To ask a dog owner to keep control of their dog?

[MrsPear]

So walking along the PATH holding ds 2's hand and this dog comes running towards him. It was a large dog and ds let a little cry of fear and so i picked him up. I then asked if his owner if she could keep her dog under control. This is park not a recreation ground/green. It has signs that say dogs should be on leads on the paths. She didn't like me saying that and said what was my problem? Her dogs (she had 4 off leads with her including one which was muzzled) were nice dogs. I said they may well be nice dogs but even nice dogs could bite. At this point i started walking away and then had a lovely volley of abuse thrown my way including the statement that parks are for dogs. So was i being unreasonable? And i right to think she was completely wrong in her statement that parks are for dogs? I thought they were created for humans to promenade?

If a sign says dogs must be on leads, there's no reason on earth to ignore the sign, she was BU, you were not. As for giving you a gobful of abuse because you dared to ask her not to let her dogs bounce up to your child, she just made herself look like a dick.

^ Agreed.

I am a dog owner of a wild but friendly puppy. If the sign said dogs on leads, YANBU. I have had my dog run up to strangers and jump up. I am mortified when he does it. Thankfully not to children. I just keep the little so and so on a lead now. My point is, dogs aren't always controllable, but you have to respect other people and take action accordingly.

I was at my local shops and a stupid family with a puppy on one of those extending leads let the lead out so the puppy could 'say hello' to ds who was 2 yo. I could see the dog wasn't aggressive but it was big enough to knock my son over and I was so bloody pissed off that they were treating this dog like an over-indulged child that I stood in front of my son protectively and received a load of verbal abuse from them as a consequence. Nice people

YANBU There shouldn't have to be a sign up for a dog owner to be able to control their dog and not let it run at a child, or anyone for that matter. I had a similar thing happen though DD was asleep in her pushchair but I really was scared the dog was going to jump up at her, it's not on.

All public space is for everyone to enjoy, no one has priority but everyone should feel safe!

YANBU. Had a man in the park let his huge, drooling, massive jawed dog run up to two small toddlers the other day, right up in their faces and they were clearly scared. Just got a blank look from him when asked him to call his dog away from the children. Don't know what's wrong with some people!

YANBU. Most dog owners are considerate and responsible but there are some twats with a gigantic sense of entitlement about their dogs which seems to trump the rights and comfort of everything and everybody else on earth.

Parks are not FOR dogs, but dogs are usually welcome, on condition their owners follow any signage.

My two year old was licked on the face by an off lead German Shepherd who was taller than DS. The owner was laughingly apologetic and seemed to find it sweet, but I was stony faced. Friendly or not, don't let your arse licking giant dog lick my two year old near his eyes and mouth.

A dog simply running along a path off a lead is not a sign of an "out of control" dog. If he was just cantering along and happened to be coming towards you there was nothing wrong other than the owner (or dog walker) ignoring the sign about the dog needing to be on a lead. Dog owners should absolutely take control and responsibility for their dogs in certain places, but likewise you and child should not fear every dog that crosses your path. Be sensible and act with caution and not fear.

Parks were created for promenading in the Victorian era and you are being ridiculously old fashioned and unreasonable to think that is their only purpose nowadays. How do feel about cyclists, runners, skateboarders, oh and out of control 2yr old toddlers on scooters coming towards you? Live and let live.

I'm couldn't swear to what parks were created for but I know my local authority class them as being for the recreation of all, including both dogs and small children who, presumably, both come from households contributing towards the maintance of the park.

If you were in an area for the exclusive use of children, my park has a fenced off play park area, from which dogs are excluded, you're right, a dog shouldn't be in there. If you were in an area that specifies that dogs should be on leads, again you'd be right. However, some LAs have been putting up sneaky signs, stating that dogs should be kept under control (fair enough, it's a legal requirement that ever decent dog owner is aware of) with a sign showing a dog on a lead (not a legal requirement). These signs under up in the lake the first couple of times they went up in my local park, now offended person has taken to whiting out the image of the lead (local gossip has it that she didnt want to put our LA to further expense) and it seems to have been accepted as a compromise.

Don't be alarmed by the muzzle, I pop one of my totally non-aggressive dog if he has a gippy tummy and I don't want him eating crap he find in the park.

Phew i judged it right. Thank you for the confirmation that i was not over reacting. I really don't like dogs running up to my children let alone jumping or licking as you never know for sure if it is going to end badly.

I think you would have been better off saying dogs should be on leads on the path. That gives her less to argue about.

I agree with the poster who says a dog running along the path is not necessarily out of control so for having a go at her re that you were being a little bit unreasonable however if there are clear signs saying dogs should be on leads then you would be perfectly reasonable to point it out to her.

personally I think whilst less abusive you were just as bad as her if I am honest. my dog runs about quite happily ignoring everyone else and avoids people unless she knows them so if you had tried to have words with me you probably would have been met with some verbal back tbh although I always check the signs in the entrance to the park to check wheresmutt is ok to be off the lead

Dogs should be well trained but as a general principle they should be allowed to be off their lead in parks unless the area has been designated "no dogs allowed" eg a children's' play area or a football pitch.
It makes me sad to see "dogs on leads" signs in urban parks. Thankfully they are not that common. Animals in an urban environment need proper physical exercise and mental stimulation. If a dog is genuinely dangerous or out of control (in which case they are a threat to everyone - including other dogs and dog owners), they should be prosecuted.

Sorry I mean their owners should be prosecuted - ha ha obviously! Better CCTV and more council staff perhaps.

I am a dog owner, love my dog and walk a lot but I disagree with some post above. A dogs on leads sign means just that and if your dog doesn't recall the second you want it to I question where it is under control.

You were definitely not being unreasonable OP.

I had a dog incident today - two very aggressive boxers off lead came snarling and growling at my dog, their very diminutive owner, who couldn't have held one of them if she had to was very upset when I raised my stick to protect my very soppy on lead dog. "You can't threaten my dog" - can you believe it? I said "I can do what I bloody well like thank you if you let those dogs near mine". She soon got hold of them but I really doubt she could have held onto them for long. Thankfully I was on my own, as in not with DD.