To have screamed at Chihuahua man?

[RobDeNirosCalling]

Took my dog for walk in country park. It’s a small foresty type area with tall tread, large rocks, a little lake and pathways. It’s very popular with dog walkers so there are always tons of dogs there.

Anyway, this absolutely bell end was there “hiking” with a chihuahua. I mean, he had the full kit on as if he was walking the Himalayas. Massive back pack, hiking boots, walking stick etc ... it isn’t that kind of park!! It has a bleeding main road running alongside it ffs. Anyway his rat dog thing was off lead and he had it “hiking” in the trees and up the rocks etc. When it saw us it ran over, got in my dogs face and then randomly snarled and snapped at my dogs nose. This bloke started huffing and puffing shouting “leave it!” To his dog. Eventually it ran off to follow him and he disappeared into the trees. Further along we saw him again arguining with an old man with a border collie. Apparently collie wasn’t on lead and had chased chihuahua. Old man adamant that this isn’t what happened and in fact, the rat dog ran up to his and started yapping in its face so his dog reacted. Again, hiking man disappeared into the trees.
We bumped into him a final time 20 minutes later where he was having a blazing row with a woman as her little girl had tried to stroke chihuahua when it ran up to her. Dog snapped at girl’s hand and then all hell broke lose. He’d been irritating me the entire time I was there and as I walked past I lost it and screamed at him that this is the 3rd time is seen him arguing with someone all because his dog wasn’t on a lead. He went mental and said people like me shouldn’t be allowed dogs with squashed faces. I shouted back “not everyone wants to pretend to hike in a bleeding country park and if I was going to pretend to be a hiker with a dog, I’d buy a dog and not a squirrel. The woman with the kid shouted at him “oh so you’ve been bothering other people today too then?” And so I told her about border collie man.

DH thinks I should have stayed out of it but he needed telling surely?! 3 adults upset by him and a little girl bitten all because he wants to play action man. I’m fuming.

YANBU he sounds like a pain the the arse. Well done for standing up to him and telling him he was out of order.
However YABU to call it a rat dog

You lost any moral high ground by shouting and screaming so ywbu. That said, he sounds like a tosser, who failed to control an aggressive dog - so absolutely out of order and BU. Given it snapped at a child and the guy failed to realise just how serious that it I think a call to your local dog warden to report would be a good idea

Pictures or it didn’t happen.

Well then, he was doubly a twat.

My dogs face is not squashed.

I'm afraid we're going to need a photo to back up this claim.

His hiking outfit shows how seriously he takes himself and shows how he has delusions of grandeur. He looked like Jeremy Hunt also.

Border collie man was really upset. His dog was lovely. Chihuahua man - total wanker

Ywnbu for confronting him after you had witnessed 3 incidents. Screaming was a bit over the top but your use of squirrel to describe his dog has made me smile.

I'd give you a medal if I was there. He sounds like such a knob and you were right to call him out on his lack of control over his -squirrel- tiny dog But I am laughing picturing the state of him in his hiking gear. YANBU.

You sound like an arsehole, to be honest. There’s better ways to deal with stuff rather than resorting to Jeremy Kyle type behaviour.

My stikethrough didn't work

YABU for screaming at him

YANBU for pulling him up on his lack of dog controlling skills

I'm so glad I don't live where people feel the need to tell each other off..

He would have annoyed me and I probably would have said something too OP!

You know you can tell someone their behaviour is unacceptable without screaming at them, it just makes you look aggressive and any legitimate point you have is lost in your over the top reaction.
Sounds like him and his squirrel were bloody annoying but you screaming at him makes you sound unhinged

Delusions of grandeur because he was wearing hiking clothes? . He may have been passing through the park while walking a long distance. He was being unreasonable to allow his dog to run up to others, and he risks his dog getting hurt if a larger dog goes for it, but to term his dog a rat and scream at him shows a lack of maturity on your part Im I'm afraid.

I have a Chihuahua and they can be little bastards but the name calling is a bit much,what dog have you got? We can then all think of derogatory names for it

I'm pleased you had your say. Rat dog man will go home complaining how unreasonable everyone else was though, as he presumably does regularly in other areas of his life too, unaware that the lowest common denominator is him.

I understand your irritation at his failure to control his dog properly and I think having a reasonable discussion with him about it would have been fine.

I think screaming at him and making personal attacks about his clothing and his dog was very rude.

And there was me thinking Jeremy Kyle had been cancelled...

Rat dog

Squirrel [grin grin]

OP I think I love you

Long distance hiking with a chihuahua? Behave

As an owner of 3 Chihuahua's + 1 Corgi x I can totally confirm that they very much have small dog syndrome...not an excuse....but I have tried endlessly to stop ours snarling at other dogs. They are fine with people and children by the way.

With this in mind I always ensure to keep mine on-lead in any area where there are other dogs. They can't be trusted. FACT.

However if you had referred to my dogs as rats or squirrels you would have had more than a piece of my mind! We all have our preferred breeds and they are all equally wonderful in their own right!

I have to wear walking boots if I am walking more than 100 yards, as I have rheumatoid arthritis, often use a rucksack to carry water, sit mat, (I sometimes need to have a little rest☺) dogs ball and thrower, so my knobbly, fumbly, hands are free to leash dog if necessary, so yabu as far as his clothes and equipment are concerned. However yanbu about dog being out of control.

YABU inasmuch as you could have spoken calmly and still got your point across.

But he sounds like he has a badly trained and badly handled dog and in that sense he deserved to be told so.