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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want other people’s dogs to jump up at me when out walking

304 replies

Trevorwhatever · 26/11/2020 13:31

Have just been on a walk in the sunshine and during the walk (across a football field in a park at that point) a medium/large sized dog ran up to me and kept jumping up at me putting its muddy paws down the back of my light coloured coat. I shouted at it to go away as the owner stood by making no effort to put it on a lead or to call it away. She just shouted ‘sorry’.

She then walked off shouting ‘you shouldn’t be walking across the fields if you don’t love dogs’.

I then shouted back ‘if you you can’t keep your dog under control then keep it on a lead’.

I was really mad I had to finish my walk in a muddy stained coat and now have to wash it because of someone else’s laziness.

Aibu to think I should be able to walk where I like without other people’s dogs jumping up at me?

OP posts:
garlictwist · 26/11/2020 16:08

This is why I go running at 5am because it's before all the dog walkers come out. I hate them. I think they should be kept on a lead by law.

Extraslice · 26/11/2020 16:11

I hate this. Dogs are constantly coming over to us if we want to use our lovely park. My dd is scared of them and will hide behind me and scream. Usually the owners just laugh. Errm no she is scared, get your stinky mutt away from her

VinylDetective · 26/11/2020 16:17

Does it really happen as much as people claim on MN?

Of course it doesn’t. It was dogs eating people’s picnics in the summer. Countless people reckoned it had happened to them yet I’ve never seen it once in almost seven decades on this planet.

Birdsandbeez · 26/11/2020 16:21

This reply has been deleted

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Duckwit · 26/11/2020 16:22

I once got told that we should 'go and buy your own woods to walk in if you don't like dogs then' as this prick's enormous dog was jumping up on my 5 year old!

To be fair, he knew he had lost the argument, was embarrassed by the fact that he couldn't control his dog and was flailing around for something to say, but still, what a wally!

Welcometonowhere · 26/11/2020 16:23

You know extra that’s ridiculous

Burnthurst187 · 26/11/2020 16:23

A lot of dog owners think that because they are comfortable with dogs therefore everybody else is

I don't like dogs, never have and never will. Like many animals they're unpredictable and shouldn't be trusted, esp around young children

Extraslice · 26/11/2020 16:24

@Welcometonowhere because?

ginsparkles · 26/11/2020 16:26

As a dog owner with a reactive older dog, other dogs approaching us is a pet hate, I do think dogs should be on the lead unless the have good recall. Ours is now always on lead, but when she was younger we always called her back to us when people approached. Yanbu OP, I would be really cross in your shoes too.

Welcometonowhere · 26/11/2020 16:27

Because you don’t own the park! Or do you? Grin

formerbabe · 26/11/2020 16:27

@Extraslice

I hate this. Dogs are constantly coming over to us if we want to use our lovely park. My dd is scared of them and will hide behind me and scream. Usually the owners just laugh. Errm no she is scared, get your stinky mutt away from her
My dd is exactly the same as yours. If dogs come up to us, the owners always seem to assume that we will love it and fuss over them..hell no. It's so rude...you wouldn't allow your dc to behave like that in public would you?
ClickandForget · 26/11/2020 16:29

Yanbu. They also have claws, a dog jumped up on my elderly nana and gave her a skin tear

A dog jumped up on my 7 year old daughter from behind - she was wearing a summer dress so bare skin on back - and it caused claw injuries bad enough that it took weeks to heal. We were out walking quite sedately and had no idea the dog was there. There was no apology from the owner, not even an acknowledgement. Since the lockdown we've had many more dogs being driven here to use wooded footpaths. They're becoming a bloody menace. I wish folk would keep them on leads if they have no control.

Mischance · 26/11/2020 16:30

Lord above - don't set me off on this one! Irresponsible dog owners are the bane of my life. I live in the country a go for walks in a local wood. I walk with a stick and have a balance problem so anything jumping up at me could easily cause me to fall.

"He really likes you!" - "He is just being friendly" - I have heard it all.

Makes me furious!

