Dogs should always be under close control, even if they are just being friendly?

[Model5]

I'm scared of dogs. I know that's my issue and I deal with it as best I can but I don't want dogs I don't know approaching me.

Out running in the woods early this morning, most of the other people about at that time of day are either runners or dog walkers. In my hour, I had two dogs run over and slobber over my legs, one just up and put muddy paw prints all over me and another came over yapping and growling at me. Another (big one) chased & frightened me and I stood stock still praying for it to go away while it's owner called several times without success.

All of the owners, were kind of apologetic, but in aw bless, what can you do, he just wants to say hello/play kind of way.

TBH, even if I wasn't scared I wouldn't be very impressed by the slobber and paw prints.

Lots of other dogs just trotted by without giving me a second glance and several owners took hold of their dogs as they saw me approach (which I always say thank you for) so I know it's possible to stop dogs approaching me. Lots of owners seem to think it's not necessary. Is it them or me? I realise I came to no real harm. Do I just need to accept that if I go out at prime dog walking time, I'm going to get growled at, chased, slobbered over etc?

Andrewofgg I feel the same way about most people's children.

Andrewofgg
genius suggestion.
I don't suppose you've ever noticed the common thread in all the stories when people get attacked and killed by dogs..?
They are dogs that don't get exercised. They are dogs that are kept in houses all the time, that were seen by the neighbours barking through the fence but never went out.
So clearly it is a great idea to make more dogs like that. Genius.

Andrew is trolling.

Reading threads about dogs on MumsNet makes me so glad that I no longer live on small, overcrowded island, where everyone feels that they and they alone should have priority over all other living things, especially if they are runners, cyclists or ...the most entitled of all, have kids. (of which there is, of course, a massive shortage worldwide) Woopee, how clever are you.

We all live on one earth. We have to share it. Educate yourselves, i,e, a dog's instinct is to chase a moving object. If you are running, i,e, a moving object, you may get chased, Live and let live.Stop and walk past the fucking dog, your right to run is not absolute.

Socialise your dog with other dogs, If you pull it close to you on a tight lead, it cannot properly greet and identify other dogs, So it thinks you are warning it of danger, and will guard you aggressively. The dogs bounding around free are much less likely to be aggressive. For fuck's sake, cut each other some slack. And the dogs too.

TenerifeSea You and I were somebody else's children. Children are us, our past, our future, our species. Yes, some of them are badly behaved some of the time and all of them are badly behaved some of the time - but they are people.

Pet dogs are unnecessary; a nuisance at best and a menace at worst.

sparechange Perhaps you are right and we should bite the bullet and forbid the keeping of dogs as pets (or status symbols) once and for all. Then no dog would ever attack our own species.

The trouble is that MN is full of reasonable and responsible people whose dogs are trained and probably kept on the lead - although I have seen a big strong dog pull free from its owner. But most dog-owners aren't like that; they let their dogs run wild in streets and parks, frighten children, knock people over, crap where it suits them - and the only remedy is to exclude them from public places altogether.

What do you think of requiring that they should be on the lead in streets and parks?

No villainousbroodmare I am not trolling. I think parks should be safe for our species, especially the small members of it who are its future. I think that is more important than letting Fido have a run. If dogs were effectively banned from towns nobody would suffer anything they could not get over.

No i don't need training tips thanks, he's a lovely dog and does come back when called. If he's off the lead and romping about some way away and a cyclist goes past he will immediately chase for a few seconds until I call him. Tbh I am not that bothered as it's a footpath and the cyclists are a huge pita

So you won't mind ending up on youtube then (with your face showing) and the police getting involved?

pet dogs are unnecessary

What??

You might not like dogs Andrew but it's pretty out there to dismiss or not comprehend the human want to have the companionship of a tame animal in their home.

In reply to the OP YANBU at all, dogs and their owners should read a situation and only allow friendly greeting (slobbering) when given a clear green light.

YANBU - and I'm a dog owner. A jumping up dog is waaay out of order, regardless of muddiness or not.

But - I'm always surprised at the number of badly trained dogs that MNers meet. I live in a town with an insane number of dogs (locals plus a lot of holiday makers come here with dogs), and I walk / cycle every day.

