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?

@Worried234
How am I arrogant and entitled? Because I like to play tug of war with my dog? I already said she stays on a lead. You start going round attacking random dogs if you like but do let us know how it goes for you.... as many people have tried to point out you put yourself at risk of being bitten and potentially getting into a fight with the owner. I would see red if anymore hurt any of my animals, and that goes for my kitty cats too!

@thebabessavedme
You can go round starting fights with strangers and their dogs if you want but don’t be surprised with you end up injured or facing legal repercussions.

I think the shame of it is is that most people quite like dogs, we just cant be arsed with the badly behaved ones. I will never own a dog but I would stand up for any badly treated/neglected animal, it just seems that there are dog owners who are what seems to me, willfully blind as to acceptable dog ownership/training.

@Thewithesarehere
If preferring animals to people makes me militant and unhinged then so be it. I’m absolutely fine with this.

I was merely explaining how some dogs, including my own, will respond to your stick idea. I’m not sure how that makes me entitled... 🤷🏼‍♀️ people are so quick to attack on here, it’s them who need a muzzle and not the doggies 🤣😂

@Blackitty, keep your dog well trained, on a lead, and make sure it is no threat to me or mine and there would be no issue - chose not to do so and face the legal repercussions, including having your animal destroyed.

[quote Blackitty]@Worried234
How am I arrogant and entitled? Because I like to play tug of war with my dog? I already said she stays on a lead. You start going round attacking random dogs if you like but do let us know how it goes for you.... as many people have tried to point out you put yourself at risk of being bitten and potentially getting into a fight with the owner. I would see red if anymore hurt any of my animals, and that goes for my kitty cats too!

@thebabessavedme
You can go round starting fights with strangers and their dogs if you want but don’t be surprised with you end up injured or facing legal repercussions.[/quote]
@Blackitty
I have posted upthread that you will face two serious charges if you attack a parent who is defending their child, one of the charges potentially leading to your dog being PTS. In the chaos that will ensue in the aftermath of something like this, you will be hard pushed to find someone who gives the benefit of the doubt to the dog owner. However, it will be the dog that will pay the price sadly. Especially if people have visuals. No need to worry if your dog is always on a leash and is never out of control.

if preferring animals to people makes me militant and unhinged then so be it. I’m absolutely fine with this.
In the nicest possible way, you shouldn’t be on an online forum and should be seeking support. It really is unfair and quite unusual to expect from a parent to not kick off a dog off their child.

You would kick back to someone who has kicked your dog off their child? You are going to face two charges

As numerous people have pointed out, the dog did not attack your child so there was no need for possible violence on your part. I think the police might be interested in how you are carrying around a stick or spray with the intention of using it as a weapon. Oh and then there’s the animal cruelty too...

If I did manage to contain my anger, in the event of someone harming my animal (and that’s a big IF) I would almost certainly calling the police myself. I have said this before but will repeat, the
best strategy is a bag of dog treats to throw in an attempt to distract the dog. My village had a problem with attacks, and people were coming on FB saying they would be carrying a weapon, my friend who is a registered dog trainer and works with dogs for a living suggested the dog treat strategy so that’s come from a professional..

@Thewithesarehere

if preferring animals to people makes me militant and unhinged then so be it. I’m absolutely fine with this. In the nicest possible way, you shouldn’t be on an online forum and should be seeking support. It really is unfair and quite unusual to expect from a parent to not kick off a dog off their child.

Kick a dog off your child if the dog is attacking your child? Absolutely. But that’s not what happened to you, is it. The dog knocked your child over, it didn’t attack him. There is absolutely no place for violence in this scenario.

Oh and your personal attacks just go over my head. Being an animal lover and preferring animals to people does not make a person mentally ill, whatever next 😂

@thebabessavedme

I think the shame of it is is that most people quite like dogs, we just cant be arsed with the badly behaved ones. I will never own a dog but I would stand up for any badly treated/neglected animal, it just seems that there are dog owners who are what seems to me, willfully blind as to acceptable dog ownership/training.

I would stand up for any badly treated/neglected animal

Says the person who plans on kicking the next dog who approaches them 🙄

Also they don’t destroy dogs for jumping up or approaching strangers...
Hell, they don’t even destroy dogs who have killed another dog or bitten a person..
You are very naive.

@Blackitty

You would kick back to someone who has kicked your dog off their child? You are going to face two charges

As numerous people have pointed out, the dog did not attack your child so there was no need for possible violence on your part. I think the police might be interested in how you are carrying around a stick or spray with the intention of using it as a weapon. Oh and then there’s the animal cruelty too...

