To shout at this dog-owner?

[AnotherNC]

Surely if your dog jumps up at strangers it should be on a lead?!

Walking in park, 4-month-old baby in baby-carrier (with his feet dangling in furry bootees) a Westie started jumping up at me, scrabbling at my leg and making grabs at baby's foot when he jumped! I yelled at dog to 'get down then shouted at owner to 'get your dog under control' (she responded with a cheery sorry!)

Did I overreact? I wouldn't care so much had I not had baby strapped to me. I get it that baby's bootees might look like toys but I don't want a dog tugging on them or getting mud/slobber everywhere. And I don't want dogs running round my feet particularly when ground is slippery.

Why can't people keep dogs on leads?? It's not the first time random dogs have jumped up in the park.

My dogs are half the size of westies if not smaller but I would never allow them to jump all over strangers, they wear a lead for a reason. YANBU

Oh , forgot to add (to my long rambling post)

Dog owners who encourage their dog to jump up on them (and I see it loads) Dog on lead, someone comes over "Hello Duke, come 'ere" slapping legs , dog jumps up.
Then they see it as ok. So they might not recognise Family:Yes. Total Stranger:No

People who are pulled by their dog and run with them laughing and hollering (not running as in jogging with the dog alongside, but being pulled) really feck me off.
The dog is pulling them along. The dog is in charge. They are encouraging and re inforcing the behaviour by laughing.
Hope the dog recognises the main road

I have two dogs. One is let off lead when away from main roads, she's got excellent recall and rarely looks at other people, never mind approaches them. The other dog, her recall is not so good, she does approach people sometimes so she only gets let off lead in quiet areas when there's nobody else, except perhaps other dogs off lead and their owners around. It seems to work.

Sorry chap I shouldn't have named you in my post as I see you largely agree with me. It was your comment about lamping anyone that kicked your dog that confused me!

I'm sure that as a responsible dog owner your dog would never get the chance to jump up on anyone, but if it did I think you need to accept that humans have the right to deter it in any way they think appropriate.

Whois generally I just say 'no' firmly and it backs off. Most dogs have quite a good gauge on friendly humans vs non friendly humans.

I don't agree all dogs should be on leads in public places unless it is aggressive or has poor recall. Dogs need to be able to run around to burn off energy.

FWIW I am a cat person by and large but there is always such hysteria on MN about dogs.

Alisvolatpropiis

But why do I have to adjust my (I think) normal and harmless activities, to keep myself safe from dogs?

Do you think I should stop running every time I see a dog, not wear tracksuit bottoms, not stare at dogs, lift my children slowly around dogs?

Or dog owners without recall/who's dogs jump up should use a lead?

Here's the thing - I love dogs. I would never condone cruelty but YANBU here.

Four years ago I was walking from home to the local co-op which involved cutting across a grassed area popular with dog walkers. There's a path, it's an actual cut through not just a short cut that was created. It's also where the local primary school children walk home.

There was a woman walking a collie without a lead. I didn't go up to it, didn't call it. A car backfired in the distance and all of a sudden the dog ran at me. He grabbed my leg in his mouth and started to try and shake me. I did everything to stop him while the oblivious owner was around the corner chatting to a friend. Luckily for me someone was passing and managed to kick the dog off me. An ambulance was called, the owner appeared and accused me of winding her dog up somehow. My leg required extensive stitching and I gave a statement to the police.

Now I have an ugly scarred leg. I'll never wear a skirt again. My calf looks awful. There were no charges as the behaviour was apparently out of character for the dog and nobody else witnessed it. I don't walk through there anymore.

So the OP has a point, dogs are not humans and you have no idea how they will act.

AnthonyBlanche no one would kick him as he never jumps up on anyone and if people stop to pet him he just stands and wags his tail. Also he is always on a lead. I cam just imagine how mad I'd be if anyone hurt him on purpose. It's not on.

Suggesting all dogs should be on leads is about as silly as letting your dog off lead when you do not have control over it, proving there silly people on both sides of the fence.

Kicking a dog is a seriously bad idea and may well encourage an aggressive dog to attack. Knowing how to be safe around dogs is a basic life skill that should be taught to all children like swimming. There are animals everywhere and it pays to know some basic things about all of them, e.g. overtake horses wide and slow, never get between a cow and her calf, don't trust a herd of bullocks, etc.

Anthony actually very few were twats most were out with their dogs doing dog things. I don't think they should be on leads in parks and forests they want to sniff about and explore.

If anyone it was my DD who was a bit hmmm.

My DS (16) was great with dogs so not my parenting more unfair for him.

There was a lady with a really gorgeous staffie , the dog saw DD thought "Oh good a child to say hello" they were many feet away.
DD went off on one. The Look on the dogs face Ears, tail all drooped. This isn't meant to happen.

99.9% of the owners all asked "has she had a bad experience" and some owners with beautiful greyhounds said "She can stroke them" but no avail.

It made life simpler all round to avoid where we could (though the Rotties on the beach... I could've cheerfully chinned the owner)

Whois generally I just say 'no' firmly and it backs off.

