To have jogged past dogs from behind??

[cmac76]

I know the topic of dogs/walkers/joggers is covered a lot on here but in this instance I'm wondering if I should have behaved differently so would appreciate opinions especially from other dog owners.

I have just come back from a jog in a nature reserve which is very popular with lots of people - dog owners, joggers, walkers, families etc. I was approaching a woman who was walking in the same direction as me (so I was jogging behind her) and she had 3 dogs off leads - one really large dog and 2 smaller ones. As I was approaching she moved over to one side to let me pass so I assumed all was fine and carried on past her. As I got further on I could hear her shouting so I turned around and could see all the dogs chasing me! I stopped still and all 3 surrounded me barking up at me so I couldn't move.

She carried on shouting but none of them came back to her so I asked her could she please put them on the lead and this is where she kicked off at me shouting that I should never run behind 'a pack of dogs' and 'would I run behind a horse?' I was very wtf at this point and unfortunately did raise my voice back which I do regret as it escalated and of course the dogs probably picked up on this and carried on barking at me. I pointed out how they are not horses, how I should be allowed to go out for a jog in a public place and how her dogs were not well trained if they couldn't be recalled - she got so irate at me and started to get quite close and in my face shouting that they were well trained and not dangerous as they were literally still barking at me and I couldn't move. She also yelled at me, "who the fuck do I think I am...do I think I own the fucking place"

Eventually she put their leads on and I carried on but felt I had to warn some mums coming in the other direction who had toddlers running loose as they were about to cross paths with her.

So Aibu for jogging behind dogs? Should I stop?? I know I was being unreasonable for getting into a shouting match with her but she was so irate from the moment I asked her to put her dogs on the lead. Am I making a mountain out if a molehill? They didn't actually bite me - just barked at me but I felt scared especially as there were 3 of them.

[Lunafortheloveogod]

Some dogs do chase, but they should be on a lead. What if it was a child playing running past them? A large dog could easily bowl them over without being aggressive but that’s still enough to hurt/frighten them.

Had dogs since I was in nappies.. have a chaser at the mo he’s on the lead and had an overly friendly chasing bull mastiff (my ex’s) her recall was usually amazing.. except the one jogger who wore bright yellow Lycra everything, he used to run up behind me and shout laughing (we discovered he was the postman so she knew him well As he fed them small treats to try n break the evil postie cycle) he really just didn’t want a wet arse from slobber chops. Any time I heard him I grabbed her onto her lead and she’d wait fine.. lead meant no running.

Those dogs weren’t trained well enough at all or should’ve been on a lead. Bolting could so easily be after a car next time.

[Huntlybyelection]

YANBU

I stop running and walk past dogs now because a lot of dog owners near here think it's adorable when their dogs jump up at me when I'm running past. Because they won't put the dogs on the lead, I've changed my actions so that I don't get jumped on/nipped by puppies/muddied.

[Junkmail]

She’s mental and she hasn’t trained her dogs properly which she’s probably embarrassed about and lashed out at you as a result. I have four dogs and as I know that I will encounter joggers and cyclists on a daily basis while out walking they are trained to behave and wait at the edge of the path when I ask them so people can pass. It’s not that difficult to do but for some reason some dog owners can’t be bothered even putting in that little bit of effort and instead expect the rest of the world to tiptoe around their badly behaved dogs. Carry on jogging OP—it’s a shared, public space and she has no right to dictate to you what you can and can’t do.

[Lipz]

What did she expect you to do ? Run behind her ? Would she expect all joggers to run behind her ? She moved aside, I'd take this as her letting you past. I would have asked her what she'd like you to do seen as she'd no control, maybe an airhorn in future, that'd give her plenty of notice.

[WildfirePonie]

YANBU - her dogs were out of control.

www.gov.uk/control-dog-public

I am so sick and tired of dogs running up to me and my kids and jumping on them/me and the owner saying "oh it's fine they are just saying hello".
No, I don't want your f**king dog jumping all over me/my kids or in my space.

Next time just kick the dog/s out of your way, you'll be helping the dogs in the long run. Teach them it's not their business to run up to whoever they want.

[Derbee]

She’s an arsehole. Even if her dogs wouldn’t have chased you, she should have kept them close or on a lead when she knew you were running past. Dog owners shouldn’t make runners have to worry about whether it’s safe to go past or not.

If you’re walking a dog, and there’s a runner approaching, you should take charge of the situation and keep your dogs close so that the runner doesn’t need to worry.

I’m a runner, and a dog owner. But i don’t like running past dogs as you never know how they’ll behave. Onus is on the dog owner to keep the situation safe/comfortable, so YANBU

[cmac76]

Thanks for all the responses - relieved to read that I wasn't being unreasonable! I think I will call out in future when I see dogs up ahead though as it's not the first time I have had dogs approach me on my run - others have jumped up at me which I really hate.

Also dreading the moment when I bump into this lady again as is bound to happen 🙄

[WildfirePonie]

Tell the owner to recall their dog right now and if they don't comply/can't recall after a few seconds then it's safe to assume the dog is out of control and you can kick it out your way.

