To think if you don’t like dogs, don’t walk this route?

[YippeeKayakOtherBuckets]

I’ve just been told off, aggressively, for having my dogs off lead.

We walk to school down a woodland path that is used by literally dozens of dog walkers, I counted fifteen other dog owners just on this walk, the vast majority off lead. There is nowhere on the length of the path that can’t be easily reached by a faster route, the path runs a winding way alongside a quiet road with a wide path.

Anyway, dogs, joggers and the odd cyclist all usually use the route along with pedestrians and it’s generally accepted that you’ll meet several dogs on the way. This woman, who I’ve not seen before, got right in my face and said ‘put your dogs on a lead, I don’t like dogs’.

I’m terrible at confrontation so just apologised and moved on.

But it’s really rattled me. Am I being unreasonable? One of mine is a bouncy 4month old lab, he’s well trained and doesn’t approach people or dogs unless I let him, but he is, as I say, bouncy and large so that might be why she picked on me and not the other dozen people she must have passed.

If I see her again (and have the nerve) wibu to suggest that she walks the other way round?

YABU to think that she shouldn’t walk there. It’s a public space.

But it sounds as tho you haven’t done anything wrong either. Just suck it up and move on.

We don’t all need to like each other’s choices.

It doesn't matter that it was bouncy if the dog didn't even go near the woman! She was in the wrong, you had control of your dogs and they didn't bother her so YANBU

I love dogs, but it sounds like he should be on a lead if this path is also used by joggers/cyclists/people on the school run.

If children are walking to school ar the same time I think yAbu.

I am not a dog fan, and I can't count the number of times we've encountered badly behaved dogs and shitty owners when we've been out - BUT here YANBU.

You did nothing wrong.

Your dog did not approach this woman; she singled you out. If you're sure your dogs have good recall, then keep them off the lead.

If she just wanted your dogs on a lead 'because she doesn't like dogs' then she is BU.

In the country park near to my parents' there is a clearly labelled 'dog walk' it meanders through the woods to a big open meadow, there are dog bins every five minutes and it heads in the opposite direction from the lakes, walking routes (also clearly marked) and family picnic and play area. My dad walks their Labrador there often, he's also well trained with good recall, but even at twelve isn't a plodder he likes a little nose in the bushes etc, several times the same woman has complained loudly about 'all of these people with their menacing dogs off lead, it should be illegal', she doesn't have a dog, clearly doesn't like them and the specified dog route goes nowhere do she can't be using it as a cut through, I think some people make choices to give themselves something to moan about!

If he didn’t go near her then she was unreasonable.

If he was bounding off lead but has perfect recall then you don’t have a problem 😊

YANBU If the dog was just bouncing about in a general way and not causing her any trouble. She should use a route not used by dog walkers if she doesn't like them.

I don't like being "told off" either and I have a few one line responses lined up to uttter when situations like this arise.

When I read threads like this, I often think it’s a shame that there isn’t some universal signal for I like/do not like strange dogs coming up to say hello.

Plenty of adults and children would be very happy to have a quick stroke of a lab puppy.

Maybe we should all start nodding or shaking our heads to try and start a trend.

Yabu. Keep your dog on a lead.

A dog needs to be under control when in a public space, if you are 100% confident he will come to you when called, then he doesn't need to be on a lead as he is under control.

You can never be 100% certain to be honest. Dogs are animals, they have a brain, they aren't robots. Most of the time if well trained yeah they will comply. But what if they get a scare or feel threatened? Might not be so willing then.

Not totally the same, but I have a horse. He hates dogs after being chased by one. I can normally control him to an extent if he sees a dog, but he will on occasion take offence and go for the dog. But he is an animal and will defend himself if he feels threatened, like a dog will.

When I am Queen no dogs will be allowed off the lead. I think they cause unnecessary disruption.

This is Mumsnet so you’ll be very much in the wrong for even owning a dog, let alone daring to have one off the lead but I agree with you totally. Dogs need some time to run and sniff off lead and an enclosed piece of woodland which can be easily avoided by people who don’t like dogs is ideal.
Where I live we have a similar place, a wide strip of woodland and heath bordered on one side by a shallow river and on the other by a hedge and then a wide pavement and cycle path. Pretty much every dog owner in the area takes their dogs there and it is fabulous for socialising young dogs. I got screamed at one day by a chap on a mountain bike who hurtled up behind us and nearly ran over one of the dogs. Quite why he couldn’t use the cycle path with all the other cyclists I don’t know.
I’m always intrigued though by the people on these threads who say that dogs should only ever be off-lead in ‘dog parks’. I’ve never seen a park that’s solely for dogs. I live fairly rurally so maybe this is something that you get in big cities but there’s certainly nothing like that around here.

