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Original poster

To have ranted at this professional dog-walker?

222 replies

Collaron · 22/06/2018 17:24

Beautiful day here today, went for a picnic and dog-walk with a friend. We were sitting at the picnic table in the woods, ddog under the table waiting for any crumbs or sneaky titbits. A dog-walker passes on the path with a flock of dogs - 7 in all - and one of them, a young spaniel runs over to our table and starts jumping around at me trying to get my sandwich. Dog walker call to the dog 'come here' but it doesn't come. I tell it sternly to 'get down!' I hate dogs jumping up but I was also worried that ddog might get defensive at it (it was obviously quite a young dog)
Dog then climbs on to the seat next to me and tries to snaffle food from the table. I get hold of the dog's harness and pull it back to the ground again saying sternly 'get down!' while glaring at the walker who is just staying put with his flock and calling out 'come here' in a lame way.

Finally the dog runs back to him and i'm turning back to my friend when the man calls out in a sarcastic tone 'okay now? Panic over is it?'
I turned back to him and said 'you should have your dog under control'.
him: He is under control!
me: You called it and it didn't come so it isn't under control is it? You shouldn't be walking so many when you can't control them.
him: oh for god's sake, i'm sick of people like you telling me my job! Your dog's perfect is it?
me: no he's not perfect but he's under control. When i call him he comes back to me!
him: (walking away, calling out) yeah, you're perfect aren't you
me: (shouting after him) you couldn't even apologise!
him: (turning back) why should I apologise? He didn't do anything you stupid woman!
me: He was jumping all over me you stupid git!
him: (walking away again) oh push off!
me: (shouting after him) I wouldn't let you walk my dog, you're not a responsible person!
him: I wouldn't accept your dog you stupid woman!
He walked away still gobbing off but I couldn't hear him any more

If he hadn't come out with the sarky comment I would have left it but I felt goaded to retaliate. Once he was gone I would have forgotten all about it but friend went very quiet and said she wanted to get back home. I apologised for the shouting and she said she was embarrassed and perhaps I had 'anger issues'.

Actually I do have anger issues but in this case I think I was justified?

OP posts:
EssentialHummus · 22/06/2018 20:49

What a fuckwit. And if it was a choc sandwich with extra raisins?

Vicky1990 · 22/06/2018 20:49

Are you saying this dog was not on a leed, but the others were ?.

Original poster
Collaron · 22/06/2018 20:52

None of the dogs were on a lead

OP posts:
IslaBoots · 22/06/2018 20:58

My dog is very well trained. Thank you very much!

4littlebirds · 22/06/2018 21:02

A puppy jumped up at your table when you where eating outside in the woods, it wasn’t a slobbering Rottweiler gatecrashing your Christmas dinner. fairly uneventful in the grand scheme of things and certainly not worthy of a starting a slanging match.

He likely didn’t come over to retrieve the dog, because it would mean 6 other dogs accompanying him, so he tried to recall the dog with voice command.

You’ve admitted that you’re argumentative, it just sounds to me like you’ve just met your match. He’s a plonker for not apologising, but you sound cringe for shouting after someone like that.

crispysausagerolls · 22/06/2018 21:07

He likely didn’t come over to retrieve the dog, because it would mean 6 other dogs accompanying him, so he tried to recall the dog with voice command.

If the dog does not respond to a voice command and the walker knows he has 6 dogs with him and that prevents him from collecting a dog in these circumstances then the dog should be on a bloody lead. I don’t understand how people can think this is fine. I love dogs and I have one but it’s irrelevant if it’s a puppy/young dog/old dog/small or cute dog, OP didn’t want it harassing her and nor should she have to put up with that!

karyatide · 22/06/2018 21:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Gretagumbo · 22/06/2018 21:11

Calm down dear

IslaBoots · 22/06/2018 21:12

If I was sitting at a picnic table and a dog started climbing up and trying to steal food then I would be most pissed off.

Yes. So would I and probably most people. However, I didn't have you down as having a hissy fit over a puppy doing what puppies do Wolfiefan.

We have all agreed the dog walker should have had control. He didn't. It's not the end of the world. I see worst than this every single day when I'm walking my dog.

I would post videos of my dog in day care running and having fun with the rest of the pack. But it really isn't worth my time. OP has stated she loves a good argument and seems the sort to leave a negative review on my day care provider ( their name is on the videos). They are excellent and don't deserve contempt from people who just want to cause trouble for dog owners, dog walkers and dog day care providers.

I have said what I would do. That's all. I CBA with these dog hating threads any longer...

DrawingLife · 22/06/2018 21:12

Good

I can't believe you think it's unreasonable to not want a strange dog all over one's food, and to take measures to keep it away. Especially when OP clearly knows how to handle dogs.