Adoptthisdogornot · 26/11/2020 16:31

@QuentinWinters

Also - how do you train a young dog to have perfect recall in all situations if its not allowed off lead where there are distractions?
This is the problem I have. I'm a considerate owner, but it can be really difficult. And upthread someone said about an explosion of owners who don't know what they're doing getting puppies in lockdown - yeah, they're still puppies, it takes a long time to train a dog, they do jump up when they're young and excitable.
PoolsOfJoy · 26/11/2020 16:34

I'm afraid to say that my pup did this today. We have worked so hard to teach him not to jump up and I really thought that we were pretty solid now. We were walking off lead by a river in a place where we rarely see anyone else. Came around a bend and an elderly man was close to us. I called my dog straight away but he randomly ran up and put his front paws on him. I grabbed him and apologised profusely but the man gave me a real mouthful.

I know that I am responsible for my dogs actions and I was genuinely sorry. I do my best to be a good dog owner and I would say his recall is 95% - pretty good for a 5 month old pup. Should I never let him off the lead?

Peacenquiet2 · 26/11/2020 16:34

I have a dog that I love dearly and also love dogs generally, however I do not like my own or other dogs, with muddy feet, jumping up at my legs whilst I'm walking. I have my dog on a lead and have never let her jump up at other people, dog owners or not. That woman sounds very rude and you are definitely not being unreasonable!

Coastercat · 26/11/2020 16:34

People should allowed to run around wherever they want, and flap their arms about, and have their children scream, and lie down in parks eating sausage butties etc without encountering a dog at all. They have a right not to have their fun curtailed by someone else’s decision to get a dog.

Welcometonowhere · 26/11/2020 16:42

Dogs aside, I think running around screaming is a bit much, to be honest. I don’t mean yelps and squeals of enjoyment on say park equipment but someone just running around screaming for absolutely no reason would irritate the hell out of me.

MLMbotsgoaway · 26/11/2020 16:45

@Welcometonowhere

Dogs aside, I think running around screaming is a bit much, to be honest. I don’t mean yelps and squeals of enjoyment on say park equipment but someone just running around screaming for absolutely no reason would irritate the hell out of me.
Am picturing someone standing in the middle of the park screaming and flapping their arms around now Grin
Faynite · 26/11/2020 16:47

YANBU, the owner should have apologised and offered to pay your cleaning costs.

I regularly encounter the flip side of annoying dogs, namely annoying DC running up and grabbing my dog because she’s very pretty. She is always on a short lead in parks and around DC because she’s reactive to them, but DP get really pissed off if I politely ask their DC to leave her alone for their own safety.

ClickandForget · 26/11/2020 16:48

Does it really happen as much as people claim on MN?

Yes it does. You notice it more when you're the one who's getting jumped on and you don't have a dog with you.

NuniaBeeswax · 26/11/2020 16:53

"Does it really happen as much as people claim on MN?"

I have lived in a semi rural area all my life and not once have I ever been knocked to the ground by some out of control mutt, or been covered in mud, or slobbered over, or had food snatched out of my hand, or had a picnic destroyed...

formerbabe · 26/11/2020 16:55

A dog once jumped on my petrified dd and the owner had to remove it. My dd was sobbing. No apology. I turned round and said a sarcastic "sorry" she genuinely thought I was apologizing to her and replied "that's alright". She got a piece of my mind...I'm the least violent person ever but it's the only time I've really wanted to hit someone...obviously I didn't.

NoPainNoTartine · 26/11/2020 16:55

It happens to me far too often when I am out running. I have more sympathy for the very apologetic owner than the twat who smugly says that it's what dogs do.

I don't know what the solution is, imposing a permit to all dog owners - after a set of mandatory dog training, and fining the irresponsible ones.

I have 2 dogs btw. I still very much dislike uninvited muddy paws and aggressive dogs when I am outside.

NoPainNoTartine · 26/11/2020 16:58

@NuniaBeeswax

"Does it really happen as much as people claim on MN?"

I have lived in a semi rural area all my life and not once have I ever been knocked to the ground by some out of control mutt, or been covered in mud, or slobbered over, or had food snatched out of my hand, or had a picnic destroyed...

Lucky you

I live South East and it's very wet right now. Any dog jumping or simply putting a paw on my leg makes it muddy.

Many dog walkers (not all!) are in a specially bad mood as they believe the "public" is stealing their space at the moment, gyms being closed means there are a lot of runners around.