Was this dog owner being unreasonable - or is this normal dog owner behaviour????

[joshandjamie]

Frankly if I am being unreasonable in my thinking, I don't care.

So this afternoon I'm down at the river playing football with my DSs, using our jumpers as goal posts. A dog comes along and starts ferreting around our things (I was on the phone to husband at this point - he is abroad and he rang for a quick chat before boarding his plane home, so I was watching this all, but from a slight distance).

The boys stop their game and wait for the owner to call the dog off. We'd had several doggy interruptions and we always stop so that the owners can call their dogs away instead of overexciting the dog by kicking the ball around. My boys are also slightly anxious around dogs as we've never had one.

This owner does nothing but is watching the dog from about 20 meters away. The dog then lifts its leg and proceeds to pee all over one of our jumpers - I was at this point trying to wave at the kids to get them to lift the jumper up. The boys just stood there shocked. The owner watched all of this, came up to the boys and said rudely: 'What's the problem, he's not going to bite?' And then sauntered off.

I was still on the phone but think even if I hadn't been, what would I have done? Dogs are dogs, they can't control where they pee. But for the owner to do or say nothing, and then be rude to my kids because they were standing there looking stunned? Knobhead.

I'd want the ground to swallow me up if my dog did that. I still cringe over puppy mishaps such as jumping up, recall failures etc., I'm sure young dogs make a bloody game out of humiliating their owners.

Disgusting, and I would not have kept quiet, probably shoved the wet jumper in their face and asked them what they planned on doing about it.

I show/trial dogs and I'm disgusted at the number of owners who allow their dogs to pee on other people's belongings. There's not much worse than going to pack away your gazebo and you grab a big peed on spot, not to mention the smell if it's been packed away for a few weeks without your realising. People even let them pee on the ring ropes and poles around the rings. I judge and steward a lot, and I've even had dogs try and pee on me (I've developed pretty good reflexes over the years to avoid it and one or two have received a quick boot up the bum to move them along). It's disgusting. My boys have never been allowed to pee on anything other than trees and bushes.

No, it's not normal. I'd've been mortified

My dog did it once, he cocked his leg on one of those pull along shopping trolleys as we walked past a bus stop. He was on his lead and I dragged him away but it just caught the wheel. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. Fortunately the lady with the shopping trolley thought it was funny, brushed away all my mortified apologies and offer to buy her a new trolley.

Am probably going to get lynched but Why wouldn't you call your dog back if it was invading someone-elses space even if it was in a park or whatever - ? I know it has as much right to be there, but not to interfere with others belongings, surely? I know an animal can't help it as such but the OWNER can.
I would try and not to infringe on a game of footie if I could help it (OR someone exercising their dogs) and wouldn't allow my toddler to - it's just good manners, and that's before before we get into the peeing - he was a prize dick.
P.S. am not a dof hater, would loove one but am severely allergic

dog, I MEANT DOG !!

I always do call my dog back if he's invading other peoples space. Actually, he doesn't get that far away from me, if I see other people in the distance, he's called back

He is walked off lead a lot, he's a springer and needs to run (and run and run and run and run) so we tend to go places we know are quiet and we won't bump into people playing football because he'd steal the football or whatever, but when we do meet others, dog walkers or not, I always call him to heel

I know a lot of people don't, my dog is forever being harassed by other dogs while we're out because other owners don't extend us the same courtesy - they tend to laugh and think its cute - "oh, they're only playing" although I'm sure they wouldn't find it quite so funny if my dog snapped because he'd had enough of random dog sniffing his arse/swinging off his ears

Dogs are unpredictable and intimidating to a lot of people. I most certainly am NOT happy for a dog to come up to me 'for a sniff'. I would be very upset if a dog rushed up to me and my family in the park and was not called back immediately by its owner. I don't allow my toddler to invade people's space and he is a lot less toothy and noisy - whilst I accept that people have a right to take their dogs to the park, they should keep them well away from others.

I am really scared of dogs which obviously skews my reaction. And I am sick of antisocial owners who let their dogs wee and poo everywhere which makes me unfairly resent dogs in general when in fact my ire should only be directed at the minority of irresponsible owners.

