To expect dog walkers to keep their giant dogs on leash around other peiple

[Thewithesarehere]

I am still quite sick after seeing a dog, nearly my DC’s size, running after my DC knocking them to the ground and running over them.
DC is covered in mud. I was taking a picture of them running to me and it happened in a flash. I shouted at the dog owner who something like put your own children on leash.
Why the hell people don’t keep such huge dogs and then let them off leash in a public park around children? DV is covered in mud, shivering and complaining that their leg hurts where it hit a rock and that they are scared of dogs. I wish I had done more but don’t know what else I could have done.
AIBU in feeling bloody furious?

And the ones who don't clear up after their dogs drive me absolutely bonkers. Boxing day walk for us finished with my daughter, he scooter, he shoes and her leggings all covered in stinking shit. Why the hell should I have to deal with it??!.
Our school run every day has become a dodge-the-dog-shit slalom. I'm utterly sick of it.

@Thewithesarehere

I stick with my hope that after we've got through Covid we can start to address dog-owner licences. Can you please explain that a little? What kind of licenses are you talking about and what will they mean?

Hiya, I posted it earlier in the thread. Basically, I believe that anyone who wishes to keep a dog should first pass a test, similar to the driving theory test. It would cover things like how to care for a dog, basic dog first aid, and your legal rights AND RESPONSIBILITIES. At the moment anyone can acquire a dog without a clue about how to teach it to be a decent member of society. The licence would cost enough to make it viable to enforce. There would obviously be exemptions for properly registered assistance dogs.

@Scottishskifun
All the incidents have been dog jumping at children or me. All but one involved dogs that I couldn’t handle and neither could DH.
And I absolutely refuse to change my own routines and family outings to go to places where there aren’t many dogs around. First, that leaves me with nothing but the lane behind the village farm. Second, it’s incredibly unfair of you to expect me to make this move when it is the dog owners who should do this. I have just noticed that you have suggested this same idea to others. I think you are being very unfair.

@op ahh so all dog owners need to change their routines and ways to please you? Riiight

The licence would cost enough to make it viable to enforce. There would obviously be exemptions for properly registered assistance dogs
I agree with all that you said however the pet industry will lobby hard against anything which hurts their profits, all they want is for as many people as possible to have dogs
requiring people to demonstrate their fitness to be dog owners will result in much lower rates of dog ownership
Requiring people to purchase the licence will result in lower rates of dog ownership
The pet industry will lobby against this

[quote LST]@op ahh so all dog owners need to change their routines and ways to please you? Riiight [/quote]
What dog owners need to do is prevent their pets from harassing people

@yoho which I have managed to do the entire time I have owned a dog! So why should I be made to.go to dog parks and not let my dog off?

As to learn to share - please learn not to unwantedly share your dogs, and your kids. If necessary, leash them both. . .

@QueenOfLabradors
That sounds like an excellent idea. Another point to include in this test should be a check to see how powerful the dog is next to the owner. In the incident that happened in the splash park, the owner was a lady who was no match for her dog and I suspect she knew it the way she took off when many parents started bollocking her. She could b aren’t defend herself, let alone anyone else.

@VinylDetective
I have tried to explain this many times: the whole idea behind keeping a large stick with me to distract a dog would be that it turns its attention to me and away from my children.

@k1233 - You’re my hero. I am in Australia too, and have a giant-breed dog that was bred to be an assistance-breed. (Sooooooo not a guard/hunter-type of dog.) She is always on a halti-lead. She was very badly attacked twice by a couple of American pitbull/Mastiff things that had been bred for fighting that were of course, off leash. She had no idea how to defend herself and is now terrified of dogs and has potential to become aggressive as a result. All the work we’ve put into training her has gone to shit because of these dickheads, their dogs have been pts, (it was on the park security cameras), we were lucky not to have been injured or killed, my dog is now on drugs for life and can only be walked stupidly early in the morning and late at night to avoid most other dogs. I agree that all dogs should be on leads. I also loathe the anthropomorphising of dogs. It’s dangerous. When I am out with my giant, anxious ball of fluff, we are inevitably met by a gamboling “oodle” of some description who wants to be friends. It will be off lead, and have no recall. It’s owner will be twenty meters or so behind it and they will call out “Don’t worry, he’s friendly” and I have to yell back “My dog’s not!!!” Why the fuck is it my responsibility to protect their dog when I am doing the right thing? They are recklessly leaving it to wander into danger. If my dog were to kill it, my dog would be pts!!!

[quote LST]@op ahh so all dog owners need to change their routines and ways to please you? Riiight [/quote]
When did I say that? We are discussing this idea for for the off lead dogs only. Please look at the context. Seems like a lot of countries have this sort of rules in place, so why can’t we? If you have a dog that you can control with a lead and that you clean after, why shouldn’t you be allowed in the same facilities as me and my children? But if you can’t control it, then no I don’t want you around my children at all.

