Dogs and joggers

[TootsAtOwls]

I'm prepared to be told IABU on this but interested to know what others think...

I have a rescue dog who is mostly fine, always friendly if he meets people in the house etc. However he does sometimes bark at people he doesn't like the look of when we pass them on the street (tall men, people wearing neon colours etc). I am actively working on this with positive reinforcement (I get the treats out before we pass people so he learns that other people are a good thing) and most days pass without incident.

However, I am having trouble with (male) runners. They come out of nowhere, running around corners and hurtling past at full speed. I often don't have time to get the treat into the dog's mouth or he's already too distracted by the runner to take it. So he barks, and lunges (I know he means it in a playful way, but they don't!) They always seem to look back and give me a dirty look as i call out "Sorry!"

But I can't help thinking, if I was running past a dog, I'd either cross the road to avoid them or if that's impossible (say on a canal path) I would bloody well slow down! I get that they don't want to keep interrupting their run with bouts of walking. Bit am I so unreasonable to think that you don't run right past a dog who's looking intently at you (as opposed to a dog showing no interest)? Surely they must see it's going to get them barked at?

You both share the path, you’re entitled to be there and the runner is entitled to run (not too fast!) past you without fear of a dog lunging at him. Your dog should be on a short leash and for safeguarding you should have treats on hand ready for anything. I would not expect a runner to have to cross a road as in nor should you unless you have a dangerous dog, but they should run past at a friendly speed.

I am scared of dogs, never was, but last ten - fifteen years I’ve seen a shift in canine behaviour. Dog on dog attacks are fairly common and my stationary toddler minding his own has been jumped on and so have I on separate occasions. Frankly I hate most parks now and actively seek no dog areas, I see many people buying dogs as an accessory and not putting the hours in, working ft and out and about at weekends.

Short leash, treats at the ready and have fun.

YANBU. Same with cyclists that just zoom up behind you without using a bell and scare you half to death.

Bells don't work if the person has hearing issues or has AirPods in. Some people think the bell is bad manners.

Consequently, I don't ring it unless I cannot get past at all.

Some people think the bell is bad manners
it does feel somewhat impertinent to go 'ding ding' at people, but at the same time, isn't it in the highway code that one should, as a cyclist use this to alert others of your presence?
I think the real solution is better provision for walkers, runners, cyclists, dog walkers, they have incompatible needs and should not be pitted against each other like this!

A bell is to be used when you're approaching to allow people to make way. If you're close enough that you can't pass, use your words (unless you're physically unable to, of course) .

It scares people half to death when you do use a bell, so you can't win.

I think the real solution is better provision for walkers, runners, cyclists, dog walkers, they have incompatible needs and should not be pitted against each other like this

Well, quite. This was the issue during the first covid lockdown as well - everyone moaning about everyone else when the key problem was that we give all the space to cars! And even they they are not happy and insist on parking on the pavements...

I think the OP is talking about day to day situations, not races when you are chasing PBs. Usually when there is a race going on, the dog owners make themselves scarce, as they have a fair idea there may be about 500+ runners or more coming their way!

Thesharkradar
Cyclists can't win, especially on mumsnet.

If they ding the bell to alert their presence then they're inconsiderate arseholes speeding along in their disgusting lycra pretending they're in the tour de France and aggressively demanding everyone moves out their way.

If they don't ding the bell they're inconsiderate arseholes who need to top expecting everyone to be looking out for them. They're awful MAMILS whizzing along like they're in the tour de France and show no consideration for anyone on any path.

If they use a cycle path or shared use path they are inconsiderate arseholes who go far too quickly and need to stop pretending to be Chris Froome. They're such entitled MAMILS who need to stop putting everyone in danger.

If they use a road (either because there's not a cycle path or the cycling infrastructure is poor) they're stupid entitled arseholes who think they own the road. They're deliberately holding up the big important car drivers by not riding right in the gutter. They have the absolute audacity to ride in a safe position in the road that requires people to overtake properly and safely. They should move over into the gutter so (impatient)drivers can (dangerously) overtake (without safe passing distance).

If you're really lucky you'll get a really unpleasant round of body shaming as well where posters seem to think it's acceptable to cackle about the bodies of people wearing appropriate clothing for their exercise, in a way that we would rightly challenge if said about a group of women running.

@LolaSmiles I agree, cyclists get a terribly raw deal
we are single handedly saving the planet you know with out tiny carbon footprints!
I wish there were better cycle paths where dont have to wrestle with pets, cars or pedestrians!

I consider a bell bad manners when a cyclist can get past in a considerate way (giving space etc). Too many times I have been having a lovely run with 10ft space to the side when a cyclist is determined to give me a fright with manic bell ringing. If they require (more) space a ‘good morning’ or ‘on your right/left’ call out is a bit less impersonal.

