To have carried on running?

[OdettySpaghetti]

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?

I think that you were being unreasonable. For some reason their dogs seemed to get excited by you running and it awakened their pack behaviour. I daresay that if this were a common occurrence the owners would put their dogs on their leads when they saw a runner approaching. Perhaps this was the first time that it happened. It would have been a far nicer and seemingly less stressful incident all round, had you just stopped running earlier on, given that you inevitably were forced to stop anyway. They probably would have apologised, and you may well have accepted their apology at that point. Instead you spoke to them aggressively instead of what could have just be a far more tolerant and nicer exchange. Would it really have ruined your entire run to have slowed down or stopped sooner? I mean, presumably you also have to stop at roads before crossing etc? And now instead, you have got yourself all worked up for what would have been a none issue for most people, to the point of swearing at them, which is intimidating, and having to come and rant online. I really think that you need to relax a bit more. It was hardly the end of the world.

Entitled prick owners who think they can predict every move their dogs makes.

.... You mean like parents with young children?

I also once stopped a young child from running into the middle of the road whilst running ahead of their parents. Was it my responsibility? Going by this thread, seemingly not. As a responsible person, of course it was. I was closest, saw an accident about to unfold and intervened. I have done the same with escaped dogs on the road and cattle, despite it resulting me being late. Did it ruin my day? Absolutely not. It felt good to have done something helpful.

@ChaoBella

I would have carried on running. Their next dogs might be kept on a lead.

Sod em.

And by the same thinking sod the poor driver who knocks down the dogs!?? Seriously I don't think anyone thinks the dog owners are right but if you can prevent an accident from happening then it's decent human behaviour to do so.

I am a dog owner and I would have not expected you to stop running. If my dog is off the lead he is my responsibility, no one else’s. There’s no way that can be the first time that’s happened. You definitely were not BU.

The best comment on here is @FateHasRedesignedMost's idea of carrying a hunting stick. It genius!

609 posts about dogs off lead

I also once stopped a young child from running into the middle of the road whilst running ahead of their parents. Was it my responsibility? Going by this thread, seemingly not. As a responsible person, of course it was. I was closest, saw an accident about to unfold and intervened. I have done the same with escaped dogs on the road and cattle, despite it resulting me being late. Did it ruin my day? Absolutely not. It felt good to have done something helpful.

Good try. I’m the wrong side of middle age and I’ve encountered and stopped escaped young kids running out onto the road twice in my extensive adult life. Out of control dogs with entitled arsehole owners who believe everyone else has to work around their dogs, way too many times to count just in the last decade alone. Dog owners never acted like this once upon a time, they were normal people with normal dogs. Now #noteverydogowner is an entitled arsehole who don’t believe any rules or restrictions apply to themselves or their dogs and all their dogs seems to have an identity crisis believing they are children. I used to own dogs (all died of old age over the decades of dog ownership). I won’t now. Taking a dog out anywhere with all these arsehole owners is just unthinkable.

And now instead, you have got yourself all worked up for what would have been a none issue for most people, to the point of swearing at them, which is intimidating, and having to come and rant online. I really think that you need to relax a bit more. It was hardly the end of the world.

The thing is, if this was indeed an isolated incident then what you have written makes sense. But likely that’s not the case. Sure, it’s a different dog and different owner each time but it’s rare now to go out and not have an untoward experience like this. So, the dog owner faces the compounded frustration of someone where the stick has broken the camels back. Seriously, if there’s only one incident per trip out it’s a bonus. You can’t even avoid it by going places where dogs are not allowed as they are there also because, again rules don’t seem to apply to dog owners these days.

It’s the dogs I feel sorry for. Dogs were happy when they knew they were dogs. Now they are dogs who are forced into believing they are children and it seems to result in stressed, highly strung behaviour which I guess is normal when you are not in your natural state.

YANBU. In the heat of the moment I can see why you shouted.
The dogs should have been under control.
I would have stopped earlier mailt because I would have found the dogs annoying & the owners clearly had no control

@Skyla2005

But you didn't need to stop running you could have just run back ? Not your responsibility or you fault they have no recal but sometimes we should be kind and do the right thing !!

This.

@sunflowerdaisies

I think you were being unreasonable all along. I'd have stopped as soon as I realised they were staying with me so the owners could get them back.

Why ? The owners should have their dogs under control.

