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?

@CounsellorTroi whilst litter is abhorrent and I could start a whole thread on that it doesn't excuse dog shit does it, it's also in the vast, vast main no a bio hazard like dog shit, up until the early 90's dog shit, because of the toxacara parasite was the main cause of none congenital blindness in children - which is fucking horrific. I mean you're probably one of the child haters like many on this thread who'd be quite pleased about making a child blind, maybe less annoying to ypu this way eh? Still worth pointing out though.

You may live in an area with more considerate owners, but that is not a lot of people's reality. We lived in a North Yorks for nearly 8 years, ancient woodland, countryside etc. did a lot of running can't ever remember seeing dog crap anywhere or having to dodge it. Moved to a more surburban green belt village in 2014 and it was like the paths were paved with it, i am NOT exagerating, ours was a really long street that ran the length of the main road, when DC were born I had to walk along the main road to the shops and nursery as there were piles of it along the pavement every 5 metres or so on our street, every day, people would report it to the council's dog fouling team and to their due they would quickly clean it up but there'd be more again the next day, same with all the local beauty spots there, full of it, one used to stink in summer it was so bad.

Definitely bad owners. X

‘Doggy Goggles’ is a perfect description! 😂

(c) people with an existing aversion to dogs are more likely to hype up and amplify bad experiences so that instead of reflecting that it is something that happens with maybe 1% of dogs they make it seem like it’s 40% or 50% of dogs

Trouble is, with some 12m to 15m dogs in the UK (no one actually knows!) just a few percent of badly behaved dogs is a hell of lot.

So yesterday i was out on the old rail track from Princetown to Burrator (7 miles long) saw no dogs but several large piles of fresh shit and 3 or 4 poo bags, inc one at the car park where the owner just threw it out the window as he drove off.

I think, if you as a responsible dog owner (and others) acknowledged the issues instead of just making out they don't exist or are extremely rare, then we might all get on a little better, even reduce conflict with better training & tolerance.

As i said early, 8000 dog attacks p.a that require hospitalisation, for that number to be injured in what is basically a gentle leisure pursuit is appalling & at this time of very long waiting lists.

YANBU. The amount of wonderful articles I read about getting out in nature, looking up as you walk, soaking it all in. The reality around here is if you don’t have your eyes glued to the floor you will step in dog muck. The route to school is never without it. I’m sick of it.

@stuntbubbles that’s the problem though, no matter how well trained our dogs are you’re never going to believe it because you have a bias against them.

Dogs have just as much of right to habit this planet as you. What makes you so ducking entitled that you get to complain about there existence? What about if the dogs you mention are just as fucking sick of you and your kids? What can they do to complain about you…

@tigger2022 but I think it’s the opposite, I think some dog owners are massively blinkered and can’t admit there might be a growing problem because they worship dogs, not just their own but everyone else’s. So much denial on this thread it’s unbelievable. Ignoring facts and statistics or trying to twist them, denying people’s own personal accounts of dog-related incidents, dog goggles is absolutely right as one PP said or Doggles as I’m going to call it from now on. You’ve all got a serious case of the Doggles!

@BluePooToo

Children are above dogs in the social hierarchy.

[quote tigger2022]@stuntbubbles that’s the problem though, no matter how well trained our dogs are you’re never going to believe it because you have a bias against them.[/quote]
Consider WHY lots of us might be biased against dogs… Clue: we weren’t born anti-dog, the dogs drove us to it.

@Alexandra2001

(c) people with an existing aversion to dogs are more likely to hype up and amplify bad experiences so that instead of reflecting that it is something that happens with maybe 1% of dogs they make it seem like it’s 40% or 50% of dogs

Trouble is, with some 12m to 15m dogs in the UK (no one actually knows!) just a few percent of badly behaved dogs is a hell of lot.

So yesterday i was out on the old rail track from Princetown to Burrator (7 miles long) saw no dogs but several large piles of fresh shit and 3 or 4 poo bags, inc one at the car park where the owner just threw it out the window as he drove off.

I think, if you as a responsible dog owner (and others) acknowledged the issues instead of just making out they don't exist or are extremely rare, then we might all get on a little better, even reduce conflict with better training & tolerance.

As i said early, 8000 dog attacks p.a that require hospitalisation, for that number to be injured in what is basically a gentle leisure pursuit is appalling & at this time of very long waiting lists.

But still of that 8000 no one can tell us how many are attacks that happened in public parks or other public places, as opposed to at home, which is the relevant issue being discussed (ie how prevalent is inappropriate dog behaviour towards strangers in public places).

And sorry but it is still the case that the behaviour being described (dogs running up and jumping on strangers) is really quite rare.

Now when you consider that there are posters on here claiming some of those of us who love dogs hate children and would be pleased to see the go blind, you can see why this ludicrous exaggeration is a fairly obvious explanation for why the experiences of many of us on here bear no relationship with the claims made.

[quote Trixiefirecracker]@tigger2022 but I think it’s the opposite, I think some dog owners are massively blinkered and can’t admit there might be a growing problem because they worship dogs, not just their own but everyone else’s. So much denial on this thread it’s unbelievable. Ignoring facts and statistics or trying to twist them, denying people’s own personal accounts of dog-related incidents, dog goggles is absolutely right as one PP said or Doggles as I’m going to call it from now on. You’ve all got a serious case of the Doggles![/quote]
It’s a really convenient tactic when dealing with someone who disagrees with you to simply claim they’re deluded. It means you never have to actually address their arguments.

