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

[Trevorwhatever]

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?

Basically dog owners if you are having confrontations with other people over the behaviour of your pet then it is not sufficiently under control
75-80% of the time I would agree.

However there are some people who are either hysterical or irrational on the topic of dogs and refuse to accept the world doesn't revolve around their preferences.

In the lockdowns I've come across some very strange people who seemingly have zero ability to think or behave rationally.
For example, I had someone shout at me because my on lead, well trained dog was in a queue for a coffee van. She was sat by my side and minding her own business. Hysterical man didn't notice her, then when he did he yanked his kids away shouting 'get away from the dog', they started screaming and my dog barked and pulled in closer to my ankle. At this point he decided to shout at me about the fact that "not everyone likes dogs you know" and that a (big open country) park was not the place for dogs, "you shouldkeep that thing under control". Through his whole stupid outburst my dog remained at my side and didn't bark. I'm not surprised his kids don't like dogs if they've seen their dad act like a deranged idiot about an on lead dog sat by their owner's side.

It's fine he doesn't like dogs, but a country park is absolutely appropriate for dogs, it's well known that people take dogs there and I'm willing to bet that he wouldn't have done that if I were a man because instead of a smile of pity and ignoring him (my reaction), I'm sure plenty of men would have told him where to go with his stupid outburst.

She only wears old clothes and dark things
This woman was actually implying that you should expect to be assaulted by her dog and dress accordingly
I would reply that from now on I will go out carrying a big stick to defend myself against dogs!

And if your H used his ‘large boots’ (what a hero) to kick one of my gorgeous dogs, it would be the last thing he did.

If a dog is in her face, she and her DH are entitled to protect themselves @SurreyHillsGirl . And protect themselves from you, whatever unhinged attack you make.

@yoho you are totally incorrect. But whatever 🙄

@Meraas

And if your H used his ‘large boots’ (what a hero) to kick one of my gorgeous dogs, it would be the last thing he did.

If a dog is in her face, she and her DH are entitled to protect themselves @SurreyHillsGirl . And protect themselves from you, whatever unhinged attack you make.

Obviously if you're attacked by a predatory animal you have to take whatever steps are necessary If you are also attacked by the owner of the animal, well I suppose one would have to go out carrying a weapon!

ALWAYS these same dog threads..
Yes op of course yanbu. You dont need to post and ask that😅
but if you really dont want a dog jumping on you: dont walk through a park that allows off leash dogs.😎

@Yeahnahmum

ALWAYS these same dog threads.. Yes op of course yanbu. You dont need to post and ask that😅 but if you really dont want a dog jumping on you: dont walk through a park that allows off leash dogs.😎

I agree that off-leash dogs should be confined to designated areas

For all those posters complaining that OF COURSE the OP isn't BU and she shouldn't even be posting because she must know that and could only be posting to rile people up - the whole point of the thread is that you are WRONG!

It's literally all over the thread - posters who have encountered owners who allow their dogs to jump up and don't even try to call them back or apologise for them approaching small children and pushing them over. They clearly literally do think that it's reasonable to allow their dogs to do that, so for all your eye-rolling and accusations, you are spectacularly missing the point that there are lots and lots of people out there who literally don't give a shit that their dogs are approaching people who do not want to play and merrily call out about how friendly their dogs are and look genuinely upset and offended when you ask them to call their dogs away.

That is what we are all trying to explain. I don't think most of us are talking about apologetic dog owners who do their very best to recall their dogs, chase them down and apologise to whoever they've jumped on, as you seem to think is the norm. There are loads of people who simply don't demonstrate any kind of understanding that someone might not want their dog to jump up on them and when you encounter it on such a regular basis it feels as though you are constantly on edge whenever you see a dog because there's always a chance that it may result in a confrontation. And if the OP wants to discuss that, I think it's pretty unkind to try and shut her down and accuse her of being disingenuous based on the flawed premise that everyone thinks like you.

It's literally all over the thread - posters who have encountered owners who allow their dogs to jump up and don't even try to call them back or apologise for them approaching small children and pushing them over. They clearly literally do think that it's reasonable to allow their dogs to do that, so for all your eye-rolling and accusations, you are spectacularly missing the point that there are lots and lots of people out there who literally don't give a shit that their dogs are approaching people who do not want to play and merrily call out about how friendly their dogs are and look genuinely upset and offended when you ask them to call their dogs away
The exasperation and 'of course YANBU' doesn't deny that irresponsible owners exist.
The exasperation is that its quite obviously not unreasonable to not want to be jumped at.

Nobody is 'missing the point'.

It's like saying 'AIBU to think that it's wrong to steal?'. Overwhelming response will be 'obviously YANBU because it's wrong to steal so it's a totally daft question. Thinking 'is it just me who thinks stealing is wrong?' is a silly question doesn't miss the point at all, nor does it deny that thieves exist. It's just a statement of fact that asking if you're unreasonable to think stealing is wrong is a frankly silly thread.

Drink drivers exist and clearly consider their actions ok, but a thread saying 'AIBU to think drink driving is wrong?' is a silly question worthy of an eye roll because obviously drink driving is wrong and puts lives at risk.

@yeahnahmum the parks that allow dogs to be off lead state that they should still be under control. Isn't it against the law to not be in control of a dog in public?
So even parks where dogs are off lead should be safe to walk through! They aren't dog only parks are they?

You are not being unreasonable but honestly this is so boring you need to get out more

You are not being unreasonable but honestly this is so boring you need to get out more
She does get out. It's in the thread title.

A certain percentage of the population are inconsiderate idiots.
Unfortunately, some of them own dogs.

