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??

Great posts from Shining.

It amazes me that some posters continue to ignore the statistics about which breeds inflict the most harm. I guess it's part of the mentality that 'my dog's harmless, big softie, wouldn't hurt a fly' etc while ignoring how much damage he would inflict should he decide to attack someone.
You can NEVER trust a dog 100% and anyone who does is a fool. I'm sure all the owners of dogs who've maimed and killed people thought their dog was trustworthy before it attacked. The number of attacks on babies, children and vulnerable elderly people is on the rise.

It's just not worth the risk. Keep your big powerful dogs away from other people, preferably leashed and muzzled. And for gods sake keep them away from prams and children!! The risk is too great. I don't care that your Doberman is a 'great family pet'... he is big, strong dog and I would struggle to pull him off if he went for me or DS (unlike a small dog who could be kicked away). Off-lead he is intimidating to others, because they don't know his temperament! They just see a massive muscley dog with no lead, and an owner who may or may not be able to recall him.

You are being very antisocial not to restrain big dogs in public. Even the calmest family pet can suddenly turn. Could you pull your dog off a child if it attacked? Are you always close enough to do so or does your dog charge on ahead (scaring people witless )

This article is interesting... Perhaps it will help owners of big dogs understand how others perceive them: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/10/dangerous-dogs-need-control-orders

I have never understood the dog thing. It's OKAY to dislike dogs. It's perfectly acceptable to not want them around you, they don't have to be threatening you.

I work in an animal focused environment (not a vet) I don't want to generalise because god forbid I do that on Mumsnet BUT in my personal experience dog owners ARE more likely to be offended if someone doesn't fawn over their dog much more than any other pet owners.

It's alright to say you don't like cats for example. Some people are quite happy to proclaim their disgust at small children even. But people have a massive shitfit if someone doesn't like dogs. I don't get that?!

It comes down to give and take. There are many things about dogs that people find unpleasant and don't want to be around. Equally dog owners and their pets are entitled to enjoy time together. If you own a dog (or any kind of animal for that matter) you are responsible for controlling it in public places. Unfortunately some people think their pet is above this and then get all badly done to when someone pulls them up on it. This gives responsible dog owners are bad name.

For the record I neither like nor dislike dogs. They don't bother me but I wouldn't own one. I just find the amount of reaction they envoke (both positive and negative) compared to any other animal bizarre

It's OKAY to dislike dogs. It's perfectly acceptable to not want them around you, they don't have to be threatening you.

You can be uncomfortable around dogs for any number of reasons - a bad experience or attack, an allergy, etc. It doesn't even mean you don't like them. Personally, I don't want dogs near enough to touch me, not because I hate them (I don't), but because they make me unwell.

I think some people are overstating the risk posed by large dogs though. Attacks on random strangers by dogs with no history of aggression are, thankfully, very rare. But owners do need to bear in mind that other people don't know that your dog is safe (even if he is), which is why you need to ensure that dogs don't behave in a way that could be interpreted as aggressive (eg jumping up at people, even in a friendly way, or running alongside/ barking at cyclists or runners). This is especially true if you own a large dog.

I suspect the majority of negative reactions to dogs on this thread were exaggerated to be goady!

I agree tiger.

I absolutely despair when dog owners say 'don't worry, he wouldn't hurt anyone.' as though that's meant to be reassuring.

It's utterly meaningless. 'Oh, I always expected him to do that' after a dog has bitten/mauled someone has been said by no-one, ever.

No jean", some of us are genuinely frightened of dogs, usually based on our experience of being bitten.

Yanbu. I like dogs but only to look at. I hate it when they come up to you, sniffing and dribbling on you, sometimes they jump up. I'm not sure why dog owners think that's ok - if you can't command your dog to stay close to you then they should be on a lead, I don't want them touching me.

I understand some are genuinely frightened but having read the whole thread the comments that say they would spray a dog with hair spray because the dog looked at you is beyond ridiculous.

Dogs should be kept on leads when near playgrounds, beaches and in areas were the signs say to do so. But in empty fields where there are no signs, dog owners should feel free to take their dog off the lead. If the dog will not come back on command then they should stay on the lead. Nothing I am saying is unreasonable. But because I love dogs and have no bad experience to share, my option isn't welcome on this thread.

If you read all 21 pages there is so much anger and malice towards big dogs. I don't think for a second the poster who ran 6-7 times a week was accosted every time. That's pure exaggeration to try and make a point.

Dogs are allowed off lead on the basis that they are under control. This means that the owner must be able to stop them from approaching other people or animals.

