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??

No your dogs do not have 'rights'
They are pets not tax-paying citizens. You as an owner have a responsibility to keep them happy and exercised, without causing a public nuisance. That means exercising them on a lead if they intimidate people or get over-excited. Being a responsible owner includes being aware that many people are afraid of dogs, that many dislike dogs and most don't want your dogs approaching them! Come out of your dog-bubble and try to see your dog from another person's perspective. Imagine being a child, how terrifying it is when your dog charges towards them!

In the US most states require dogs to be muzzled and on leads in all public spaces, and dogs have their own parks. I can't wait for this law to come to UK. I'm confident it will, because people like me will keep campaigning to make our parks safe enjoyable spaces again.

I don't hate dogs. I like quiet calm well-mannered ones. I will get my own one day, when I have the time and space to exercise it.

As for Yorkshire terriers, they are so tiny they can hardly be seen as a threat. However if one started jumping up at my pram, weeing on the wheels or scrabbling at my leg I would be annoyed. Your dog is not 'wonderful' to me it is just an animal.

What do you class as a 'responsible owner'? To me it is someone who keeps their dogs under close control in public, does not let them charge ahead on footpaths, keeps them on a lead and muzzled if they are a big/intimidating breed or if they tend to approach people. I know many responsible owners who always control their dogs and would be mortified if they scared someone.

God help anyone that sprayed one of my dogs with hairspray

That's a great idea, I'm going to carry hair-spray from now on and get one of those air-hissing deterrent things someone kindly posted a link to upthread.
If a dog jumps on me/my pram I would not hesitate to spray it to protect myself and my baby. I cannot take the risk that's it's 'being playful' and not about to attack! If you don't want your dog to be sprayed, keep it on a lead unless you're certain it won't jump on strangers!

FarrowandBallAche - I don't want to stroke your dogs. Why on earth would I? You like them, fine - but why should they be off-lead in a public place?

My dogs like to run off lead, as a dog owner I have the right to let them.

They aren't interested in people, if someone wants to stroke them they are happy to let them but by and large they don't care about what humans are doing unless they are carrying dog biscuits

They don't jump up at people, certainly don't bark or snarl at them, no chasing or pinning against fences, no peeing on someone's pram, no grabbing of food.

Just lovely dogs.

And I will always let them off lead to run free where it is safe for THEM because as a dog owner I owe them that.

That's not to say if I see a small child walking towards me that I wouldn't put them back on a lead mainly to reassure them and the parent that they won't knock over said child. But in reality people in the Real World want to say hello and make a fuss of them and they tell me SO often what gorgeous dogs I have.

('your' in general etc, that post actually came across as more insulting than even this dog-disliker meant ).

OP you are being a GF now.

I'd like to see you try spraying someone's dog. I really would.

I can say with 100% certainty that you would come off worse.

You spray hair spray at a dog just walking by and I will expect you will get a visit from the rspca for abuse.

I posted something earlier you could have used. A can of compressed air. If a dog jumps you spray it I their direction and it makes a very loud HISS that dogs don't like.

You would be a twat to carry hair spray when there are safer options to use

If the area is a "dogs on lead" space then the dogs should be on a lead and should not bother you. If you are in an area where dogs are not on a lead then the dog may come and sniff etc, the dog should not be agressive as that sort of dog should be on a lead. It is unreasonable to expect the owner to stop this as sniffing around, looking interested is what dogs do - if the dog was jumping on top of the pram the owner in this case is unreasonable. Therefore it depends on what the dog is actually doing.
On the opposite side there is a concern if a dog comes to sniff and yo/ a child says hello or strokes dog and owner says dog doesn't like people or other such comment - that dog should not be off a lead

But on what occasion would people like the OP decipher when to use such a deterrent? When the dog comes too close? When the dog sniffs her?

They are not threatening behaviours. It's just an excuse for dog haters to have control.

All that would happen in those scenarios is a very heated argument from the owner of the dog and the OP having to explain herself to animal welfare and possibly the Police.

If the dog can not stay to heel odd the lead then it really should not be off the lead. Sniffing or no sniffing. Dogs should always be under control and if the dog can't be stopped from leaving the owner then it is not under control. If you are walking your dog then walk your dog. With you and not bugging other people (and other dogs, on a lead).

It's too early for a goady fucker, isn't it Farrow

I said upthread I would only spray it if it jumped on me or my pram. Although I might use it if a big dog was behaving aggressively, eg growling at me and blocking the path.

I have already ordered the air-deterrent thing

Well fwiw heres my view:
To give background, I am a dog lover. I do not own a dog because currently I don't have the time to be able to dedicate to looking after and training a dog properly. So for now, I make do with donating to the local shelter. I am friends with lots of 'doggy people', all of whom own large breeds (GS, great danes, etc) and exercise their dogs off lead on their own private land.

