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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want to jog in a dogs off lead zone but not have them follow me?

80 replies

FieldJogger · 28/08/2023 08:38

sorry another dog one, see quite a few lately. i like to jog daily in a nature reserve trail and it is a dogs off lead zone between certain points, which is fine and i do like dogs. the issue i have is a lot of them run with me sniffing etc and some don't even attempt to call them away, some do and they don't listen etc etc

a man called out this morning to ask me to stop so his dog would stop chasing and this has i admit never happened in the times i have been but i did and i told him that im entitled to run and if his dog cant be called away he should be on a lead and he got annoyed telling me to "not jog in a fucking dogs off lead zone". i then just continued and his dog kept following but soon stopped and turned around.

who is actually wrong here?

OP posts:
Itsnotrightbutitsok · 28/08/2023 10:09

YABU

You run in a dogs off lead area and know that dogs often run after you.

This dog ran with you and when that didn’t work the man asked you to stop.
I’m not sure what you expected him to do, either you stop or the dog continues to run with you.

Of course dogs should not be off the lead if they’re not controlled but dogs aren’t robots and even the most well behaved can pick up on a scent they like and take longer to respond.

Why not compromise and just walk through the area where dogs are off the lead and then continue to jog once you’re out of it.

Possimpible · 28/08/2023 10:10

It's not clear from your scenario whether the owner was trying to recall and the dog was ignoring him, owner was trying his best to get him back, and asking you to stop running would get the dog to lose interest and recall. If this was the case I think your response was quite rude tbh. You could meet him halfway, dogs aren't perfect, things happen, and chances are if the owner was responsible he'd have got the dog back on lead and apologised. I have an incredibly well-trained dog, but sometimes if she spots a bird and you don't recall quickly enough she has spaniel deafness for a few seconds before you get her back. The owner's response to you was rude too though. Neither of you handled it particularly well

karmakameleon · 28/08/2023 10:12

For everyone saying OP shouldn’t run in a dogs off lead area, where should she run? Because most of the country doesn’t require dogs to be on leads and I think the on leads area of the nature reserve is probably the outlier.

AnSolas · 28/08/2023 10:19

100% only dogs which are under voice control should be let off-lead so the owner was out of line asking you to stop.

However for your own safety you should not be planning your running route in an area that you know that there will be dogs let off-lead. Because you are 100% sure to have an idiot who has no recall control, add in an agressive dog and you can end up bitten.

PinkFootstool · 28/08/2023 10:24

karmakameleon · 28/08/2023 09:46

Yes an owner should.be able to recalled a dog, but be realistic - what they "should" be able to do and reality rarely meet in the middle.

Seems pretty obvious to me what the dog owner should do. Maybe keep their dog on a lead if their dog isn’t properly trained.

Show quote history

That's doesn't fix what has already happened with OP though.

Everyone saying dogs should be on a lead, bombproof recall, yada yada, it's irrelevant when it's already happened.

OP can only control her own actions and reactions. As a lone runner, I used to run along a seafront, around streets etc, most often at night. I chose the easiest, best lit and safest places to be.

An off lead dog park will end up with poo not being picked up, dogs on and off lead in the way and owners with crap recall of their dogs. As a runner, the only thing you can deal with is yourself. So don't run through an off lead dog location if you don't want to deal with off lead dogs. Fairly simple.

karmakameleon · 28/08/2023 10:26

PinkFootstool · 28/08/2023 10:24

That's doesn't fix what has already happened with OP though.

Everyone saying dogs should be on a lead, bombproof recall, yada yada, it's irrelevant when it's already happened.

OP can only control her own actions and reactions. As a lone runner, I used to run along a seafront, around streets etc, most often at night. I chose the easiest, best lit and safest places to be.

An off lead dog park will end up with poo not being picked up, dogs on and off lead in the way and owners with crap recall of their dogs. As a runner, the only thing you can deal with is yourself. So don't run through an off lead dog location if you don't want to deal with off lead dogs. Fairly simple.

Show quote history

But most parks etc don’t require dogs to be on leads. I live near three large parks and all three are off leads. Where should I run?

PinkFootstool · 28/08/2023 10:30

Wherever you like {mention:karmakameleon},@karmakameleon, but OP states this is a specifically designated off lead area for dogs, so why run through it?

