Muddy paws dog jumped on me on walk, WWYD?

[Blip]

I was walking across a park yesterday and two spaniels bounded towards me about 50 yards away from their owner. I could tell they were going to try and jump up at me so I avoided eye contact with them and told my dd to do the same.

Unfortunately one still did jump up at me multiple times and left mud on my clean trousers.

I shouted at the owner to please keep her dogs under control as one had got mud on my trousers. Not in an aggressive or rude tone though.

In my opinion if you don't have sufficient control over your dog to stop them doing this they need to be kept on a lead in public. The owner didn't seem very bothered and I think there is zero chance of her preventing this happening another time to someone else or possibly even to me again. I feel pretty annoyed about it.

I think there are some owners who either don't think it's a problem when their dogs jump up at strangers or who just don't care.

What would you do if this happened to you?

Nothing. Happened to me when I was wearing a white tshirt, owner apologised. End of story 🤷‍♀️.

I'd clean it up as best I could with a wet wipe and go about my day

I'd be super annoyed. If you can't control dogs then you dont let them off the lead.

There's not much I could so really. It's annoying but not the end of the world. I'd try not to get stressed over it.

@Blip I agree with you, if your dog doesn’t have good recall and you know they jump all over people they meet then they should be kept on a lead

I don’t know how many times we have gone out a walk only to end up covered in muddy paws. Really annoys me.

I would expect an apology, unsolicited apology that is, I wouldn't shout out to the owner. But I also don't wear clothes that can't be easily washed in a muddy park anyway

Day in day out, many of these posts appear.

I would scream and burst into tears

there are so many threads already with pretty much the same scenrio

To save time you could just read the comments on one of those but to summarise

YANBU - all dogs should be on leads / dog owners are so entitled etc

or

YABU - don’t walk somewhere dogs get walked if you don’t want dogs jumping up at you

I think that covers it

Super annoying for you but I did chuckle at you avoiding eye contact with a dog in the hopes that it then wouldn’t jump up at you 🤣
Its annoying when idiot dog owners don’t keep their animals under control (and I am a dog person through and through) but it’s happened now, not a lot to be done. Washing machines are handy inventions.

How would I feel - annoyed.

What would I do - shout at the dog to get off/down and push them away, clean myself up, get on with my day. Depending on what frame of mind I was in I might have cross words with the owner.

What did you do?

I think it's reasonable to walk across a city park without having to wear "easily washable" clothes that you don't mind getting muddy!

Dogs can’t be kept on the lead all the time, poor things!

Tut, look daggers, go about my day

I'd be furious and tell the dog owner so.

I'd probably have given the dogs a massive fuss 😂

However yes owners shouldn't be letting their dogs jump all over people, and especially not if you have a child with you as you aren't to know they are friendly so it just causes stress

I'd be annoyed but there is sod all you can do. I have a bouncy dog who likes to jump up. She gets to run wild and free in the fields but in town around people she suffers the indignity of a harness and leash.

Not really much you can do apart from have a go at the owner, is there? which you rightly did.

I'm a lifelong dog owner and unfortunately there is a large chunk of the dog owning population that couldn't give a rats arse about their dogs behaviour or keeping them under control appropriately. You see it in every park, field, beach, anywhere there are dogs. Part of me wonders whether we need to end up like America with "on lead" laws - it would certainly make my dog owning life much easier, as there are currently tons of places I have to avoid due to dogs that are off the lead and out of control.

I'm tempted to get more aggressive with people who simply don't give a shit about their dog smearing you with mud

It was a tiny dog, you should have stared it in the eye and shoo’d it away by waving your arms if you didn’t want it to approach. Avoiding eye contact = being friendly in dog communication.

Im all for medium-large dogs on leads, but in the countryside small lap dogs are no threat.

I’d probably not walk through the park if I was that bothered by it. No, shouldn’t have to be that way but that’s life.

I would fuss the dog and put my trousers in the washing machine.

Carry a water pistol full of muddy water and squirt the owners in revenge?

Actually, I might do this, I hate dogs jumping up at me.

These were medium sized dogs, not threatening at all just had an owner who didn't care about other people.

I think that sounds like excellent idea

let us know how you get on won’t you?