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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To demand people keep their dogs away from me on the seafront

999 replies

TigerPath · 29/04/2016 07:16

I'm sick of random dogs coming up to sniff me and DS or getting under my feet. All dogs make me nervous even small ones. And I hate it when they cock their leg on my pram wheels Angry

So now when a dog comes up to me or just before it reaches me I shout to the owner (politely but firmly) 'please keep your dog away from me/my pram'
Most oblige but a number are rude! Yesterday a woman retorted crossly 'but it's the sea-front'. I replied 'they should be on leads' and got a mouthful of abuse. There is a bloody great sign saying 'dogs should be on leads on the promenade'!! I wouldn't care if people kept them to heel but I don't want them touching me, my pram or tripping me up Angry

AIBU??

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
Paintedhandprints · 29/04/2016 07:20

No your not. But, in my experience, many dog owners are massively precious and entitled. I'll sit back and wait for the flaming to begin.

RidersOnTheStorm · 29/04/2016 07:23

YANBU. If the sign says that dogs should be on leads then the dog owners should comply. Very selfish not to.

harryhausen · 29/04/2016 07:27

Well if there's a sign up then they should be on leads. So yanbu.

I'm the owner of a very friendly dog but always comply with signs. Cocking their leg on your pram is just vile.

WizardOfToss · 29/04/2016 07:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FlyingElbows · 29/04/2016 07:29

I've said this many times before but I firmly believe it should be law for dogs to be on leads in public. We should have specific areas where they can be exercised off lead. I say that as a life long dog owner.

sonlypuppyfat · 29/04/2016 07:31

I remember someone asked me to move once I thought it was because she had a pushchair so I got out her way, and she had a dog in the pushchair. I can't believe I moved for a bloody dog

PovertyPain · 29/04/2016 07:34

I always understood that a promenade was the area that pedestrians use beside the beach, not the beach itself. At least it does here. If the sign didn't mention the beach then people have a right to walk their dogs of lead.

In saying that, it is rude not to call your dog back from people and disgusting to think it's acceptable to allow it to pee on a pram.

PovertyPain · 29/04/2016 07:37

I can't believe I moved for a bloody dog

Is she needed to get past you, it's irrelevant if it was a dog. What difference would it have made, if it was a dog or child in the chair? Genuinely curious.

WonderMomma · 29/04/2016 07:37

Dog owners always feel so entitled

TheSolitaryBoojum · 29/04/2016 07:39

I like being ignored by dogs. It gives me a thrill of delight every time one of them minds its own business and doesn't interact.

VulcanWoman · 29/04/2016 07:40

I agree with you.

PovertyPain · 29/04/2016 07:40

Dog owners always feel so entitled

Always? Seriously, every dog owner feels entitled? So far the dog owners that have posted on here have agreed with the OP.

Tessticklesyourfancy · 29/04/2016 07:42

Dogs should always be on leads in public places, end of and I say that as an owner of two dogs.

Jemappelle · 29/04/2016 07:42

Aaaaand here we are. Not been a dog thread in like 2 days? It's not Mumsnet without it.

Andrewofgg where art thou? Come come. Begin your dog bashing.

SilverDragonfly1 · 29/04/2016 07:44

Another dog owner who thinks you are not at all unreasonable. One of my dogs would constantly run up to people if she wasn't on the lead, so she is always on the lead. As for cocking a leg on your pram, revolting!

Flying Elbows Completely agree with your post.

TheNaze73 · 29/04/2016 07:45

YANBU

Jemappelle · 29/04/2016 07:45

Love how people feel the need to add threat they are dog owners at the end of their dogs should be kept on leads/restrained at all times/similar comments! It always happens on these threads. Must feel like a warm glow to stand apart as a responsible dog owner!

exLtEveDallas · 29/04/2016 07:46

Dogs should be on leads except in areas where they are allowed to be off lead. If there was a sign saying dogs needed to be on leads, then the dog owner was in the wrong.

If you were polite to the woman (who may have simply missed the sign) then she should have been polite back and acquiesced.

MeMySonAndl · 29/04/2016 07:47

Some times it is difficult to control where a dog goes as they move so quickly, but that's what leads are for. I think that if the owner cannot fully control the dog with voice commands, they should keep their dogs in the lead where there are other people around.