If you're running and a dog follows you, you have the control, so why not just stop to allow the dog to be caught by the owner? If you keep running, it'll keep following. Stopping for 15secs is no hardship, and you can still tell the dog owner what you think of them if that suits you.

jolaylasofia · 28/08/2023 11:00

why are you jogging in an off lead zone if you don't want dogs to follow??? ridiculous. just jog somewhere else

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 28/08/2023 11:02

jolaylasofia · 28/08/2023 11:00

why are you jogging in an off lead zone if you don't want dogs to follow??? ridiculous. just jog somewhere else

Most of the country is an off-lead zone.

karmakameleon · 28/08/2023 11:05

It’s an off lead area, not an area for out of control dogs.

SisterwifesofAUB · 28/08/2023 11:09

He was wrong here as he couldn't recall his dog and asked you to stop.

But both parties are usually not wrong in a) running and b) having the dog off lead in an off-lead area.

Yes dogs innately chase things as part of their biology and if you complained about that in an off-lead area, you would have been unreasonable as it'll happen even if the dog can be recalled after a time.

Also, dogs don't come fully trained and it's only through practice and training that recall happens. An off-lead area is the place to practice.

But in this case, the dog owner was U telling you to stop running.

Shelby2010 · 28/08/2023 11:20

I have a young friendly dog that I’m still trying to train to 100% recall. So I put her on the lead if someone is running past as sometimes she’ll decide to run with them for a bit. However if the runner comes up behind me without warning then I won’t have time. I’ll apologise & try to recall her, but I’m not keeping her on a lead all the time.

RugglesB · 28/08/2023 11:23

The dog trainers in our old area all recommended the specifically posted 'off-lead' areas of a local park as a place to train recall. At some point to train recall you chance to let them off the lead. I wouldn't choose to run through a specifically posted off-lead area. It's just asking for conflict.

greenacrylicpaint · 28/08/2023 11:26

yanbu
off lead zone doesn't meanthat dogs are allowed to be out of their handler's close control as per the law.

greenacrylicpaint · 28/08/2023 11:27

However for your own safety you should not be planning your running route in an area that you know that there will be dogs let off-lead.

by that definition any park in my area would be out of bounds for runners/walkers.

rwalker · 28/08/2023 11:37

Quite simple really If he can’t recall it it should be in a lead
personally I would of just kept running his dog his problem

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 28/08/2023 11:40

karmakameleon · 28/08/2023 11:05

It’s an off lead area, not an area for out of control dogs.

Exactly.

Dogs are required to be under control no matter where they are.

Candleabra · 28/08/2023 11:44

I don’t think dogs should take priority over humans ever.
The OP should be able to run wherever she wants to without the fear of being chased or knocked over by a dog.

AnSolas · 28/08/2023 12:38

greenacrylicpaint · 28/08/2023 11:27

However for your own safety you should not be planning your running route in an area that you know that there will be dogs let off-lead.

by that definition any park in my area would be out of bounds for runners/walkers.

Then you should be asking your LA to look at the park rules. Most dog owners at least try to be responsible but there will always idiots and asshole owners who should not have a pet rock let alone a dog.
The LA need to try balance the needs of everyone.

Ponderingwindow · 28/08/2023 12:43

If it is specifically an off lead Area, I would avoid jogging there.

responsible dog owners will keep their dogs on leads except in off lead areas . In exchange, we can respect off lead areas and not engage in behavior that we know distracts dogs.

Clefable · 28/08/2023 13:51

An off-lead zone in a nature reserve is not an area specifically for dogs. It's an area where dogs are allowed to be off the lead because there's no risk to nesting birds or other wildlife in that area, unlike the rest of the reserve. It's not an exclusive area for dogs or somewhere people without dogs aren't intended to go. It's exactly the same as a forest or beach or anywhere else where dogs can be off-lead in terms of other walkers' and users' rights to be there and to not be chased by dogs.

If it was an enclosed dog field OP was running through then obviously that would BU. But the nature reserve is for everyone; the off-lead bit is just telling those with well-behaved dogs that they can be let off here if safe to do so, unlike the rest of the reserve.

Possimpible · 28/08/2023 15:05

@karmakameleon Err it's not really comparable is it..? That's like comparing a toddler screaming at someone to a grown man shouting abuse. Neither is ideal but one is far worse.

MariaPurito · 28/08/2023 15:12

I think when you throw the word "entitled " into a sentence, you'll meet your entitled match.

Cherrysoup · 28/08/2023 15:26

Do you have headphones in while running? Just ignore, it’s not your problem that someone’s dog follows you. I don’t think you should have to change where you run: nature reserves are for everyone. However, some dogs like to chase so I think it’s going to continue to be an issue.

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