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.

In case anyone is wondering This is what a 4 month old golden retriever looks like. (Cute!)

I love dogs and goldies are my favourite but it was dark and the lady had a baby so I can see why she panicked.

Is your dog ok, op?

They're are some delightful people on here this evening.

I love a Golden Retrievers, they are gorgeous dogs. I would have been upset but I know that people are scared or just don’t like dogs.

Saw this doing the rounds the other day.

I adore dogs , really I do. I'm like a kid jn a sweetshop with dogwalkers. But my son is nervous. It took us a long time to get him used to dogs again after a dog went for him. He will give them a fuss now but he's also autistic and hates the thought (and action) of a dog licking him. I also have a friend who has a rescue dog who is the sweetest little thing but is also absolutely terrified of other dogs.
You also run the risk of another dog being not to kind to yours. I watched a poor man tryting to train his two dogs on the leash, get ever so frustrated with a "it's okay they're just friendly" tagline. It wasn't hers he was worried about, it was his and that jovial off leash with shit call back dogowner and dog just undone all that dogowners hard work in two minutes.

OP all dogs have the potential to turn, it's called instinct, I'm sure your Lab is lovely but maybe take her earlier when no one's going to be around to practice the recall.

So suddenly a mother protecting her baby against a perceived threat is a bitch who deserves this level of aggression from irresponsible dog owners? If the animal hadn’t approached her, it wouldn’t have been kicked out at. The owner is entirely to blame. The more dog owners refuse responsibility, the more draconian the laws involving dogs are going to become.

I’d have followed the Bitch out the park filming her and calling the police as I went. It’s not against any law to have a puppy off lead in a public park.

The law would be on the side of the kicker, though. It's not against the law to have a puppy off a lead - but the Dangerous Dogs Act requires the dog to be under close control. Which it clearly wasn't. And, as a pp pointed out, just the fact that she felt threatened by a an off lead dog would mean that the law would back her up.

I was walking through a churchyard the other day and a little dog, a terrier I think, came tearing up to me barking and yapping, tail wagging. I stopped completely, only to hear someone call out 'oh he's just friendly, ignore him'. She did nothing at all, I was completely still and he jumped up at me, barking and covered me in mud. I pushed him off me with my hand, she started yelling at me for hurting him. Which I hadn't done, clearly as he was still jumping up at me and still barking.

I called to her to call the dog off me, she ignored me. I called her again and told her the dog needed to be called away, she just said he was being friendly. I told her to call it back or I would report her for having an uncontrolled dog and she called me all sorts of names, and still did nothing. At this point the dog was bouncing up so high it was getting near my face (yes I'm a shortarse). He was digging his claws in me when jumping and his face was getting very close to mine so I pushed him with my hands again and shoved him away. Luckily he went that time - if he hadn't, I would have kicked him. I was scratched, covered in mud and starting to honestly think he was going to bite me whilst the stupid owner just stood there.

The next time I see that dog, or any other dog that looks similar in that location - if he comes running up to me I will probably yell at him and if that doesn't stop, I will kick. Not hard, and not intending to hurt, but enough to stop him before he does it again. It isn't his fault he has such a bad owner but it isn't mine either and I was scratched and scared that he was going to bite. If people trained their dogs so they came back when called, then others wouldn't be so scared.

OP - sorry you were upset but it sounds like you learned the hard way that your precious little doggy is not well trained enough yet to be let out off the lead in public.

Your dog is a 4 month old hyper puppy, you have no idea of its true temperament yet so it should be no where near a baby. YABU for putting your pup in a situation like that.

imaddictedtomn the dog that went for my DS was a Labrador!

So the baby wearing woman not being totally unreasonable in not wanting to be approached by the dog with 90% recall.

Give it a few more years, it will be illegal to have a dog off the lead in a public park.

Did she actually skrike the dog or not? Or did she just make a kicking gesture towards the dog to make sure it didn't come any closer? I have a feeling it was the latter.

As a mother of a young baby, I would do anything to protect my baby if a strange dog that I've never met came charging at us. In that split second my only thought would be to make sure the dog didn't get to close to my baby.

YABU for not having it on a lead if you can't control it in a public area with other people around.

I’d have followed the Bitch out the park filming her and calling the police as I went. It’s not against any law to have a puppy off lead in a public park.