I can't think of the last time an off lead dog jumped up at me, or otherwise was troublesome. It seems to me that people here have their dogs well under control or on a lead.

The one exception is a sheepdog in a farmyard where I cycle sometimes who always chases and barks at my bike, but since the reason I use that road is that I never, ever see any other car, bike or walker there, it's not really surprising that the farmer doesn't see the problem!

dejarderoncar

I disagree with almost every word of your post. Why should a jogger have to adjust their leisure activity to suit someone's dog? What's wrong with having kids?

Woopee, how clever are you- Oh for goodness sake.

Takver, are you sure that you aren't on the farmer's land when you cycle through the farmyard? If not then that may be why he doesn't consider it a problem!

Hold on missbattle so dog owners show kindness and consideration (as they should) but joggers can do the hell as they wish?

I could say why should I adjust mine and my dog's leisure activity to suit a jogger, but I won't because I'm not a twat and I believe it's all about a bit of give and take.

If I walk into the park and I see you running or playing with your kids, or having a kick a round, I will keep my dog leashed and we will walk into the opposite direction, so as to give you your running space.

If you walk into the park and see me and my dog (off leashed) having his exercise then please don't fucking run up to us or behind us, or plonk yourself in between us and expect us to stop our activity for yours, and then have the audacity to have a go at dog owners and demand they be kept on lead.

The above is to people in general, no-one in particular.

Jessica, absolutely certain, it is a metalled council road from village a to village b, it's just a very, very quiet one at the times I cycle.

I do live in a very rural area, so it's not that unusual. There's another route I often cycle which is 12 miles again all on road, and outside of the 6 week summer holidays I can 99.9% guarantee that there will be no traffic at all on 7-8 miles of it on a Sunday morning.

Aaaaand its reached that time of year where a bit of sun has come out, everybody suddenly wants to go for a family walk/cycle/picnic/jog and is suprised to meet a load of dog walkers who for the past 6 wet/cold/windy months have had the space to themselves, twice a day.

Yanbu . I love dogs but the other week my toddler dd was about to be knocked over by an out of control lab...I gave it a swift kick and it scarpered. The owner still couldn't get it under control but tried give me the 'he's only being friendly' spiel. I don't care..
I'm not about to have my very small child terrified for life like my sister is after a dog knocked her down. I'm also not risking my dd being hurt.
I teach dd that most dogs are lovely but that she must never approach a dog unless I ask the owner. If my nearly two year old can follow that simple instruction surely people can train a dog to come back on command?
Oh and beforei get pounced on the dog lovers...go ahead...but I will always put my child safety and the right to walk unmolested over the rights of an animal

Yanbu, OP.

I saw a big, scary-looking staff/bull terrier type off its lead go bounding up to a tiny toddler on a busy pavement this morning and frighten the life out of the poor little boy. He was in floods of tears. Owner barely noticed.

And this story about a runner attacked by a dog is terrible.

Andrewofogg.... Where do you think dogs should be exercised? A garden is not enough for the majority of dogs. Being walked on a lead is not enough exercise for the majority of dogs.

A garden is not enough for the majority of dogs. Being walked on a lead is not enough exercise for the majority of dogs.

then maybe people should reconsider keeping dogs.

YANBU. I love dogs with good manners - always had dogs growing up and my parents still have a dog - but can't abide those that come bounding up to you, stick their nose in your crotch, jump up, or shout at you and have owners who say they're being friendly. No they're not. They're being downright intrusive and rude and I have a child who would run in the road rather than deal with any unsolicited canine attention.

Monstrous. You really do have no idea about dogs, so you? Why many people love them, have them as pets, work with them. Why keeping dogs in a garden at all times is not reasonable.

Broaden your mind and accept that not everyone is the same. Respect others way of life.

Yanbu- in the past week a dog has jumped up at my two yr olds face, I literally had to kick it away while the owner sauntered over. Also in a park again with my two year old, a dog bounded over and knocked the ice cream from my ds and proceeded to eat it off the floor. The owner came running over, but no apology or anything.