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.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Who owns the nature reserve? I'd drop them a line. She may well be a persistent nuisance and they might be able to have a word.

Dogs should not be off leads in nature reserves. The clue is in the name. Dogs have a habit of chasing nature and unintentionally frightening some of it, even if they're not chasing. This is a place dedicated to nature, not a place dedicated to dogs.

Dogs preventing other people from using the place and enjoying nature responsibly, are obviously acting against the interests of the organisation who runs the reserve and gives people access to enjoy it.

[RhinoskinhaveI]

I am a runner and I am very wary of dogs. I always slow down to a walking pace when I pass a dog that isn't on a lead because they so often chase and I have been bitten in the past.
I will smile at the owner and make eye contact with them to try and establish whether the dog is going to be a problem, I would never get into an altercation with a dog owner because this would be more likely to make the dog aggressive, I don't want hassle I just want to carry on with my run.

In my view the needs of humans should come before those of dogs but a significant proportion of dog owners clearly feel that the comfort and convenience of the dog comes before that of the human, the dog is a big thing with sharp teeth and I don't want to argue with it ....my time and energy would be better spent campaigning against the ever burgeoning canine nuisance!

[adaline]

Dogs should not be off leads in nature reserves

Not all nature reserves have that rule, though. Our local one allows dogs to be off-lead so long as they're "under control".

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

Yes it's instinctive for dogs to chase running people and animals but they should have recall well enough trained into them to stop and return on command, no matter how many of them there are. If she hasn't got verbal control of them then they should either be on leads or at least she shoukd have apologised and clipped them on till you were gone.

This - as PowerShower says.

I have three dogs (and used to have six) - of course their instinct is to chase, but they are trained to come back when called (though I admit the pup sometimes still gets overexcited by rabbits and can be disobedient then).

If I'm aware that a runner, cyclist or horse is coming up to us, from in front or behind they are told "side" and they go to one side of the path. I then tell them to "wait" and they stay there until I say "off you go". Sometimes we don't get a warning (cyclists approaching from behind often don't ring their bells - that annoys me) and the dogs and I get startled, but they still behave when they are told to.

I do appreciate it when someone thanks me - and I get a lovely rosy glow when (as sometimes happens) someone says "Wow they're well-trained" - but whether I'm thanked or not, it's my responsibility to make sure they don't chase anyone.

[girlwithadragontattoo]

I'm a dogs owner, my dogs don't run after joggers if they are off the leads, they leave them alone!

She was a dick

[RhinoskinhaveI]

Being off lead is a privilege not a right
In the Minds of certain dog owners owning as many dogs of whatever breed is an absolute right, once you have said dogs they then have an absolute right to enjoy their lives and run freely interacting with other humans and dogs as they please.
I know there are good and responsible dog owners, but there are too many of the other kind☹️

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

If I got surrounded by free ranging barking dogs when minding my own business a few swift kicks would have been metered out.

Serve you right if you get bitten then, you twat! Dogs barking aren't displaying aggression - they are excited or giving a warning. Either way, if you engage (eg kick) they will regard it as eater a game or an attack, and you are much more likely to get nipped.

And all right - you may get the owner charged and the dog destroyed because of your "rights", but I can promise you that will be a cold comfort if you end up scarred.

If you find a dog threatening, by all means let the owner know, but your best course of action is to keep still with your arms folded. That way they won't get over-excited or feel threatened. I can't promise that a silly half-trained puppy won't try to jump up - puppies have to learn - but you won't get attacked, though you might have a couple of muddy paw prints on you.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

*either, not eater

[Aridane]

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

Shit - poor jogger

[FindusCrispyPancakes]

She was in the wrong not you. Her dogs should be on a lead and under control in a public space with other people around. I get dogs need a run, that’s what open fields are for.

I used to be into marathon running and did a lot of running, the worst place for what you describe was the canal. I’ve gone mad at a few people when I’ve run up behind them and their dogs have just gone for me. Because you are running the dog carries on running with you. Nightmare. I’ve had to should back “control your dog/s” a lot of times. We are all entitled the use the space, but dogs need to be on a lead, I don’t care how well trained they are, they are an animal at the end of the day, if they want to go for someone they will.

[Staysexyanddontgetmurdered]

She's a knob. My dog would have done the same and knowing this I would have grabbed him and held on to him immediately to let you pass. If he had chased you before I could grab him I would have been apologising profusely and have been mortified. Ignore this idiot.

[SpamChaudFroid]

I'd have been really embarrassed an apologised profusely. The canine's great off the lead and ignores runners. He sometimes shyly follows groups of teenage boys though, but at a distance, as if he wants them to call him over for a sneaky fag and a can of Monster in the woods.