Just as dog owners shouldn't expect joggers to give a shit about their dogs and whether they're startled or frightened...

Why the fuck should anyone else give a shit about a runners PB? This is a concept that appears incredibly important to runners that means less than zero to any non runner.

I pissed off a runner today, on my way to the Drs - I was wiggling side to side on the pedestrian side of a shared footpath/cycle path, it probably looked like I was pissing about a bit but it was only for a few yards.

I was actually trying to see if one of my wheelbearings was going or if I had a bit of crap stuck in the wheels, whilst also not trying to miss an appointment, but they weren't to know that.

Apparently I should ' For FUCKS SAKE fuck off to the cycle lane with that thing, you fat bitch'.

No 'excuse me' or 'runner behind' or 'coming by'... just nasty language in my ear as they trundled past.

Lovely.

On the other hand, the dog owners (three of them) that I passed were all polite, smiles and hellos and the one I came up behind I called out 'wheelchair behind' and they looked round and moved over a bit and I slowed down a bit, and somehow, everyone managed to not be a cunt to each other.

Every second person has got a dog round here, if I crossed over every time an entitled dog owner with a cheese-wire dog lead came towards me I’d be zigzagging like a crazy person. I’m hardly Usain Bolt.

But it’s ok, it’ll be back to slagging off cyclists tomorrow. Of which I am also one.

Can we all just trrrryyyyy to be more tolerant?

I'm a dog owner and dog lover but I think YABU.

If you are out in public with your pet, it is your responsibility to keep them under control.

Runners, cyclists, children shouldn't have to worry about how your dog will react to them, they should be able to trust that a dog out in public is trained or under close control.

If your dog can't cope with someone unexpectedly coming around a corner, you have them under control as you approach the corner or you exercise them where you have a good view in all directions.

Feels like it's all the people who bought lockdown dogs who expect the world to accommodate them.

For FUCKS SAKE fuck off to the cycle lane with that thing, you fat bitch
woah!!
Did they really say that, was it a bloke or a woman, how big were they?
I'd have hunted them down & killed them...well of course I wouldn't but I'd have a hard time restraining myself unless I was majorly outgunned
no-one has ever spoken to me like that

AirPods, staring at their phone of deaf?

Some people get annoyed at the bell.

I rarely use the bell now, it's pointless

Bloke, clearly of the opinion that wheelchairs are in fact bicycles.

I was still busy trying to ensure a wheel didn't fall off (it didn't, it was a stick from the public footpath I'd used earlier) so I wasn't really looking. I didn't clearly see, just an impression of lycra and sweat and knobbly knees and of course all the witty, cutting and devasting things I could have said and definitely thought of afterwards, were absent in the moment!

@QuertyGirl people with no awareness of their surroundings deserve to be run or cycled through

ahh, sorry didnt read properly, assumed you were a cyclist, disgusting behavior, if I'd been with you I'd have caught him and brought back his head on a stick... I'd have felt like it anyway, he'd not have said it if you had any kind of back up, what a piece of shit he is😡

We are ALWAYS chasing personal bests, always, and slow walkers meandering with dogs or without ruin our chances

I had my dog off lead in a field once. He generally never approaches people. A man who was jogging suddenly dropped and started doing push ups. The dog immediately ran up to him, sniffing his face. I call him away and he came back but the guy shouted about keeping my dog away from him. Why he chose to drop to the ground right next to us, rather than anywhere else in the big field, is beyond me. I realised then that non-dog people don’t understand dog behaviour. It seemed obvious to me that a dog would approach someone if the are on the ground but he clearly didn’t know that. I guess runners are the same. They just don’t realise their behaviour can be triggering for a lot of dogs.

I accept that dropping to the ground in a field is not usual behaviour, but running along a shared path/public area is and I therefore expect other occupants of that space to allow me to do so, in the same way I allow them.
No one has more right than anyone else. Common decently means that we modify our behaviour as necessary - guide dogs, wheelchairs, pushchairs. Dog owners should allow people to go about their business without them needing special dog knowledge.

Unfortunately with a top speed of 4mph... catching him and smiting him etc etc wasn't an option! I may go out with sharpened sticks next time though... juuuuuust in case ... muttley snigger

Why is your PB more important than their meander, with or without dog?

If you want an uninterrupted run, with no tripping over meanderers and wanderers and so on... run on an athletics track for runners.

After all if I want to train the dogs without distractions and interruptions, I take them to a private hire field.

No, we are not always chasing PBs. YOU might be. Are you actually just winding people up?
If you want to improve your running, you don't hare around at top speed every time you go out for a run, but we are getting a bit off topic now.