If I did manage to contain my anger, in the event of someone harming my animal (and that’s a big IF) I would almost certainly calling the police myself. I have said this before but will repeat, the
best strategy is a bag of dog treats to throw in an attempt to distract the dog. My village had a problem with attacks, and people were coming on FB saying they would be carrying a weapon, my friend who is a registered dog trainer and works with dogs for a living suggested the dog treat strategy so that’s come from a professional..

I responded to your post that your wrote for MsTSwift. This is why I have called you militant: you sound so upset that you didn’t understand which post I was replying to. Also, you can get all angry you want, this thread is a living proof how you will never get the benefit of doubt. Both stick and K9 spray are perfectly legal, as previous posters have pointed out. So is citrus spray. I have also posted many times now that feeding someone else’s animal anything will lead to all sort of legal problems so it is a very bad idea for the public to carry a dog treat with them.

@Blackitty

Also they don’t destroy dogs for jumping up or approaching strangers... Hell, they don’t even destroy dogs who have killed another dog or bitten a person.. You are very naive.

Why are you upset if your own dog is as perfect as you claim and if you fully understand why off lead is not ok?

Yet you have no concern about the potential legal repercussions of hitting the offending dog with a stick... Okay. You clearly cannot be reasoned with. This will be my last post. I hope your stupid plan doesn’t get you and your dc bitten or worse.

good night, dont let the fleas bite!

A young mum died in my local park saving her kids from a dog attack. That's always in the back of my mind when I go there

@Thewithesarehere actual dog attacks dog going to bite/trying to bite etc 1 is too many but an actual dog attack is not what happened as others have pointed out to you. Your child was knocked off its feet by a over enthusiastic dog and the owner was an arse. This is not a dog attack or showing any aggressive intention.

My toddler has been knocked off his feet by a dog (not my big breed BTW), it was a over enthusiastic 6 month old puppy who was on a lead. The owner was apologetic and my toddler was fine we simply gave him a cuddle said the dog was being silly. Did I see this as a attack no. My 2 year old already knows to stand still if there is a unknown dog running about.

He has been taught this because many dogs would see a child running as a great game that they wish to play in.

You have also been told repeatedly how dogs are likely to react and your "problem solving" will do the exact opposite.

If you want to protect your children research ways to respond, teach your children to stand still and avoid eye contact and follow the good advice that people have provided that understand dogs as your proposed tactics actually are more likely to endanger your children.

I can see why some dog lovers on here are upset at it being suggested that their dog is on a lead all the time. I also get people saying that it depends on the dog’s recall.
I am concerned that quite a few dog owners either don’t have a grasp on what their ability to call their dog back is or they don’t think about it. The majority of dogs that have approached us lately ( mostly on the beach but also on a couple of woodland / country trails) have not gone back when called resulting in the dog owner having to come and physically move the dog away from us/ occasionally actually off my daughter ( the dog not necessarily being aggressive but still not something I want them to be doing uninvited). This is especially annoying when we’ve made the effort to keep lots of space between ourselves and other walkers given the covid stats here at the minute .
Dogs generally aren’t allowed on the beaches here in summer at all and they are often busier now in winter than in a general summer given people can’t meet indoors. I think it would be reasonable to have a dog on a lead in this situation but it’s a bit different in an isolated spot. I think the numbers of people going out walking is so much higher than normal that it’s not helping.

I have to agree with a previous poster that the response of the dog owner goes a long way. A quick apology goes a long way and the appreciation that some people don’t like dogs around them, are allergic or a bit scared of them.
As for children on a leash, I find this a spiteful thing to have retaliated with but I do often use backpack reigns with my dc especially if I places are fairly busy or there’s traffic. I don’t let her approach dogs and think it’s perfectly reasonable not to want them to approach her (or me).

OMG...doesn't @Blackitty illustrate exactly what is wrong with the mentality of some dog owners!

OMG... doesn’t blackkitty illustrate exactly what is wrong with the mentality of some dog owners!
I didn’t see anywhere blackkitty saying she thought it was acceptable for dogs to knock over children..?
In fact, I don’t think anyone has defended the dog owner.

These threads follow such a predictable format and this one is no different.

1. OP complains about a poorly trained (but ultimately friendly) dog bothering a child.
2. the owner is super rude
3. everyone piles in and agrees the dog owner was rude and the dog should have been under control
4. the OP throws in some lies to make them sound super reasonable, claiming to like dogs really, maybe even buy one herself one day etc
5. a few posts in the OPs real feelings become apparent and the hysterical comments follow, the breed blaming (not in this particular thread), screams that all dogs should be on lead 24/7, random dogs attacking random kids is a super common occurrence, all boisterous dogs are automatically dangerous, dogs that run and accidentally knock people were probably going to rip their throat out, we should kick any dog that approaches, pepper/K9/pet corrector them, whack them with sticks, report them to the (unbelievably understaffed and busy) police etc etc etc

