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??

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Nope, that's fair enough (I have two dogs).

But have you considered that it is your tone of voice which is perhaps dictating how people react to your demands? Speaking to people aggressively is not likely to get the result you want, or at least not in a pleasant manner. (Though I wouldn't bother with pleasantries for the owner of the dog who cocked it's leg on your pram!).

[gamerchick]

Yeah what is it with the cocking of the leg? Every time we make the goal posts for a kick about on a beach some dog comes along and pees (or tries to) on it. Is it just like a reflex?

[MardleBum]

I agree Alis is someone gets all shirty and ranty at you before your dog has even put a foot wrong it's not really going to go well, is it?

[echt]

Dog owners always feel so entitled

No they don't don't. This one did. Do try not to generalise. It makes you sound thick.

OP, you were in an on-leash area and the dog-owner was out of order :YANBU.

[tilder]

The op said she was firm but polite. Doesn't sound shirty and ranty to me. She may well need to shout though if the dog is some distance from the owner or if it is windy. She may also be fed up with having to ask the same thing.

The point being she shouldn't have to ask. There is a sign saying dog should be on a lead. Please don't make this her fault.

[AriaTloak]

Entitled dog owner here,

OP I agree with you, if there's a sign saying dogs should be on leads, they should be on leads.

I'll admit though, if I was out walking my dog & was ignorant enough to let him off the lead, if you started shouting "get your dog away from me" I would happily oblige but I'd be a bit

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I'm absolutely not saying it is her fault but when dealing with people, using a vaguely pleasant tone usually yields better results.

I've had to ask people to move their dogs away from me, when out with my own dogs and without them. So it's not as though this is an unfamiliar concept to me.

Some people are totally oblivious, it's not necessarily that they're entitled just they're off in their own bubble. They know what their dog is doing but don't have the wherewithal to see how someone else might view it (similar things happen in all sorts of scenarios, there's always one oblivious person) I tend to assume most people are like this rather than just being twats and behave accordingly. Some people are just twats though, unfortunately.

[MrTumbleOnRepeat]

The beach were I go to has two sections. They have the main bit where dogs have to be on lead and the dog sections where they can run off lead. Of course there can sometimes a bit of a cross over where dogs might run into the wrong section but mostly it works well.

[KERALA1]

What annoys me is not so much the dog thing as totally ignoring signs - such arrogance.

Couple walking their enormous hound through the no dog area of beach (numerous signs no other dogs there)

Woman taking flash photos of painting despite the many no flash photo signs

So arrogant and selfish grinds my gears

[MardleBum]

The point being she shouldn't have to ask. There is a sign saying dog should be on a lead. Please don't make this her fault.

I agree, if the dog should have been in the lead in that area then there is no argument from me - I was just talking in more general terms about the reactions some people have to being even vaguely near an unleashed dog who is causing no problems whatsoever.

[SisterMoonshine]

yanbu
Some owners seem to assume we all love their dog as much as they do.
I've had dogs over our picnic before and owners beaming at how adorable we must be finding it.

[snorepatrol]

Yanbu

I think dogs should be kept on leads when out in public places.
Whether the dogs are friendly or not they still frighten people who have had bad experiences with them.

Not to mention if they get startled etc they can risk running into traffic etc which has happened to me once.

I do think there should be designated lead free areas in parks / beaches if space permits but if not most dog can still get enough exercise on a lead.

And I say that as a responsible dog owner

[SisterMoonshine]

Oh and the pathetic calling of the dog repeatedly, while the dog ignores them.

[Figmentofmyimagination]

One person's 'firm and polite' 'demand' is another person's shouty rant. Personally if I heard someone shout at a stranger because their dog was not on a lead in their vicinity in an area where there is a lead sign, however 'firmly and politely', I would secretly think, 'how embarrassing' - a shouty person - and cringe inwardly on their behalf. I think there are things worth being 'demanding' about in a public place and this perhaps isn't one of them - except the weeing bit - yuck.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Sister

I'm a dog owner and simply cannot understand how the owners in that scenario could be anything other than horrified and embarrassed. I'd be so apologetic if it were my dogs (this is why I don't let them off lead in places people are picnicking) .

[Dakin1]

This week I was walking along Brighton sea front and a man let his dog poo in the sand on a volleyball court where kids play with bare feet. He then tried to walk off without picking it up. I was outraged and shouted at him to clean up his dog's mess. He did pick it up but who knows what residue was left. Fucking rank and actually quite dangerous for the poor kids. I think most dog owners are responsible but people like him make me think all dogs should be on a lead.

[MardleBum]

Well as a dog owner I have to disagree with you there Fig if it is clearly signed that dogs should be on a lead then people are entitled to get annoyed if they are not. Anyone who wants their dog off the lead is free to go elsewhere, not to expect others to just accept their rule flouting.

