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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have jogged past dogs from behind??

204 replies

cmac76 · 18/10/2019 10:34

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.

OP posts:
Astrabees · 18/10/2019 13:35

I'm a dog lover and long time owner and I would say for certain YANBU and you had the misfortune to come across a self entitled nutter. Her dogs should have been kept on leads if they were prone to chase people.
Unless ( very unlikely) a horse was wearing blinkers it would be well aware of you approaching from behind. Just to be sure you do not startle it by looking unusual to it perhaps have a little sing as you approach and say good morning to the rider. Sometimes it its the rider who doesn't notice and is momentarily taken by surprise rather than the horse itself.

Honeybee85 · 18/10/2019 13:43

What an entitled b*tch (pun intended).
YANBU at all!

You have every right to run in any direction you wish and its her duty to keep her dogs away from you. She should be ashamed of herself. I love dogs and she is also not doing them a favour because her behavior creates fear of dogs among others and increases the risk that when she does this again but to the (agressive) wrong person, her dogs could be hurt by said person!

RhinoskinhaveI · 18/10/2019 13:43

Some time ago I got into an altercation with a woman who let her dogs run all over the place, I told her to keep her BLEEP dogs under control
she replied 'we were here first'
🙄

DishingOutDone · 18/10/2019 13:51

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 - Mine too!!! What it is with dogs and teenage boys ...?! My dog's ultimate best friend - a teenage boy who jogs!

Bluebell878275 · 18/10/2019 13:59

Why on earth were you not wearing your bell? I suggest you practice your vocal "ding ding" for future encounters with the batshit Wink

TheOrigRightsofwomen · 18/10/2019 14:01

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

I am ashamed to say that I did kick a dog once. It was one of those giant poodles. I was cycling and the dog was running along side me but on the other side of the hedge of that property.

The dog managed to get through and jumped up at me, tearing my leggings and drawing blood and then carried on running along side me. I was really scared and kicked out at it and peddled as fast as I could until it retreated.

A few days later I stopped at the house (in the car!) and told the owners what happened. No apology, no explanation, they just said "yeah, he keeps escaping, we're thinking of putting him down".

Sad That poor dog to have such owners Sad

RIBlue · 18/10/2019 14:03

Definitely not unreasonable. Also as a horse rider I would absolutely expect you to run past me if the path was wide enough. What are you supposed to do otherwise?! I’m always grateful to runners and cyclists who ding their bell or shout but my horse will have already clocked you with her superior peripheral vision anyway so it’s really just so I don’t jump when you appear next to us!

RhinoskinhaveI · 18/10/2019 14:18

When I'm cycling I always call out to people in a friendly way 'hellooo cyclist approaching' then I slow down as I pass and I say thank you, I never go hurtling past people!!
horses I encounter very infrequently, I would always call ahead and slow right down but I do feel quite nervous about making any noise in case it startles the horse because I know nothing about horses and they are huge

RhinoskinhaveI · 18/10/2019 14:20

I have also been chased by a barking dog when I was on my bike and the owners were chatting and didn't even seem to register what was happening
it was very alarming!

stucknoue · 18/10/2019 14:21

Dogs should not chase joggers end of. I'm a dog owner, he's rarely on a lead, he's under 100% control all the time (my party trick is that he even knows go left and go right)

Spudlet · 18/10/2019 14:22

Rhino With horses you need to call out to the rider to let them know you’re there and ask if you’re ok to come by. Give them a good wide berth when you do. Most horses are fine but the trick is to let them know you’re there well in advance. They can see almost all around, but that doesn’t mean they’re always paying attention all around! A human voice (as opposed to a bell) is also generally reassuring to the horse.

WomensRightsAreContraversial · 18/10/2019 14:23

Ive ridden plenty of doofus horses then bevause they and I have both been surprised by stealth ninja cyclists plenty of times 🤣

@RhinoskinhaveI calling ahead and slowing down is the most helpful thing to do, thank you.

countrygirl99 · 18/10/2019 14:33

Dog owner and horse rider here. She was an idiot. No problem with you running past my horse, though as others have said it's good to call out hi so you don't make the rider jump.

RhinoskinhaveI · 18/10/2019 14:34

Good to know that horses find human voices reassuring, thank you😊
💗🐎💗

RhinoskinhaveI · 18/10/2019 14:36

I feel that what is lacking is an agreed-upon protocol for these sorts of things?

countrygirl99 · 18/10/2019 14:38

rhinoskinhavel it's just that anyone approaching quietly from behind is behaving like a predator. Talk and they know you are human. Mine is so used to cyclists and joggers he doesn't bat an eyelid anyway.

Winesalot · 18/10/2019 14:39

Have read this with great interest. It has happened to me. In fact, different versions happen regularly when I jog. I am a smallish women and not a spring chicken so I am NOT fast. I also suffer an exercise induced bronchial wheeze that means I am a) breathing loudly and b) find it hard to speak while jogging or immediately on stopping.

I have no issue with dogs that are well behaved or under control. However, the path in our reserve has many dog owners who do not control their dogs. Reading this thread has been really informative as to what ‘control’ means.

