Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

999 replies

TigerPath · 29/04/2016 07:16

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 Angry

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 Angry

AIBU??

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
Original poster
TigerPath · 04/05/2016 10:47

I'm sorry OP but I don't believe that these things happen to you as often as you say they do. I see many dogs every single day, three times a day and don't see the things you complain about.
How can that be OP?

Erm maybe because we don't live in the same place? That could well explain why your experience is different to mine Smile

You may love to meet my wandering horse, Farrow, but the majority of people wouldn't! Which is why he wears a headcollar and lead rope if I walk him anywhere. People get scared of large unrestrained animals.

OP posts:
AppleSetsSail · 04/05/2016 10:53

American bull terriers aka pit bulls are illegal in this country. That's not to say they aren't here, they are. But the chance that every dog attack is by a pit bull is slim.

Whether they are actually pit bulls hardly matters, does it?

NeedACleverNN · 04/05/2016 10:56

Well yes it does.

Because it means that a breed is getting slagged off for no reason.

Pit bulls are referred to as nanny dogs in America because they are fantastic with children.

It's a pity that they have been perverted so much over here

whois · 04/05/2016 10:58

In really really like well trained dogs with responsible owners.

I hate dogs that jump up at me or try and get into my picnic.

I'm sure most dog owners are suoer responsible. Unfortunately it only takes one dick head of an owner to spoil the day and for the memory to be "that horrible dog who came over and tried to get into the picnic and its owner could recall it" rather than remembering all the lovely dogs on leads or with good recall!

AppleSetsSail · 04/05/2016 10:58

Clever I've had 3 different run-ins with pit-bulls, two major, one minor. That is more than enough for me to make a judgement that pit bulls are trouble.

whois · 04/05/2016 10:59

You may love to meet my wandering horse, Farrow, but the majority of people wouldn't

I wouldn't want to meet your horse if he was wandering unrestrained on his own!!!

NeedACleverNN · 04/05/2016 11:04

Do you know for sure they were pit bulls?

Not just Staffies crosses or American bull dog crosses which they are often found to be

merrymouse · 04/05/2016 11:07

Some bull breeds are recommended by rescue centres as being particularly suitable for families, and these are centres that are picky about placing dogs.

On the other hand it's certainly true that dangerous owners are attracted to bull breeds.

If you had run ins with the dogs, apple, the owners were definitely on the fuckwitdangerous scale.

NeedACleverNN · 04/05/2016 11:10

Here's a good example

All of these dogs could be put to sleep for being type (most dogs pts aren't pit bulls at all but because they look type they are deemed pit and pts despite not doing anything wrong).

I'm pretty good at my dog breeds but even I struggled to select the pit bull here

www.odogs.org/find-the-pitbull/

merrymouse · 04/05/2016 11:15

I've read your post again apple, and it does seem to be the owners that share the common characteristics.

NeedACleverNN · 04/05/2016 11:19

Yes it's sad that most people who own dangerous dogs tend to be.....I don't want to say the word chavvy but I'm not sure what else fits?

PovertyPain · 04/05/2016 11:42

Oh Need, you're opening up a whole new can of worms now. Did you not know the word chav is worse than a swear word on MN?

AppleSetsSail · 04/05/2016 11:49

I've read your post again apple, and it does seem to be the owners that share the common characteristics.

No. My most recent run-in was with a very middle-class guy in his 50s who takes his dog on the bus to Richmond Park for exercise. I let my guard down because I knew there was zero possibility that he was training the dog to be aggressive, but the dog scared the shit out of me and sent me back to square one.

You can imagine how traumatised I was, watching my former dog almost killed by a pit bull (owned by a teen oik) and how difficult it was for me to allow this most recent pit bull to sniff at my puppy who is so docile and submissive, she rolls over for every dog that comes around.

I won't take the risk anymore - if there are pit bulls at the dog park, we come home.

NeedACleverNN · 04/05/2016 11:50

I know but I couldn't think of a more appropriate word Grin

AppleSetsSail · 04/05/2016 11:54

And I have no doubt I'm using the term 'pit bull' incorrectly. They all look the same to me. I'd leave the park for about 75% of the dogs on your link.

There was an insane woman with a Japanese Dosa off the lead at the park not too long ago telling me how friendly he was with dogs. I said 'mkay right' and picked up my now enormous puppy and got out of there STAT.

merrymouse · 04/05/2016 12:10

They do have common characteristic though - fuckwittery. Fuckwittery crosses social boundaries.

