To be upset at peoples reaction to the muzzle?

[Doggydoggydoggy]

Just that really.

Dog wears one because she has nipped a few people.

She is not people aggressive.

I had a woman today clearly frightened because she ran near her buggy.
Near as in running past it.
Not barking/lunging/acting aggressive/approaching the child etc.

The woman got really scared at the sight of my dog, recoiled pulling the buggy so my dog did what most dogs will do in response and looked at her and went to approach.

So I called her back to me immediately and put her lead on.
That didn’t stop the woman constantly looking back angrily at me as she was walking ahead.

I really don’t think my dog had done anything that would reasonably make anyone feel frightened.

I can only assume it is the muzzle making the mum think she must be some child mauling demon.

And I find it really upsetting.

I wanted to talk to her and explain that she has the muzzle for nipping dogs and that I was sorry she frightened her but she honestly poses no risk to her child and has no interest in her child.
But her constant looking back and glaring at me made me feel really uncomfortable so I didn’t.

[kaytee87]

Posters seem to be missing the whole point, if a muzzle is on a dog it CAN'T bite whether it wants to or not, so wtf is there to be scared of.

A dog could easily hurt a small child without biting it. My brother for instance was scratched on the face and eye by a dog who jumped on him (playfully) when he was a toddler. He had to go to hospital to have his eye looked at and washed out.

[MacarenaFerreiro]

And I find it really upsetting

newsflash - nobody cares about your dog. It's aggressive. That's why it wears a muzzle. Nobody wants to listen to your explanations about it being a softie really and how it's only nipped other dogs. If you started on with an explanation like that on me in the park I'd think you were unhinged.

Seriously, get over yourself.

[ohdearmymistake]

Posters seem to be missing the whole point, if a muzzle is on a dog it CAN'T bite whether it wants to or not, so wtf is there to be scared of.

At last someone with some common sense and logic

[Junkmail]

I really wouldn’t let this bother you OP. The most important thing is that you are a responsible dog owner and have your dog under control at all times, off lead and on lead. It sounds like you are. Dogs can be in muzzles for a variety of reasons including non-aggressive dogs for example if your dog eats inappropriate things at the park. No one would know this but you and unfortunately people do make assumptions. This really isn’t your problem. Of course some people just don’t like dogs and again it’s not your problem as long as your dog is fully under your control and not bothering anyone. I really would be hard pressed to get worked up over a woman being startled by my dogs in the park. It has happened to me and I’m sure it’ll happen again but we all need to co-exist.

[PortiaCastis]

Dogs should be on leads in public

[TwoleftUggs]

My dog is muzzled because he eats shit. As in actual shit, not just old pizzas he finds on the floor. He’s the worlds softest dog but others don’t know that. I’ve seen a few funny looks having a muzzled dog off leash but I’m not explaining his eating habits to every walker I see so I just call him back if required and ignore the looks. So YAB a little U but I understand the upset!

[TeddybearBaby]

Thank you for putting a muzzle on your dog. You’d be amazed at the amount of people who are court ordered to do this and don’t. You are protecting yourself and your dog. I can imagine it must be upsetting for you to feel like people think your dog is a monster but does it really matter what they think?

I’m nervous of particular breeds - staffs, pitballs etc. The ones that can actually kill you so I would steer clear of them if I could and if one was off a lead I’d want it away from me and my kids. I’ve had it so many times before where the owner shouts ‘they’re safe!!’ And I think I don’t care what your opinion is, I don’t want it around us. I know that they probably think their dog is the best thing since sliced bread but it’s similar to how we feel about our children, not everyone is going to love them and that’s ok I think.

[pudcat]

*choose to have her off lead but muzzled for the following reasons:

• she has good recall
• she is not human aggressive
• she generally doesn’t approach dogs
• while she has nipped she doesn’t chase dogs trying to bite them or lunge or anything so I don’t worry about them being injured by her eg muzzle punching.*

You might know this but I wouldn't and I would be absolutely terrified if your dog approached me. Your dog should be on a lead. YABVVVU

[Pissedoffdotcom]

Yeah i hate this. Not all dogs who wear muzzles are biters...but this thread shows that is the view. Personally i'd just let it go. If you can control your dog - as you clearly can from your OP - you're doing nothing wrong. Let people get offended.

My dog used to be dog reactive thanks to years of being forced to breed. I never muzzled her because i got sick of idiots letting their unmuzzled, off lead dogs terrorise her. She was never off lead tho. Another of my dogs had super recall but was dog reactive - he was always muzzled & released when the place was empty. Despite him coming every single time i called, i got abuse. Usually from people who couldn't control their kid/dog anyway.

[GrassWasGreener]

Lack of education and how people view a muzzle is a problem. The media will show I u the bad report that don't help people's opinions.
The way I see it, you use a muzzle to keep things safe and to prevent a problem. Which is totally the right thing to do. If people were less worried about their dog being branded a savage and made better use of muzzles where appropriate then there would be less instances of biting.

My friend used to muzzle her dog in public, as when she was pregnant he had become protective, few growls etc but never snapped but she thought best if he was muzzled to prevent an issue and keep him and anyone else safe.

It's a good tool if used correctly but many people won't see it that way. Would forget about the women tbh. Continuing doing as you doing. You didn't allow the women to continue to be afraid by you dog, you called it back and popped it on a lead as it's not nice for anyone to be in an uncomfortable situation. But you are taking the right precautions, there was no accident, your dog was well behaved and you did the right thing, so don't worry about it .

Unfortunately the morons around the world that would of allowed their dog to continue to approach the frightened lady, and would of not been responsible about that situation will tar the responsible people with the same brush.

