To be totally fed up with dogs?

[dogtroubl]

When we moved in, neighbours had an old dog that used to wander into our garden and leave poo everywhere. Couldn’t use garden with young kids due to mess and large dog.

Complained (politely), after quite a bit of unpleasantness fence finally fixed, dog died and they got 2 new dogs that were loud but contained.

Neighbours moved, new neighbours also have 2 dogs and fence is in a bad state of repair again due to the constant barking, snarling and scratching that happens every time we go outside. I always make sure I’m out there with the kids in case it breaks because they don’t sound friendly at all.

Their neighbours also have 2 dogs so the 2 sets are always setting each other off barking.

Family members also have dogs. One very old who soils everywhere and one very large, young dog who is very playful and jumps up and licks and dribbles all over you.

My daughter is terrified (the dog is easily as tall as her) and the family member always says dog will be shut away when we go over, but dog is always let or gets out soon after. I can tell my daughter’s fear of this dog irritates the family member but she’s genuinely scared after an incident when she was a toddler, plus this dog is like a horse to her and could do serious damage even with just a nip.

We’ve been to a few kids’ playgrounds over the holidays, dogs off lead and running all over the place at each one. Chasing kids in a “playful” way that scares them.

Dog poo all over footpaths and verges everywhere. Kids tread in it, I tread in it, buggy goes in it because I don’t see it until it’s too late.

I know it’s bad owners not the dogs’ fault etc but AIBU to just be totally fed up with dogs?

That’s a metaphor though, not ‘you treat old people nicely in the park so why not dogs?’

By comparing them?

Like, cheese tastes better than chalk, but chalk is drier than cheese? There, I just did it 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Mreggsworth

Erm… by putting a lead on your dog whilst on the pathway and removing said lead whilst you get to the field. Quite the revolution I must say.

@Pumperthepumper

Yes exactly. I’m all for analogies but comparing dogs to scooters is ….. well I have no words 😂.

@BoredZelda

And you have not once been able to explain how my dog being off lead on a path puts my needs above others.

My disabled daughter would have meltdowns if a dog was off lead nearby. Because she doesn’t know if your dog will run at her or not. We used to have to avoid parks for years when she was younger. She can deal with it better now but still isn’t happy with it. That’s how it puts your needs above hers.

But if we follow your logic I shouldn’t have my off lead dog anywhere in public at all because he might encounter your daughter or someone with a similar aversion. And that’s just not a reasonable ask IMO.

If my dog is off lead and someone asks me to put him on lead while the pass or if someone seems obviously nervous I will certainly out of courtesy either put him on lead or hold on to him until we’ve passed.

The obligation on dog owners here is simple - train your dog as well as possible, know them fully before they are off lead, react quickly if they do anything they’re not meant to and respond with courtesy if you know that even your perfectly reasonable behaviour is causing someone else distress.

The pp who claims it’s fine to have him off lead in the green area but not on the path the runs around the perimeter is being inconsistent - often the interior of the park is busier than the path. What if there’s someone with a phobia of dogs playing football instead of walking on that path. If I follow your logic and pp logic it’s my job to anticipate that and therefore not have my dog off lead. I disagree - I think it’s my job to have a well trained dog, to be attentive and to respond with basic manners and courtesy if I do encounter someone who needs me to put him on lead temporarily to feel more comfortable.

I walk my ddog on a lead and take her to dog fields for a good run. We are lucky to have both free and pay as you go near me. If we go to a open public area I use a long line. Her recall is ok, but if dogs run up rudely she can be over boisterous, so I can get her close to me quickly.

Yes, I see dog poo while out walking her but I see far more rubbish, broken glass, discarded nappies.
I also play sport on pitches and poo can be an issue depending on location. If I go near pitches I walk around, not over, although I always pick up poo regardless.

It's unusual for one person to have such continually and exclusively negative doggy experiences. You're really unlucky 😕

@cowskeepingmeupatnight

By comparing them?

Like, cheese tastes better than chalk, but chalk is drier than cheese? There, I just did it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ah I see! So you can compare literally anything, non edibles to edibles, for absolutely no purpose? In which case, why do it?

@TeaKlaxon

No that is not her logic at all. This child is walking on the pedestrian path. If she has an aversion to dogs I doubt her mother would be stupid enough to place her smack back in the middle of popular dog walking fields.

@cowskeepingmeupatnight like, I can kick a football, why can’t I kick a dog?

It wasn’t for no purpose. All of the comparisons/metaphors on this thread have served a purpose. That’s why ‘how very dare you’ is the default response, because it conveniently kicks the point that was being made into the long grass.

I'm glad to be reading this and feel less alone in my "fed upness".
I was out for supper on Monday on a terrasse ( Im in Paris) and a small dog from a table near us spent the whole of our main course coming up and head butting our legs and begging for food from our plates by jumping up to the table. When I politely asked the owners if they could get the dog to stop they just replied that we didn't have to give him food if we didn't want to, it was so far off the point. We didn't say anything else and just got on with eating our food but it really annoyed me.