I hate it when dogs come running up to us, jump on us or walk over the picnic blanket where we are having our food. But I hate it even more when the owner "apologises" with a smile so full of pride that instead of saying "sorry" says "is in he so wonderfully friendly???"

And I say that as a dog owner.

MumOnTheRunCatchingUp · 29/04/2016 07:50

What about those really long extending leads where they stretch out for metres!

Anyway.... I don't mind dogs. The problem I have is they if they are off lead they like to join me for a run! I don't mind a running buddy but the owners are often left in the distance, outraged I'm 'running off with their dog'

Oh well

Tessticklesyourfancy · 29/04/2016 07:52

Jemappelle, I can't say it gives me a warm glow. The fact is I dislike dogs that aren't kept on leads and who bound up to mine when I walk them. I live across from some woods which are popular with walkers of all kinds and I've had large out of control dogs try to attack mine. I've also seen children get knocked over by big bouncing dogs.

Eastpoint · 29/04/2016 07:57

YANBU

I have dogs but hate seeing them off the lead on pavements. For their safety & that of pedestrians they need to be on non-extending leads where unexpected events might occur - children on scooters, children eating icecreams, wobbly on their legs people who aren't in the best of health etc. Dog off lead in a busy area suggests smug owner to me.

MardleBum · 29/04/2016 08:28

Jemeppelle I think it's just that if people didn't state that they were dog owners others on here would assume they must be dog haters! It's so we know there is a balance of views from different demographics, that's all.

I do not believe dogs it's necessary for dogs to be on the lead in all public places -commons and parks and woods for example, but I would NEVER let my dogs off the lead anywhere on pavements or along roadsides and built up areas for their own safety as much as anything else. If they bolted after a cat and went into the road, not only could they be killed but the resulting accident could kill/hurt someone else.

Neither would I ever choose to exercise them in close proximity to young families playing in the park or whatever, I always go as far away from non-dog owners as possible, just to be on the safe side, before I let my dogs off. But there's no way I am taking them to fields, woods or beaches and then keeping them on the lead the whole time - what's the point?

I take care to call my dogs away from going too close to strangers especially if they have young children with them but I agree with the PP who said that if not most in my opinion, but certainly many dog owners are massively entitled. That famous line 'don't worry they won't hurt you' is hardly the point. Some people are frightened anyway, and would rather not take the chance.

If it's an area that's legal, safe and spacious enough to let my dogs off the leash them I am certainly not going to put mine back on just because someone else demands it. I find it's most often other dog owners that request this, but when in close proximity to other dogs mine are much less likely to show signs of nervous aggression off the lead when strangers or other dogs approach them, than when they are on it. If other dog owners don't like it they are welcome to walk the other way. Having said that, I've had a row with another dog owner because her three dogs were being total PITAs, bullying us in a pack, invading our space, jumping up at us, nipping at my DH and annoying/intimidating our dogs, but she just assumed as we were dog owners she didn't have to pay any attention to how hers were behaving because they were 'just playing' Hmm and we'd be fine with it. When she heard my DH getting angry and shooing hers away she started having a go at him! I heard from other dog walkers afterwards that she was famous in the area for not controlling her dogs properly and pissing other people off.

Salene · 29/04/2016 08:34

As a dog owner , it really annoys me to see people with dogs off the lead in busy places, esp if children are about.

Parks, beaches etc. If it's busy just keep your dog on the lead, walk them off the leads in quiet areas.

So no your not being unreasonable

tilder · 29/04/2016 08:36

Yanbu. Even more so as there is a sign requiring leads.

it's not the dog but the owner. Most dog owners are really aware. Keep control of their dog. Either on a lead or recall them properly when other people are around. Other dog owners not so.

I do sometimes wonder what would happen if my toddler ran over to someone. Jumped up and down. Maybe left muddy handprints. Buried their head in their crotch. Rummaged through their picnic. Then pissed on their bag. For me to come up, smile indulgently and comment how friendly they are. Not sure how acceptable that would beGrin

People generally aren't afraid of toddlers. It's not unusual for someone to be afraid of a dog.