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??

Wow, such ignorance Shining! I would not have been able to hold my tongue!

The shame is, akitas are such beautiful dogs. What a pity that this one might be put to sleep because of the stupidity of those who are meant to be looking after it.

I feel ashamed that I didnt say anything Slowly I was quite young at the time and couldnt really believe what I saw.

There was a 'final straw' dog related incident and I am no longer in contact with the relative, again I wish I had said been able to take control of the situation but it was so surreal and her behaviour so out of order that I couldnt process it properly

But the dogs that the OP referred to are not out of control or a threat.

They just happen to be in the vicinity as her and might come over and sniff her.

Big fucking deal.

I agree that some dogs are dangerous and some not trained , but equally there are areas where dogs that are trained big and small are free to be off their lead. I do not think scaremongering is helpful. There is a moderate road between the two extremes.

But the dogs that the OP referred to are not out of control or a threat.

There was a sign saying they should be on leads, so in that sense they weren't being controlled as they should have been.

Farrow - if strange dogs are jumping up at the OP and her pram then they are clearly out of control. How does she know that they are not a threat?
Shining- I'm sorry you had to witness those things and be put in such an awful position. The most frustrating thing about this whole situation for me is, I've seen how well dogs and people can co-exist through investment in obedience training and the right sort of attitude. If only all dog owners could be that way.

Don't have a dog, don't have a dog just incase people hadn't read that the numerous times i'd posted it......
I'm not talking about an out of control aggressive dog though, but a dog that's going past you or near another person, and yes people on this thread have advocated violence towards them and in this situation.
Op a big dog to you is scary whether it's a danger or not.
No i don't think a dog that comes over to you sniffing is a danger.
If you sprayed a dog in this situation this is whether i think you would come off worse.
If a dog was biting, snapping then i would say you'd have to do what you could, but i think you just don't like big dogs at all so anything is going to be frightening.

They are only a threat when they behaved threateningly.

Farrow - and its comments like yours that reveal the heart of the problem. You are totally unwilling to put yourself in the shoes of a person who is nervous of dogs and understand how they may perceive your dog's behaviour. Its arrogant, and its piss poor dog ownership.
Stop trying to justify your own entitled behaviour and next time you are out show a little consideration for those around you.

A large powerful dog is ALWAYS a potential threat, any dog could behave aggressively and a large dog clearly has the potential to do more damage than a small one.
Other people have no idea what your dogs track record is and even you don't know for sure that it won't attack

I am not inconsiderate.
My dogs are not a threat to anyone. They don't growl or bark or snap. They don't run over to people or jump up. They don't snatch food. They don't chase joggers or horses or cyclists. If I see a group with children I always put them back on the lead.
I always pick up dog poo.

But I will not keep my well behaved dogs on a lead In the appropriate places.

I suggest those of you with a fear of dogs work hard on this as not to pass it on to your children.

Fair enough let your dog off the lead, are you 100% sure they'll come to heal with the first command from you. How close do they actually go to other walkers.

Passing a fear on to your children, this has nothing to do with the subject.

I don't let them off just anywhere.
Only where it's appropriate. I walk them where they can run free because they need that.
I wouldn't let them off just anywhere. I'm not an idiot. But where I walk them we meet other walkers, some with dogs and some not and its never a problem because my dogs aren't interested in people and as I said earlier it's other people that ask me about the dogs.

OP, I understand your pain, but even if everyone on mumsnet were to agree with you, it would still not change the behaviour of others, so would it not be a good idea to get some help to get over your fear of dogs?

I am over sixty and have never been bitten by a dog. I is very, very rare that someone would let a dangerous dog run free. They can be a problem when they jump up on you or on small children or steal your food, but it is not a dreadful problem. The main thing with dogs, even dangerous dogs, is not to let them know that you are frightened of them and not to put them in a position where they are frightened.

Important?

If you say so. You couldn't be more wrong if you tried.

Of course people who mistrust dogs pass it on to their children.

Well I haven't.

Why do some people get so offended by the fact that some people dislike dogs?

Not everyone thinks they are lovely/cute/funny/adorable.

I think they are bloody annoying and yucky.

But I will not keep my well behaved dogs on a lead In the appropriate places.

The OP is about dogs not being on leads in a place where leads are explicitly required.

I'm in favour of dogs being exercised off the lead, but owners who take their dogs off the lead in public spaces do need to be respectful of the fact that not everyone likes dogs, and that almost no one likes badly behaved dogs.

Aggressive dogs shouldn't be off the lead at all unless it's safe (and personally, I reserve the right to protect myself robustly against any dog I think is behaving aggressively). Other dogs need to be in close enough control that they do not cause a nuisance - I'd define "nuisance" as any unwanted physical contact, or dogs impeding runners or cyclists; whether this crosses the line into aggressive behaviour depends on the size of the dog and its demeanour .

Dogs impeding runners or cyclists?

My dogs are trained to come as soon as they see one of the above, I wish the joggers and cyclists were as well mannered.