Yanbu. People > dogs when in public. I've had an owner shout at me to stop running during a timed training run so he can try and stop his 3 big dogs chasing me and 'getting' me. Pain in the arse when training. Took him ages to get them under control while i was standing there like a nob. Another dog on the same run 'didnt know i was there' according to the owner, attacked me and scratched all the way down my legs drawing blood. She got it just before it bit my leg. Heaven help me if Id been a kid on a bike or something.

The difference is that it is a tiny minority of people who steal or drink drive, and they know that it's seen as 'wrong' by society hence it's against the law, whether they choose to do it or not. This doesn't appear to be the case with an increasing number of dog owners who seem not to agree that they should be stopping their dog from bothering others.

I rarely encounter people stealing, but based purely on the encounters I have had over the last week, I would said that at least half the dog owners we have run into have had either poor control of their dog, no desire to control their dog or both. That is WAY more than I would expect from the posters on the thread who claim that it's universally abhorred, and suggests that actually there are a growing number of people who believe that it shouldn't be a problem.

It's the opposite of dog poo - in the 1980s, if you had said 'AIBU to think that people should carry little bags around and pick up their dog poo while they're out', most people would have been incredulous at the suggestion, whereas now you would say 'everyone agrees that you should bag your dog's poo and only inconsiderate owners don't do it.'

Perceptions shift, society changes, it's surely ok to ask if you're experiencing something unusual or if others are noticing a chance in these interactions too.

@Yeahnahmum

but if you really dont want a dog jumping on you: dont walk through a park that allows off leash dogs.

I don’t know where this poster is based but in the UK nearly all parks/public open spaces allow dogs off lead - so long that they are under control.

The only places where dogs have to be on a lead/ aren’t allowed are usually posh gardens like the national trust or the actual childrens play areas ( you know the bits with swing and roundabouts) the same ones that have been padlocked in lockdown.

To be honest I think it has got so bad now round here that we need to petition the council to provide designated dog parks and ban dogs from everywhere else.

As a child I was savagely attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier. I have permanent scars as a result and had many psychological problems over the years as a result. I can deal with walking past a dog if it's on a lead and under control but it absolutely terrifies me when a dog runs towards me. Please keep your dogs under control in public. Not everyone is dog friendly!

but if you really dont want a dog jumping on you: dont walk through a park that allows off leash dogs

I stepped out my front door and a Staffordshire bull terrier bounded towards me...the scumbag owner dawdling down the street...I was petrified

In Germany we are allowed to carry pepper spray whilst walking in the woods and fields. And I do.

I've never discharged the spray but I've booted a couple of off-lead dogs for trying to attack my on-lead very small dog.

If your dog is a dick, keep it on a lead. I keep mine on-lead just for her own safety, there's just too many aggressive dogs with pathetic owners about.

It would be a very depressing day if laws came in to keep all dogs on a lead. I 100% back having control over your dog but idiots being the reason well behaved dogs have to stop on a lead isnt right

@RickJames

In Germany we are allowed to carry pepper spray whilst walking in the woods and fields. And I do.

I've never discharged the spray but I've booted a couple of off-lead dogs for trying to attack my on-lead very small dog.

If your dog is a dick, keep it on a lead. I keep mine on-lead just for her own safety, there's just too many aggressive dogs with pathetic owners about.

Poor little dog. Ours is tiny, she weighs 5kg, her life would be miserable if she was never allowed offlead.

I have two dogs, one is great off lead, really only interested in her ball, submissive with other dogs, not really interested in other people and mostly ignores them.
However, the other one is dog reactive and always kept on a lead. My main problem is other dog owners allowing their dogs to rush up to my onlead dog, I have to shout at them to get it away, and had a few clashes.
I think the answer is to have designated, fenced off areas, where space in parks allow it. I can let my reactive dog off lead and my other dog run and play together and other park walkers can go about their business unmolested. And hopefully keep everyone happy

@LolaSmiles

Basically dog owners if you are having confrontations with other people over the behaviour of your pet then it is not sufficiently under control 75-80% of the time I would agree.

However there are some people who are either hysterical or irrational on the topic of dogs and refuse to accept the world doesn't revolve around their preferences.

In the lockdowns I've come across some very strange people who seemingly have zero ability to think or behave rationally.
For example, I had someone shout at me because my on lead, well trained dog was in a queue for a coffee van. She was sat by my side and minding her own business. Hysterical man didn't notice her, then when he did he yanked his kids away shouting 'get away from the dog', they started screaming and my dog barked and pulled in closer to my ankle. At this point he decided to shout at me about the fact that "not everyone likes dogs you know" and that a (big open country) park was not the place for dogs, "you shouldkeep that thing under control". Through his whole stupid outburst my dog remained at my side and didn't bark. I'm not surprised his kids don't like dogs if they've seen their dad act like a deranged idiot about an on lead dog sat by their owner's side.

It's fine he doesn't like dogs, but a country park is absolutely appropriate for dogs, it's well known that people take dogs there and I'm willing to bet that he wouldn't have done that if I were a man because instead of a smile of pity and ignoring him (my reaction), I'm sure plenty of men would have told him where to go with his stupid outburst.

Wow, that would have annoyed me too. How dare he be so rude. Do you have a staffie by any chance? I have a staffie and have encountered a fair bit of prejudice. 😕

@formerbabe

but if you really dont want a dog jumping on you: dont walk through a park that allows off leash dogs

I stepped out my front door and a Staffordshire bull terrier bounded towards me...the scumbag owner dawdling down the street...I was petrified

A Staffordshire Bull Tetrrier you say? Oh no, the absolute horror. 🙄

A Staffordshire Bull Tetrrier you say? Oh no, the absolute horror

Yeah...and?

I stepped out my front door, I don't expect to have some mutt run up my drive way...and yeah, I don't like that breed...so?