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.

"I was concerned over upsetting his dog as it was muzzled." You're clutching at straws now OP.

His one dog was muzzled and on a lead.
Your five dogs were not fully under your control. One off a lead, one barking at an approaching person.
Your baby was crying.
One of your dogs was pulling forward, being 'protective' or in other words, aggressive.
You say you sat back so you didn't fall on your baby - did you actually sit down on the ground?

Your dogs were not under your control. YABVVVU

Did he react when you called him a fucking arsehole?

Admittedly it’s a few years since I had a dog to walk but I am confused by this. A man with a muzzled dog on a lead (so presumably of no threat or danger to any other person or animal) didn’t stop walking while a fellow dog walker put one of her pets on a lead? So what? It seem like a total non story to me.

I agree that 5 dogs and a baby is a lot to take care of in a public place.

He could have waited ten seconds, I’d have been annoyed too. It’s difficult enough looking after dogs and babies at the same time as it is. Don’t get too annoyed though, and enjoy your field walks while baby still fits in a carrier!

I said demand because that's how it comes across especially when you then tell abuse at him when he didn't comply so yes demand

He doesn't sound very courteous, but equally - are you saying that you cannot walk past anyone else with a dog? That wouldn't work at all where I live, you would need to take less dogs if you can't walk past others without expecting them to stop.

Sometimes you do wonder at people.... I had a dog owner once sit down on a bench. Her dog was going crazy. My dog started as a result because we had our baby in pushchair and my young son walking. I was forced to cross a road trying my manage the three of them because she wouldn’t budge. That was how she managed her dog. I was flabbergasted at the lack of helpfulness. Even if he didn’t catch on to what you were doing from your verbal cues why would you squeeze past anyone? Why not give you a wide berth? Beyond me. He had no idea how your dogs would react. Mine is very nervous post an attack. I get that his barking can seem aggressive to none dog owners but you’d hope dog owners might get it.

If you feel you can manage 5 dogs and a baby that's for you to know, not anyone else here (not sure if everyone commenting is actually a dog owner even).

This is just daft! You don't need to be a dog owner to know that 5 dogs and a small baby alone is just a ridiculous idea. The fact many councils are limiting the amount of dogs a dog walker can exercise at any one time also supports this view.

Are you really saying that just because the Op thinks she is capable means we should all ignore how dangerous the situation she is putting herself, the dogs and her child in?

Absolute bell-end of a man.

Guess he thought he was big, The nicest thing he could have done is ask if you needed any help.

Fucking hell

Walking 5 dogs on leads, with a baby in a carrier?

What could possibly go wrong...

Seeing as the other dog was muzzled and OPs dogs "act accordingly" (I note OP isn't elaborating!) I assume OP was worried her dogs may snap or bite? Which clearly makes the other party a fucking arsehole, naturally!

No, I am not saying I can't walk past anyone with a dog.
I can do that, no problem.

My concern was having them all on a lead whilst we crossed paths because that's the courteous thing to do, generally.

So many people let their dogs hurtle towards you without a second thought about how your dog might react.

It's just manners.

She shouldn't be out with that many dogs and a baby???!!! How the fuck is she supposed to walk the dogs and look after her baby if she doesn't? Big dogs need long walks, if she did it in batches she would be spending the whole day walking! And she was walking in a rural area where there aren't usually any other dogs.

Well in this case her baby should have priority.5 dogs to walk is too much.Some people need to have a bit of cop on.That walk could have ended very differently.It didnt so now @DippyDiplodocus can do it different tomorrow.

Act accordingly if they feel threatened, sorry.

Lots of councils now limit the number of dogs being walked by a single person to 4.

But Dog Of Fucking Arsehole wasn't hurtling, was he? He was muzzled and on a lead.

but I didn’t actually know that someone stopping to put their dog on a lead automatically meant you had to stop and keep back?

It doesn't. But when someone actually ASKS you to, it's kinda polite/ considerate to maybe hold back for a few seconds.

I don’t know why you are getting such ridiculous replies. This is not a big moral dilemma about the rights and wrong of dog walking it’s a common courtesy issue. If you see someone struggling with five dogs and a baby in a sling, in an enclosed space, you give them five seconds to finish what they are doing and get out of your way. They say thank you, you say my pleasure and everyone goes their own way without a second thought. Foreigners and deaf pleople are equally capable of common courtesy.

So many people let their dogs hurtle towards you without a second thought about how your dog might react.

But that's not what happened in this situation at all? His dog was on a lead being kept under control.

I did read yesterday that one council is fining dog walker that walk 4 or more dogs and a few councils have already have this in place
And for the guy with the Husky stopping and waiting is the worse thing he could have done if his dog is DA
Much easier to carry on walking past and it’s over in seconds rather then waiting and holding back an aggressve muzzled dog who is getting more anxious and agreessive while your pottering about trying to control your dogs
And as his dog was clearly muzzled and on a lead and one of yours wasn’t it would have 100 percent been your fault if there was a problem as you didn’t have full control of your dog

Either walk dogs in batches.
Pay a dog walker
Have less dogs
Or just not expect everyone to do as you please for the choice you made..

Everyone says their dog is well behaved and won't hurt you. But that's not always true. I like animals but are also wary and would think you were silly with 5 dogs and a baby.

Nothing happened when he walked past with his dog concerning his dogs behaviour, so presumably his dog walked past albeit muzzled for whatever reason without interacting with any of your dogs. That is how a well trained dog should walk past other dogs, the 'leave' command us part of any dog training programme and a very important one. So the man knew his own dog and knew he could walk past you without his dog bothering yours.
You should not be walking your friend's dog when you have four of your own and a baby and your friend frankly shouldn't be asking you too.
The situation wouldn't have arisen by sound of it had you just had your own dogs.

"unless he was completely deaf", "maybe he was blind too, eh"

You sound like such a lovely person.

Train your dogs to not be 'protective' of you and reactive towards other dogs. Unless it's a trained guard dog there is no reason for it. Guarding people is unwarranted resource guarding and pulling towards other dogs is bad manners.

Yes it takes time to train this but you are responsible for your own dogs not anyone else's.

FWIW I would have given you a wide berth or waited but at the end of the day he isn't responsible for your dogs, only his own.

The muzzle might not even mean it is DA or aggressive in some European countries it is the LAW all dogs in public MUST have a muzzle and he very well might of been from one of these nations and think its still a good idea to practice muzzle at all times.

But hey his dog must be dangerous because it is muzzled typical British eccentric thinking that the British way is the best way.