[RhinoskinhaveI]

Your best course of action is to keep still with your arms folded
that's what I do I also try and make friendly eye contact with the owner because I feel that the dog will register this and be less likely to see me as a threat?
However it pains me that I have to run the gamut of frightening animals just because I want to go out for a jog in an urban area.
I understand that the needs of joggers and the needs of dogs are somewhat incompatible because dogs love to run and a running human triggers the urge to chase, but if you're a bit nervous of dogs and it's a big dog, it feels very intimidating 😕
No doubt dog owners feel that joggers are a nuisance, should we have areas where people aren't allowed to run?
I don't know what the answer is☹️

[Branster]

Proud Dog owner of a very well behaved dog here. You did nothing wrong. The woman is an utter idiot who can’t handle her dogs properly. She knew she was in the wrong. My dog has good recall and doesn’t chase runners, bikes etc but I always call him and keep to heel every single time someone goes passed in a location like this. When walking the dog, you need to watch it and interact with it all the time. Even the calmest, best trained dog can get spooked and react to anything in a way you can’t predict.

[WhoisitnowRalph]

In a public place, how HER dogs behave is not YOUR responsibility - that's on her. You did nothing wrong at all.

I have an aggressive nippy dog and have been caught unawares by runners approaching from behind on two occasions - both times out in very open farmland, both times the dog at full stretch on a flexi lead, spotting the runner too late to reel her in. Nobody got bitten, thankfully, but both times I have apologised to the runners profusely for failing to hear them approach - it would have been really useful if they had called out or something as it wasn't an area frequented by runners, but that's life, there are no rules! My dog bites = my problem, not yours.

*for flexi-lead haters, don't start - we were in open fields miles from anywhere, I wasn't expecting to see anyone so let the dog run at full stretch. I don't use it in public parks or on pavements, mainly because I can't take my dog to those places.

[SaintWillibald]

She’s a fucking loon!

My son did this once, took off after a jogger when he was 3. However, he has good recall and came back when I shouted.

Carry on as you have been and just hope you don’t come across her again.

[TheOrigRightsofwomen]

Your best course of action is to keep still with your arms folded

Sod that. I'm sure you're right, but actually I don't want to modify MY behaviour because of some selfish dog owner.

I've had dog owners sigh and tell me that if I'd only stop running their dog would not be excited and want to run with me.

I get precious little time to do the sport I love and it makes me bloody angry if it's interrupted by other people's selfish actions.

[NewName73]

I'm a runner & a dog owner.

The woman was nuts.

[WildfirePonie]

If you can't be bothered to train your dog and can't control it then don't have a dog or keep it on a damn lead and don't let your dog harrass other people. Dogs have no business running up to other people/dogs. It's just lack of training.
So many entitled dog owners around!

[WomensRightsAreContraversial]

This thread has actually been useful to me in that I will now call ahead when I go for a run and see dogs up ahead. It hadn't crossed my mind to do that.

Thank you. I (we) really appreciate that

[ThreeLittleDinos]

I'd of grabbed a large branch or whatever was near to defend myself. Im not victim shaming, but if this happens again don't just stand there, you could get really hurt! She shouldn't have dogs if she can't control them.

[RhinoskinhaveI]

What I frequently come across is a person with two or three dogs where the dogs are off the lead and behind the owner roaming freely interacting with other dogs and humans as they please but the owner is wearing earphones and completely unaware of what is going on.

Also people on bikes with a dog on the lead, there's a woman who goes out with a team of huskies, there's a man who goes out on a kind of adult sized child scooter with a husky on a lead attached to the scooter, he clearly feels that he should be admired for devoting his life to the needs of the husky

[adaline]

Im not victim shaming, but if this happens again don't just stand there, you could get really hurt!

Actually, standing still and avoiding eye contact is the best course of action. Dogs like to chase. If you stop, they can't chase you. If you're not looking at them, they should lose interest. This also gives the owner the opportunity to get their dog back under control and on a lead - which isn't going to happen if you just keep running.

I totally get that the dogs should have been under control, but we don't live in a perfect world. Sometimes dogs escape their owners, slip their leads or get lost and chase. If people knew how to deal with loose dogs, there'd probably be less stress and injury all round.

When people say they'd kick or hit the dog, they're not going to help the situation. All they're doing is inadvertently teaching the dog that other people are dangerous, and their behaviour could result in them being jumped at and bitten. Hitting and kicking any dog is a bad idea, but doing it to a strange dog could potentially be really dangerous!

You have no idea how a dog is going to react to your actions - they're not all going to run away from you - some will get defensive and lunge and bite.

[RhinoskinhaveI]

And yes totally dog owners who act as if I'm in the wrong for running and disturbing their dog 🙄

[Spudlet]

My dog is old, deaf, and a bit arthritic. He doesn’t look like any of those things because he is a spaniel and will be bonkers until he dies, but he is.

He is very rarely off the lead due to the deafness, sadly, as he did have a very good recall when he could hear. But it’s not inconceivable that he might be accidentally let out and wander because the world is imperfect and things happen, and he would approach people in that scenario because he’s a friendly old chap. But if he was kicked, it would cause him great pain because of the arthritis and he might well snap in retaliation.

Don’t kick dogs! You have no way of knowing how they’d react, not to mention it would be extremely cruel.