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

[TigerPath]

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

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

AIBU??

Dogs that are 'huge and an intimidating breed' should ALWAYS be on a lead in public spaces like parks. How selfish to let them run off lead! Why assume everyone knows they are harmless and well-trained? Many people are nervous or afraid of huge intimidating dogs, ir is utterly irresponsible to excercise them in a public park. If you don't have private land to exercise this type of dog, and are not prepared to keep it leashed and muzzled in public, you should not own it. Yet you let them run around, where small children are playing? If they did attack someone, would you have the physical strength to pull them off?

As others have said, dogs are pets not citizens! People pay taxes towards maintaining parks and green spaces, why should we be deterred from using them because of big intimidating dogs running free?

It's ridiculous to say 'just walk past it' to someone who is scared, particularly a mum with a baby. I don't know your dog and I'm not going to take any chances! I'm not going to squeeze past him on a narrow path or let him get within snapping distance of my baby. How do I know he won't show any interest? I want you to keep him a safe distance away, eg a metre, in case he tries to jump up at the pram. If that means you stop and hold him, or step off the path to let someone past, you should do it!

And TBH if he's a big aggressive-looking dog I will have switched route before we reach you, even if that means I have to leave the path, cross the road, push pram up a muddy bank etc. To me a large aggressive-looking dog is just as scary as a lion, both have potential to attack.

I have no issue with assistance dogs, in fact I like stroking the therapy dogs when they come into work. I know they are calm and well-trained and not about to snap. And I enjoy playing with my friend's dog, who I've known since she was a puppy. But I don't trust strange dogs and I don't want them anywhere near me! Your dog may well just want to sniff my legs, how do I know he isn't about to bite?!

As for other animals- horses are not allowed on footpaths or in parks. I wish dogs were also restricted to the bridle ways. I ride but always keep to one side when passing people on foot, or if the path is narrow I stop to let them past. Imagine the chaos and danger if horses were allowed to roam freely in parks, chasing each other and charging at people in play!

Maybe you should find somewhere else to run
well yeah but it's the best place to run, I have a right to use it dont I:(
I mean I look where I'm going, dont go bowling into people
perhaps you understand why I'm so adamant that dogs shouldnt take priority over humans, I regularly am in an environment where dog owners act as if I am inconveniencing them by running and distracting their dogs as if the area belongs to them and I'm some sort of 'dog worrier'.

I used to feel much more positive towards dogs but now I have very mixed feelings, so many people go out with a whole pack and they are running all over the place so I have to navigate past trying to watch them and see which one is most likely to trip me up or jump up

Imagine the chaos and danger if horses were allowed to roam freely in parks, chasing each other and charging at people in play!
I'm going to have nightmares now

I brought up horses to point out that any animal could be seen as intimating if you had a fear of it, but in reality if looked after well it's unlikely these animals will attack without provocation.

MN is not always a true reflection of real life. This thread has seen a few hysterical comments, posted to scare, and I doubt some of authenticity of them.

If you love dogs, then of course they won't be seen as large and scary, if you are in a public place then you have to accept the fact that pets may be there also. Dogs should never be in areas where it's clearly started otherwise, I.e playgrounds, designated parts of beach. However if it isn't stated of course they can be there, there isn't a hierarchy here.

I personally don't walk mine in parks, let them off lead or let them run around mauling children Tiger...however I can't change the appearance of them so if people are frightened it's not really something I can change and I won't stop walking them as someone may be offended by them walking around minding their own business...

Last weekend DS (aged 5) was tripped up by one of those fat poodley things on the beach. It was only being 'friendly' and was running around us and trying to jump up.

DS fell onto the sharp bit of a large shell, bruised his knee and was hysterical.

The owner shouted 'sorry' and smiled like it was a big joke. She didn't find it funny when I told her what I thought of her and put the thing on lead sharpish.

I have vowed next time a dog comes near us, I'm going to kick the bloody thing away.

I had a massive French Mastiff run at me from the top of a long hill when I was pushing baby DS in a front facing pram. The owner was still at the top when it reached us to sniff at the pram and she finally called it back. When I told her that it had shook me up and she should keep it on a lead, she told me to fuck off and said the dog had the right to run free.

You don't want your dog kicked, keep it next to you on a lead.

I have vowed next time a dog comes near us, I'm going to kick the bloody thing away
I can understand wanting to but the dog may well attack you and the owner may then attack you, or set the dog on you..because the sort of person who lets a dog behave like that is going to be furious that you dared to challenge his or her impunity to do whatever they please

it's too risky and I would never do it

I had a massive French Mastiff run at me from the top of a long hill
a very similar thing happened to me, I think it was the same breed it ran at me very fast from a long distance but carried on past me, and then came back again...the owner was quite a way away and evidently it was some sort of game she was playing with the dog

she must have known it was very alarming for me, I guess she enjoyed her 'king of the hill' experience

I can walk alone in the dead of night and the scum of society will leave me alone
in my experience it's the scum of society what keeps the biggest baddest dogs

I suppose it's the only way they can have some feeling of power and status

If you kick my dog for not being on a lead in an area where dogs are allowed off lead then do expect me to kick you back.

This thread's made me really sad!

I lost my beautiful dog just before Christmas. It was a tough time and I'm still grieving. She was a small to medium sized rescue dog and hadn't been looked after by the family who first had her. Despite her rough start in life, she was incredibly affectionate and sweet and had obviously forgiven humans for treating her so badly for the first few years of her life.

I would always walk her on a lead in busy areas such as a seafront promenade. Yes. if there are signs it would be unreasonable for dog owners not to abide by those signs and it's safer for the dog to be on a lead as well.

