Woman taking her phone for a walk this morning

[SmellyToilet]

Just got back from walking the dog. At one point a woman emerged with her face buried in her phone … she also had a little dog on a retractable lead wandering around behind her. I was walking behind this woman for 20 minutes and I swear to god she never once looked up from her phone in all this time. She didn’t interact with nor even look at her dog once. The dog was more interested in us than her and as it was on a retractable lead it kept walking back towards us … this woman had literally no idea that her dog was bothering a fellow dog Walker (with a reactive dog). The dog had a shit, she didn’t notice. I honestly believe that if I’d gone to the dog, unclipped it’s lead and stole it she wouldn’t have even noticed until she got home.

What’s the point??!! AIBU to have been hoping she accidentally stood in a huge pile of horse shit so she actually started to pay attention to her surroundings?

Thanks! But we’ve just received our gold good citizenship kennel club award so not sure if we also need a sarcastic version too … 😂

Why didn’t you call to her about her dog doing a shit? Did you just leave it? Your as bad as her if so.

I had my own dog to look after, I’m not going to help someone take care of theirs too just because they can’t tear themselves away from their stupid phone

I had my own dog to look after, I’m not going to help someone take care of theirs too just because they can’t tear themselves away from their stupid phone

Have you let the kennel club know about this considering you're bragging about a good citizenship award? That's not good citizenship...

Your behaviour is bizarre in this situation.

Part of good citizenship is cleaning up after your dog - literally the first exercise is showing that you carry poo bags.

I think it’s bizarre that people expect others to watch other peoples dogs simply because the owner has their face stuck in their phone. She shouldn’t have needed to be told!!! She clearly didn’t give a shit about … well … shit because if she did, she would have had the sense to watch her bloody dog.

Gosh, you both must have been walking at a snail's pace. Or there's exaggeration going on... one or the other.

@SmellyToilet good citizenship involves your behaviour around other people too. I can't comprehend why you wouldn't just let her know her dogs had a poo if you've watched it happen.

Starting to get the feeling the whole thing is exaggerated now and it didn’t happen how OP said at all.

Absolutely agree with this.

I always assumed that most people weren't particularly interested in random strangers and people they didn't know very well. Then I joined Mumsnet... It really shifted my perspective. Turns out that there are quite a few people who are extremely invested in the minutiae of stranger's lives.

You could have walked faster and walked round her, crossed the road or walked the other way.
I use my phone when I walk my dog other than to listen to music/podcasts. My dog does not want to interact unless we are on a park and I bring the ball. Other than that not sure why you judge others by your standards.

The picking up of poo is an issue but not linked to the phone use. So many people pick up the poo and then hang poo bags from bushes.
There are bigger issues in the world frankly.

Well some part of your story is made up then. How did your reactive dog that can’t walk past another dog and gets stressed walking behind them pass Gold when the criteria for bronze involves interacting with other dogs?

She could have 5 DC.
The dog could have lots of interaction within the home and out for exercise while DM has some quiet time.

The poo 💩 is unacceptable.

I would have called to her to point it out.

I’ve explained why I couldn’t walk around her.

I’ve also explained how we managed to walk behind without getting too close.

I’ve also realised I’m not changing my mind on this - it’s good to see a few people agree with me and I’m happy with the verdict (that I’m being unreasonable - fair enough) but I still stick by what I said. When walking in public, watch we’re you’re going and if you’re in charge of an animal, pay attention to what it’s doing.

It doesn’t involve interacting with other dogs, it involves walking in the vicinity of other dogs. Which my dog can do … as long as I keep her focussed on me.

I sometimes end up glued to my phone as I wait for tickets to come out for a metal detecting dig I want to go on, sometimes I am discussing something upsetting, sometimes this is the only way I can walk my dog as work needs me to answer emails. It's not perfect, and I can do better, but I'm human.

I hate that she didn't pick up the poo though.

Can't say if YABU based on what you witnessed, but I'm curious to know if you both live on a very long and narrow spit of land surrounded by sea? If her dog was bothering you that much why didn't you whistle to get her attention about the poo and then cross the road/take a different path/go around her etc? 🤔

Quite. How long must her retractable lead have been that you couldn't walk around her? Why didn't you change direction or wait for her to get ahead (I regularly do this)?

As I’ve said, it’s a narrow walkway - no roads. To get around her would have meant her dog getting too close to mine. To turn around and go the other way would have meant not being able to get to the field we were heading for.

“Hanging back” was exactly what I did if you read further up. I used it as an excuse to do some training.

Would you think the same if it was a Rottweiler she was walking?

Maybe not. It would depend on the demeanour of the hypothetical Rottweiler, however it wasn't one so not relevant! She could have been dealing with any number of emergencies to be stuck to her phone. Could have been conducting an affair and using the dog walk as time to do it - who knows, it's not your business. If it was causing your dog a problem you should have advocated for them and spoken up. 'Excuse me can you keep your dog away from mine as it's upsetting them'. 'Excuse me coins you hold on to your dog a moment while we pass as it's too narrow' ....

See it all the time. I live near a school and nearly had an accident when a mum was on her phone and child about 4 walked straight out into the road. Luckily I was driving very slowly as I know there is a school nearby. I pulled up and she didnt even notice just continued on her phone and walked right across the road in front of me. Boy racers all the time round here she was really lucky this time.

But apparently you should have shouted over to her that there was a road with cars on it … can’t expect her to have noticed if she was “busy” on her phone 🙄😂

You needed past and she wasn't aware. Why a it cry laughingly funny to suggest for your comfort and your dogs, simply take a second to communicate that? Same as you might ask someone chatting in a super market aisle to excuse me if you needed past and they hadn't noticed you.

You've had some bizarre responses on here OP. The woman was definitely being unreasonable and a crap dog owner.

From the votes though, the majority think you're not unreasonable too.

I’ve just been on a lunchtime walk to stretch my legs, and spent the whole time in my phone sorting out my emails, I’m busy at work and it’s cathartic to get some of them responded to and deleted so when I get back they’re off my plate.

i don’t need to look at my surroundings. I also don’t have a dog though and if I did I wouldn’t let it shit and bother others.

Well i mean obviously I’m checking the roads and the people around me, but I’m just not generally looking at all the other houses and fields!