To have my dog and child 'unrestrained' on this walk?

[PatterPitter]

For about five years now, I've walked my dog and small children down a path to get to the local park from our house and never before have had a problem. However, a man has taken offence and I'd like to ask if I'm being unreasonable - I'm prepared to be told if I am.

The path is for shared usage between pedestrians and cyclists, though the majority of the time it's just pedestrians. I usually have my child(ren) in a pushchair but sometimes they walk. The path is straight so I can see cyclists coming and get my child to move before they are close. My dog is often off her lead and has excellent recall.

Last week, my dog was on her lead but my 2 year old was walking and a cyclist screeched to a halt behind us and started having a go at me, telling me I was breaking the highway code by walking on a cycle path and that my child should be restrained in a pushchair so she doesn't endanger cyclists who may swerve to avoid her!

I said that if he'd said excuse me, or had a bell, we'd have moved in plenty of time and that the path is for shared usage so both parties have to respect one another. He was getting more and more irate so I walked away. Tonight I was walking there again and my DD was in her pushchair but my dog was off her lead. The same man screeched up behind me and began having a go at me again, telling me I'm breaking the law by having my dog off her lead and that she's endangering cyclists.

Again, I say that the path is for shared usage and that cyclists don't have priority and so he should have and use a bell, or manners, and that I would then call my dog to heel to make way for him. He starts shouting at me that I'm breaking the law and to put her lead on immediately, making both my 2 year old and 3 month old cry. My dog is sat by my side without me having had to ask her.

I tell him that I'm not prepared to stand there and be shouted at and tell my dog to walk on. He tries to take her lead from my hand and my dog begins to bark at him and he starts ranting 'see! It's not only out of control, but aggressive too!' and saying he'll be reporting me to the authorities.

[rwalker]

i commute on a cycle track every day people don't care and let there dogs wander all over them. Not on a lead and make a half arsed effort to call them over when they see you. If you ping your bell you get abuse.
dogs should always be on a lead in public areas. Seen 2 people been taken clean off there bikes by out of control dogs .

[SabineUndine]

I hike in the Home Counties a lot on towpaths that are for shared use and cyclists with this attitude are all too common.

[lovemylover]

It is illegal for dogs to be off leads in public places,

[Wolfiefan]

No it isn't love. Not all public places.

[StatelessPrincess]

True battleax

[rightsaidfrederickII]

@battleax I'm just picturing you with a squeezy tub of mustard, ready to squeeze in the direction of a potential mugger

@lovemylover No it's not. It is on the roads (NB canal paths aren't roads) and where there are bylaws in place, but not in the vast majority of public places such as parks.

[ButchyRestingFace]

Could you borrow a larger dog?

Or borrow a big, lugging weightlifting type with parallel facial scars and the obligatory staffie called Ripper?

(not an offensive weapon as far as I know)

[Notthemessiah]

Having been knocked off twice by dogs on shared cycle\pedestrian paths I am fairy sympathetic to the view that all dogs should be on leads in these areas, regardless of how excellent you think your dogs recall is. That is of course no excuse for this man to be so confrontational or aggressive about it and it would worry me particularly that he tried to grab your lead. My suggestion - keep your dog on a lead (because it's safer for everyone anyway) and film and report this man if he confronts you again.

[PatterPitter]

I feel like that's giving in to his bullying behaviour though, messiah.

[Amme1234]

I'd be wary, he sounds horrid and grabbing at the lead could be him trying to goad your dog into attacking and that definitely wouldn't end well.

[PatterPitter]

If it's not the dog, it'll be my child he's having a go at me about. I'm not prepared to tell her she must go in her pushchair because otherwise the rude man will get angry again.

[Owletterocks]

That cyclist was ridiculous. Surely if he was coming up behind you he should have slowed down. I ride regularly on a shared path and take it that everyone has an equal right to be there. If I saw a family and dog I would slow down and ring my bell. Hopefully they will get out of the way but worst case I can stop. I don't understand cyclists who wil race along and hope people move last minute and then get annoyed because they have to break sharply. Same as aggressive drivers, slow down so you are able to stop and there is no issue. Obviously different if the dog has poor recall or on a bendy path

[Battleax]

right

[MelonKnee]

On this particular point of having your dog on the lead on this path, I agree with messiah Although I'd suggest it at any time because it's a shared space with cyclists and dogs by nature are 'follow that scent' explorers so their route up a path is often going from side to side.

[PovertyPain]

Why the hell should the op keep her dog on a lead, just to appease some wanker cyclists that feel they have more right to the path than she and her dog does? If a dog is under control and there are no rules against it, then a dog will benefit much more from being off lead. I really think you should report the fucker, OP, in case he does carry out his threat to report your poor dog.

[Notthemessiah]

He’s totally out of line in the way he’s behaving and almost certainly wrong about it being against the law but that shouldn’t mean you keep your dog off the lead just to make a point when it’s the safe thing to do (for your dog and other, decent, cyclists). He’s the arsehole - you can be happy knowing you’re the better person.

[Notthemessiah]

PovertyPain - not all cyclists are wankers and as I’ve already said, I’ve been knocked off twice by dogs who their owners assured me had never done anything like that before. Thankfully I was going slowly as I don’t zoom up behind and round people (with dogs or not) but I still have the scars from the pavement burns. Keep your dogs on leads not because of the wankers but because of the majority of normal, responsible cyclists (and your dogs own safety).

[Nanny0gg]

Is your dog likely to bite him if he gets even more aggressive?

Because he will stitch you up well and truly if that happens.

I'd ring the police and tell them what's happened and ask their advice , therefore pre-empting any more issues.

[naturalnursery]

In many areas of the UK it IS illegal for dogs to be off the lead (excellent recall or not) on a shared cycle/ pedestrian path.

Depends if the 2005 legislation has been enacted.

He may have been out of order (I know I'd not grab for a lead) but probably you are the 29th person he's had to stop for today.

[naturalnursery]

(As an aside I've been attacked by "friendly" dogs off leads on shared paths 5 times this year when cycling. Broken skin through jeans on 3 of those occasions so it IS a real problem for cyclists dog owners won't control their dogs. )

[Ollivander84]

He's being ridiculous. I regularly ride my horse over an area where there are mountain bikers, walkers, children, dogs off lead etc etc
Dog walkers generally panic to get them on the lead, I do say don't worry as my horse is very very used to dogs. Cyclists ring their bell and shout hello, walkers/children we move over for
This is all on a path that isn't even wide enough for two horses to be side by side. Nobody has ever had an issue. Cyclists have occasionally slowed and said "twenty more bikes behind me" to warn us. Common courtesy between everyone. If your dog is aggressive with horses/cyclists and they have shit recall then I get keeping on a lead but if it's one that meanders in the grass half asleep...

Car drivers on the other hand

[Atenco]

Is your dog likely to bite him if he gets even more aggressive?

Good point, NannyOg. I'm sure even a placid well-trained dog has its limits

[Chrys2017]

Keep the dog on the lead. He's clearly a twat and could easily make up a story claiming your dog was aggressive to him and before you know it you'll have a dog in quarantine for six months, or worse. Or he might deliberately provoke a collision with the dog (you say he claims to have run into three other dogs in the past)?

[user1497997754]

I would just report him to the police and let them deal with it he sounds unhinged and out to prove a point.

[JonSnowsWife]

Is it one of those paths where half is marked out for the cyclist and the other for pedestrians?

Who is he planning on reporting you to?