Page 6 | A plea to dog-owners

Dogsonleads · 2023-04-19T13:00:26+00:00

Please keep boisterous dogs on leads if you have no intention on controlling their behaviour When walking in woodland with my 10 year old DS this morning pre school (because we were ridiculously early), a fully grown and very boisterous Labrador jumped fully up and put his paws on my sons upper chest. very exited dog, barking, more jumping. Before I can react, my sons runs into my arms and the dog continues to jump, now onto my son’s back. At this stage the owner comes round the corner, the dog rubs off and I try to call out that this really is not acceptable. Calmly. I get a perfunctory sorry, the dog is being ignored, bounds back, jumps up my legs and manages to “Kiss me on the mouth”. Again, a perfunctory sorry and the owner walks away. Is this acceptable? (At this point I lost my calm 😞and shouted after them as I was upset at being brushed aside, no swear words though ) No attempt to reign in/ educate the dog? It has taken me probably 5 years to get my son comfortable around dogs, had this happened only 2 years ago he would have been in an all out panic. so my plea is to please please keep large dogs in sight if they have the tendency to jump, or at least try to mitigate situations that are difficult for others.

Saucery · 20/04/2023 06:51

Ikr. The thought that people are walking around with such hate in them is scary. Scarier than 99.999% of all dogs I’ve come across in my life.
There are people with illegal torture devices in their pockets firing them at random dogs in the street was a particular ‘highlight’ of this thread
MNHQ didn’t agree that causing an animal distress and pain for absolutely no reason apart from you don’t like that animal was an unacceptable thing to boast about on a parenting website where many families enjoy the company of dogs. That’s a bit worrying, but I suppose it depends on the view of the particular Mod

VincentVaguer · 20/04/2023 07:10

Saucery · 20/04/2023 06:51

Ikr. The thought that people are walking around with such hate in them is scary. Scarier than 99.999% of all dogs I’ve come across in my life.
There are people with illegal torture devices in their pockets firing them at random dogs in the street was a particular ‘highlight’ of this thread
MNHQ didn’t agree that causing an animal distress and pain for absolutely no reason apart from you don’t like that animal was an unacceptable thing to boast about on a parenting website where many families enjoy the company of dogs. That’s a bit worrying, but I suppose it depends on the view of the particular Mod

Oh I don't mind it being left. It was a particular insight into that poster's mind. Just makes me more determined to ensure my dogs have a happy life and if that means walking up to strangers, wagging their tail and angling for a pat then so be it 🤷‍♀️

Saucery · 20/04/2023 07:24

I’ll never forget the day during lockdown when I was out for a walk by myself. We’d lost our much loved dog the previous year and all those dogless walks were quite difficult at times, but hey, sod all else to do in those times when I wasn’t at work!
A cold wet nose poked my hand from behind exactly when I was thinking about my dog. I jumped and turned round and of course it wasn’t her. Just a calm, friendly (non jumpy) Setter. The owner was really apologetic but I didn’t mind a bit. Didn’t go into why, but at that particular reflective moment it meant the absolute world to me.
I’d be there with a pat for your dogs, @VincentVaguer .

VincentVaguer · 20/04/2023 07:25

Saucery · 20/04/2023 07:24

I’ll never forget the day during lockdown when I was out for a walk by myself. We’d lost our much loved dog the previous year and all those dogless walks were quite difficult at times, but hey, sod all else to do in those times when I wasn’t at work!
A cold wet nose poked my hand from behind exactly when I was thinking about my dog. I jumped and turned round and of course it wasn’t her. Just a calm, friendly (non jumpy) Setter. The owner was really apologetic but I didn’t mind a bit. Didn’t go into why, but at that particular reflective moment it meant the absolute world to me.
I’d be there with a pat for your dogs, @VincentVaguer .

That's a lovely story. ❤️ dogs.