@Thewithesarehere I am saying that everyone who uses public spaces should be responsible. Not one user has any right higher than the other be that parent, dog walker or cyclists (unless it's a cycle track).

If people have such a big issue with having to share public spaces they should find spaces that they feel more comfortable with. That's not selfish that's simply stating nobody has a greater right than others despite what they may think. If you are not comfortable with dogs being in a space then find a different time or place and keep an eye out. Use firm language with a dog that you feel is getting too close.

No dogs shouldn't be out of control but you have also suggested hitting dogs with sticks which will result in a dog defending itself even if that dog isn't being aggressive.

I have a toddler and a large dog, both require walks so I take both and I watch both carefully.

[quote LST]@yoho which I have managed to do the entire time I have owned a dog! So why should I be made to.go to dog parks and not let my dog off?[/quote]
Because there is no way we can verify your claim. It’s just not possible. What is logistically possible is that we put into effect a law that allows off lead dogs in designated areas only. Like many posters have mentioned, these laws appear to be in place in many others countries.

@op you literally said

'Second, it's incredibly unfair of you to expect me to make this move when it is the dog owners who should do this.'

What did you mean by that then?

@op I aren't lying. And I aren't ever going to change my ways regarding walking my well behaved, obedient dog. As I have already said, I can't travel to these 'areas' and the field 2 minutes away from my house does us just fine.

My partner has a giant dog...he is huge but is a gentle giant...he loves to play with other dogs and loves to say hello to the owners...we realise his size can be scary to some people so always ask other owners if their dog is friendly too and can the dogs play together...in my experience its the smaller dogs that are nasty and yappy...big dogs have nothing to prove.

@Scottishskifun
Between children and dogs, I will always choose children. There is no way we can discipline all the dog owners who don’t train their dogs properly. It’s highly subjective but a law that allows off lead dogs is far more objective, enforceable and will also be a social deterrent.

@Thewithesarehere Just to let you know, while my dog is a giant breed, she has a head collar that keeps her firmly under my control. She’s very strong and when she pulls or lunges, the straps around her nose turn her around. (Bloody marvellous thing.). Although she doesn’t know this, if she needed to defend herself from another dog, she could. (She doesn’t believe this however!) Because the collar turns her away from the desired direction, she doesn’t tend to bother pulling or lunging while wearing it. I wouldn’t attempt to walk her without it.

There needs to be a change in attitude. It’s really offensive to say learn to share when learn to share means children covered in shit, terrified, with dogs biting them or jumping up on them and pregnant women knocked over by “friendly labs”. Something more needs to be done. Dog licenses need to be phased in. Dogs need vests with markings on so can be reported if out of control. Owners need to be fined if their dogs are out of control. At the minute the owners are just abusing people and walking off in the knowledge that unless someone has a camera out that nothing can be done about their badly behaved pets.

[quote LST]@op you literally said

'Second, it's incredibly unfair of you to expect me to make this move when it is the dog owners who should do this.'

What did you mean by that then?[/quote]
I should have been clearer. I meant off lead dogs throughout. This is the discussion we are having since yesterday. I don’t have any issues with owners who 1. Don’t let their dogs off lead and 2. Can control an on-lead dog physically if it gets out of control.

I also loathe the anthropomorphising of dogs
This is a deliberate strategy used by the pet industry, they know that owners spend more money on pets if they can be manipulated by advertising into seeing them as equal to a human

@op so you would have me change my ways to make you happy even though my off lead dog would come now where near you? Yes? Entitled much...

At the minute the owners are just abusing people and walking off in the knowledge that unless someone has a camera out that nothing can be done about their badly behaved pets
True!!
But most of us DO have a camera in our pockets, we need to get into the habit of pulling them out and shooting footage as soon as there is a dog problem

@Ritasueandbobtoo9

There needs to be a change in attitude. It’s really offensive to say learn to share when learn to share means children covered in shit, terrified, with dogs biting them or jumping up on them and pregnant women knocked over by “friendly labs”. Something more needs to be done. Dog licenses need to be phased in. Dogs need vests with markings on so can be reported if out of control. Owners need to be fined if their dogs are out of control. At the minute the owners are just abusing people and walking off in the knowledge that unless someone has a camera out that nothing can be done about their badly behaved pets.

I didn’t know how divisive this topic is despite the number of incidents people have reported here. It seems to me that some people consider their dogs to be at least equal to other people’s children. I find it incredibly annoying though I can’t really articulate why.

I LOVE dogs. I always have always owned them and always had one, so I am not some kind of dog hater.

That said, I go running and I am regularly barked at, chased and jumped on and I get the joy of seeing little bags of shit hanging from trees (the onwer is always about to come back for it, of course, that's why there are dozens).

There should be dog licenses.