Thanks dogvcatcat. Would you do like a 'stop' motio with your arms or is a thing like a raised or outstretched arm likely to look exciting to a dog?

AnthonyBlanche

My only reason is that it can't be enforced in all areas at all times. It won't happen - not in my lifetime anyway.

Sorry I am so far behind - I will try and catch up now!

Yy Boo

TinyTim, again you don't need to make a comparison but since you insist, shall we make it a fairer one? Btw, I know in essence we agree. Kicking a dog casually because of poor recall is cruel and wrong. But here's why the child/dog thing is apples and pears.

We need a direct risk comparison. A toddling, curious child isn't powerful enough to leap up at you, outrun you or bite you savagely enough to maim/kill. So, using your insistence of a human comparison being fair, what if a large, muscular man, fast on his feet and carrying a weapon ran full pelt at you and sprang up at your face? Would you stand still, remain calm and model serenity? No. The material point is that you might be at risk and something proportionate to that risk is sometimes necessary.

I have never and hope never to kick a dog. If one leaps up, I block it with an arm or leg and remain calm. However, I've witnessed a dog attack a human in a park and it had to be kicked. By its owner in fact. It just went for a young man sitting by a pond, bit and would not stop. Once incident in 35 years I grant you. Mostly, it's just an over excited pup and no harm is done. A kick would be disproportianate. However, if you bring it down to fundamentals, no I'd never kick a child. Yes, sadly, I could kick a dog if it was warranted.

The dog is the emissary of it's owner

One of the scariest moments in my life was a pitbull jumping into DD's stroller when she was about 18months and we were walking through the park. He didn't bite her but was nipping at her clothes with no owner in sight. DD was screaming and I was trying to pull the dog off her whilst shouting for help.
The owner wandered round the corner nonchalantly, called the dog a few times, and when dog didn't respond he eventually walked over and pulled dog off DD.
Not a word of apology and when I shouted at him for not even apologising he told me I was being hysterical and told me to fuck off. I've never been so close to hitting someone before. The only reason I didn't was because I was more concerned about DD.
I did phone the police to leave a description but I doubt anything ever happened.

booboo I am confident that in a few years it will be compulsory for dogs to be on leads at all times in public places. As a previous poster said, a few years ago no one could have imagined that seat belt wearing would be compulsory, or that smoking in public places would be forbidden.

If you have a large dog it's maybe time to look into buying a field so you have somewhere private to exercise your dog.

My friend's parents still think I owe them an apology when their dog jumped up and clung onto my leg while I was carrying my baby in a sling. I shook the dog off (strongly I admit but I was scared) and removed myself from the room.

All dogs should be trained not to jump up and kept on a lead (including indoors if they are not in their own home) until they are.

And before anyone says that in my case I was in the dog's territory, I wasn't. It was my friend's house and his parents don't live there.

As a result of the incident, when his parents visit they no longer bring a dog - best result ever for my friend who cannot stand animals in his house but is incapable of telling his parents that!

I love my dogs, but I appreciate that other people and cats and other dogs mightn't

their recall is pretty poor and one in particular is at best testy with other dogs

we walk them on leads, always, always

it's not ideal, but that's what we do. It really isn't worth the risk to try them off the lead, even one at a time. I'm sick to death of folk letting their out of control dogs run up to my dogs while I yell 'my dog isn't very friendly', then give ME the stinkeye for having mine on the lead

Hello

If you are in the position of being attacked by an aggressive dog, is the primary issue at that very moment not to avoid being badly injured? It isn't really the moment to claim the moral high ground.

I think I've made it quite clear what I think about dogs with poor recall being on leads. I might own dogs but I don't relish being approached by strange ones, particularly when the owner is nowhere near.

No I wouldn't raise an arm as dogs can take that as 'ooh, you want to play with me'.

I just say no very loudly and firmly and hold a hand up (but not raise it IYSWIM) and that works usually. Bear in mind this is for warding off a dog who is being friendly but over enthusiastic , not an aggressive dog. I've never had a dog jump up at me with aggression despite daily walks for the last ten years over fields in an area where people have dogs off leads very frequently.

I'm a new puppy owner (golden retriever), and I am at the dog park every day at around 7.30 am to teach her recall. I get nervous every time a person walks by on the path because she's excitable and will occasionally run up to people walking by. I would be terribly embarrassed and upset if she got mud on someone, but I can't teach her recall without having her off her lead - can I?

I agree completely that people who don't like dogs have the right to not have them jumping on them. This is why I teach her recall only early in the morning, when there are very few people in the park. But in all honestly I can't guarantee that she won't run up to someone who is not keen on her.

YANBU. It is truly one of the most bizarre aspects of life in the UK that dogs are allowed off lead in so many public places. Other countries manage this issue so much better. IMO dogs should always be on leads in parks (with the exception of designated dog parks) and other public spaces. People tend to over-estimate their dogs' recall IME, and a poorly trained dog can be more than a nuisance. It can be a genuine danger.

I'm a lifelong dog-lover/dog-owner, and IMO it is always the responsibility of the owner to ensure that his/her dog is under complete control.

What are they wanting an apology for exactly, Hemlock? Strange people