[Redcrayonisthebest]

Yabu. You have a dog that "nips" in other words bites, yet you are allowing it to run off the lead charging up to buggies and taking offence when people are frightened. Dog owners like this make me cross, just because you love your dog doesn't mean that the rest of us have to.

[RedKite89]

YANBU and I would have felt exactly the same as you. Your dog has good recall and was clearly under control, so fine to be off the lead with a muzzle.

If it had lunged towards the pram I could understand her being scared but a muzzled dog trotting past a pram is not threat - muzzles are very effective at stopping bites so not sure what she thought could happen! A muzzled, well controlled dog is safer in a park than an unmuzzled one that won't respond to it's owner...

I muzzle my dog in certain settings because he has a habit of eating gloves/socks he finds on the floor and I know how frustrating it is when people make assumptions. I also often walk a dog that loves babies but hates prams (and bikes, scooters, anything on wheels) so he barks at them and I constantly feel I have to explain he's not dangerous. You're a responsible dog owner and you're doing great.

[PortiaCastis]

Dd was knocked over by someone's mutt when she was 2 and cracked her head on a kerb resulting in a trip to a&e, if you're going to take a dog out keep it on a lead to stop things like this happening.
Yes the owner said oh he's normally so good !!

[Moominfan]

Op you have my sympathy. My dog was reactive so wore a muzzle. People would cross the street to avoid us. Always thought it was odd because if he did become aggressive he couldn't bite with one on. Met a few lovely people who would say hello, they always made my day

[Imonaplane]

The dog did not "charge up to the buggy"! It came back as soon as the OP called it. Also "overpower a defenceless baby"! Mumsnet hysteria at it's best.

[Pissedoffdotcom]

Where on earth does OP say her dog 'charged up to' the buggy?! Fgs this is why people get so irate. All a dog has to do is look at you & everyone makes out it is some slavering, ferocious beast. A dog is allowed to walk past somebody with a buggy, believe it or not. And actually if someone starts flapping around like a stuck budgie rather than letting it continue walking past then the dog is going to stop & look!

[sulflower]

YABU. As others have said if it needs a muzzle it needs to be on a lead, good recall or not.

[Willoway]

Tbh OP when I see an owner that has their dog on a muzzle I think it's rather sensible. You're obviously taking measures to protect your dogs and other peoples dog.

However, I do understand that it would make quite a few people nervous, and that's fine. My dog wears a muzzle because she's very nervous and doesn't like other dogs. She's always on the lead, and it doesn't bother me when people look at her funny. I'm doing what's best for my dog, and that's all that matters.

[NowApparently]

YABU. As the owner of a dog who can appear aggressive when startled by other dogs, there's absolutely no chance I would let my dog off the lead. If your dog needs a muzzle because they have nipped before, your dog should be on a lead so you can maintain control of the situation and steer your dog away if needed.

[Stopwoofing]

i don't agree that well trained dogs should be on leads in public - where are dogs supposed to be able to run? I agree with grass but that said, I can't recall (long term dog owner) seeing a muzzled dog that wasn't on a lead.

I don't think you can worry about the reactions of people who are scared of dogs if your dog did nothing wrong, your dog didn't do anything wrong so best let it go.

It'd be like saying I shouldn't take my daughter to school because she's scared of school. Being scared of a dog that is behaving is just as irrational.

[OurChristmasMiracle]

I think a muzzle is perceived to indicate that the dog is a greater risk of biting. Therefore people by nature are going to steer clear of the dog unless they know it. Not everyone is comfortable around dogs.

Regardless to whether that’s a human or another dog it does act as a warning that they COULD potentially be at greater chance of being bitten.

[Doggydoggydoggy]

I think Dartilla summed up exactly how I feel really.

I know I am being over sensitive.
I know it looks scary.
I just find it upsetting because I love my dog and she isn’t dangerous to people so it is upsetting to me that people would think that.
Although I accept a muzzle does give that impression!

It’s also a little unnerving and scary for people to be giving me angry looks aswell because I then worry that they are going to argue with me.

Also, just to repeat.
My dog did not approach this woman.
My dog was running past this woman ignoring the buggy.

Only when she started reacting did my dog then go to approach.

I assume because the woman was behaving, to the dog, oddly.

And I immediately called her back.

[Pissedoffdotcom]

If a dog has top notch recall it is allowed off the lead. The amount of morons that let their untrained dogs off lead is ridiculous...and they aren't wearing a muzzle so much more of a danger than OPs dog

[daisypond]

YABU.

[Deadbudgie]

It just goes to show people have no idea about dogs. Lots of dogs wear muzzles to stop them eating the crap people have dropped on the floor. Much of which is deadly to dogs. Just because a dog has nipped a few dogs (not sure of the context) wouldn't necessarily mean it was aggressive - it might just be nervous and certainly doesn't mean it would nip a child!

Don't expect any sympathy on MN though OP - 99% of people on here think dogs should be kept in people's back gardens and should never be allowed within 500 feet of their DC if they absolutely have to go out (and then wonder why the DC have a fear of dogs). Obviously then the whole world has to adapt to compensate for their fear.

I have PTSD, hate alarms and sirens - gives me flashbacks. Had to stand in a changing room the other day while some ones kid had a noisy book and kept pressing a really loud siren noise. Did I stick my head out and slap the book out the kids hands? Did I launch into a nasty slanging match with the mum? Do I demand that all such noises should be obliterated from society? No - because it is my issue to deal with.

I find the dog hatred on here totally bizarre as apparently 25% of households have dogs these days. If there is this number of dogs in society - surely anyone with a fear would be best placed to invest in trying to overcome this?