One thing that we all agree on is this- dog ownership has gotten massively out of hand in this country. There are very few dog owners prepared to invest the time, patience and money it takes to train a dog properly. Their dogs are immaculately trained, have perfect recall and are a joy to be around. But they are still dogs and are treated as such. In public, they are kept on leads. The owners appreciate that, while they love their pets, the rest of the world may not and it is their job to ensure that they do not cause upset or nuisance to others. A fear of dogs is not irrational and their dogs are immediately called to sit to allow others plenty of distance to pass if need be. They are not permitted to dominate public recreational areas. Consequently, despite owning large and intimidating breeds, my friends have never had a clash with other members of the public.
There is nothing more infuriating to responsible dog owners than watching other dogs spoil the enjoyment of public areas. This attitude of "my dog has as much right to play here as anyone else" simply is not correct. Dogs should be on leads in public, and if you don't have the land or access to a "dog walking area" to exercise them freely, then you don't have the resources to own a dog.
Dogs are marvellous, loving, intelligent companions. But they are still dogs, not people, and to pretend otherwise is doing them a disservice.

I think half the time it's all a bit embellished made up to goad

And while we are on the subject, what is wrong with parents who allow their children to approach strange dogs without checking with the owners first? My friends dogs are perfectly behaved around children and tolerant, but strangers don't know that! The number of children who climb over the great dane because he looks like scooby doo is astonishing.

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 hmm by a dog little or large

That's fortunate for you. I used to live in an area where people commonly owned "muscle" dogs, who were a nuisance to runners and other users of public spaces. Sometimes these dogs were aggressive, and it was often hard to tell if these dogs were breeds that could be owned legally.

Now I live in a country area. Dogs are everywhere, but most of them don't cause a problem. You do get the harmless, but not well-controlled ones, who'll come up to you and jump up at you, or run under your bicycle wheels - which I certainly do object to (because out of control dogs can cause accidents, and I'm allergic to dogs so I do NOT want them touching me) - but don't feel the need to protect myself against them.

Yes slowly, I agree. My Yorkshire terrier is quite nervous around children. I feel so sorry for him when children bound up to him and his tail goes between his legs.

Children should be kept in gated parks, preferably in a straight jacket. Maybe there's a market for child size muzzles too.

If you are in an area where dogs are not on a lead then the dog may come and sniff etc, the dog should not be agressive as that sort of dog should be on a lead. It is unreasonable to expect the owner to stop this

I disagree. A well-trained dog doesn't sniff or approach strangers. I used to walk a friend's Boarder Collie (footpath through fields and woods). If there was no-one coming the other way I let him off-lead to run ahead, but as soon as I saw someone in the distance I called him back and put the lead on. He would run back instantly as soon as I called his name. He always walked to heel unless given permission to go ahead, and never approached or sniffed strangers, because he was trained not to! He didn't need a lead at all but I put it on to reassure others, how were they to know he wouldn't jump at them? If we had to pass in a tight space I had him sit while they passed. If all dog owners did this nobody would need to fear dogs in the countryside!! It is pure selfishness not to.

Think about it... your dog goes up to someone wanting to have a friendly sniff. They don't know that! For all they know he is about to jump up/nip/cock his leg/slobber all over them. So keep the dog away! Once a dog is close enough to touch me it's behaviour can change within a split second and I can't stop it jumping or biting. Why can't dog-owners understand this?

The compressed air is a good idea I think. The idea of a deterrent is that you don't have to use it (and preferably that it would cause no lasting harm if you did have to) . Most owners get the message if their dog is being a nuisance, and the object of its unwanted attentions starts waving a foot or a stick or a can in its direction.

Believe or not I think dogs should be off leads, where possible. I don't like the idea of animals being unable to exercise freely. But it's the owners' responsibility to ensure that their animals can do so without inconveniencing, and certainly without endangering, other users of public spaces.

The biggest issue where I live is actually dog shit, not aggressive dogs, although there is one house nearby with a very aggressive dog in the garden and I do wonder if one day it'll get over the gate. It never seems to get walked though and I mainly feel sorry for it.

A well trained dog doesn't sniff

They are animals not robots

Even guide dogs sniff.

You need to get your head out of the clouds

A well trained dog might sniff.

Are you that important that you think a dog cannot SNIFF you?? Do you realise just how ridiculous you sound?

,what is wrong with parents who allow their children to approach strange dogs without checking with the owners first?

Teaching your kids to be sensible with dogs is important, and not touching strange dogs without the owners' permission is rule number 1.

But it can be a difficult message to get across, if owners commonly allow their dogs to bounce over and jump up at your kids. Bear in mind also that those of us who physically can't be around dogs (I'm allergic, as are both of my kids) don't get much opportunity to teach their kids how to behave around dogs.

Bounce and jump over kids??!?!?

Where are these dogs?!