NameChange789435 Loved those groupings. I come across them each week.

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 love dogs and their owners who do this and they do get a thank you but sometimes it squeaks out but I am smiling so hopefully the thanks gets across.

I am a little bit suspicious why you would think you might have been unreasonable? Its a bit of a goady thread TBH.

I have been told I am unreasonable so many times when I express concern about my safety when dogs are being walked off leash and they are a hazard. Not just chasing or barking aggressively, but being trip hazards no matter how you slow down and try to predict where they are going, running directly at you and following your line when you go to avoid them, owners calling their dogs (well behaved ones too) when they are around the corner and their dogs take off out of the shrubbery right under your feet and give you no warning. So much so that I have started to believe that I am the unreasonable one. I guess, OP might be the same.

pelirocco123 · 18/10/2019 14:41

I would never let my dog off the lead unless I was sure there was no one else near , he is only a jack russell but likes to be friends with everyone and runs up to them ( cyclists he sees as fair game ) As soon as I see anyone he is back on the lead ...I am sure people thing I do this because he is dangerous

Winesalot · 18/10/2019 14:49

OP I hope you don’t mind if I jump on and ask a couple of questions.

My question is this if you don’t mind answering. I have tried calling out but it comes out abruptly because of my wheezing bronchial issues. And it has scared more people than it helped. I jog on a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists. I always look behind me for cyclists and the run on the opposite side of the path as I overtake (starting several metres behind). If I had one of those bike bells would this be a good idea or would it cause dogs to take an interest in me and encourage them to investigate? The path is very busy.

And if I am on a 2 metre wide path and the owner is on one side and their dog is on the other (this is very common), I always feel uncertain and uncomfortable jogging between them. Is there an etiquette for this? There is no way I can get past otherwise. And often this is people who do know I am there as they are looking at me.

Any advice would be appreciated please.

MeTheeAndACupOfTea · 18/10/2019 15:10

No, you're not in the wrong, the dog owner is.
My dog wouldn't have chased you, he would actually have run with you, because he's mental, which is why when i walked him in an area where a jogger is likely to be around i kept him on the leash.
Just so the jogger didn't end up going home with a random mental dog really.

MrsBethel · 18/10/2019 15:24

YANBU

She can't control her dogs, that's her fault.

As a jogger, I know some dogs will chase joggers in order to give them a good sniff. I say 'some dogs' - basically it's the ones that haven't been trained properly, who want to stick their wet snouts against every single interesting thing passing by (and when someone passes at speed and they can't smudge you with their nose, they give chase).

One thing the owners very rarely understand - we don't all want your dog's mucus on us!!! It's gross!!!

Vampyress · 18/10/2019 15:34

I let my dog off the lead an the second I see a jogger, another dog or a pram I will recall her and put her on the lead. Not all people like dogs, not all dogs like dogs and its selfish, irresponsible and neglectful to your dog if you do not factor these things into account.

Vampyress · 18/10/2019 15:36

Come to my house though and you will be set upon by a massive labrador and jack russel who will think you are their personal sofa!

SchadenfreudePersonified · 18/10/2019 15:46

And if I am on a 2 metre wide path and the owner is on one side and their dog is on the other (this is very common), I always feel uncertain and uncomfortable jogging between them. Is there an etiquette for this? There is no way I can get past otherwise. And often this is people who do know I am there as they are looking at me.

If I knew you were coming towards me (from any direction, I would go to the side where the dogs are and tell them to "wait" - that way I'm not asking them to cut across your path - obviously it's little harder if you seem to sing out of nowhere, but I'd just shout "wait" and give a hand signal to stay where they were and take no notice; two of my dogs are totally reliable on this, the third is a pup and wouldn't follow you, but might stand in the middle of the path with a "What? Is something happening?" look on his idiot face. However I could promise you that he wouldn't jump up (he knows better) or follow (ditto).

Some breeds are much easier to train to behave themselves than others. Gundogs IME tend to be much less excitable than terriers, just because of the nature of the breed, and so it's easier to train them to stay in one place. They are bred to flush game and fetch game - all people have to do is teach them when it is appropriate to move or stay still - they are hard-wired to learn it.

Terriers are designed to slaughter small vermin, and as such have incredibly quick instinctive reactions to movement and noise - many of them have reacted before they even are aware of it - it's harder to stop these from chasing and barking, but it can be done. They are also much more independent-minded than many other breeds which can make them a bit stubborn. Distraction (by the owner) can often be a good technique for dogs like these.

Skinnychip · 18/10/2019 15:48

I was out running jogging along a footpath and i saw a horse ahead (going in the same direction). The path is quite wide - enough for 2 people , or a cyclist and a walker/jogger to pass comfortably but i thought it wasn't a suitable gap to pass the horse without one or both of us being freaked out. So i just walked behind it for a bit waiting for a suitable opportunity where the path widened.
The rider then turned round and saw me and gave me a lecture on how dangerous it was to run past a horse (although i very obviously hadnt) and that if she couldn't hear me the horse wouldn't either. 🙄