I also have mild cerebral palsy - I can walk totally independently but don't have great balance. And so I'm scared of dogs and especially small dogs because when they run round my legs I can loose balance and fall really easily. Whenever a dog owner sees me tense up when a dog is running round me I always get a " oh don't worry, he's not méchant (nasty I think in English) " I don't care if the dog is nice or not - I'm just scared of tripping or falling over. This never seems to cross dog owners minds.

@cowskeepingmeupatnight

It wasn’t for no purpose. All of the comparisons/metaphors on this thread have served a purpose. That’s why ‘how very dare you’ is the default response, because it conveniently kicks the point that was being made into the long grass.

What point though? Unless you think dogs and children/men/whatever should be treated exactly the same?

The point it that we all find aspects other people’s lifestyles annoying in public spaces (e.g male yobbishness, or dogs). Sometimes we are also afraid of things we encounter in public spaces (e.g. scooters, or dogs). But we have to adapt and live with it. It’s really not hard to understand is it? Why are you being deliberately obtuse?

Dogs seem to be a ever present nuisance these days. We're on holiday in a UK seaside resort at the moment and everyone seems to have a bloody dog. The accommodation smells of previous dogs, every cafe has dogs under every table, and every other dog we pass sniffs 6 year old DS or barks or jumps at him so he's now dodging dogs all day long. I'm sure at least 50% of current dog owners just have one because it seems to be the done thing. I definitely wouldn't visit a relative who had dogs - I just hate the smell as much as anything else. But also the way they interfere with you without warning or invitation.

[quote Tulipblacksmith]@TeaKlaxon

No that is not her logic at all. This child is walking on the pedestrian path. If she has an aversion to dogs I doubt her mother would be stupid enough to place her smack back in the middle of popular dog walking fields.[/quote]
I’m not talking about ‘dog walking fields’ I’m talking about a public park, where people play sports and have picnics and play with their kids and play with their dogs.

If you assume that poster wouldn’t have her daughter in that park, then it’s unlikely they’d have her on the path either, since there are just as many off lead dogs on the path as there are in the green area it circles.

So what happens if BoredZelda says she wants her daughter to be able to play in the green area rather than just be on a footpath, which is not unreasonable? Is it still my job to anticipate her discomfort around dogs? Or just to have my dog well trained and to respond if my dog causes discomfort?

@Tulipblacksmith

Didn't read further back to see you meant off lead not on walk ways.

Still think it depends on the dog/ situation. I'd put mine on a lead if the park is busy and the paths are full of prams / bikes. If its quiet then I may aswell let him run

@Nelliephant1

It's unusual for one person to have such continually and exclusively negative doggy experiences. You're really unlucky 😕

But if you generally dislike dogs or are frightened of them then their very presence in your life is a negative, isn't it?

My dog doesn't bark in the garden because we taught her not to. Wish I could say that the kids that live next door that are allowed out to scream at 6.30am were as well behaved.

Also enjoy the argument that dogs are bad for the environment. Having a child is the absolute worst thing that you can do for the planet, so it's maybe not a good argument to make.

@cowskeepingmeupatnight

The point it that we all find aspects other people’s lifestyles annoying in public spaces (e.g male yobbishness, or dogs). Sometimes we are also afraid of things we encounter in public spaces (e.g. scooters, or dogs). But we have to adapt and live with it. It’s really not hard to understand is it? Why are you being deliberately obtuse?

Why do we have to adapt and live with it?

Because the activities you disagree with are within the law, so you don’t have any option other than to live with it, do you?

Cue the ‘entitled dog owner’ pile on…

@TeaKlaxon

I absolutely agree you cannot mitigate all exposure and it is for this very reason why I think pedestrian paths should at the very least have dogs on leads. This could be the only potential “safer” place for certain adults/children.

Yes we all have to adapt to the world but why it is seen as a huge inconvenience to some dog owners to simply place your dog on a lead whilst on pedestrian paths really does scream entitlement. It’s all well and good wanting every man and his dog (excuse the pun) to adapt to your ideal worldview but I prefer to consider other people in my actions. Some kids have autism etc….. they may never to adapt but at the same time they may need to use the pedestrian path to access the playground. Some kids with autism are fine with dogs and love them. Like I said a myriad of reasons why some people may feel more comfortable walking on pedestrian paths with dogs on leads.

Its about a simple mitigation which isn’t a huge inconvenience.

People are seriously deluded about how well trained their dogs are too. Like I said the average Joe dog owner cannot recall their dog on the first command. Whilst dog ownership has exploded, people with dog expertise most certainly hasn’t.

To be honest it is actually rare to find “a very well trained” dog these days. Peoples standards are low.

@cowskeepingmeupatnight

Because the activities you disagree with are within the law, so you don’t have any option other than to live with it, do you?

Cue the ‘entitled dog owner’ pile on…

I think most people generally have an idea of societal norms though, and it’s fine to say ‘your dog is being a menace, put it on a lead’.

The problem in my local park is teenagers smashing glass on the floor, burning bins, doing drugs and leaving them on the floor, and generally being arseholes. Does that mean that the existence of teenagers and young people in my life is negative?

@Pumperthepumper Course you can, you can say what you want. And I can walk my dog where and how I want, provided I follow the rules/signs. It’s a free country like that, isn’t it lovely?