There is no opportunity for a run in with any dog that is kept under control and only allowed to approach others when it is clearly welcome.

merrymouse · 04/05/2016 12:14

And an out of control dog in a deer park is extreme fuckwittery.

AppleSetsSail · 04/05/2016 12:17

So you think that if this guy had (for example) a golden retriever or a labrador or a cocker spaniel, it would behave in the same way - because of its owner?

merrymouse · 04/05/2016 12:18

Although it sounds as though richmond park guy allowed his on-lead dog to sniff your puppy not realising you weren't happy about it.

I think that's more about him being insensitive than a run in with a pit bull - unless I have misunderstood?

merrymouse · 04/05/2016 12:27

Sorry, I think I may have got a bit mixed up, is the guy at the 'dog park' the person taking the bus to Richmond Park?

Cocker Spaniels, golden retrievers and labradors can all have behaviour problems. Dogs may vary in strength, but an owner who lets an aggressive dog approach a puppy is going to be the same owner whatever dog they have. The dog should have been nowhere near your puppy in the first place.

donotreadtheDailyHeil · 04/05/2016 12:28

If you have problems with dogs, contact your local dog warden. They are very good in my experience. My son (13) and husband had a run-in with some people just before our local parkrun - two Great Danes off lead who decided to chase my son. When my husband asked the owners to keep them under control they told him to keep our son under control (he was 12 at the time by the way, not a toddler meandering about). A few weeks later the same thing happened when I was with my son and when I said the dogs should be on leads (the rules of the park say dogs should be under control or on a lead) they had a go at me. So I reported the two incidents to the dog warden for the park. She actually knew the dogs concerned (and their owners). I presume she had a word because I've not seen the people at parkrun time since.

Some dog owners simply don't seem to understand that many humans don't love dogs and don't want to be hassled by them. I think there's also a status symbol thing going on - dogs are expensive - so people think if they can afford to keep them they are somehow better than you because they've got money. It's the same mentality that you find on the roads with some drivers of expensive cars - they genuinely think they have more right to be on the road than you do because your car is older/less expensive.

IrianofWay · 04/05/2016 12:47

If I am walking in a quiet area where there is no legal requirement to leash him, my dog, IMO, is under control if he is running/walking within about 6ft of me, not approaching other people and dogs and comes to me as soon as I call him. I suspect that if you are nervous of dogs that might appear to be not 'under control' as there is a chance he MIGHT approach you. I can assure you he won't, but you might not believe me. So for those who are scared of dogs I guess the only option is for all dogs to be leashed at all times in public - which I would object to strongly.

BTW you don't need to love dogs. You just have to tolerate them. Same as we do for all the little idiosyncrasies of our fellow public-space users.

Original poster
TigerPath · 04/05/2016 13:46

Irian, do you call your dog to heel when you need to pass someone?

Unfortunately, irresponsible owners have spoiled it for responsible owners. Its hard to trust any dog when so many approach you, jump up, run in circles round you barking manically, barge past you on narrow footpaths etc. Owners are often half a field away.

You just have to tolerate them. Same as we do for all the little idiosyncrasies of our fellow public-space users
I do tolerate them, on leads or under close control. But I don't tolerate them causing a nuisance, upsetting people or jumping on me. Would you tolerate someone's child coming up to sniff and lick you?
It's good manners to put some space between your dog and other people. Dogs are animals not fellow public-space users; they do not have the same rights as people.

OP posts:
PovertyPain · 04/05/2016 13:58

This is starting to read like a weird thesaurus.
101 different reasons to repeat the same stuff.

FarrowandBallAche · 04/05/2016 14:08

I've been out twice today with my dogs. First time along the bridle path then down on to the canal path.

Saw 14 dogs ( yes I counted them for the purpose of this thread ) there were 3 cyclists, various people walking, some in groups and some alone, a mum jogging with her buggy and a horse.

Not ONE of the dogs ran off to sniff, jump or harass. Everyone was civil, had a chat with one of the walkers who stopped to ask if there was a cafe along the way.

People called their dog when the horse went by, the rider thanked them.

Lovely sunny day with people enjoying themselves. My dogs had a run about with various dogs and really enjoyed it.

Second walk was up to the field at the top of the lane. Only saw 4 dogs this time and a group of mountain bikers.

The dogs didn't bother with mine after an initial sniff of bum. Had a chat with one of the women about the weather etc - all good.

Mountain bikers thanked me for holding the dogs collars as they passed.

And this is what my walks consist of. No drama or people being pissed off.

Because in real life dogs aren't just that bothered about going harassing someone.

Swipe left for the next trending thread