Good Lord this escalated quickly.

Dog owners need to be in control of their animal at all times when there are other people around. It is arrogant to assume everyone else welcomes your dog running at them/jumping up etc, no matter the age of it or how friendly YOU think it is. Some are terrified, some may be allergic, some just do not want it. Why is that hard to understand?

I'm sorry she hurt your dog but I have to at that I'm sick of people letting their dogs lollop up to me and my kids with the good ol' call of "They're only friendly!" too. I have severe allergies to dogs and their dander and saliva can make me very ill. Both of my children are now very wary of dogs too seeing as so many dog owners think it's ok to have their dogs off lead galloping up to them. My husband's family used to rescue dogs and even as very experienced dog handlers they always had their dogs on long leads in public places as they said that even if your dog isn't unpredictable other dogs can be. Sorry but not everybody wants your dog anywhere near them.

As a dog owner (and mine is a doberman) YABU. Regardleas of age you should not let your dog off lead unless they have a solid recall. If they’re a puppy get a 12ft training lead and use that until he comes back every time.
I get sick of dogs bounding over to us and the owner shouting “oh he’s friendly”. My dog can be a grumpy git at times and really does not like others pestering him/invaiding his space.

I'm not a dog lover. But I wouldn't kick a 4 month old dog. Because I'm not a bully. All these precious people speaking as if a 4 month old puppy is a danger - how on earth do you go out and move around if a puppy terrifies you?! Don't derail thread by coming up with dog horror stories that do not involve a less than 6 months old puppy. Wrong is wrong. Sorry this happened OP and I do hope your dog is ok. Retractable lead for now I think, some horrid people out there will seek any excuse to hurt animals, and justify it too.

Quelle surprise. Op's gone. That's come as a huge shock after reading the op.

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.

Seriously? Many, many, many?? Where the hell do you live?!

Well, why the fuck didn't you recall your hyper dog when it went bounding in the direction of a mother and small baby? Is it that you couldn't be arsed, and so were irresponsible? Or was it that you let your dog loose with poor recall, which is also irresponsible.

I am sorry that your dog has had to pay for your irresponsibility. I am, however, very glad that the baby didn't have to!

I'm just going to throw this out there... I love animals and two weeks ago I was out walking with my husband who had our toddler on his back and our 12 week old baby in my stretchy wrap. A boarder collie came racing up to me and jumped up and knocked me over backwards. Thankfully my baby was okay and I was just a little bruised but I was petrified of the damage it 'could' have caused. I adore Collies but had no idea how heavy they are!!! I was shaking and crying uncontrollably and it was just awful. It was a narrow-ish path with a steep verge and I can't bear to think what would have happened if I'd have fallen the wrong way. With that said... I still don't think I would have kicked a dog. Maybe a good shove or put my foot out to deter it or something. Please keep your dog on the lead OP (at least on one of those long line ones) until he sits or comes back when called. For everyone's sake, including his. I'm sure he's gorgeous and lovely but you can never be too careful.

Nobody should kick a dog.

But keep your bloody dog on a bloody lead. I don’t care how cute and friendly you think your (untrained) puppy is, to my daughter it is a fierce creature which is a risk to her. This is largely because she was sent flying out of her walking frame by a small “just being friendly” dog when she was little.

People are afraid of dogs. Your dog has no business running up to anyone. Be a responsible dog owner and keep it on a lead when there are people about.

SWBU to kick the puppy

But YWBU to have a puppy you describe as hyper off lead in the dark without perfect recall. Yes perfect recall takes practice, but if she's hyper today anyway she's not going to be very responsive so should be kept on the lead.

What was she doing with a baby out at 8pm on a cold and damp November night? Maybe her fag fix was more important than keeping the baby away from cold, smoggy winter air.

I hate it when dog owners say hes just saying hello. I dont want to say hello to your smelly filthbag.

I had a dog run up to me, jumping up, growling and snapping while I had DS in the sling. DS was screaming (hence the walk, I was trying to get him to sleep) and the sodding owner shouted at ME, saying DS’s crying was upsetting her dog. She had trouble dragging him away from us. It was pretty scary.

If your dog can’t deal with ambient noise without going berserk (and in a city park in summer, that definitely includes babies), keep them muzzled and on a short lead.