To think the majority of dog owners where I live are inconsiderate and arrogant.

[AngryRunner]

I am a runner, I have run the marathon and compete regularly in half marathons, 10k's etc.

I like to run in my local park and i normally run about 5 times a week. I do go at speed faster than most joggers.

However I am constantly harassed by dogs. I tell owners to put it on a lead when there dog is clearly chasing me, jumping up on me. I was bitten by a dog as a child so I don't like them and I am very scared of big dogs.

The reaction I get when I say put it on a lead please is met with total anger/ rudeness from owners. Yesterday I was running and a very large almost wolf like dog was off its lead and started running towards me. I normally stop but it was barking and I just sprinted away it began to chase me for around 200 meters before eventually being distracted by a smaller dog. I was crying and visible shaking when I confronted the owner who was 100meters behind. She said the usual oh he's lovely oh he won't hurt you bullshit dog owners spout. I asked for her name and details as I said I'm reporting her to the police. I felt threatened by the dog and that is all that is needed for her to break the law. The police are investigating.

The week before a dog jumped up at me and I feel to floor from behind. Again the same thing from the owner.

I pay my council tax to use the parks but no longer feel like I can use them because dog owners take dogs off leads. Please it is so inconsiderate. I live in an urban area so road running is horrible with the fumes. Aibu to be fed up of dogs being described as lovely in response to scaring an i being unreasonable to think dog owners should no I have no idea about the character of their dog. Am I being unreasonable to be fed up of being blamed for tempting the dog for keeping fit and doing something I love.

And for the record I know there are good owners but majourity as a runner I've encountered aren't!

If someone doesn't have a dog with them and you're in a place popular with dog walkers, odds are it's because they don't like dogs.
I'd have thought that if you're in a place popular with dog walkers it would be because you do like dogs! (Just kidding, I know what you mean)

"The police are investigating"

I wouldn't hold my breath

Yanbu op. If an owner can't instantly recall their dog it shouldn't be off the lead imo. Don't even get me started on the 'oh he won't hurt you' line spouted so many times to my clearly petrified dc (with a fear of dogs thanks to a shit owner who let hers chase them, twice!!). Well great, don't cry at me if my dc kicks out at your dog in fear then. Because I cannot guarantee my dc won't hurt your dog I'm afraid!

I often wonder how entitled dog owners would feel if I let my kids chase after them, jump at them pushing them over and slobber all over their face? I mean if I say the kids won't hurt them and aren't they cute they'd be ok with that surely?

YANBU.

the dogs in the park used to tear after my son when he was a toddler in a very aggressive way. one even jumped over the playground wall to get at him ffs.

when I would complain, they would be all "meh" about it, even though it was terrifying.

yeah, parks are just for dog-lovers . typical twatty dog owner.

.

Just to add I appreciate there are perfectly responsible owners out there. Lots will instantly pull their dogs in closer and put themselves between dog and us when they see dc are scared.

Use of shared public space is problematic. I've been frightened by cyclists who come up behind you silently, so you have no time to recall your dog, they make you jump in surprise so your dog thinks they are a threat too.
So I've trained dog to return to me whenever he sees a bike. Bike comes at great speed, between me and dog. Cue dog desperately trying to get to me, cuts in front of bike, cyclist swearing and kicking at him.
I recall my dog when I see someone coming. If I'm taken by surprise, I don't have time.

Shared space is shared space, needs everyone to be tolerant of everyone else. It isn't a training track, for you to work on your personal bests.

Even dogs with great recall won't come back sometimes if the runner is leading them OUT OF EARSHOT of their owner

Surely if your dog happens to like running after runners you should keep it on a lead? I'm far too lazy to run myself but my kids run almost everywhere. Yes they have been chased before and yes they were bloody terrified.
with the best will in the world I can't teach my three year old to run back to the owner when chased.

YANBU.

I think some owners genuinely don't realise that not everyone loves their dogs (a bit like some parents and their children!). I grew up with lots of dogs around, but don't have one of my own as I work. I'm a lot less tolerant of dogs now I no longer have one of my own. I don't dislike them, but I see the world more from a non dog owner perspective than I did before.

In my opinion it should be a requirement for dogs to be well trained or on a lead. It's not acceptable for them to jump over strangers, no matter how cute they are.

The police are investigating

As if they haven't got more serious stuff to be doing. Like investigating missing person, murders, rapes, burglaries, vandalism.....

I do understand your frustration, but what a way to waste already stretched resources.

Some runners are idiots though. My dog generally has good recall but occasionally gets the urge to chase dopey runners. It's not rocket science to suggest that running back towards the owner might be a good idea surely?? The last time my dog chased a runner the idiot continued sprinting off in the opposite direction so I had no chance in hell of actually catching him. Docile twat.

Shared space is shared space, needs everyone to be tolerant of everyone else. It isn't a training track, for you to work on your personal bests.

Yeah, this. Plus I imagine anyone who has had a dog has gone through that stage where they're not a pup anymore and generally the recall is great but then 1 time out of 30, they go a little crazy, and off they go to 'visit' someone they like the look of. It's embarrassing but it's part and parcel of bringing up a small, stupid creature, and most people will just laugh and fuss the dog.

Your right to run in the park is no more important than other peoples' right to walk their dogs in a park where it is allowed for them to be off leash. Everyone pays council tax, you're not special in that regard. If you don't like it, don't go there. No one is forcing you to. Runners annoy the shit out of me but I would never go around thinking that my dislike of them trumps their right to do whatever they like.

The last time my dog chased a runner the idiot continued sprinting off in the opposite direction so I had no chance in hell of actually catching him

And if that runner was a child playing? If you are scared of dogs (I'm not myself) fight or flight kicks in and you might not be thinking rationally.

