To be upset at a woman kicking my friendly 4 month old golden retriever?

[Marshmallowpops]

I am so upset. I've just come back from a walk with my puppy. She's a lovely friendly golden retriever. I've been letting her off leash in the local park as the trainer said it's best to do it early. She is really friendly and loves to play with other dogs- she often meets them all for a play date in the park in the morning- there are always lots of dogs off leash in this park. Normally when there aren't other dogs she trots along beside me, sometimes going off to sniff but coming back when called. She's not too bothered about people but will say hello and sit down (not jump up) as she is trained to do. Today it was dark at 8pm and I let her off as normal, she just trots along and comes back when called. But today she saw two women, one with a baby in a carrier) so went over to say hello (she's normally not bothered but today was a little hyper), but she just trotted over like she does, really gently and not aggressive at all. I said to the woman 'don't worry she won't jump up she'll just sit down and say hello', but before my puppy had even reached the woman, the woman started kicking her away! I could understand if the dog seemed aggressive but she's the sweetest thing. She kicked her repeatedly, my puppy came back to me, I put her on the lead, and the other woman started having a go at me asking if I thought it was acceptable for my dog to go over and attack her baby. She was smoking a cigarette. I wanted to say that is going to cause more harm to the baby than my dog ever would but I didn't. I know of course that as a mother you are very protective of your baby but I just would never attack a friendly dog. Maybe they've had bad experiences in the past. I'm just very upset. I know not everyone likes dogs but that park is so dog busy that I thought everyone was used to it by now. I think I'll keep her on a lead at night until she's really 100% with recall. She's about 90% now. So I know there will be people who say I'm in the wrong letting her off but if she had an aggressive bone in her body I would never let her off.

Dd was bitten in the face when she was 18 months old by a young dog whose owner had just told us how friendly he was. Yabu, op.

Well now I would not have kicked a puppy (or indeed any dog) but there is nothing I hate more than being in the park and a dog bounding over to us for the owner to be shouting from a fair way back "not to worry he is friendly".

I do not care. I do not like dogs. I would not kick one but I do not like them. But DD can and has panicked when a dog bigger than her is jumping up all around her, and no amount of telling her to stand still is going to stop her mid panic. No matter how much the owner shouts at her to stop, as their "friendly" dog is "only playing."

But anyway, you have done a lovely jog paining your friendly cute harmless puppy and the evil kicking smoking mother.

You need to stop your dog from going over to strangers and strange dogs, because 1. you do not know how they will react and 2. because you do not know how they will react to a dog you are allowing to go up to people, you are not protecting your dog.

I hate dogs running up to me, even the cute friendly ones! You never know if they are going to jump up leaving mud all over your legs or try and lick your hands or something. I don't want to have physical contact with random dogs in the park thanks! I wouldn't kick it but I would glare at the owner!

I would imagine the OP is at the emergency vet because if someone has really repeatedly kicked a 4 month old puppy it will be injured . I reckon that if anything actually happened the woman was just shooing it with her foot , which she is entitled to do if it is bothering her . I also doubt a 4 month old pup has good enough recall to be off lead in the dark , surely it will only have been going out for walks for 4/5 weeks .

I hate it when dog owners say to me “don’t worry, my dog is friendly” because it’s beside the point. I’m allergic to dog hair so don’t want them anywhere near me and, while my kids aren’t afraid of dogs in general, they don’t like it if a dog of any size jumps up at them. People not wanting to be around your dog is about them and their reasons, not about how adorable you find your dog.

Gosh yeah, a 4 month old retriever is quite big.

I guess, in the dark, the woman may not have known it was a puppy.

That dog on the loo roll (earlier in the thread) looks about 8 weeks old. Much different to a 4 month old.

@ChardonnaysPrettySister

Anyone kicking it is a heartless soulless monster.

It's a bit nasty to boot a 4 month old puppy (OBVS!) but a 4 month old retriever would have looked much bigger than many other 4 month old puppies, and it was dark, and she had her baby with her.

