weighted dog. Their muscles work differently and are far more powerful.

Dogs have no morality, anthropomorphising is dangerous. A dog will behave according to its nature and training. If training fails then it will behave according to its nature alone. If the owner isnt strong enough then the dog's nature wins.

We teach children a moral code. We teach children to behave. If push comes to shove we can easily pick our children up and leave

In no way do I hate dogs. A well trained dog is a joy to see. However I am sad and concerned to see powerful dogs in the 'control' of a child or an incompetent adult.

There's no way my dog could be off lead. He's an idiot. The problem is that he loves everything that moves, especially kids. In his defence, he is only nine months old. I understand that he could really frighten someone though, hell, i'd be frightened if I saw him pelting towards me. He's a springy excited little terrier type but very strong and easily capable of pulling an adult over, never mind a child.

We have to physically hold him down if anyone walks past because he will jump...in fact, if anyone can give me training advice that would be great..[hopeful emoticon].

Have you taken him to a proper dog training school Frogs ?

We took ours and they worked wonders with him, and with us too, as training the owner is as important as training the dog.

I can't let mine off the lead either. He's a bugger. He fully understands the recall commands but he doesn't care. He's happy to get shouted at in exchange for a good chase. He's small and very, very fast.