YANBU. I have a big, bouncy dog. I know he is gentle, but strangers do not. As a dog owner you have to accept that some people dislike or are afraid of dogs. Letting your big dog run at or chase people may not be illegal if the dog doesn't cause physical harm, but it is certainly very bad manners. I let my dog run off lead in appropriate places, but I call him back if he gets too far from me and I put him on the lead if anyone approaches with another dog on lead or if anyone looks remotely wary.

It shouldn't be a runner's job to work out how best to manage someone else's dog's behaviour. Why on earth would a runner working on their personal best be a problem as long as there is space?

It's a tough one.
On the one hand, your obvious fear of dogs probably makes you see threats when there are none. If a dog is just running near you, they are not chasing you. Sometimes they can run right towards you, but because that's the direction their ball has gone. I use a throwing stick to launch the balls in different directions. I do check the coats is clear before hand but if you run into the area where the ball has landed, my dog has absolutely no interest in you. I find runners really inconsiderate when they do this!!

I also find other dog owners annoying. My dog is really well behaved off the leader, but on it, he will pull and 'charge' if provoked by another dog. I always move out of the way when other dogs are coming my way and clearly show that I don't want my dog to 'socialise' because he is very strong and big and doesn't realise and once hurt a westie when he sat on it. Other dogs (not on their leader) will come running over and the owners clearly don't think that just because their dog may want to rub noses, my dog might not or might see them as a threat. I always have to ask if they can get their dog.

Was meant to say 'they are not always chasing you'

Even dogs with great recall won't come back sometimes if the runner is leading them OUT OF EARSHOT of their owner

Wtf is your dog doing out of earshot?! You can't call him back if he's bothering someone, you also can't call him back if he looks like doing something that will endanger himself. Call him back before he gets out of earshot, or looks like doing so!

YANBU.

I think the 'shared space' bit means that there will always be some encounters that do not go your way.

A cyclist will upset - and be upset by - me and my dog.
A kid wavering about on a bike will upset a jogger.
Kids playing football will be upset by a toddler wandering into their space.

My dog was barely off lead last time we walked, because of all the other people doing their thing. If there is one thing that makes my dog forget his manners (now he's got over the bike fear), it's children feeding the ducks. He turns up into a mugger and has to be restrained.

Shared space.

Even dogs with great recall won't come back sometimes if the runner is leading them OUT OF EARSHOT of their owner

The runner isn't leading the dog anywhere! And it is not their job to lead your dog back to you. If your dog is inclined to chase runners, keep it on a lead!

Even when dogs are on leads it can cause a nightmare, if it's one of those invisible extendable cheesewire thin ones. I've seen so many people let their dog wander around far too far away from them when there are people nearby.

DS fell over one of these leads last week. The dog was miles away from its owner, and ran in front of DS then ran around him, tangling his legs completely in the lead. He's had to have microsurgery on his finger and will probably never have a fingernail again after his fall. The owner ran over and told him off for not looking where he was going (she was talking to her mate looking the other way, not looking at her dog at all) as DS spurted blood all over the pavement, himself, the dog and his friend, screaming in pain! Poor boy.

I don't generally mind dogs being off lead in parks, but only if they have good recall and don't run up to people pestering them. I don't want to be jumped on or slobbered on by someone else's dog.

Some runners are idiots though. My dog generally has good recall but occasionally gets the urge to chase dopey runners. It's not rocket science to suggest that running back towards the owner might be a good idea surely?? The last time my dog chased a runner the idiot continued sprinting off in the opposite direction so I had no chance in hell of actually catching him. Docile twat.

Shouldn't the dog be on the lead then!. Again runners aren't supposed to manage your dogs behaviour. They may know nothing about the dog or how they behave. Maybe dog owners should keep up with their dogs.

I'm a runner and I think you're being fairly unreasonable. It's shared space, you can't remove things from public space because you find them scary or irritating. I mean I'd love to ban everyone who stops in front of a ticket barrier or at the bottom of an escalator from using public transport. I'm a ticket holder, they should respect my right to use facilities unobstructed!

That said, I've seen some really stupid dog custodians and you've had some scary experiences. In particular the stupid dog walker who wouldn't put her barking dog on a lead when my friend who is scared of dogs was stood rigid with fear. She even had the cheek to be annoyed with me for telling her to - apparently he was 'just playing'. Well my friend didn't know that. However, I think you may have a stronger fear reaction than other people and that is for you to deal with. Like my friend, who balanced risk that day. The dog walker had a right to be there, most of the dogs were ok off lead. she should have just controlled that dog when it was clear there was a problem.

My usual problem with off lead dogs is that they're terrible trip hazards. I usually just slow down as I approach as in my experience they have an uncanny ability to get right under my feet ;) I have also taken a dog on a very long run when the owners let her chase after me as I cycled by. She got a great workout, I think she ran for about half a mile. I wasn't stopping, I wasn't confident she wouldn't go for my ankles so I get why you'd keep running. But, that doesn't mean that you can demand you get a park all to yourself. It's all part of getting along with each other.

Well done to the dog owners on here who are aware of the fact that they need to control their dogs.
It's completely wrong to blame a runner or a cyclist if a dog is chasing them. A dog should simply not be let off a lead unless it's totally trained and comes back to the owner immediately if called.
My three children are scared of dogs. And it's amazing how walking down the road even on leads how loads of owners don't stop them sniffing really close when the are clearly scared.
Yes a dog needs exercise but it's the owners responsibility to take them somewhere appropriate and control them.

With regard to dog owners paying council tax to use parks - they do but their dogs don't.