Neighbours dog

[Another123]

As I walked past the side of my neighbours house a dog pops out through a gap in his hedge, blocking my way. I start to cross the street and it follows me. I speed up and it speeds up. I yell for neighbour (who I can't see at this point as he is in the front garden) to get the dog away from me.

He does recall the dog but then immediately a second dog runs across the road to me. I am scared now and scream and start running. Neighbour recalls this dog and then yells at me that the dog is the 'sweetest dog in the world' and only ran at me because I was acting crazy.

I know we are a nation of dog lovers but AIBU to expect the neighbour to keep his dogs within the confines of his property?

You're not unreasonable to expect your neighbour to secure his dogs however I dont think getting scared and screaming just because a dog is near you (and presumably not attacking you) is particularly rational.

I have dogs...and I would be spooked by a dog coming at me. Not so much a little dog but I’m nervous around big dogs

YANBU he should be keeping the dog under control. But screaming is just about the worst thing that you can do if a dog is approaching because if the dog is friendly and sociable it might excite the dog to jump at/play with you, and if it's not friendly it might further encourage it to attack!

Best way of dealing with an unknown dog- turn away from it, don't make eye contact, walk slowly away ignoring it.

Yes, people should control their dogs, but also you should work on your fear. Your reactions are about the worst thing you could do, and may get you bitten one day. Of course that will be the dog owner's fault for allowing their dog to bite you but do you want to be right and bitten or right and not-bitten?

See if your local dog club runs classes for people who are scared of dogs. They can teach you how to react correctly to dogs and how to read their body language as well as helping you come into contact with suitably trained, calm dogs.

The fact that you say you scream and run away from a friendly dog makes me think you're probably over exaggerating the rest and over reacting over all. YABU.

Your neighbour should keep control I would be concerned my dog would get run over if crossing the road after you
But running and screaming is not the way to behave could be why the dog is following you The dog I presume has showed no signs of aggression

Of course the dogs should be secure, but I agree with your neighbour, you were acting crazy. You need to learn how to behave around dogs as you're going to see them and can't freak out every time. 'Be a tree'. Stand perfectly still with your arms crossed across your body. Very boring for dogs. Running and screaming is ridiculous. Of course they'll chase you and jump up. Plus you'll look a right knob

He should keep his dogs under control but YABU to have reacted the way you did.

Your a drama llama, but I do agree the neighbors in the wrong. Dogs however friendly need to be secure

Op I would have reacted the same way, people need to understand that not everyone will love their dog like they do, they have no idea how their dog could react to a stranger! If an unknown dog is running towards you, you aren't just going to stand there and wait for it jump up at you of course you're going to try get away from it!

you should carry on walking and ignore the dog....you made it worse with all the screaming...IGNORE is your friend

YANBU OP. It seems to me that some dog owners are incapable of understanding that a lot of people don't like dogs, and are scared of them. As someone else said, you could ignore all day as a dog bounds towards you but what happens if it then starts to attack you?

For those saying "you don't know what the dog is going to do" - that's true, but I'm pretty sure a dog can outrun most people, so running will only encourage it to chase and it WILL catch you. Much much safer to be boring

I did with the first dog. It followed me when I crossed the road to avoid it.

I screamed at the second dog as it barrelled across the road from it's front door. Doesn't seem friendly to me!

YANBU I am a dog owner who has a fear of dogs I don't know very well.

I can't stand the "you don't need to be afraid and run away because it's a lovely dog" brigade.

They can fuck off with their telling me when I should or shouldn't be afraid.

Absolutely they need to keep control of their dog and on their property

I know it must be hard when you are scared, but standing stock still with your arms folded is the best way to be with a dog you don't know and unsure of. Even the friendliest dog will prob follow or chase someone moving away.

Your neighbour was out of order. What he should have said was sorry!!!

I have two dogs and believe quite strongly that dog owners should always keep their dogs under control. If there's a gap in the hedge the dogs can get through, he needs to fix it. If he's allowing them to run around after people he's being lazy and shouldn't be surprised when people get upset.

Screaming perhaps was a little ott, but dog owners have no idea who has allergic reactions to dogs, who has had traumatic previous experiences with dogs and who just downright doesn't want to be chased by a dog. Saying "oh he's just playing" is a copout.

I doubt that the owner actually lets his dog run the roads, but they got out by accident. Not ideal by any stretch, however your reaction probably made things worse.

I was once met on the pavement by an extremely large, aggressive German Shepard, that was actually getting into attack position when the owner spotted him out of the window. She had put him into the car, but someone hadn’t closed the other door properly and he got out. My reaction was to slowly bring my arms across my chest, turn slightly sideways and no look at the dog. I was absolutely terrified and I’ve dealt with aggressive dogs before. I’ve worked with dogs for years and I’ve no doubt this was a genuinely aggressive dog that would have seriously injured me, or worse, if I’d reacted the way you did.

You’re very lucky, because if these dogs had meant you harm, running would not have saved you. You’ll never outrun a dog. The best thing to do, if you’re too frightened to stay still, is look for a garden with a gate and go through it, closing it behind. You can then knock a door for help. No screaming or fast movements. If you really do feel the dog is dangerous and you can’t get away, climb onto the roof of a car. That way you have a better chance of kicking a dog off.

I absolutely despise dogs. In my unpopular opinion they're filthy, annoying and dangerous. I hate it when dog owners allow their dogs to approach me or my children.

BUT, I don't go around screaming and running about over it.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

I have a fear of dogs however I do know that screaming, yelling and running is the worst thing you can do.

But the dogs should not have been out.

YABU and a drama queen

Do grown adults scream and run about the street at the sight of a dog? Calm down.
When you get a grip of yourself suggest to your neighbour he secures the garden before one of them gets knocked down.
You’ll now be known as the crazy hysterical lady in the street 🙄
@four
What a nasty blinkered view you have 🙁

Absolutely dog should not approach you.

However your reaction would have caused my young bouncy dog to chase you (reason she’s never off lead in populated areas and undergoing intensive training).

For your own safety, do not scream and run away from a dog.

I absolutely hate people who don’t control their children and permit them to run up to my dogs. I was in the park with four dogs this morning and deliberately changed paths to avoid two women and their children, so the stupid bloody women changed paths, as the children wanted to let the dogs. No! Just no! If you see someone changing paths with their dogs, it’s because they don’t want your children upsetting the dogs.

4under4our
I absolutely despise dogs. In my unpopular opinion they're filthy, annoying and dangerous. I hate it when dog owners allow their dogs to approach me or my children

Apart from the dangeous part, I feel the same about a lot of children (not all, well behaved ones are lovely)