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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

999 replies

Thewithesarehere · 27/12/2020 12:52

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?

OP posts:
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5
LolaSmiles · 30/12/2020 13:05

How is a dog supposed to get sufficient exercise
who in their right mind would select a pet who's exercise requirements mean that the animal and its owner are a nuisance and a menace to the local community?
More overly emotive language to describe animal minding their own business that can be paraphrased as 'I dont like off lead dogs so I'm going to make them sound horrible'.

LST · 30/12/2020 13:09

@yoho my pet needs off lead walks but it doesn't cause a nuisance to anyone else. Apart from me when he gets covered in mud and I have to wipe him

Scottishskifun · 30/12/2020 13:09

@Yohoheaveho

How is a dog supposed to get sufficient exercise who in their right mind would select a pet who's exercise requirements mean that the animal and its owner are a nuisance and a menace to the local community?
Is it all dogs you hate or just ones which don't look like a ball of cute fluff?!

What about cats? They also a menace to communities as well they hunt and can hiss at people.....

I know we will all get goldfish and put the bowl onto a sled with wheels is that an acceptable community pet..... Hmm

As said multiple times the majority of dogs are well trained and the majority of owners are responsible.

Original poster
Thewithesarehere · 30/12/2020 13:13

How is walking a well trained dog off lead in the countryside a menace to the local community?
We live in the middle of countryside and go for long walks. The number of off lead dogs you see whose owner is nowhere insight or too far is unbelievable.

OP posts:
Yohoheaveho · 30/12/2020 13:13

@midnightstar66

This is a big problem in our local park. There is one huge dog who's owner has a child so he's roaming for hours often unwatched while the dc plays and the mum chats after school etc. He's clearly friendly and doesn't appear to jump but does approach people and other dogs. My friends dd won't play there anymore as she's so terrified of him. He's chest height on a lot of dc. He is unneutered and I could take my dog on a lead at all when she was in season as he stalked her. Even out of season he approaches and harasses her - she's on a lead as all dogs should be in a busy play park area at school run time - and she's terrified (she's tiny) and is become reactive as a result of that and the other male dog that is left to roam and who is decidedly less well mannered. I had to pick her up the other day and he was diving up still trying to get to her putting muddy paws all over me, he stalks us relentlessly too and the owner eventually comes and gets him. I've seen him jump up at dc on numerous occasions, my own dd has been scratched by him. Owner too busy chatting to the mum crowd. She even called my dog 'a funny thing' when he was stalking us the other day for so long that she started snapping at him, as if my on lead and under control dog was the issue. I don't find it odd at all that OP has had more than one incessant with the same dog. I've had several with the same animals. Lots of excuses here but it seems like many people have not picked the right dog for their circumstances if letting them roam in busy areas, knowing that they approach others is the only way to get them sufficiently exercised.
I'm talking about this kind of thing....this dog and its owner are a nuisance and a menace
cantdothisnow1 · 30/12/2020 13:16

@Thewithesarehere

How is walking a well trained dog off lead in the countryside a menace to the local community? We live in the middle of countryside and go for long walks. The number of off lead dogs you see whose owner is nowhere insight or too far is unbelievable.
Ok so on this specific point. Are these dogs that ran ahead of their owner bothering you or are they just doing what dogs do, running, having a sniff and then going back to their owner when they call them back?
LST · 30/12/2020 13:16

And AGAIN @OP no one is saying that is acceptable. Jesus christ ! We are talking about dogs that are under theor owners control!

Original poster
Thewithesarehere · 30/12/2020 13:17

@Scottishskifun
No need to hyperventilate and dramatise a logical argument unless you have something to worry about.

OP posts:
cantdothisnow1 · 30/12/2020 13:18

when i said having a sniff i didn't mean of you I meant of their surroundings, dogs like to try to pick up scents. I don't want you to misinterpret that as me meaning that it would be acceptable for a dog to come up to you and sniff you.

Original poster
Thewithesarehere · 30/12/2020 13:21

Ok so on this specific point. Are these dogs that ran ahead of their owner bothering you or are they just doing what dogs do, running, having a sniff and then going back to their owner when they call them back?
Two of the incidents that happens to me were in a park that is part of the countryside, with lots of walks leading out from it. This is why we visit it frequently.

OP posts:
LakieLady · 30/12/2020 13:22

@Ritasueandbobtoo9

Part of the problem is people with large dogs who need a lot of exercise and training only giving them the minimum, once a day walk and thinking that is sufficient. Why get a huge dog without time or land to allow it to exercise properly?
Some small breeds need a lot of exercise, too, notably terriers. I walked 3-4 miles a day when I had my lakelands, and when they were offlead they would cover probably twice the distance I did.

They were incredibly well behaved around horses and cattle, but had to be on lead among or adjacent to sheep or poultry. They were frightened of cyclists, one of them having been run over by a mountain bike that was being ridden illegally on a public footpath, so I kept them on lead on the short sections of bridle path that we used.

The only time one of them ever even pissed off a human wasn't anyone's fault. My bitch ran about a quarter of a mile alongside a jogger, who was really pissed off with her. However, the jogger kept calling her name, which happened to be the same as the jogger's fat lab who was waddling a long way behind, and unable to keep up with him. I called her too, but the wind was strong and blowing in the opposite direction, so I don't think she could hear me above him shouting.

I don't have any problem with reasonable restrictions, like leads in town centre parks (although it would deprive me of the occasional entertainment of an offlead dog running into Tesco, which is right next to a park and bordered by a riverside walk that runs through the park), and some beaches. (This is well managed at Camber beach: the beach is huge and half is dog-friendly, half dog-free, and ime the restrictions are observed).