I also had the experience of children getting upset when I was ten metres away with my dog either on a lead or walking happily at my side and sniffing the ground, not in the least bit interested in the other people.

It would upset me if someone shouted at me to get her away if she had been minding her own business. She was a nervous dog after her difficult start in life and I was very protective of her. As a previous poster has suggested, a polite - "I'm sure your dog is lovely but I'm a bit nervous of them; would you mind keeping him/her out of the way while I pass?" would elicit far more understanding than being shouted by someone if their dog is just minding its own business.

Of course it's not nice to be chased by dogs - I do understand that. My dog was attacked by two huge mastiffs when we were out one day and bitten badly by them. I spent £400 at the vet's that day getting her stitched up. The owners took no responsibility at all.

Since losing my dog, I help out at an animal sanctuary. Some of the dogs that are brought in are in a bad state having been abused or neglected. It's heartbreaking. And then they spend weeks/months/years waiting for someone to adopt them. So please be understanding if someone takes on a dog like that, one that's had a rough start in life; their new owners will naturally be protective of them and will be a little offended if someone is aggressive at just even spotting their dog in the distance. Some of these dogs are more nervous than humans are. My dog was very loving despite being neglected but was also terrified of loud noises, sudden movements and boisterous children.

Elanora don't take this thread as a representative of RL. People on here positively love frothing about dogs and the threat they apparently pose.

Do you get scared if a dog looks in your direction

No. I get scared when big dogs are running around off the lead, or approaching me on a narrow path. Or when they are barking and straining at their leads and the owner doesn't seem in control. I simply don't want dogs to come near me and my baby! That includes not squeezing past or brushing up against them, or having them run in circles around me. Dogs have ruined my local parks and beaches, they are everywhere and the owners are often miles away. People should feel safe to use parks and beaches without big intimidating dogs running freely.

As a pet-owner its your responsibility to prevent your dog intimidating other people. No-one else knows that your big, intimidating GSs are safe, I expect you're driven many families and walkers out of the park by not keeping them on leads! Even if they weren't paying attention to me, a dog of that size and breed running around would make me (and many others) very nervous.

If you have a big intimidating dog you owe it to society to keep it muzzled and on a lead in public. Go to remote countryside to let it off the lead, don't inflict it on other people trying to enjoy the park/beach

Ah just saw that you don't let yours off lead in parks Grey, sorry.

There are a lot of big powerful dogs off-lead in our local park, including Rottweilers, Dobermans, Mastiffs, GSs etc. That is totally inappropriate and selfish to other park users.

You are currently over reacting and I hope you don't pass on your ignorant and uneducated views onto your child.

Ps - thankfully none of your silly views would ever be implemented so I can continue to be a responsible dog owner and let my dog off the lead and unmuzzled wherever I am allowed to

He's a deaf and pretty much blind 13yr old Yorkshire terrier though, but I guess he wouldn't get your judgemental looks because he's small.

Thankfully these people that act like total weirdos about dogs only seem to exist on mumsnet!

Don't get upset by this thread. Similar to threads on other sites about 'breeders' and how vile children are, mn dog threads don't represent normal people.

Just entitled humans.

Thanks Solobo. I do need to remember that there are usually far more strange people than not on here sometimes! I don't know why I get myself sucked into these animal hating over reactive threads, every time!

Oh, FFS, just keep your mutts on the lead. Or, even better, restrict it to your home and garden. I have no problem with working, assistance and therapy dogs, by the way, but this obsession with pet dogs' rights is ridiculous. Is it really too much to expect that dogs are moved out of the way of a person walking on a narrow path?

Plus I'd love to know where all you responsible dog owners live - I'm in a fairly MC area and the streets are paved with dog shit. Revolting.

mn dog threads don't represent normal people

No, because everyone seems to be a good owner who picks up after their well-trained dog. Don't see that much around here. And you wonder why people don't like dogs.

Alltheprettyseahorses why why why should I keep my wonderful dogs on a lead or left at home in the garden???

They have a right to be happy. They have a right to exercise. They have a right to socialise with other dogs. Walking my dogs gets ME out of the house too.

If all those opposing just opened yourselves up for one minute and actually stopped to talk to the owner and its dog, maybe even stroke the dog you might learn something, you might even change your mind a little bit.

It might even stop you from being so narrow minded.

mn dog threads don't represent normal people

Well, that's partly because dogs are more of a nuisance in some areas than others. Shining'so posts are a bit OTT but she has said that she gets bothered by dogs every time she goes running - and quite honestly, I do understand how she feels. When I lived in a rough part of a city and I ran in a public park every morning, I used to carry a small can of hairspray as a deterrent. I wouldn't want to spray an irritant in an animal's eyes but I'd do it to protect myself (in practice the sight of the can deterred the owners rather effectively).

Now I live in a small town with plenty of open land around, and dogs are generally much less problematic. But I still don't like the over-friendly ones that want to put their paws all over you: they may well be harmless, and I'm not afraid of dogs - but I am very allergic to them. If they paw me, I have to go home and wash and change. I do see that as assault I'm afraid - imagine if another human came up to you and wiped their feet on you! - and dog owners need to be more considerate.

I can't believe how irrantional some people are!

A metre away from your precious pram.

All dogs muzzled and on leads.

Ridiculous

mistigri I'm appalled at this. When I lived in a rough part of a city and I ran in a public park every morning, I used to carry a small can of hairspray as a deterrent

I also run in my local park, although only 3-4 times a week and I have never been chased, obstructed, or even looked at funny by a dog little or large.

There are some truly ridiculous comments on here, I will be hiding thread as soon as I have posted as I can't stand to read any more