I want to think you're not a selfish person, but "everybody I annoy can just not walk this route" really doesn't help your case... You don't come across really good...

What does the law say? If it says dogs on a leash, then do that without people having to waste their time explaining to you how not to be an annoyance to the others. If the law says it's OK to have a dog not on a leash, just tell people it's legal and ignore them

Yabu.

I don’t like dogs and I avoid running on some lovely footpaths because owners let dogs off the lead which makes me nervous. Dog owners don’t seem to get that I find it very stressful to have dogs chasing me. The owners may be happy in the belief that their dog won’t bite me but I don’t know the dog. Telling me the dog is only being friendly whilst I stop and flail my arms up in obvious worry does not help. The amount of times I’ve had a dog try to jump up on me or chase me and even bite my leg has meant I’m too scared to run on footpaths. It’s not the dogs that annoy me, it’s the owners for letting them off the lead. The dogs think it’s great fun trying to chase me and bark at me and try to jump on me but it makes me incredibly scared and anxious. If you’re in a situation where you couldn’t catch your dog to stop them in a public place imo yabu.

YANBU. If the woman has an irrational fear of dogs she should avoid areas known to have a high concentration of dogs. Your dog was under control. You and your dog did nothing wrong.

^I agree

If you want your dog to run and sniff off lead then I think you need to do it somewhere more secure and quiet. I have a bouncy puppy and I know full well he needs a run about, so we go to a local secure field and he can run around in there for a bit. I wouldn't have him off-lead around bikes or small children because a) he's excitable and prone to jumping and b) if he got in the way and a cyclist needed to swerve he could get injured or spooked.

I wouldn't have a puppy off-lead in the scenario you describe. Why not use it as an opportunity to train good heel work?

YABU. I like dogs but bouncy dogs off the lead make me feel uncomfortable. We live beside a lovely park with a public path through the woods and our walks are always ruined by dogs bouncing up to DS or running out of bushes/round corners and scaring him.

Just carry on as you always have and have a clever comeback ready for her next time.

the anti dog posters are out in force already I see.

The fact here is that there are alternative routes out there. If this was the only route then the woman might be justified in being annoyed that the only route to where she was going was beset by off-lead dogs, but this isn’t the only route. If she dislikes dogs that much and there is a route she could take which would enable her to avoid dogs off lead then she has the option to take that route. Going up to someone and demanding they put their dog on a lead when she has alternatives available to her is unreasonable.

And whether the OP should/shouldn’t have her dog off lead is not under discussion here.

The woman was unreasonable given she chose to use that route and is then using her dislike of dogs as a reason to be aggressive to others.

People should be free to walk along any public footpath and not have to worry about being jumped on by a dog. However if your dog did not touch her and was a gentle breed I think it is ok for it to be off the lead.

I was bitten by someone's dog last year when walking on a National Trust path and it was a most unpleasant experience. That dog was actually on a lead. Completely unprovoked it nipped my leg drawing blood. On another occasion I was walking down a country lane and a very aggressive dog came after me barking loudly and it was a terrifying experience - it was not on a walk but the owner had let it roam freely outside the property. Maybe the person you encountered had had these types of experience in the past and that has put her off all dogs.

If I saw a retriever or Labrador off a lead on a walk I would feel very calm as I have never met an aggressive one. I am more wary of finding other breeds of dog on their own without the owner in sight.

Op fwiw YANBU

however, your stress at the confrontation may pale against a phobia about dogs so the lady may not have been feeling rational and behaving

I have a dog, and always keep her on a lead,unless on the beach or in a field,i hate coming face to face with dogs off leads,
Although i have a dog myself i am very nervous of off lead dogs coming near my dog, out on a walk, and if i was on a path where other people are walking i would keep her on a lead

Dog owner here and I think YABU. I think all dogs should be kept on leads in busy public areas, I only ever let mine off when I’m walking in fields where there are no other people (dogs need a run) but never where there are people walking, running and lots of other dogs. I respect that some people don’t like dogs and that my dog can be a bit bouncy. Also I respect that other dogs don’t like being approached by a dog off the lead (when they are on the lead).

But OP's dog wasn't jumping on her that's the whole point, of course OP would have been unreasonable if her dogs were to jump or chase after anyone but they didn't so this woman took offence just because there were dogs around! she needs to get a grip

And seeing that we are telling stories about horrible dogs, I was out when it was getting dark the other day, my dog can get spooked by boisterous children and there were three of them ahead of me, I had to get past them to get back home, so I took a wide berth around them and said to one of the parents that he is a bit nervous so I will go around you. What do the kids do? The screech and run towards him! I had to put my body between dog and children and back away. The were not that young either between 6-9 I would say