Obviously some people and dogs love to meet other dogs, but what is so difficult about erring on the side of caution and waiting for a clear signal that they want to say hello?

On the flip side you should never assume that a dog is happy to be approached.

Way before anybody starts talking about dog bites, it is just plain rude to allow your dog to run up to random strangers. Why is that in any way controversial?

I disagree. I run several times a week and it's rare that an off lead dog doesn't come running up/jump up/ bark at me.

I appreciate from the owner's perspective it might just be ' saying hello' but I don't like it and find it alarming.

Dogs should be kept on leads when near playgrounds, beaches and in areas were the signs say to do so. But in empty fields where there are no signs, dog owners should feel free to take their dog off the lead. If the dog will not come back on command then they should stay on the lead.

I agree with this 100%, although I'd add that a dog being capable of coming back no command isn't enough: dog owners need to know when to issue the command.

It's concerning that dog owners like farrow think it is acceptable for dogs to be off the lead in a place where leads are explicitly required. It's this sort of attitude that tends to fuel demands for leads and muzzles.

I suspect the majority of negative reactions to dogs on this thread were exaggerated to be goady

Why would you think that?
Why is it goady to want large powerful animals restrained in public places?

Imagine if it was popular to exercise large pet pigs in public. They can bite, kick, barge into people, trample picnics, snatch food, intimidate and generally cause a nuisance! They frighten children and make people nervous. Imagine a large pig charging at you down a narrow footpath. It might barge past, it might stop to lick/sniff you, it might jump up and knock you over. It might even bite. You don't know how well that pig is trained. Is it not common sense to keep it on a lead in case it becomes aggressive or overly boisterous?
I can't imagine people finding it acceptable to have other large powerful animals running loose in public, yet dogs are somehow exempt in the minds of their owners. Perhaps because so many owners project human characteristics onto their dogs.

It is arrogant and foolish to assume your dog does not have capacity to cause harm.

Your last post is bob on Jean.

The anti dog lot need to read it.

I am 100% sure that these stories are not totally true and are exaggerated.

I walk MILES every day in all sorts of areas. Fields, bridle paths, parks, streets. I see MANY dogs of different breeds. In all my 20 years of owning a dog I have never been attacked or ran at or growled at or anything.

So I can conclude that those vehemently saying that they frequently chased or jumped on are not telling the truth.

The sad fact a dog in their life might make them less uptight and rigid in their thoughts but we wouldn't want to inflict them on some beautiful dog would we!

There are very different interpretations of the term 'being under control' though.

I think it means 'comes when called', although I've observed that many dog owners think it means 'call the dog's name 20 times, chase it for a further 5 minutes shouting at it to come and eventually grab it by the collar'.

That may be why it's difficult for either party to see the others' perspective.

tigerpath please see my above comment as to why I think people are big deliberately goady.

The first post isn't goady. There are many reasons why people don't like being approached by strange dogs.

If it isn't clear that the owner has control of the dog, their only option is to say something.

How is arrogant?

If someone has trained their dog and knows its temperament is trustworthy why would anyone keep it on a lead in the appropriate area where it can run free?

Farrow please don't tell me and others that we're lying. That's really rude and greatly weakens your argument.

I happy to believe that you've never been barked at/jumped at/growled at my a strange dog, so please afford my and other experiences the same respect.

I disagree. I run several times a week and it's rare that an off lead dog doesn't come running up/jump up/ bark at me.

Yes - my experience as a mountain biker is that the vast majority of owners will call their dog to heel and hold his collar as I pass. If they don't, then the likelihood of the dog running at my bike is quite high.

Obviously it takes a bit of consideration on both sides - I slow down when passing parties containing dogs or children, because I don't want to injure myself or anyone else.

Well I can't believe that you're chased and jumped up at by random dogs every single week Rose as my actual experience week in and week out of meeting and surveying individual dogs is so very different.

Because no dog owner has ever said ' oh, I always knew he'd do that one day' when a dog has bitten someone, farrow.

I'm sure that your dogs are very well trained, but it's incredibly arrogant to assume that they would never bite someone. What if they were in pain that no-one was aware of?

Don't engage with others' experience then farrow.

But your subsequent position of "I'm right because I say so" is a bit childish, don't you think?

Rose I'm not mystic Meg so I cannot say for sure that my dogs would bite. But knowing them as I do, their personalities, their tempeemem, their likes and dislikes I can say hand on heart that they would to have some sort of personality transplant to go and randomly attack a stranger.
It doesn't work like that, only in the minds of people that are frightened of them.

Nicely summarised WolfAlice.