[Seasprayandsunshine]

Please do not kick the dogs 🙄

What a ridiculous suggestion, for so many reasons Wildfireponie

[DogAndCatPerson]

I’ve got a dog. She’s batshit

[missbattenburg]

She was an entitled twat, as are lots of dog owners people

Of course some horses can be trained out of being spooked. Otherwise they'd be pretty shit for crowd control. Whilst every owner of every animal should do their best to train them so they can cope in the world in which they live with minimum impact on others, it's often only dogs that perfection is expected from.

Notwithstanding that, pets are rarely trained to the same standard as working animals (dogs or horses) and this is generally to be expected. Whilst I would always leash up Battendog if a runner was anywhere near by, then step off the path out of their way as they pass, I also really appreciate a head's up from them before they get to us. It means I have a few seconds to get him back with me and clipped up and a treat out my pocket so I can reinforce that focussing on my in the presence of runners is a Great Thing To Do. Generally I have found that if all that happens then the runner and I get to share a very pleasant "morning!" as they pass without any angst or problem.

(Unlike the tits who were moutain biking in a nearby woods the other day and flew past us as a herd of about 10 of them at fast speeds.)

p.s. Next time just kick the dog/s out of your way, you'll be helping the dogs in the long run. Teach them it's not their business to run up to whoever they want. That's not what the dogs will learn from that example. They will learn that runners are dangerous and so likely require aggression to keep them away.

[DogAndCatPerson]

Do not kick the dog. Not only is it cruel but you are just going to make the problem worse and turn a dog with a high chase drive into a dog with fear aggression who is likely to attack people.

[DogAndCatPerson]

Agreed missbattenburg

[sparepantsandtoothbrush]

Anybody who has their dog off lead when they don't have instant recall is quite frankly a dick. My dog is a shit and doesn't listen most of the time so he's always on his lead for this is reason

[Scarydinosaurs]

What on earth did she want you to do?? I don’t get it. You had to run past her!

[IfIHadAPenny]

A jogger came up very quietly behind my DH who had our young medium-sized dog on a lead, on a narrow footpath. Our dog got a fright and jumped up and nipped her on the elbow.

@PenelopeFlintstone Do you think that was your fault for not being aware of your surroundings and failing to control your dog or the jogger's fault for not announcing herself?

I hope you muzzle your dog now in case it has a 'fright' again.

[AmIThough]

@WildfirePonie try kicking my dog and see where it gets you.

FWIW being aggressive towards and animal will make the animal aggressive.

[LaLoba]

OP, maybe make a point of taking a picture of her dogs off lead?

I had a nightmare recently with an idiot man locally, who didn’t even carry a lead for his poorly trained dog. He repeatedly allowed it to charge up and aggravate my on lead terrier - we’re still working on walking past other dogs without her having a meltdown as a direct result of his actions. And I needed a stick to walk due to balance issues at the time, so trying to block his dog to prevent it being mauled by my small savage was a serious falling risk to me. He just stood there grinning like a fool each time.

My husband took to putting on a performance of taking a picture of him and his off lead dog every time he saw him. Now idiot man uses a lead. I am a non violent middle aged woman, but the sight of that stupid smirk makes me want to punch him!

[redchocolatebutton]

yanbu

her dogs were out of control and should have been/stayed on the lead.

[LinoleumBlownapart]

Her dogs needed to be on leads. People who throw horse analogies about when they are talking about completely different animals are usually in the wrong.

[adaline]

Next time just kick the dog/s out of your way, you'll be helping the dogs in the long run. Teach them it's not their business to run up to whoever they want.

That's not what you'll teach the dog at all

All the dog will learn is that strangers/runners are dangerous and will hurt them. Then the dog could try and use aggression to keep people/runners away from them in the future because they're scared of being kicked again.

Please don't go around kicking strange animals. You have no idea what their temperament is like and whether they'll just cower away, run or retaliate with biting.

[Spudlet]

Kicking the dog would be really, really stupid. Don’t kick the dog. (I can’t believe that needs to be said, but some people are stupid, so...)

[ChrisPrattsFace]

I would have kept running.. not your fault her dogs aren’t under control or have any recall.

(And I have many dogs, and would acknowledge it would be own fault if it happened to me)

[LakieLady]

It was your fault. Your dog was too far away/out of sight and you failed to control her. If the person she tripped had been hurt, the local constabulary would have held you responsible.

She was probably within about 5 metres of me and was perfectly under control, as evidenced by the fact that she turned back and came to me the minute I called her. I couldn't have reasonably foreseen that a runner, who I didn't know was behind me, was about to overtake and run towards my running dog.

[yabadabadontdoit]

I have spaniels who are walked off lead. They don’t chase but can be a trip hazard to runners as they may run across the runner ( because they are small brained and fast moving!) For this reason I always call them and make them sit whilst runners pass. If I haven’t seen a runner from behind I always warn them a spaniel might run across them, if I call them at this point they’re more likely to run across the runner. The only time it could potentially be a problem is when the runner has headphones in and doesn’t hear me, but then I think that’s their choice to run in a public place and cut out their hearing.