I also think most dogs should be on lead in pubs, after once having a badly behaved (and huge!) springer knock a full pint of beer into my lap, and I have no problem with pubs that don't allow dogs. I just don't go to them.

LST · 30/12/2020 13:23

@cantdothisnow1 did that clear that up for you? 🤣🤣

Scottishskifun · 30/12/2020 13:26

[quote Thewithesarehere]@Scottishskifun
No need to hyperventilate and dramatise a logical argument unless you have something to worry about.[/quote]
😂 I have nothing to worry about just pointing out how ridiculous a statement it is and also the posters complete lack of knowledge about dogs, breeds and was wondering what type of pet is acceptable for the "community"

cantdothisnow1 · 30/12/2020 13:28

[quote LST]@cantdothisnow1 did that clear that up for you? 🤣🤣[/quote]
not really.

i don't tend to walk my dog in parks or areas adjacent to parks. My dog does run ahead though, completely ignores the people she passes.

i think that OP would consider that my dog is 'out of control' for the fact that she doesn't walk to heal at all times, but i'm not entirely sure.

My dog gets 5-6 miles of exercise off lead per day, i have always had dogs and walked them and have never ever had occasion to be criticised for my dogs being 'out of control'.

LakieLady · 30/12/2020 13:28

Also, some dogs only react/go for a certain breed of dog. For some reason malumutes or huskies are high up on the list that dogs react too, not surevwhy, but dogs don't like these breeds

There's a theory that the facial markings on those breeds make it difficult for other dogs to read their facial expressions, so a bit like why dogs are more inclined to go for black dogs.

Makes some sort of sense, imo.

Original poster
Thewithesarehere · 30/12/2020 13:29

I would suggest that a large predatory animal capable of reaching speeds of 30 miles per hour is completely unsuitable as a pet and should not be in an urban environment.
So many posts on this thread that show how even a small dog can cause severe injuries if it is out of control. I think off lead areas are the only answer, combined with harsher fines.

OP posts:
cantdothisnow1 · 30/12/2020 13:29

Some small breeds need a lot of exercise, too,

yes my brothers working cocker needs about twice the amount of walking than my Golden Retriever.

Yohoheaveho · 30/12/2020 13:32

off lead areas are the only answer
On another thread someone mentioned commercially run off lead dog parks, could this be a good way forward? 🤔

cantdothisnow1 · 30/12/2020 13:33

@Yohoheaveho

off lead areas are the only answer On another thread someone mentioned commercially run off lead dog parks, could this be a good way forward? 🤔
No, they wouldn't be big enough to exercise dogs that are used to walking over 5 miles off lead per day.
Original poster
Thewithesarehere · 30/12/2020 13:37

@Yohoheaveho

off lead areas are the only answer On another thread someone mentioned commercially run off lead dog parks, could this be a good way forward? 🤔
Stricter controls over who gets a dog could also be a way (licences?) but as several posters have pointed out, others countries have laws that restrict off lead dogs to designated areas. That is more enforceable I would imagine.
OP posts:
BatleyTownswomensGuild · 30/12/2020 13:38

It's the dog owner's responsibility to keep their dog under control. (And I say this as a dog owner.)

So sorry for your poor kids. Hope they are Ok, Op.

Scottishskifun · 30/12/2020 13:38

@Thewithesarehere

I would suggest that a large predatory animal capable of reaching speeds of 30 miles per hour is completely unsuitable as a pet and should not be in an urban environment. So many posts on this thread that show how even a small dog can cause severe injuries if it is out of control. I think off lead areas are the only answer, combined with harsher fines.
Go for it OP I mean it's not like the government are busy with other things such as a pandemic and Brexit......

Oh and BTW the current estimated time to get legislation through the house of commons is about 5 years due to Brexit legislation and changes taking priority and yes you would need to create legislation to make something mandatory.

Not to mention a Tory government who would face a big backlash from their own party.

But you know best off you pop on your crusade!

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 30/12/2020 13:39

I find it bewildering that people think it's okay to let their dogs encroach on other people's space in such a way
Because some people are idiots, on both sides of the argument. I was walking with a friend yesterday. He was ahead of me on a narrow path (hedges either side) with two dogs on leads, when a young kid came cycling towards us, well ahead of his parents, (who were also on bikes, on a footpath Confused). It didn't occur to the parents to stop the child until my friend called out, 'These two aren't good with bikes!' The kid finally stopped about 5 or 6' feet away. I don't know what the parents thought was going to happen if their kid crashed into the big bloke with the two large dogs...

I've got a dog who hates bikes, so I never let him off lead where we're likely to encounter any. And I've lost count of the number of times idiot cyclists come charging out from behind bushes in woods, where either the bye-laws prohibit them or I know the landowner doesn't want them, and get shitty with me because my dog barks at them.

You do your best to be a responsible dog-owner, and you still get grief.

cantdothisnow1 · 30/12/2020 13:39

I definitely wouldn't object to licences and mandatory training.

LakieLady · 30/12/2020 13:40

If you want a dog which needs lots of exercise, you need to be fit enough to keep up with them if you want to let them off-lead

Yes, I should have realised when I got my lakeland terriers that I was going to develop arthritis in my knees and spine 10 years later, or Achilles tendonitis that lasted 2 years. Hmm

Thankfully, their recall was bloody excellent by then, and they would hunt rabbits, which gave them plenty of exercise (and the occasional free dinner).