This is many years ago when dogs were allowed off leads and on the beach. My dc had buried their bampi in sand. Theyd made a good job of it he was decorated with seaweed etc. Well before any of us even noticed a little dog bounced up and had a wee all over my poor dad. The owner was so sorry, she bought us all an icecream.

YANBU as a dog owner I'm really cross that the owner did nothing! I would be so embarrassed if one of ours did anything like that. Sorry OP, in behalf on responsible dog owners everywhere.

*ON behalf OF
sticky fingers on phone

YANBU. That's not normal. If my dog did that I'd be offering to buy a new jumper probably. How mortifying.

The dog owner was out of order not to apologise but dogs DO pee on things with a strong smell. It's in their nature....they're marking their territory. I'd call my dog away if I thought he was about to do so but if he'd already started there's not a lot I could do about it other than apologise profusely.

My dog once pee'd all over a freshly caught fish that a fisherman had left lying on the riverbank. I did apologise but there wasn't an awful lot I could have done - it had happened before I had a chance to drag him away.

JohnCusack

I would have wanted to pick the jumper up and rub the dog owners nose in it.

I have two dogs and would never let them do something like this. I put them on the lead around children who are playing games anyway because otherwise they may want to chase after the ball, and would pop it.

That doesn't mean that mine have never upstaged me, because my labrador certainly has. On a warm summer's day a couple of years ago we were walking through fields and he went up ahead a bit, put his head under a large bush and appeared from that distance to be just snuffling around doing nothing in particular. It wasn't until I got nearly there that I could see properly what he was actually doing. He had found a young couple lying on the ground, naked from the waist down and clearly embarrassed, not having expected to be found. They were in the missionary position doing what young couples do under bushes on warm days, and clearly hadn't expected anyone might come along. They reckoned without my dog though, and he was licking them both all over. My dog was enjoying himself so much that he didn't come back on recall and I had to go up and haul him away from them. I don't know who was more embarrassed, them or me.

According to my mother my late dog peed on footballer's kit bags in the park on a few occasions. I'd be angry if I were you, but I must admit that your post made me giggle.

Dog owner here. Very rude. My friends dog peed on my jacket once, she was mortified. That's a normal reaction.

YANBU - as soon as our dog gets near someone else's belongings, or gets close to someone who is clearly nervous around dogs, we call her back and she comes. If I wasn't confident that would work I wouldn't let her off the lead around other people.

I'm a dog owner and never let him approach people in case they are scared of dogs or just don't like them. The guy was an arse to allow his dog to sniff around your stuff, and even more of an arse to not give a toss the jumpers got peed on

I like dogs (my DC say that I talk to every dog / owner we pass in the street), but some dog owners give them a bad name. I was on holiday window shopping on the high street close to where we were staying when suddenly my foot got wet and started burning, a dog owner had let his dog wee on my foot. He thought it was funny, me not so much the wee made my foot burn and I had to throw my favourite (expensive) leather sandals out. I only wish I had the guts to demand payment for them and run after him as he walked away laughing.

I have 2 gorgeous cavs and kids just come bounding over to bury their faces in their fur and invade their space all the time but my dogs love the attention.
If the dog owner saw his pooch pee on the jumper than it was bad form to not apologise (bad dog owner)
The dog however was clearly just marking his territory and your sons jumper was in it (yay lucky jumper)

Topseyt winds the funny dog story competition!

I can't get my head round anyone not at least trying to prevent a male dog cocking his leg against anything he shouldn't - and at the very least apologising and offering to pay if an accident does happen.

I'm getting very near the point where I want to see compulsory dog licensing, with real teeth, and the money raised put towards a proper dog warden system. Having a dog in one's life should be a privilege, not a right. Most owners are caring considerate people, but there appears to be nothing to stop idiots owning dogs, and only in exceptional cases of mistreatment or criminal irresponsibility does the law act.

As soon as the dog started to sniff your belongings it should have been called away. And a big apology from the owner about the weeing.

There is so much dog shit along our road, I came back home to a massive turd right outside my gate. I have 2 DCs who don't look where they are going and certainly would have stomped right through it if I hadn't cleared it away. Also, loads of dog poo down the narrow road leading to the DCs school. What makes dog owners think they shouldn't have to clean up especially along that road?

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. YANBU.