@HoppingPavlova

And now instead, you have got yourself all worked up for what would have been a none issue for most people, to the point of swearing at them, which is intimidating, and having to come and rant online. I really think that you need to relax a bit more. It was hardly the end of the world.

The thing is, if this was indeed an isolated incident then what you have written makes sense. But likely that’s not the case. Sure, it’s a different dog and different owner each time but it’s rare now to go out and not have an untoward experience like this. So, the dog owner faces the compounded frustration of someone where the stick has broken the camels back. Seriously, if there’s only one incident per trip out it’s a bonus. You can’t even avoid it by going places where dogs are not allowed as they are there also because, again rules don’t seem to apply to dog owners these days.

It’s the dogs I feel sorry for. Dogs were happy when they knew they were dogs. Now they are dogs who are forced into believing they are children and it seems to result in stressed, highly strung behaviour which I guess is normal when you are not in your natural state.

I agree

both on the number of incidents and the unfairness of inadequate owners to the dogs.

Hugoslavia, on behalf of all parents every where, thank you for protecting our children, the world is a safer place with you in it

@Hugoslavia

I also once stopped a young child from running into the middle of the road whilst running ahead of their parents. Was it my responsibility? Going by this thread, seemingly not. As a responsible person, of course it was. I was closest, saw an accident about to unfold and intervened. I have done the same with escaped dogs on the road and cattle, despite it resulting me being late. Did it ruin my day? Absolutely not. It felt good to have done something helpful.

Has that young child been chasing you? Had you previously been out running, been chased by a young child and bitten? We’re you fairly regularly chased or jumped at by young children whilst out running?

No.

I agree with this. The child analogy doesn’t hold up. Getting chased (and jumped at) by dogs while out running is a fairly regular occurrence. It’s not down to the runner to be the good soul and break stride to manage the situation, not every fucking time. Of course it’s nice to be nice and despite how much it gets on my tits, I stop so they can collect their dog(s)….but it’s NOT a child. The bloody dog will be off after the next runner or bike or squirrel that happens along too. It’s an OWNER problem. It so happens that I run purely for pleasure and fitness, if I was on a training run and time was important to me, I’d press on knowing that I may well encounter another set of ninnies and their wayward dog around the next corner, such is the frequency of this scenario.
Train your dogs folks…or keep it on a lead.

Given how keen so many dog owners are for runners to stop their run, how come so few stop to pick up their dog poo

@sunglassesonthetable

i'd love to have a bullet proof dog tbh.

Sorry I also use the metaphor that he's a tank. He can plough through any undergrowth. But yeah. Foolproof bulletprooof recall And unless a dog has that they shouldn't be off lead

And by the same thinking sod the poor driver who knocks down the dogs

Small dogs will not do much damage to a car and a driver should see a big dog in enough time to slow down.

@ChaoBella

And by the same thinking sod the poor driver who knocks down the dogs

Small dogs will not do much damage to a car and a driver should see a big dog in enough time to slow down.

So you telling me dogs never get knocked down because drivers see them!?! You are seriously grasping at straws to try justify your nasty response!!!Out of curiosity have you ever knocked down an animal? Or witnessed an animal being hit by a car? It's very traumatic and upsetting experience but I'm guessing you wouldn't really care!

This has happened to me and I just stop so they can get their dogs back (I'm also a dog owner so love the four legged beasts). You sound aggressive though and there was no need to swear at them. Yes they should have control of the dogs, but how about a bit of give and take? You don't need to be an arse as well.

You do sound like a dick tbh. Two little dogs were excited to run with you and couldn't even stop for 5 seconds. If they'd been hit by a car would you have honestly been OK with that? Yes they should have had better recall but your lack of empathy here makes you seem like a psycho.

Lol no you were not BU at Al, but bet those dog's loved that run

Some dogs will have ‘bullet proof’ recall and some will not, they’ll have something like 80% or 90%. They do need to be trained consistently which involves hit and miss tries before they can get to that level.

The plain hatred of dogs, advice given to let them be knocked over or to kick them to spite the owners is really sad.

I don’t think anyone has defended having an unpredictable animal off lead, at all. No one has said she’s not within her **rights to lead them away from their owners and if they die they die.

If people choose to be unkind because they resent the idea of being kind, or would prefer for the animals to die to teach their owners a lesson then that says everything about them.

YANBU It's not your fault that they can't control their dogs.