Dog owner angry because i walked away from his dog

[Mooo111]

I admit I'm a little nervous of certain dogs, I just think 'never say never'.
Anyway just before I was walking in the street and a pitbull type dog was off its lead walking past me. I moved to the other side of the pavement to let them past.
The owner (a young man) took great offence at this snapping, 'He's friendly, he wouldn't be off the lead if he wasn't, Jesus Christ!" Then walked off muttering obscenities.

I didn't respond just carried on walking. Has anyone else met this sort of situation? I'm within my rights to move out of the way of the dog if I want to. Of course owners will always say he/she is friendly but it can be intimidating when a dog you don't know runs up to you.

@BuntyHovenn

If the owner is that aggressive then you are right to be wary of the dog

My sentiments exactly. Like a pp if I saw someone was scared of my dog, I would always go out of my way to reassure them, not let loose with a load of verbal abuse and swearing. You can see why there are so many problem dogs with owners like that aggressive Neanderthal.

Some guys are really offended if you insult their penises dogs

But you implied that dogs who walk nicely off the lead on streets are only that way because their owners use questionable training methods, which really isn't fair IMO.

Living on the edge of a city every person I saw walking their dog off lead in a street matched the description of the dog and owner in the op. And yes, whilst it's no doubt a generalisation I do believe the young men swaggering around with a pit bull type off lead is likely to use questionable training methods.

Of course lots of nicely trained dogs will be allowed to walk along the street off lead too. Still breaking the law though ...

We need laws specifying that in public streets etc dogs should be on leads.
I was in a park recently with a 1 yr old niece.A staffy came hurtling towards us from at least 200metres away. The owner shouted and whistled but couldn't get it back. The speed it had built up when it did get to me was enormous, it hit me with such impact that it was like a rugby collision. The dog was beautiful and I'm used to the breed but it's an accident waiting to happen and it's the dogs who suffer.

Living on the edge of a city every person I saw walking their dog off lead in a street matched the description of the dog and owner in the op. And yes, whilst it's no doubt a generalisation I do believe the young men swaggering around with a pit bull type off lead is likely to use questionable training methods.

On the other hand, I know plenty of young men/lads (through work and just from what I see while out) who are nothing but lovely to their dogs - yes, they're often staffies or bull breeds but the dogs themselves are well trained and the owners treat them really well.

Of course lots of nicely trained dogs will be allowed to walk along the street off lead too. Still breaking the law though ...

Lots of people break the law all the time. I can't really get worked up about a nicely trained dog walking at heel by their owners side along the street. People who use long, unlocked extendable leads by roads are a whole different matter though!

YANBU. However, my first thoughts are that he may have got sick of people judging him and his dog negatively and become very touchy about it. Your reaction may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. But all we can do is make instant judgements, it's what helps keep us safe and is a natural human instinct, so if you felt uncomfortable you felt uncomfortable. Shame he reacted the way he did though.

I generally like most dogs but some owners are just ridiculous about their dogs!

There's this woman who walks her terrier type dog the same time as I walk unfortunately
The first time I saw her, the dog lunged for me, teeth bared and snarling. I jumped out my skin as it was out the blue and I wasn't expecting it. And as usual the owner said 'he's very friendly you know' !! I ignored her and carried on walking, despite wanting to say NO HE'S NOT!

He would've gone for me if she hadn't managed to pull him away a split second before he did!

Now... every morning, she gives me the evils, glaring at me. No idea what I'm supposed to have done! Her dog still snarls and yaps when I walk by. I don't look at her or her dog. Weird dog owner.

YANBU.
One of my neighbours has a young adult intact male English bull terrier, I avoid it, and I'm not the only experienced dog owner in the area that tries to avoid it.

@Mischance

Dogs are a British obsession ... no-one dare complain about them, and if you do not love them there is something wrong with you apparently. Makes me sick.

Same in Ireland. I actually had to unfollow a few people on facebook who were obsessed with rescue dogs but stood in judgement of people and compounded their distress with judgement, silent treatments, ostracisation etc If you do a fundraiser for 1) rescue dogs and 2) women's aid, the dogs will raise more money.

@Ownedbymycats

We need laws specifying that in public streets etc dogs should be on leads. I was in a park recently with a 1 yr old niece.A staffy came hurtling towards us from at least 200metres away. The owner shouted and whistled but couldn't get it back. The speed it had built up when it did get to me was enormous, it hit me with such impact that it was like a rugby collision. The dog was beautiful and I'm used to the breed but it's an accident waiting to happen and it's the dogs who suffer.