Lalavoom · 20/04/2023 08:13

It drives me utterly bonkers! My daughter was bitten badly in the face by a family members dog. She was, for obvious reasons, terrified for a long time. I’ve worked so hard with her to build confidence but out of control dogs set her back on a regular basis. The amount of times one has run up to her and jumped up is just crazy. We’ve also had some run up to us barking in an aggressive manner, I understand that often they’re not aggressive but the sound of their barking is especially to my daughter. I’m sick to the back teeth of people saying ‘he’s friendly’, ‘he is just a puppy’. I’ve also had people accuse my daughter of making the situation worse by being so scared!

years ago we had our own dog. He was such a sop but had rubbish recall so was kept on lead when out and about. I was walking him and had my 2 month old in a sling. A dog ran up and attacked my dog so badly that he needed a number of stitches. The owner literally did nothing and I was trying to protect my son and defend my dog all at the same time. There was only so much I could do as had a baby in a sling. Thankfully a passer by stepped in to help, I dread to think what would have happened if they didn’t.

nomoredriving · 20/04/2023 08:15

@VincentVaguer exactly! I was going to post a photo of my big dog.... but as you say ..... weirdos ....

VincentVaguer · 20/04/2023 08:34

Lalavoom · 20/04/2023 08:13

It drives me utterly bonkers! My daughter was bitten badly in the face by a family members dog. She was, for obvious reasons, terrified for a long time. I’ve worked so hard with her to build confidence but out of control dogs set her back on a regular basis. The amount of times one has run up to her and jumped up is just crazy. We’ve also had some run up to us barking in an aggressive manner, I understand that often they’re not aggressive but the sound of their barking is especially to my daughter. I’m sick to the back teeth of people saying ‘he’s friendly’, ‘he is just a puppy’. I’ve also had people accuse my daughter of making the situation worse by being so scared!

years ago we had our own dog. He was such a sop but had rubbish recall so was kept on lead when out and about. I was walking him and had my 2 month old in a sling. A dog ran up and attacked my dog so badly that he needed a number of stitches. The owner literally did nothing and I was trying to protect my son and defend my dog all at the same time. There was only so much I could do as had a baby in a sling. Thankfully a passer by stepped in to help, I dread to think what would have happened if they didn’t.

I mean, it sounds like you've had a lot of bad experiences with dogs. I'd say 99.9% of people don't get badly bitten in the face by a family dog, so it's a bit unreasonable to get annoyed when people say their dogs are friendly - they probably are and obviously they don't know your history.

nomoredriving · 20/04/2023 08:37

Saucery · 20/04/2023 07:24

I’ll never forget the day during lockdown when I was out for a walk by myself. We’d lost our much loved dog the previous year and all those dogless walks were quite difficult at times, but hey, sod all else to do in those times when I wasn’t at work!
A cold wet nose poked my hand from behind exactly when I was thinking about my dog. I jumped and turned round and of course it wasn’t her. Just a calm, friendly (non jumpy) Setter. The owner was really apologetic but I didn’t mind a bit. Didn’t go into why, but at that particular reflective moment it meant the absolute world to me.
I’d be there with a pat for your dogs, @VincentVaguer .

Oh bless you, did you get another dog?

Saucery · 20/04/2023 08:41

Yes we did @nomoredriving ! We waited a couple of years, partly due to Covid (difficult to do the essential breeder checks and talks with restrictions in place ) and partly due to not feeling ready.
I spent a lot of time walking and trying to make eye contact with friendly Labs
Current Lab is an opinionated whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm. My favourite kind!

VincentVaguer · 20/04/2023 08:45

Saucery · 20/04/2023 08:41

Yes we did @nomoredriving ! We waited a couple of years, partly due to Covid (difficult to do the essential breeder checks and talks with restrictions in place ) and partly due to not feeling ready.
I spent a lot of time walking and trying to make eye contact with friendly Labs
Current Lab is an opinionated whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm. My favourite kind!

Aw. My lab is 12 now and a distinguished old gentleman but I miss those days.