It would have been a non-event and not worth a post if not for the reaction of the dog walker. If he'd reacted properly and just called an apology we likely wouldn't be reading this post. An exchange like that is pretty upsetting, I'd be livid.
He was clearly in the wrong by not controlling the dog in the first place. An untrained puppy should be on the lead when you have several other dogs to look after. Obvious really.

crispysausagerolls · 22/06/2018 21:18

I would post videos of my dog in day care running and having fun with the rest of the pack

I don’t understand how your dog is in the least bit relevant since he is trained and therefore has recall and therefore wouldn’t be in this situation!

Everyone saying OP is overreacting:

When my dog was a puppy, I made the mistake of letting him off-lead before his recall was 100%. It was maybe 80% and his first picnic season. He ran over to some adult’s picnic and they were SCREAMING “FUCK OFF” at him repeatedly. THAT is an overreaction, yelling fuck off at a dog. If they had pushed him away or said get off or get down as OP said, it would have been completely reasonable. I was in the wrong for letting him run off like that. They acted like complete arseholes and I don’t think they were nice people but lesson learnt and he didn’t go off lead around others until he was better trained.

MrsTorrence · 22/06/2018 21:36

If you don’t have time to walk your own dog - don’t get one!

Hey guess what? Circumstances can and do change ya know?

MrsTorrence · 22/06/2018 21:39

I think you sound like a miserable old dog.

Bit rude Shock

JuliaJaynes9 · 22/06/2018 21:40

It’s in force in parts of the city here but there’s a local dog walker who walks 12 dogs at a time
Anyone who sees this sort of thing should take photos and send it to the local council

ZibbidooZibbidooZibbidoo · 22/06/2018 21:44

I’m always driving when i pass her so can’t stop and take photos. The four dog limit isn’t in force where she walks (different area) but I expect 12 dogs breaks some sort of rules. It’s just ridiculous.

llangennith · 22/06/2018 21:45

This type of behaviour from a man to a women always annoys me because you just know, 100%, that he wouldn’t talk to another man like that for fear of getting thumped whereas a woman is an easy target.

Vicky1990 · 22/06/2018 21:59

So all the dogs were off the leed.
As far as I know dogs have to be on a leed in a public area, is that correct.?

Original poster
Collaron · 22/06/2018 22:09

Not correct, no.

OP posts:
ZibbidooZibbidooZibbidoo · 22/06/2018 22:17

They have to be under control which means returning when called. If they fail to return they aren’t under control.

Wolfiefan · 22/06/2018 22:24

@IslaBoots it wasn't a puppy.
And even if it was it needs to be kept under control. It can't leap up at strangers and try and steal food. If it doesn't have recall and the walker can't access a secure area then it has to stay on a lead or a longline and harness.
The law says dogs must be under control. This wasn't.

IslaBoots · 22/06/2018 22:46

IslaBoots it wasn't a puppy.
And even if it was it needs to be kept under control. It can't leap up at strangers and try and steal food. If it doesn't have recall and the walker can't access a secure area then it has to stay on a lead or a longline and harness.
The law says dogs must be under control. This wasn't.

OP described the dog as a ' young dog'. A young dog is a puppy is it not? If it was a bog standard dog I'm sure OP would have described it as a 'dog'.

I guess we will never know if if the ' out of control' dog was a dog or a puppy or whether the bloke was a dog walker, or whether the dogs were all his or whether he was a dog walker and the ' young dog' was his... Who knows? We only have the OP's account.

My 22 month old joins a day care 'pack' once a week. They are not allowed to walk with the big dogs until they are 18 months old. My puppy goes to day care where the care is much less vigorously active - obviously!

OP seems to be stating that 6 out of 7 dogs are dogs but number 7 is a 'young dog'. Dogs over 12 months look like dogs - sorry!
We only have OP's sketchy account to go on.

I have never said it's ok for a dog to not be under control. I work hard on training my dogs. My 14 week old has better recall than some dogs I come across daily! But this story is a non entity... I'm sure any dog owner has come across much worse than a puppy- sorry - ' young dog' jumping up and begging for food...

Tbh I seriously thought your first instinct would have been to stop the dog/puppy making a nuisance of itself, especially as it was wearing a harness. I was wrong. I apologise

Vicky1990 · 22/06/2018 22:51

You could try to contact your local council dog warden for advice.
This sounds a potentially very dangerous situation, there is no way that these dogs were under proper control.
Please do something about it before a child is mauled by this pack of dogs.

GabsAlot · 22/06/2018 22:53

exactly the point if they dont respond to commands they shoujld be on a lead

is he going tostart running round after 6 dogs because he cant be bothered to control them?

Original poster
Collaron · 22/06/2018 22:56

It was a flock of dogs Vicky..

OP posts:
Vicky1990 · 22/06/2018 22:56

Google. Controlling your dog in public.
Also different areas have by laws regarding dogs.

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