It's already the law that dogs should be on leads on public roads.

But the issue is, off-lead doesn't automatically mean danger and on-lead doesn't automatically mean safe.

For example, yesterday I was walking three dogs at heel along the road - all on leads. A man on the other side of the road had two boxer-type dogs on leads. One snarled and lunged towards me and my dogs - it nearly got itself hit by a car as it pulled the man so strongly he ended up on the road.

Even for 5 doors away it's really not too much hassle to pop a lead on. I've seen too many times through my work the consequences of a well trained, lovely dog being momentarily distracted near traffic. I promise it can and does happen and leads to such pain and heartache. There is also the issue of legal liability for an accident caused.

Yanbu I am nervous arround dogs and can't stand the owners who are dismissive of this or take personal offence.

@IVFConfusion
It doesn’t matter if that’s a reflection of the owner or not. I’m not a fortune teller to say if someone’s is a responsible dog owner or not, if the dog is trained or not. The truth is some dogs are much more likely to cause fatal injuries and some dogs aren’t . This is the risk not worth taking.

@EvilPea

I accidentally ended up with a “status” breed, I will trot out the “softest dog you’ve ever met” and he was. It used to make me so sad people would judge it and cross the road after one look at him. Fair enough if you don’t like dogs, he wasn’t going to jump up at you anyway. But the immediate judgement made me sad. He had a soft coloured harness to look friendlier.

I have to admit I go out of my way with status breeds now to say hello, as I know the judgement they get

To be honest I would do the same cross the road because

1. I ended up in hospital after being bitten by a status breed
2. I don’t know your dog
3. I don’t know how my dog would react if I was tense myself
4. I would not be worried about offending your dog or his feelings.

@CandidaAlbicans2
You’re right. It’s actually a very healthy reaction to avoid dangerous dogs, we have the instinct of fear for a reason. I couldn’t care less about the feelings of a dog owner. They knew what breed they chose as a pet. They knew these dogs can cause fatal injuries to people if decide to attack. Then we somehow owe love to their dogs.

Ah, the righteous outrage directed by dog owners towards people who, very sensibly, get out of the way of savage-looking dogs. I’ve come across this before. They’re being defensive because they know their dog looks terrifying (and should definitely be on a lead).

You can walk anywhere you want for any reason or no reason without anyone commenting

I get you OP.
I was once in a Travelodge. I walked though reception into the bedroom corridor and found the receptionist talking to a man with a dog.
I immediately stepped back to allow them to finish their conversation and the dog and it's owner to return to their room.

Receptionist immediately turned to me and said 'Don't worry it's a service dog.'

So? Did I ask? Does that make a difference? Did I speak? Did I question it?
No, so crack on and I'll return to my room when I am happy.
I'm not going to squeeze past 2 people and a dog.

I have a Labrador and I can’t blame anyone who crosses away. She’s still in training and doesn’t walk to heel yet. I would also never, ever let her off lead unless it’s a secure field we’ve hired.

Yet.

But even when we get to the stage where she walks nicely and I trust her recall. I would never let her walk to heel on a street. Too many variables that can’t be controlled in my opinion. Too many dangers… but I do live in a very busy town.

YANBU dogs shouldn't be off leads. It still puzzles me that on my local field, on which there is a primary school that people are exercising dogs off lead at school drop off. No matter how friendly accidents can happen and I've been knocked over by a bounding dog dropping my kids off. He didn't mean me any harm but I'm a 40 year old who was no match for an excited large dog after his ball so what hope do nursery kids have 🤷🏼‍♀️

@CandidaAlbicans2

YANBU. However, my first thoughts are that he may have got sick of people judging him and his dog negatively and become very touchy about it. Your reaction may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. But all we can do is make instant judgements, it's what helps keep us safe and is a natural human instinct, so if you felt uncomfortable you felt uncomfortable. Shame he reacted the way he did though.

You may be right, but when anyone gets a pitbull type of dog, they have to realise it comes with the territory, especially if they want to exercise them off lead. If they can't cope with people's reactions, maybe they need to rethink their choices.

The problem is that lots of people have skewed judgement when it comes to their dogs. They then get offended when strangers don't trust their judgement.

I would put anyone who lets their dog approach or run up to passers-by into that category, especially if they shout "It's all right, he/she is friendly!" No, it's not all right. Lots of people don't like dogs and, even if the dog in question is unlikely to savage them, they should not have to deal with them and should be able to live a relatively dog-free life without being accosted by other people's dogs.

If an owner is actually offended that someone moved away from their dog, then there’s a red flag right there.