EverestMilton · 20/04/2023 08:56

I don't understand why some dog owners don't have their animals on a lead when they have piss poor recall. I'm a horse rider. I always walk or stand if I'm near dog walkers. Fat Cob is very good at standing his ground but he really wouldn't like a dog right under his feet or snapping at him. At the end of the day he is 600kg of muscle that can go at 25mph in any given direction. If he tramples a dog he'd seriously injure it and I don't want to fall off either!! The number of dogs which approach me and owners do nothing.
I've given up being polite. I now give one firm warning to call their dog and then if ignored just bellow at them.....If they complain I give it to them both barrels that if my animal is being well behaved and under control it's completely unacceptable to risk my safety, horse safety, dog safety for the sake of not being on a bloody lead. They usually shut up then.

Lalavoom · 20/04/2023 09:01

VincentVaguer · 20/04/2023 08:34

I mean, it sounds like you've had a lot of bad experiences with dogs. I'd say 99.9% of people don't get badly bitten in the face by a family dog, so it's a bit unreasonable to get annoyed when people say their dogs are friendly - they probably are and obviously they don't know your history.

Show quote history

It’s not unreasonable at all to get annoyed when people let their dogs jump up at us! Even without our history we should not have to put up with it. My daughter is older now and loves dogs, she still gets nervous of big bouncy and loud dogs. Why should we be happy about having muddy paws dirtying us or slobber on us because a dog is ‘friendly’. I don’t doubt most are, we’ve owned many over the years. It’s not fair to expect us to be ok with them wanting to ‘play’ though!

Giggorata · 20/04/2023 09:55

It really is the dog owners who should be trained and/or licensed to own dogs. Bad owners give everyone else who actually trains and controls their dogs a bad name, as we see on here. I'm not surprised that endless poo, jumping up and attacking feature in this thread, as they are so prevalent, and we responsible dog owners hate it too.

My gun dogs do not approach people r other dogs, are put on the lead as soon as we see any one we don't know in the distance, sit for cyclists and horses, etc, etc.
My large Shepherd breed just stands there gazing at everything suspiciously and no doubt is very intimidating, partly because she is muzzled. No one knows that this is just to stop her eating poo.

However, parents who encourage their children to pat the nice doggies piss me off. Children are often loud and unpredictable, which many dogs find alarming, so allowing, or encouraging them to approach strange dogs is daft. You don't know the dog's history or foibles.

Oh, for a spate of Public Information films, about this and many other issues…

nomoredriving · 20/04/2023 09:59

Saucery · 20/04/2023 08:41

Yes we did @nomoredriving ! We waited a couple of years, partly due to Covid (difficult to do the essential breeder checks and talks with restrictions in place ) and partly due to not feeling ready.
I spent a lot of time walking and trying to make eye contact with friendly Labs
Current Lab is an opinionated whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm. My favourite kind!

Love it, we had an 18 month gap until we got out current Doberman. I had said we weren't getting another dog, because the loss was so hard, but I relented.

She is adorable!

VincentVaguer · 20/04/2023 10:42

Lalavoom · 20/04/2023 09:01

It’s not unreasonable at all to get annoyed when people let their dogs jump up at us! Even without our history we should not have to put up with it. My daughter is older now and loves dogs, she still gets nervous of big bouncy and loud dogs. Why should we be happy about having muddy paws dirtying us or slobber on us because a dog is ‘friendly’. I don’t doubt most are, we’ve owned many over the years. It’s not fair to expect us to be ok with them wanting to ‘play’ though!

Show quote history

You didn't say they jumped up which I agree can be annoying particularly if the dogs are muddy, you said they ran towards you. If a dog approaches you and the owner says it's friendly they are telling you that you've nothing to be scared of. Not sure why that annoys people so much.

Once my dog literally walked slowly over to a woman wagging his tail and she absolutely freaked out, waving her hands in the air, screaming at me to come and get him. Obviously I did and as I put him on the lead I said 'he's very friendly' and she said 'well I didn't know that' so I said well you do now. But tbh some people just don't care if a dog is friendly or not, they've talked themselves into believing all dogs are going to attack them, so even being reassured that a dog is perfectly harmless means nothing to them. Clearly she had some sort of phobia which must make living in a small village where 90% of the inhabitants have dogs very difficult for her.