[zeezeek]

Another dog owner here. My boy dog is a bit nervous and likes to stay away from other people and dogs so it also pisses me off when I'm out with him and some other dog comes bounding over for a "chat" and my dog just doesn't want to know.
I allow all of mine off the lead in the areas where they are allowed off a lead. Luckily they are all pretty good at coming back - if not then I tend to dispatch a child to find them rooting around in the undergrowth about a metre away (they never tend to stray too far from us as they are all big lab-type wimps who don't have an adventurous bone in their body).

It also annoys me when I'm walking along with my dogs, on the lead, perfectly under control, and we pass a toddler or small child on the other side of the road/path whatever who start wailing that there's big dogs. My dogs aren't interested and just walk past, really, why can't some parents just tell their children that the dogs are not going to even reach them at that distance, let alone hurt them and seem totally disinterested in them anyway.

However, I do have a slight confession: the boy dog often cocks his legs against wheels on a car. I'm sorry. I do pull him away, but he's a sneaky bugger.

[shovetheholly]

Apologies for derail: I have a question. I like dogs, but I am also a bit scared of them. I've never had one, and I don't understand how they behave. Sometimes when I am running in the woods, one will bound up to me, at full pelt. (This only seems to happen in the woods, never in the park bit of my run). I find this scary - how do I know if it's going to leap at me? Is there a doggie sign I can look for?

[Sandyclaus]

I'm a dog owner (and am ignoring the dog owners are entitled comment) and mine are the small happy type that run up to people and get under your feet.

However - if the area requires them to be on leads they stay on leads, and they're restrained around prams and children to make sure they don't jump up or intimidate them. I'm horrified to read that some have actually weed on your prom wheels - that is disgusting - and I hope you told the owners so. They give dog owners a bad name.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

My DD (now nearly 14) was terrified of dogs as a child, (terrified to the extent she would run into the road rather than face a dog . We anticipated and managed to grab her (reins) so thankfully she never managed)

So we had to avoid parks (dogs-even in the fenced off Dog Free play area) , forests (dogs) and only went to beaches that had a dog free season.
But even then (I think Southend) there were two huge dogs ( Rottie type) were charging about, no owner in sight.

Dogs have a lovely time on beaches, I love to see them run.
Once at a quiet beach, my DS (who was only 7 or 8) asked a dog owner if they would put the dog on a lead please to take it past, as his sister was scared. The owner did, smiled and walked his dog away.

A woman later (who saw us eating) let her dog have the hugest turd and when I shouted at her she said "Oh I'll just go and get a bag". Did she feck

Most entitled was the woman who lets her dog onto my drive to pee on my car and crap . I saw her, one evening, opened my window and yelled , fishwifey style.
I'm sure the dogs bum went into spasm as she dragged him away.

[AdoraBell]

Another dog owner signing in.

YANBU at all OP and yes, dogs should be on leads in public with designated areas for off lead excerise.

[bluespiral]

Dogs should be on leads in public places.

There's a man who walks his dog along my road every day who drives me mad. It's a huge dog (not sure if the breed but looks like a small horse) and it is NEVER on a lead.

They often walk past me whilst I'm waiting for the bus and it makes me feel so nervous when I see them approaching. We had a bit of an altercation a few months ago when he agreed he would hold the dog when he saw me. I don't see how that helps anybody else he encounters though. And the other day he didn't bother so I asked him again why he doesn't have it on a lead, no answer.

I actually feel hatred towards the smug bastard now. His route takes him right past a primary school and I think it's so selfish and potentially dangerous.

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

It also annoys me when I'm walking along with my dogs, on the lead, perfectly under control, and we pass a toddler or small child on the other side of the road/path whatever who start wailing that there's big dogs.

zeezeek My DCs are both scared of dogs after a dog jumped up and knocked DD over when she was 2. Owner was a complete fuckwit.

So I repeatedly tell them that most dogs are fine, if they are on a lead they can't hurt them. It doesn't make a blind bit of difference, and they cower behind me if they see a dog (well, except the teeny ones that look like rats on a lead - they're OK with those for some reason).
So perhaps try some understanding when you see children react. Smile and tell them he or she is lovely and won't come near them. More reactions like that might actually help my DC get over their fear.

[EponasWildDaughter]

The trouble with wanting all these smiley, restrained, polite, friendly, patient reactions to loose dogs approaching you ''except the weeing bit'' is that dogs move quickly.

If you don't start addressing the fact that you don't want the dog coming near you (possibly loudly so the owner can hear you from a distance) then the jumping up, sniffing and possible weeing stage is upon you and it's too late.

(dog owner)