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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have carried on running?

718 replies

OdettySpaghetti · 02/10/2021 08:06

Went for a run this morning. Ran past a couple of women with offlead dogs (cockapoo and a frenchie) which chased me as I passed them. They were not aggressive, more like running alongside me. The owners shouted of them but the dogs ignored them and carried on following me. I kept on running - before long we (me and dogs!) we’re quite a distance from the owners who were miles behind shouting and running (in a fashion) after us. I ran my usual route, off this path and into a wooded cut through, dogs still by my side. I’m getting pissed off at this point as I know I’m coming to a road and will need to stop so the owners can get their dogs. Sure enough I come to the road and stop. The dogs stop too and just start sniffing around but because we’re now close to a road I feel I have to take the dogs back before they dart across it so I head back the way I came, fuming that this has messed my run up. When the owners catch up one says “if you’d just stopped running we could have got them ages ago!” I replied that their dogs are not my responsibility to which they replied “no need to take them close to a main road though is there? Where is your common sense?” So livid now I say “get your fucking dogs under control, next time I don’t stop at the road”.

AIbU to have not wanted to mess my run up?

OP posts:
Mummyoflittledragon · 02/10/2021 14:44

@Reallyimeanreally2022

Are you trying to say disabled people, who can’t run shouldn’t have a dog?

Leibham · 02/10/2021 14:44

@lawofdistraction

No, the dogs will have enjoyed that run very much so were inadvertently rewarded for it by the runner. Not saying that it’s her fault but taking them on a fast exciting run away from their owners trying to call them hasn’t helped teach them a lesson at all or helped their owners.

Reallyimeanreally2022 · 02/10/2021 14:46

Point completely still stands

If you have a disability, hidden or not, thag prevents you from running, you should NOT take the lead off a dog prone to running after dogs.

Surely as a dog owner, YOU wouldn’t want to do that for their safety? Let alone just being considerate

WaltzingBetty · 02/10/2021 14:47

[quote Mummyoflittledragon]@Reallyimeanreally2022

Are you trying to say disabled people, who can’t run shouldn’t have a dog?[/quote]
No she's saying that people who are unable to control their dogs shouldn't have dogs

Reallyimeanreally2022 · 02/10/2021 14:51

Exactly.

If you have a disability that stops you running

Don't take your dog prone to running after runners off it’s lead.

Simple really

WaltzingBetty · 02/10/2021 14:51

The salient point is that runners have no idea of the disabilities or capabilities of other humans. Able bodied people make all sorts of assumptions.

But it's not up to runners to make accommodations for other people's entitlement. Or should able bodied people make the assumption that everyone else may possibly be disabled and therefore never stick up for themselves and always accommodate entitlement? Surely that's also an assumption.

It's up to dog owners to train their dogs or keep them on leads to stop them chasing runners. Not for runners to assume that irresponsible dog owners may have a hidden disability (no evidence of this in the OP) and thus manage their dogs for them

Reallyimeanreally2022 · 02/10/2021 14:51

Or so one would think Grin

itsgettingwierd · 02/10/2021 14:52

Is it only me who thinks the first part of this should have been alongside the benny hill theme tune?

Runner - I'm imagining all dressed up for the job.

2 little dogs running behind - I'm imagining the pampered pooch type.

2 ladies running behind that - I'm imagining all manicured, fur coat and take out coffee.

Yanbu. You were out for a run and can't stop for every useless dog owner put there - there's too many WinkGrin

Reallyimeanreally2022 · 02/10/2021 14:53

Ans the mind boggles why if you did have a disability that stops you from running why you’d WANT to take surely your much loved dog off it’s lead if it may chase after a runner

Seems incredibly reckless about the life of your dog

Sirzy · 02/10/2021 14:56

Yes they should have had their dogs in control but when I have encountered similar when running I just muster back and run the dog to the owner

kirinm · 02/10/2021 14:57

[quote sunflowerdaisies]@EarringsandLipstick lots of things aren't our responsibility but we do because we are decent people. [/quote]
When people are running, they tend to want to keep running because stopping and starting makes the run harder / longer. If you can't control your dogs, don't take them off the lead. And if your dogs do follow someone and that person has the good grace to stop at a road, you need to thank them not tell them they shouldn't have done near the bloody road.

BiteyShark · 02/10/2021 14:58

I do think the attitude of dog owners make all the difference. In the early days my dog has embarrassed me and I apologise profusely as it was my problem to fix. It therefore means I tend to be tolerant of owners that recognise their own and dogs failing but as soon as they try and make it my fault they get short shift from me.

It wasn't the OPs fault for not stopping. They were fortunate that they did stop and that should make them sit up and work out why they failed in getting their dog back.

Every walk I work on recall despite my dog having good recall. Only a few weeks back I encountered a fire truck hurtling along forest tracks presumably checking they could access areas in case of forest fires. Thankfully my dog recalls to a whistle because otherwise he could have been run over on a track where cars aren't allowed and it would have been my fault if I couldn't have got him back beside me very quickly. Even that made me realise I need to be on my guard in areas where I hadn't assumed to ever encounter vehicles.

Mummyoflittledragon · 02/10/2021 14:58

@WaltzingBetty
Not quite what she said. And I repeated myself in response to your comment.

@Reallyimeanreally2022
As I said it was hypothetical. I’m not talking about me. My dogs are under control.

Rather about the presumption that everyone, who doesn’t have complete control of their dogs at all times is an arse, who deserves to have them run off with a runner even if they themselves can’t run.

Would people make allowances if it were an elderly woman or man?