DelilahJane · 20/04/2023 10:51

A new family have moved into our communal housing association block which has a beautiful shared garden. No one can use it now because the they let their XL American Bully out from 0900 to at least 21.00. They have zero control over the dog not that it matters because they just let it out by itself. If anyone so much as puts a foot outside the dog is over growling, barking and jumping up.

We worked together as a community to revamp the gardens with a play area for the kids, drying area for clothes, picnic benches and a BBQ pit and even a mini allotment. Now its covered in shit and patrolled by Satan's mutt.

A neighbour did complain to them directly and was told to fuck off and no one has heard back from the council yet regarding our complaints and I doubt they'll care. Its just unbelievably sad that one irresponsible owner can ruin it for the other 19 flats.

Chasingadvice · 20/04/2023 11:12

@VincentVaguer your 'two friendly dogs' will sound a lot more unwell than any poster if they decide to run up to me for attention while you haplessly stand there gazing enduring they have happy lives.

Ylvamoon · 20/04/2023 11:33

However, parents who encourage their children to pat the nice doggies piss me off

This 100% - as soon as spoilt brat kids see a puppy or cute little dog they have to pat or touch it- no regards for the dog or the owners big fat NO.
And then the same parents complaine here about unruly adolescent dogs....

VincentVaguer · 20/04/2023 11:48

Chasingadvice · 20/04/2023 11:12

@VincentVaguer your 'two friendly dogs' will sound a lot more unwell than any poster if they decide to run up to me for attention while you haplessly stand there gazing enduring they have happy lives.

Oh, so you go straight to violence? Interesting.

nomoredriving · 20/04/2023 11:59

Chasingadvice · 20/04/2023 11:12

@VincentVaguer your 'two friendly dogs' will sound a lot more unwell than any poster if they decide to run up to me for attention while you haplessly stand there gazing enduring they have happy lives.

Really? I don't think so!

Saucery · 20/04/2023 12:04

Meh. Edgelords gonna edgelord.

Thesharkradar · 20/04/2023 12:31

DelilahJane · 20/04/2023 10:51

A new family have moved into our communal housing association block which has a beautiful shared garden. No one can use it now because the they let their XL American Bully out from 0900 to at least 21.00. They have zero control over the dog not that it matters because they just let it out by itself. If anyone so much as puts a foot outside the dog is over growling, barking and jumping up.

We worked together as a community to revamp the gardens with a play area for the kids, drying area for clothes, picnic benches and a BBQ pit and even a mini allotment. Now its covered in shit and patrolled by Satan's mutt.

A neighbour did complain to them directly and was told to fuck off and no one has heard back from the council yet regarding our complaints and I doubt they'll care. Its just unbelievably sad that one irresponsible owner can ruin it for the other 19 flats.

This is so awful 🤬 surely there's something that can be done?
People get these dogs as a way to dominate and intimidate other people 🤬

VincentVaguer · 20/04/2023 13:57

Saucery · 20/04/2023 12:04

Meh. Edgelords gonna edgelord.

Too right.

faffadoodledo · 20/04/2023 14:37

EverestMilton · 20/04/2023 08:56

I don't understand why some dog owners don't have their animals on a lead when they have piss poor recall. I'm a horse rider. I always walk or stand if I'm near dog walkers. Fat Cob is very good at standing his ground but he really wouldn't like a dog right under his feet or snapping at him. At the end of the day he is 600kg of muscle that can go at 25mph in any given direction. If he tramples a dog he'd seriously injure it and I don't want to fall off either!! The number of dogs which approach me and owners do nothing.
I've given up being polite. I now give one firm warning to call their dog and then if ignored just bellow at them.....If they complain I give it to them both barrels that if my animal is being well behaved and under control it's completely unacceptable to risk my safety, horse safety, dog safety for the sake of not being on a bloody lead. They usually shut up then.

If I see a horse approaching I always recall my Golden and he sits patiently while the rider passes. Would be nice to get a few more thank yous for our trouble. But I'm not risking my dog coming off worse with a clop round the head from a hoof, so I've trained him to sit and stare at me (waiting for a biccie) while the horse passes.

Divorcedalongtime · 20/04/2023 14:39

I iam so sick of this too. People have zero control of their dogs