For example, the argument that 8000 dog injuries in a year doesn’t tell us that there is a widespread problem of dogs injuring strangers in public places. No one constantly citing that stat can explain how many of the 8000 occurred in the situation discussed.

You can pretend that is ‘denying’ or ‘twisting’ stats but that suggests you just don’t know much about stats and have no real ability to use stats in a reliable way in a discussion.

What about if the dogs you mention are just as fucking sick of you and your kids? What can they do to complain about you…

@TeaKlaxon it tells me enough to know that people are getting hurt by animals, not really bothered if it’s in the home or out on the streets. My guess is it’s a mixture of both and please, I have addressed every argument and totally stand by my posts. I think the dog supporters post on this thread are claiming exactly the same thing. You can not deny the vote I’m afraid. Looks like you are definitely outnumbered.

@TeaKlaxon

I agree with you. It certainly isn’t my experience of dogs in a public place. We were out at a park today as a family, having a picnic, and there were a lot of dogs out for a walk. None of them were out of control or tried to steal our picnic food.

I’m not a dog owner, so it isn’t as if I’m wearing any ‘doggles’ either. It just isn’t my experience and it clearly isn’t the experience of others either.

I’m not doubting what others are saying about their experience of dogs in public places, btw, but I do think there’s an element of hyperbole involved as a result of the intense dislike they have of dogs.

I actually voted YANBU, too, because I do get fed up with all the dog shit in public. So I’m suspecting that not all those who voted that way are entirely in agreement with the more extreme anti dog rants on this thread.

Yanbu! Beautiful summer day here. Neighbour’s dog barked nonstop for 7 hours of it. Neighbour sticks it in the garden for obvious reasons but that means isn’t much fun for me trying to relax in my garden. Woof woof bloody woof.

Sometimes the other dogs in the road bark back at it. It’s like some horrible choir.

I have a lovely house in a great location but I wanna move cos of all the dogs here!!

[quote Trixiefirecracker]@TeaKlaxon it tells me enough to know that people are getting hurt by animals, not really bothered if it’s in the home or out on the streets. My guess is it’s a mixture of both and please, I have addressed every argument and totally stand by my posts. I think the dog supporters post on this thread are claiming exactly the same thing. You can not deny the vote I’m afraid. Looks like you are definitely outnumbered.[/quote]
But ‘it tells me enough’ is a rubbish argument.

Like, no one here is denying some dogs are dangerous. So providing a stat that shows one in two thousand dogs injured someone doesn’t actually address an argument anyone here is making.

I mean honestly - imagine I started a thread about being fed up with humans and came out with stats that there were 1.7 million violent crimes last year to justify it.

I’m more than two hundred times more likely to be the victim of a violent crime at the hands of a human than to be injured by a dog. And yet if I argued that it’s reasonable to be fed up of humans it would be profoundly idiotic.

@HopelesslyOptimistic

Dog owners, when your dog constantly barks what are your thoughts/actions? I'm genuinely interested. If a note was put through your door politely asking not to leave the dog barking for hours in the garden, how would you respond? I don't mind every morning being woken by a neighbours dog who clearly is desperate for their morning 'whatever' because it stops after a few minutes, Do dog owners leave their dogs in the garden while they nip out or go out for an hour? If so why? Perhaps your dog constantly barks but your unaware.

Can’t speak for others but mine is never in the garden while I’m out. The doors are always open when he’s in the garden so he comes in when he wants to, and I could hear him if he barks.

He very rarely barks - usually only if he sees a fox through the fence. If he barks - regardless of time - he is brought back inside.

He’s never outside alone at night - one of us will go out with him (or at least stand in the doorway) while he toilets and can get him in quickly if he were to start barking.

TeaKlaxon thanks for your update. I actually really like dogs, but, I could truly throttle dog owners that leave their dogs out barking. I sat in my garden with ear plugs in today. Can you imagine........🙃.

I love dogs ...but the beach we went to today as a family was absolutely full of them and tbh it was just a long stretch of doggy playground/toilet area. One owner allowed his dogs to sniff around us as we were taking in the scenery sitting on the pebbles then one of the dogs proceeded to take a massive toilet break right next to us!!! Nice big orange pile of it and owner pretended not to notice until we said something. walked back to the car and had dogs jumping up at us...just not on. Really wish there were more dog free areas.

[quote JollyWilloughby]@BluePooToo

Children are above dogs in the social hierarchy.[/quote]
Dogs being part of a social hierarchy? That's interesting, given that plenty of drama queens have afforded them zero status.

@Spinachtastegud

I love dogs ...but the beach we went to today as a family was absolutely full of them and tbh it was just a long stretch of doggy playground/toilet area. One owner allowed his dogs to sniff around us as we were taking in the scenery sitting on the pebbles then one of the dogs proceeded to take a massive toilet break right next to us!!! Nice big orange pile of it and owner pretended not to notice until we said something. walked back to the car and had dogs jumping up at us...just not on. Really wish there were more dog free areas.

What beach was that? I've not known beaches to be open to dogs during Easter.

I’m sick to death of them too and all the twats who got a ‘lockdown’ puppy.

Neighbours dog barks to be let in for up to an hour 2-4 times per day. It’s equally cruel for the dog as and annoying as fuck to loads too at 6.30am and during work (from home).

Friends all have family dogs now, most haven’t been properly trained, have to be brought over for every visit / bbq / meet up, all has to be geared to accommodate stupid dogs.

So boring tbh. Not a popular opinion, but there we go!