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?

[quote cowskeepingmeupatnight]@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?[/quote]
It is! But you can’t then get upset if people take against your dog because they value their child more. Because dogs and children are not the same thing.

[quote cowskeepingmeupatnight]@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?[/quote]
Attitudes like this are why dogs get a bad rep. I had a neighbour who used to preach the good word from his balcony at 7am every day. Was it illegal? No. Bloody antisocial? Yes.

@Pumperthepumper

Dogs and teenagers also aren’t the same thing 🤨.

@HailAdrian

I saw a really fat dog yesterday

I see quite a few overweight dogs locally too, struggling to walk, panting loudly, it's really sad........

@Pumperthepumper

Apologies I tagged the wrong person.

To the person who did the teen/dog comparison…. Really?

@Tulipblacksmith but dogs and footballs are apparently, just ask @Pumperthepumper!

I think pumper was being sarcastic there.

I mean it was rather genius. You can kick a football so does this mean you can kick a dog?

I mean this is the level of intellect we are currently at on this thread 😂.

To the person who did the teen/dog comparison…. Really?

Here we go again with the ‘how very dare you’.

Yes really, really. Lots of things irritate other people. Teenagers. Men. Motorbikes. Bratty toddlers. And for some people, dogs. A comparison has been made, stop the press!!!!

Some people are so passionate on here.

[quote cowskeepingmeupatnight]**@Tulipblacksmith* but dogs and footballs are apparently, just ask @Pumperthepumper*![/quote]
🤣🤣🤣🤣

People have them as a fashion keeping up with the Joneses type thing, there's a competitive yummy mummy vibe round our area and I know once one had bought a puppy that was it they'd all be at it. Used to infuriate me when they brought them in the playground. And no rescues all dubiously overpriced poodle hybrids and those poor flat faced dogs that can hardly breathe. The owners are idiots. I know loads of people with dogs, there ones that don't have any kind of behavioural issue are in the minority.

@cowskeepingmeupatnight

Men/teenagers…. Let’s just refer to them as humans shall we. Humans and dogs? Definitely different.

Dogs and motorbikes? Most certainly different.

Quite a catchy game though. Flies annoy me, can we compare dogs and flies? Would that be okay? I mean flies also inhabit the park too, and they are living creatures so I would say that was a slightly less ridiculous comparison to scooters.

Talk about straw clutching 😂

Course you can compare dogs to flies, if your point is that they are both things that annoy you but which you nonetheless have to live with. See, easy.

@cowskeepingmeupatnight

It’s not dogs though is it that annoy me? It’s entitled dog owners who think it’s the end of the world putting their dog on a lead whilst on pedestrian paths. Pedestrian being the key word here.

Anymore comparisons up your sleeve? Go on give us a laugh ……

I think the problem with the teen/dog comparison is that lots of dog-obsessed people think their hounds are human and refer to them as their fur-babies. I guess the dogs are filling some kind of emotional void ..there was a thread of MN once where several people openly said there dogs were on a par with their children and not much to choose between the two. I actually found it really heartbreaking for the kids. Lots of guilt future therapy sessions lined up there.

Why do some people find other people’s love for their animals so triggering?

@Trixiefirecracker

Agreed. That’s why this thread has escalated. People are blinded by their love for their dogs and cannot distinguish between humans and dogs, hence why some people are outraged at the suggestion their dogs need to go on a lead in certain places. (Paths, close to playgrounds etc).

I mean I have teenager and I also have a dog. Incomparable.

I don’t find it triggering but just really sad that people would compare a pet to their own child, mostly very sad for the child…it’s doesn’t affect my life.

@Tulipblacksmith I don’t think it’s the end of the world to put a dog on a lead on a path. I often do it, circumstances depending. I just won’t do it simply to appease the self-appointed path police.

@cowskeepingmeupatnight

It’s not triggering. I love my spaniel. I simply just see the entitlement of certain dog owners that gives us all a bad name.

Spelling! Sorry ‘their dogs’ 😳

Urghhhhh @TeaKlaxon you and people like you are the problem, how disgustingly entitled you are.

Why on earth does a dog need to be in a bloody playground or basketball court?? Can't children just enjoy a safe space without being bothered by flaming dogs. I dont give a toss whether they're on a lead so many children are terrified of them because of bad experiences at the hands of entiteld dog owners like you.

