To be furious over what has just happened?

[DippyDiplodocus]

Out Walking our dogs and my 6 month old baby in carrier. I have four dogs and look after one of my friend's dogs while she's at work occasionally. My four are quite large, the biggest being big German shepherd size and the smallest is a pug (friend's dog).

Before I get flamed for having too many dogs, two were mine, two my DH's before we met, so obviously we now have four. We aren't the kind of people to get rid of dogs just because we had a child - dogs are family too and we treat them as such.

We live in the countryside, very quiet rural area.
Coming to the end of our walk over the fields (where I never usually see any other walkers) I see another dog approaching - muzzled Siberian husky with a bloke.
At this point I already have four on leads ready for the road back to our house and bent down squat position to put pug on a lead.

I thought man would stop when he saw me bent down but he carried on approaching. I was struggling to get wriggly pug back on lead so I called out to him "can you just wait there a sec so I can get this one on the lead?" - No response and continues towards us.

Still trying to get dog on lead and my dogs are now getting a bit twitchy and unsettled that this bloke is approaching them, so one of mine barks.
Just to add here, our dogs are all very well behaved but they are protective over me and DD and will act accordingly if they feel threatened.

Man takes no notice, I call out again and say "can you just give me a second?" Ignores me completely.

He decides to squeeze by my dogs and I with a stupid smirk on his face. He can clearly see I'm struggling and baby is now crying and the others are pissed off. One of mine pulled forward and I dug my heels in and sat back so as not to land on my daughter.

I shouted at him and called him a fucking arsehole.

If he could have waited one second, I'd have been out the way and that wouldn't have had to have happened.

FFS I just despise people at times.

Can someone link the law which states how many dogs you can walk at once please?

I've had a look online and I can't see anything apart from that it "might" be enforced in Hampshire, which is not relevant to me anyway and that was an article from 2017.

Any more recent info anywhere?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/right-fine-people-75-walking-1490393.amp

Again, regional - not applicable.

Actuakky My husband would only call someone a cunt if they called him something first like the OP did. Ie fucking Asshole I believe is what the op called the guy who was walking his dog .
If someone called me a fucking asshole for simply minding my own business and walking my dog I would say the same as my DH in fact I would probably be a lot more verbal but that’s just me

Shouldn’t dish it out if you can’t take it back at yourself ( childish but true )

Depends what region you're in surely?

Well that's what I'm saying - PP have stated it's law and it obviously isn't.

I found this:

A limit on the number of dogs that can be walked by one person is set to come into force in a Staffordshire district. A maximum of six dogs will be allowed per walker in Cannock Chase's public open spaces under new rules approved by Cannock Chase Council this week.

But that is also not relevant to me. That was June 2018.

Can you direct us to the relevant information @Wordthe - you say there are laws?

You'd need to check your local council website for your region.

Have done. Nothing there. So I guess it's not law then.

Again, regional - not applicable

my point, that the existence of legislation tells us that this is a social problem, still stands

I am NOT a dog person.
I do think 5 dogs is too many to walk.
BUT if I was dog walking - very rarely walk well behaved friend’s dog. I would have waited. If I was walking with my toddler I would have waited.

The guy was suffering from “i’m a man syndrome” and just wanted to walk past 5 dogs.

Re dog walking sadly i think it applies to professional dog workers certainly in london where professionals are walking 10 off lead in all direction so have no control

Maybe not law in your area, but common sense? As the near accident has proved, you can't rely on other dog walkers so take steps to ensure the safety of your baby yourself?

Out of interest will you take them all out together again?

I think Gosport has a law of 4 dogs max to be walked and a few other places are bringing in such laws because mainly dog walkers who
walk far to many dogs in one go
One of the Councillers the following With more than four dogs, you are not taking your dog out for a walk but a pack of potentially dangerous animals for a riot around the park."

@Wordthe "there are laws limiting the number of dogs that can be exercised at a time"

Please demonstrate to me where I can find the information regarding this law that you state exists.

Here's a full & comprehensive legal summary for dog owners: www.inbrief.co.uk/animal-law/dog-walking-and-the-law/

They're not in a park though @irunlikeahipoo they're on farm land which is very rural and pretty deserted, so it's not really the same.

I wouldn't take them to a public park and let them run riot.

He sounds like a Dick who was trying to prove some ridiculous point.

Pleased to see we abide by all those points on that link @MargoLovebutter

With more than four dogs, you are not taking your dog out for a walk but a pack of potentially dangerous animals for a riot around the park

do they enforce it?
maybe I should start taking pictures and send them to my local council?

OP, what difference did this man walking past you really make?

Had you had all dogs on the lead would you have asked him to stop?

Look, you are being completely unreasonable.

Can you legally walk as many dogs as you like on your own? Yes. Can you legally do that while walking your child? Yes.

Is it a good idea? NO.

You sound aggressive and unable to control your dogs and protect your baby.

Do you think it's acceptable to verbally abuse men in public because you dislike something they're perfectly lawfully doing? Disgusting!

Dogs Trust also has lots of useful legal information. Including this:

Public Space Protection Orders – “PSPOs”
Sections 59 – 75 Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014
legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/12/part/4/chapter/2/enacted
These orders replace the old “Dog Control Orders” and allow local authorities to designate areas of
public land from which dogs can be excluded, have to be kept on a lead or other measures of control.
Failure to comply with such an order is an offence punishable with a fine or a Fixed Penalty Notice.
Local authorities must go through a consultation process prior to introducing a Public Space
Protection Order. If you become aware that your council are planning to bring in such an order,
please let us know as Dogs Trust like to respond to these consultations.

He either didn’t hear you or didn’t understand you, if he did he would have responded to your rude insult.

I can’t understand how it takes longer than 10 seconds to clip a dogs lead back on, if you had time to shout out to him twice and still not have the dogs lead on it suggests the dog was running around and avoiding going back on the lead in which case you don’t have enough control to be letting that dog off the lead when you have 4 others and a baby!

Before you start being dramatic saying that you won’t walk them there are other options such as walking 2 at a time and getting your friend to walk her own dog. Walking them when your partner is home to watch the baby etc.

5 dogs and a baby is asking for problems!