To be so sick of selfish dog owners...The seal pup in London

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It’s in the news that a seal pup has been mauled by an off lead dog. The seal pup now is likely to be put down.

Recent story of an off lead husky attacking lambs and sheep . A few months ago an off lead dog mauled a deer which had to be destroyed.

Numerous stories of swans being mauled by off lead dogs. On top of the numerous stories of children being attacked by off lead dogs.

Ffs why are people so bloody stupid and selfish! Keep your dog on a lead near wildlife!

I feel so sad for the seal pup . AIBU to think laws need to be tightened around off lead dogs?

I say this as a dog lover and owner .

@SummersMumma it makes me cross as a dog owner and I wonder what these people do at home?
Its the worst part of having a dog but has to be picked up , my 15 year old can do it so can an adult

[quote donewithitalltodayandxmas]@LST I have a collie as well and he is brilliant , yes he needs some off lead but we live near where that is possible
My collie loves people except for when out off lead with a ball as a typical collie only the ball is of interest
Come to my house and he will want to say hello , out he has no interest
Some on here see it just one way and seem to really hate dogs ( prob own another pet ) others bit more reasonable and realise its only some owners.
Even my 15 year old walks our dog no issues as he is well trained ( the dog , not 15 year old) he picks up after him as well and has been walking him for a few years as he is responsible , so if a 15 year old can be , there is no need for an adult not to be able to control a dog and pick up after it [/quote]
My collie is exactly the same. He has eyes for me and his ball when he is off his lead. Others dogs come over and he just avoids them without breaking eye contact with his ball. He doesnt want to play or run up to anyone. In fact when people try to fuss him when he is out and about he dodges their hand and throws the nearest thowable thing at their feet instead!

They are super dogs and it would be bloody terrible for him to be made to go on lead. He doesnt see it as a walk unless he has had his run off lead.

@SummersMumma

Slightly off topic but I am so fed up of dog crap everywhere - all over the pavement, over the grass at our local park - outside the school - do people not realise how disgusting this is or they just don't care? People should have to agree to some kind of basic knowledge / health and safety agreements before they are allowed to become fur parents.

I always wonder what their gardens look like..

If only all parks had a gated dog run area. I wish my local park was dog-free

As a dog owner, I believe dogs should be on lead in public places, end of! We should have dog parks like in America where they're fenced and cleaned etc for people who want dogs to run loose.

That’s one of the few things I miss about living in the States.

I have nothing against dogs but there are way too many inconsiderate dog owners. It’s a major problem in our area with dog poo despite numerous poo bins everywhere, owners allowing their dogs to ruin people’s yards and letting them off lead or dogs they can barely control on the school run. My son’s school had to put in the newsletter for parents to stop bringing their dogs to school because it has become such a nuisance. Add in trying to SD and it’s ridiculous because some of the owners are allowing the dogs to move between people or even taking up most of the pavement so others can’t get pass. Was a split second from colliding and falling over a golden retriever because a woman was walking alone with her dog nowhere near her and it came right in front of me as I was going past a corner. Another let his untrained dogs come running up to my autistic 6 yo who didn’t understand what was going on and holding my legs, no apology to him or us whatsoever. The Facebook community chat is full of complaints about dog owners leaving poo in front of people’s gates or discarding the poo bags into bushes. Neighbours have gone as far as getting doorbell cameras.

One of the parks by us has a dog section. Completely fenced off with the equipment for agility and lots of bins for the bags.
We have a labrador and he knows he is on the lead until he gets in there. He is trained though and has good recall. He has no interest in the geese that walk around the park either. Think he is more scared of them then they are of them.
Such a shame about the seal pup. They are beautiful animals that bring a lot of joy to people when they see them. The dog should have been kept well back. It must have been known that the pup was there.

It's a shame because it used to be a minority of dog owners but I don't think it is anymore.

We have a lovely large community space that is fenced in apart from one gate to get into it so a lot of people walk their dogs there but it's also used as a sports field and for people jogging around. Unfortunately they are about to ban dogs because so many people don't pick up their dog shit. On my walk this morning, I bagged up 10 shits that weren't my dog's. Bear in my mind young families come here to have picnics. It's absolutely disgusting.

I do think more and more people with dogs are being less responsible. I find it v sad that we will lose a lovely space to walk because of the actions of people who just don't care about anyone but themselves.

@SummersMumma
I picked up 2 giant piles on my dog walk today, both from routes very busy with school kids

Dog owners need to take more responsibility for their dogs and there should be stricter laws/licenses about keeping dogs on leads in public places. Ever since I was young, I’ve had dogs running and jumping at me in public places. I was bitten twice, after being chased by dogs as a child. Even now, if I go for a walk locally or in the park, dogs run at me /chase me. I hate it and am absolutely terrified of them so now I don’t dare go to parks or even walk locally. I’m sick of dog owners thinking that it’s okay for their dogs to run/ chase other people!

I dont agree with dogs being let off leads and always keep ours on if only for her own safety (she is very tiny)

@Sparks76

Dog owners need to take more responsibility for their dogs and there should be stricter laws/licenses about keeping dogs on leads in public places. Ever since I was young, I’ve had dogs running and jumping at me in public places. I was bitten twice, after being chased by dogs as a child. Even now, if I go for a walk locally or in the park, dogs run at me /chase me. I hate it and am absolutely terrified of them so now I don’t dare go to parks or even walk locally. I’m sick of dog owners thinking that it’s okay for their dogs to run/ chase other people!