Do you know how disturbing it sounds that you think children shouldn't be able to safely enjoy spaces specifically designed for them. Please tell me why with all the open spaces in this country you and your dog need to be in a playground or on a tennis court?? Why?

I grew up with dogs, I'm comfortable with dogs, but the DCs and I have had too many bad encounters with crappy owners and their indulged public nuisences.

There were the dogs who would steal food from our picnics including literally from my then 1yo's hand as he ate in his pram.
Dogs that "love children" that have bounded around in the young DCs' faces and even knocked them over.
There's the serial shitter that regularly leaves its deposits in the middle of our gateway to be inadvertently smooshed into the pavement when the DCs walk into it when leaving the house for school. Possibly the same one that left a trail within 10m of the school gates.
Countless dogs that jump up, scratch, leave mud on clothes. I don't want to wash my coat and damage the waterproofing.
The one who scraped me with his teeth when he snapped- I was standing still playing pokemon doing nothing of obvious interest. I shouted to the owner that his dog had scratched me with his teeth and he looked up from his phone just long enough to mumble "sorry"
Going back a number of years when I was hillwalking, there was the pregnant ewe with wool pulled out and bloody marks on her abdomen.

There is the majority of decent owners and well behaved dogs, and those that respond promptly and appropriately if the dog's behaviour has taken them by surprise. I'm pretty forgiving then. However there are far too many that just blurt "It's OK it's friendly/ a puppy/ loves children", and they are the bastards that have taught my children that dogs are unpredictable and potentially threatening. For DS2 it takes so many positive experiences to overcome each instrusive/ bad one. He wants to like dogs but it's such slow, fragile progress. DS1 just hates them now; he has ASD and can't cope with the unpredictability or sensation of fur/ saliva on his bare legs. It's no wonder some of these idiots are so inept because they can't even recognise fear signals in a human being let alone train another species.

Then there's the subtype that argue back, so when you firmly, but politely ask the owner to put their full-sized labrador on a lead because it's now jumped up 3 times all over your coat, will acuse you of scaring it and "it's only a puppy". Or the entitled twat who thinks you're in the wrong for having thd audacity to take an 8yo in the woods (8yo was standing still concentrating on catching a pokemon when this dog bounded up, jumped and put its paws into his abdomen winding him, and making him cry). Apparently it was our fault and not the fault of his puppy.

We have a lot of encounters with dogs because we live by the open spaces that are neighbourhood dog-walking central and try to live active lives. The only way we can avoid dogs is to drive door to door for all 5 minute local journeys.

I like well-trained dogs that are under control, and polite, responsible owners. Quite a lot of the local walkers are pleasant and friendly, but there are too many arseholes who ruin it for everyone including the other dog owners.

@cowskeepingmeupatnight what's triggering is people who think children should be treated on a par with or below in the priority order of dogs, and that dogs physically maiming or killing children is no big deal.

I love my spaniel too. I worked so hard to train her, she has kennel club bronze, silver and gold awards. I sometimes volunteer with her as a therapy dog.

We live in a very rural area, so we’re always on and off lead when there are livestock, farm vehicles, narrow paths etc. I just don’t subscribe to having a blanket rule about when this should be, and I’m certainly not going to keep her on the lead all the time as some on this thread have suggested, because someone else has a phobia.

Also, I have to say, my dog and I do the same walk every day along a river just outside our house that’s a national beauty spot. Most the time it’s really quite, because of how long it takes to travel here, but on high days and holidays (like tomorrow, no doubt) it gets super busy with tourists. Not a problem in itself, but they park anywhere so the tractors can’t get through, use portable barbecues then dump them, play blaring music and leave dirty nappies for me to clear away. And then they look at my well behaved dog as if she’s got no right to be there, and I have to say it boils my piss. So that’s where I’m coming from, personally.

I know not everyone understands how dogs can mean so much to people, but mine does. She has brought me through some really difficult times. I don’t mistake her for a child (she’s far too lovely!) but she is my world. People don’t have to understand that but a little human kindness wouldn’t go amiss. We do all have to share this world together.

Also, please could we just stop using the world ‘entitled’? I hate it when it’s used in relation to women, I think it should be related to the bin with ‘uppity’ and ‘bossy’ and other adjectives that suggest a woman is getting above her station. But that’s an aside…