Threats of violence to a human are out of order and are fucking vile.
It really is quite simple keep your slathering mutt on a lead and don't let it near small children
However I suspect keyboard warrior ship is very different from reality

@Swaddlemeinplants

Did you read my OP? I was playing with my children and they were running to me when the dog ran up to them. The dog owner was too far from us Terrible of course. I don’t mind that sarcastically, id have been mortified and extremely apologetic if my dog had done similar

If a dog hurts my child and I try to scare it away with a stick or a spray, you are quite welcome to try and hit me and see what comes out of it
This though 🤦🏻‍♀️
First, there is a huge difference between accidentally hurting your child by running or jumping and actually intentionally hurting your child by biting.
Neither is acceptable but most dogs fall into the former, not the latter.

So many dog owners have tried to explain why your view is wrong and it just falls on deaf ears.
I don’t understand why.

1. If you try and ‘scare’ a dog with no nasty intentions, a dog that wasn’t watching where it was going or tried to interact with your child and accidentally hurt them, with a spray or a stick there is a good chance that that formerly friendly dog who posed no real danger to anyone will remember and associate children with being sprayed or smacked with a stick.

The next time that dog sees your child it may go for them and growl and lunge or maybe even bite them because it’ll be scared and keen to frighten the scary child away because when children are around it gets sprayed or smacked with sticks. By using a spray or stick on a dog you put your children in danger

1. If you spray or smack a dog with a stick not all dogs will yelp and run away.

Some will defend themselves by biting you. By using a spray and stick you put yourself in danger

1. If you dared ever spray or smack my dog with a stick I swear to god it would be the worst mistake you ever made.

You can give it all the big talk on here but most dog owners will see red just as intensely as you do and if you are unlucky and piss off the wrong person you could end up badly injured.

The vast majority of dog bites are in homes, by dogs known to the victim.
The risk of a strange dog aggressively going for you is vanishingly small.

I was bitten by a dog when I was out running along a public road. I had chased the same two loose dogs earlier in woodland and they had chased me, but the owner called them off. The stupid owner then let them loose again and when they attacked me, they were out of his site and he was a long way away.

They actually approached me silently from behind, I didn't know they were there until the one which bit me latched on. And it didn't let go until its owner activated the electric shock collar it was wearing - I felt the electric shock too.

I had to go to hospital, get stitches and antibiotics. I was lucky it didnt bite through a tendon and cause permanent injury. The attitude of the dog owner stank - they were fake apologetic but didn't really care and tried to make out it was my fault for running along a public road.

I found your comments about people defending themselves and "pissing off the wrong person" really disturbing and menacing, and you seem not to have the normal human reactions of a responsible dog owner. It seems more about posturing with you - "I'm bigger and more important, so my dogs can do what they want". Very disturbing to read.

The dog which bit me was pts, as it had attacked people before and also other dogs. The idiot owners had actually moved house to get away from all the complaints about them and then still let their dogs off the leads in a public place.

That to me is a social problem ue to the attitude of the owners, and you demonstrate a similar attitude. Just don't let your dogs loose in public places where people are likely to be. Even if you can't see any people.

I have a massive dog and its lovely when strangers are happy to meet him. I keep him on a leash because he's not everyone's cup of tea and he doesn't have the social skills to keep his distance. YANBU

I found your comments about people defending themselves and "pissing off the wrong person" really disturbing and menacing, and you seem not to have the normal human reactions of a responsible dog owner. It seems more about posturing with you - "I'm bigger and more important, so my dogs can do what they want". Very disturbing to read
LOL
I don’t let my dog approach others and she has good recall, hence why she is off lead.

The reality is, people DO get aggressive over their dogs (people do over their children too).
And yes, if OP pisses off the wrong person she is likely to find herself injured.

I once came across a dog I knew was dangerous.
I could tell straightaway by its body language so I calmly just turned around with my dog and went to walk away.
The owner of the dog then launched into a frankly terrifying angry tirade at me, fuck this and fuck that, demanded to know what was wrong with me because I wouldn’t walk past his dog, threatened violence against me when I politely told him I could tell by looking at his dog’s body language that it wasn’t comfortable around my dog.
Seconds later his dog went for my dog and bit her neck.
I went home shaking and in tears.
Can you imagine how that would have gone if I’d sprayed his dog?!?!
Or hit it with a stick?!?!
He was breathtakingly aggressive just because I refused to walk past his dog!
It’s common sense not to be violently towards people’s pets...

I’m not a confrontational person at all but like other dog owners I do love my dog and I will react aggressively if someone sprays her or hits her with a stick.
Same as I’d act aggressively if someone attacked my child.
Doesn’t make me a violent person generally speaking.