I would risk being a 'heartless, soulless monster' to protect my baby!

What an interesting OP.

It is such an interesting story. Dog, off lead, woman with baby.

A four-month-old golden retriever is not a "tiny puppy".

I doubt the woman was kicking it out of spite – she was protecting her baby. Having seen many, many, many babies and toddlers with horrible injuries as a result of bites from dogs of ALL sizes and breeds, I would be similarly defensive if a dog ran up to me and my baby in the park.

In the near future I would stick to quieter areas for off-lead walks/training.

I love golden retrievers and would have given your puppy a big cuddle! However not all people can 'read' dogs—my ex thought that any dog that ran towards him was going to attack, even if it was wearing a friendly goofy face and wagging its tail furiously.
I feel very sorry for people who think that way but I would keep my dog away from them for his own safety.

It's a puppy, ffs, not Godzilla in a lead.

Bonkers.

Not everyone likes dogs. Fact. I wouldn’t kick a dog but can and get very annoyed st being jumped up at. I have no choice when they career up to me off the lead.

She was smoking a cigarette

Believable until this point OP

You need to stop your dog from going over to strangers and strange dogs, because 1. you do not know how they will react and 2. because you do not know how they will react to a dog you are allowing to go up to people, you are not protecting your dog.

THIS ^

It is the OP's fault her dog was 'kicked.' (If that even happened.)

Where has the OP gone by the way???

I love excitable dogs as much as love aloof cats by not everyone loves either. Perhaps at 8pm in the dark you thought you wouldn’t encounter too much distraction for your pup. Lesson learnt. My cat was recently attacked by a dog. I hope your pup is ok

A four-month-old golden retriever is not a "tiny puppy".

I doubt the woman was kicking it out of spite – she was protecting her baby. Having seen many, many, many babies and toddlers with horrible injuries as a result of bites from dogs of ALL sizes and breeds, I would be similarly defensive if a dog ran up to me and my baby in the park.

This ^

Are you not getting this @CharnonnaysPrettySister ???

Of course she didn't repeatedly kick it! Did it just stand there and let her? Or did a woman carrying a baby in a sling chase after a dog in the dark just to put the boot in properly? I think it was likely as others have said that she was actually pushing it away with her foot.

" but before my puppy had even reached the woman, the woman started kicking her away!"

So she wasn't kicking your dog?

Some things not adding up!

Where are you @MarshMallowPops?

I don't like dogs but I'd never kick one. I might stick my foot out though to stop it jumping up near me.

A 4 month golden retriever looks quite large according to every picture/video on the internet.
I don't like dogs. I can abide them, but I don't like them sniffing me or licking me. They can be scary when they bound up. If I had a little tiny baby I would probably lose it too.
YABU.

As an aside - great work for such a well-rounded OP - it really does have everything! Have you been practicing?

And here we go....

I would be very unhappy if a dog came bounding up to me, friendly or not. I really dislike dogs and find them quite scary. I might well kick out in panic, trying to make it go away. Dog owners need to make sure their dogs do not approach people who don't want to be near their dogs.

A similar thing happened to us the first time we took our puppy out off the lead. We were walking in the New Forest in a very open area, popular with dog walkers, when a family came walking towards us. Puppy ran over, tail wagging and not barking, but the woman absolutely freaked out shouting that the dog should be on a lead (in the middle of the Forest??).

YABU. I love my dog to pieces and think he's the sweetest, cutest dog that everybody should love. However, I have a friend who is literally terrified of dogs and will cross the road of she sees one - even if it's on a lead. All from one bad experience in the past. Her own adult dd has got a golden retriever puppy but she's still terrified. So, I see both sides.

Ive got a bouncy boxer puppy. I think (so far) she wouldn't hurt a fly but I would never ever let my in training dog run up to a random stranger with an unusual (to my dog) parcel in her arms. Especially in the dark. I still dont trust her with my little grandkids not to jump up. See, shes a puppy even if she doesn't look like one.
Have some respect - not everyone loves and trusts your dog as you do.