You missed the 'some' from in front of dog owners. As I am sick off irresponsible dog owners too and I am a dog owner

[quote Tessabelle74]@SummersMumma
I picked up 2 giant piles on my dog walk today, both from routes very busy with school kids [/quote]
It's absolutely disgusting! Especially on pavements, just horrible. Well done for picking it up!

[quote Tessabelle74]@SummersMumma
I picked up 2 giant piles on my dog walk today, both from routes very busy with school kids [/quote]
Well done you! Although you certainly shouldn't have to! We have signs all around out area saying there are £1000 fines for people caught - but obviously no one ever enforces this so the threats (and the signs) are fairly pointless. I did once call our local council to enquire - after being transferred to 4 different people the line went dead so I gave up and admitted defeat.

SO many goddamned pricks for dog owners out there. I’ve been bitten while out jogging, had my toddler literally tossed up in the air (from behind) while out walking (with no apology either), the snuffling around the pram thing on a regular basis (“Don’t worry, he likes children!” !).. and don’t get me started on the poo. The worst: poo in a bag to preserve the stuff for 30+ years FFS! Poo in a bag hanging on a branch?! Recently found out this is a deliberate thing done by the owner?! Oh and lastly, breeding... the whole spectrum. From the neglectful money spinners to the so-called ‘pedigrees’ that are in constant pain just so they look nice. The whole thing is out of control. One’s piss is quite clearly boiling on this one.

'it's the rolling of eyes and the ha ha look at those people being scared of my dog when you move away or move out of the way that REALLY fucks me off.'
@mediciempire yes that's the exact same thing i hate too. I never forget an incident with a pitbull when i was a child visiting a relative. The adult owner let it run lose around the houses and it came up to me when i was sat on a wall. I was absolutely petrified and my friend called out to him can you get your dog as she is scared. He deliberately left it there jumping up at me and laughed. Everytime somebody rolls their eyes or laughs at anybody who is scared it reminds me of that time and the sheer ignorance. I think some people who have the really large status symbol dangerous dogs want to induce fear i've found aswell.

I have lost count of the amount of times ds has screamed and cried because a dog has tried to take a stick or food out of his hand, swiped him with their tail, jumped up at him or generally rushed about excitedly around us.

Not one of the dogs were being aggressive, but that doesn't mean it's not still terrifying when you're only hip height, or if you're an adult and had an adverse experience.

I did recently have one person ask if I wanted them to put the dog on a lead recently, but only after ds had been run into and was upset.

Ds likes animals but he has started to be wary of dogs. (I'll also point our ibgrew up with dogs and though wouldn't have one am a dog lover. We had a wolfhound who I would let off for bursts when noone was around and he was always within sight and grabbing distance. The moment a voice was heard or a person on the horizon spotted henwas back on a reliable and rrong lead).

It's really difficult because I teach ds to ask before petting a dog, to hold his hand out and not go over the dogs head when stroking and to accept if someone says no to a stroke, but somehow it's OK for a dog to run right up to us because "he wouldn't hurt anyone" - how are we supposed to know that!? Teach your dog to walk to heel and ensure they have a reliable recall as a minimum.

I bet that I'd get a right earful were I to kick a dog away that I felt was going to be aggressive to my child though.

That dog was completely untrained and the owner had zero control over it. It clearly had an aggressive streak to attack a passive seal. Daft woman had its lead clipped to her waist, presumably as it pulls her.
Poor seal.

I am also a dog lover who is sick of being accosted by off lead dogs. The other day I was out walking when I passed two women walking in the opposite direction deep in conversation to the extent they didn't even notice that the greyhound with them was jumping up at me. I had to call out to them to, "please call off your dog!" It didn't obey and one woman had to come and physically haul it away by its collar.
A couple of yards further on a scruffy terrier type emerged from behind a large stone village name sign on the verge. I turned and had to really yell, as they were quite some distance away by now, "is this your dog as well?" One called back, "yes" so I asked if they would like to get it under control. They called but it took no notice and continued nosing about the verge and base of the hedge wherein finches are currently nesting! "Don't you like dogs?" The woman asked when I insisted she come and retrieve her dog and not allow it to wander unsupervised. I felt like replying, "dogs are fine, it's the owners that get on my nerves" but I held my tongue for once.

Just keep your dog on lead it’s not hard , I have a Yorkie , she is always being attacked by other off lead dogs . I’ve stopped going in parks now if there’s dogs running loose it’s just easier

@Eve76

Just keep your dog on lead it’s not hard , I have a Yorkie , she is always being attacked by other off lead dogs . I’ve stopped going in parks now if there’s dogs running loose it’s just easier

It might not be hard but it isnt fair

I thought that the dog that killed the seal had broken it’s lead. I was very surprised to hear that it was allowed off lead. It’s a patterdale terrier (from the looks of it.) They are renowned for having a very high prey drive. They’re the closest thing you can get to the working terrier (killers of small furry things) roots of the terrier breeds we have now.

Well it’s not fair for children to be jumped at either. Do dogs now trump a child’s safety ?

On our local riverside walk, letting your dog chase the ducks appears to be the main source of exercise for them.

“Don't worry, he’s friendly” are the 4 words that ruin people for me. I LOVE dogs, but people suck sometimes.

Dog on leads under a certain length though. Hate people who walk their dogs 5m away on a pavement on those extending leads. I can see the benefit in more open spaces but not in urban areas. Not really under any control are they. The amount of dogs that go for my husbands white cane (visually impaired) as it has a tip which is round like a ball well before the owners can do anything about it.

and how many dog owners say , My dog would never do that, sometimes they are proved wrong, unfortunately