Tillysfad · 02/10/2021 14:58

You're not wrong, just mean.

lawofdistraction · 02/10/2021 14:59

@Leibham teach the owners a lesson, not the dogs!!

Reallyimeanreally2022 · 02/10/2021 15:05

[quote Mummyoflittledragon]@WaltzingBetty
Not quite what she said. And I repeated myself in response to your comment.

@Reallyimeanreally2022
As I said it was hypothetical. I’m not talking about me. My dogs are under control.

Rather about the presumption that everyone, who doesn’t have complete control of their dogs at all times is an arse, who deserves to have them run off with a runner even if they themselves can’t run.

Would people make allowances if it were an elderly woman or man?[/quote]
Do you not understand
That surely someone who can’t run, would be totally daft (with the life of their own dog FGS) to take a runner dog off it’s lead.

Reallyimeanreally2022 · 02/10/2021 15:06

“Deserves to have them run off with a runner even if they themselves can’t run”

Read that back to yourself
Seriously

WaltzingBetty · 02/10/2021 15:06

[quote Mummyoflittledragon]@WaltzingBetty
Not quite what she said. And I repeated myself in response to your comment.

@Reallyimeanreally2022
As I said it was hypothetical. I’m not talking about me. My dogs are under control.

Rather about the presumption that everyone, who doesn’t have complete control of their dogs at all times is an arse, who deserves to have them run off with a runner even if they themselves can’t run.

Would people make allowances if it were an elderly woman or man?[/quote]
I never asked you what you would do Confused

I simply pointed out that you telling able bodied people they should feel lucky wasn't really relevant.

You're the one who keeps telling us about what you'd do and how we should feel lucky, and how we should behave just in case we encounter a person with hidden disabilities who can't control their dog but let's it run loose regardless.

Reallyimeanreally2022 · 02/10/2021 15:07

I just don’t get it

If you know you can’t run
Don’t take a bloody dog known for running after dogs off it’s lead

It just seems quite astonishingly obvious to me

icedcoffees · 02/10/2021 15:09

[quote BeenThruMoreThanALilBit]@icedcoffees

Before I became a runner I’d have said the same thing.

Now that I know how much physical and mental energy goes into running properly I’m afraid you’re shooting yourself in the foot with that post.[/quote]
Of course I'm not.

Plenty of people I know run seriously - including champion fell runners. They're all more than capable of stopping unexpectedly if they have to Wink

Honestly, running isn't so difficult that you have to just blindly continue no matter what else is happening around you.

Mummyoflittledragon · 02/10/2021 15:10

@WaltzingBetty

The salient point is that runners have no idea of the disabilities or capabilities of other humans. Able bodied people make all sorts of assumptions.

But it's not up to runners to make accommodations for other people's entitlement. Or should able bodied people make the assumption that everyone else may possibly be disabled and therefore never stick up for themselves and always accommodate entitlement? Surely that's also an assumption.

It's up to dog owners to train their dogs or keep them on leads to stop them chasing runners. Not for runners to assume that irresponsible dog owners may have a hidden disability (no evidence of this in the OP) and thus manage their dogs for them

I presume you are talking about this from a lack of experience of what life is like as a disabled person. I get it. I used to be able bodied and I don’t look disabled.

I’ve had cyclists and joggers run at me expect me to get out of the way and almost been run over / shouted at and been bashed into by pedestrians as I’ve been too ill to move. But I am not on this thread to settle a score so to speak.

It is fair to say people in general should be more considerate and tolerant. Not just about this issue. I mean as a society.

But I get it, the sort of things you’ve said are also what I thought in the past. And as I’ve said, I wait for feckless owners to collect their unruly mutts. It’s annoying. But part of societal responsibility IMO.

And what is wrong with starting from a point of wondering if someone is disabled rather than expecting everyone not to be? There are many forms of disability.

mumto2teenagers · 02/10/2021 15:11

YANBU - I don't run but do have 2 dogs, one has excellent recall and would not approach you if you ran past, the other is still young and although he has better recall than a lot of dogs I see off lead, it's not perfect so he stays on the lead when we are near people.

Covid unfortunately means there are a lot of dogs which people got during lockdown without really knowing anything about owning a dog or the time and effort it takes to properly train them.

purplesequins · 02/10/2021 15:17

I'm just back from a run.
in the rain.
weirdly, the lazy dog owners with untrained dogs tend to not be out in the rain.

it's lovely not to have to run slalom.

MonkeysSwiningFromTheTrees · 02/10/2021 15:17

I wouldn't have stopped at all. Not your responsibility.
The comment about disabled dog owners is ridiculous. I know an autistic 9 year old petrified of dogs, they'd freak out in that situation, should they suffer because someone incapable of looking after their untrained dog thinks its a good idea to let them off a lead? Reckless behaviour and affects a lot of people.
The woods is full of irresponsible dog owners, I wish there were some dogs weren't allowed like beaches.

TheOrigRights · 02/10/2021 15:18

Covid unfortunately means there are a lot of dogs which people got during lockdown without really knowing anything about owning a dog or the time and effort it takes to properly train them

THIS!

I have been running a particular route for about 20 years. Part of it goes along a track which was never marked as private, but wasn't obviously a public path either. The owner and the public were respectful and kind - give and take.

In the last year the owner (who happens to be my accountant and also a runner) has put up PRIVATE signs and put a gate across.

I asked him about it and he said since lockdown he's has no end of idiots letting their dogs run all over the place and being arsey about it, so fairly enough he decided to stop being the nice guy.

He's kind enough to let me still run through, but it's sad that the idiot behaviour of a tiny few have spoilt it for so many.