XL Bully "just wants to play!"

[PumpkinSly]

I was in the local park today with my 4 and 6 year old children. We have a medium sized dog ourselves. She's a bit of an old lady now so just potters about having a sniff. There was a couple with a baby walking their huge XL bully dog around the park. The first time we crossed their path the dog was on a lead but their dog was pulling strongly on the lead to try to investigate either my dog, or my children. The owner was all too willing to "let the dog say hello". I'm not comfortable with huge dogs approaching my kids or my dog so I moved everyone along very quickly and didn't engage with the dog or the owners. The next time we crossed their path the dog was off lead. It wasn't acting aggressively but it bounded up to my DD. My children were playing in a small wooded area of the park where there are felled trees for them to climb. I was helping my 6 yr old DS on one bit of the logs, while my 4 yr old dd was playing a few meters away. The dog bounded up to her and she was visibly scared. The owner was making comments about how much the dog loves kids and how playful he is etc, but to me it was a huge powerful dog that was scaring my child and it shouldn't be approaching kids at all. I told the owner that his dog shouldn't be allowed to approach children and to get it on a lead away from my kids. The owner went absolutely ballistic. Telling me that he just wants to play with them, that he loves kids, that I was prejudice against American bully dogs because of the news, that his dog is friendly, that my children should be better educated in how to handle dogs who approach them in a friendly way, and that I was an irresponsible dog owner because my dog was unsupervised while my children were playing. It's true that my dog wanders around doing her own thing but she is 11, she doesn't go far, I can always see her having a sniff about, and her recall is very good. The XL Bully became very energetic in response to the owners outburst and charged at my DD knocking her the ground. It wasn't aggressive, just boisterous and spurred on by the atmosphere and the owners response to me. The owner then grabbed his dog and left very quickly, while I was left to sort out my distressed DD. AIBU to think the owners of these massive dogs should have better awareness than to let them approach kids? Was I wrong to tell the owner to get his dog away from my children? The dog was at least three times the weight of my 4 year old, if not more, it was at least as tall as her when on all fours, and she was clearly scared by this dog because as soon as she realised it was there she called out for me and backed away.

This would make me so angry. It's not up to the owner to decide if the dog is allowed to approach your child. Even a little sausage dog!!!

Does not matter what breed the dog is, it has zero rights to bound up to anyone to ‘say hello’. people don’t want your dog in their face.

and when there are issues it is always he’s never done that before etc etc.

YANBU. I have a German Shepherd, had 4 but down to one now, and never walk her off lead. She’s well trained and obedient with good recall but as a dog could be unpredictable and she’s powerful, so always walks on lead and then runs around our garden when we get home.

Dogs like this may not be "aggressive" per se, but their play can very easily turn dangerously violent if their prey drive kicks in - this can happen through over-excitement, if another animal (or a child) falls and appears vulnerable, if either dog (or a child) gets hurt (especially if the hurt animal squeals/ yelps/ tries to defend itself).

I am a dog lover but am very wary of these animals - they are big, incredibly powerful and extremely reactive. The sooner they are banned the better IMO.

Nothing stopped the one that attacked my lab, it was booted, had its back legs lifted, kicked in the stomach, battered with a fence post, punched and eventually dragged into a river by its back legs with my lab still in its jaws. When these things attack they properly attack and you’d probably only antagonise it with a pen knife. Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear but having witnessed how happy these things are when they attack just let’s say I don’t carry a knife. I carry an illegal device but after my experience I don’t care.

Also, I always tell my son not to annoy or approach dogs, while out. We always ask the owner if we can say hello to a dog.

YABVU

and that I was an irresponsible dog owner because my dog was unsupervised while my children were playing. It's true that my dog wanders around doing her own thing

Your dog was off lead, away from you and you cannot be annoyed at someone doing the same thing.
So you’re being hypocritical.

If you want other dogs to be kept on a lead, then yours also should be kept on a lead.

I love dogs and I'd still hate for one, of any breed, to bound up to my 4 year old and knock him over. He can shout prejudice all he wants but it's dickheads like him who are responsible for the dogs reputation.
My big bouncy mongrel (was about lab size) also loved kids and animals. But he was never allowed to approach anyone unless they asked.
Because I'm not a dickhead.
I hope your little one is OK.

I agree with others that have said no dog, regardless of its size or breed, should be bounding up to anyone, let alone children. If your dog does not have impeccable recall then it should be on the lead at all times in public places. I have an old labrador who wouldn't hurt a fly, but she's now deaf and thus her recall is zilch so she stays on the lead. YANBU.

Not unreasonable at all. No dog of any size or temperament should be allowed to go up to a child (or even an adult) unless the parwnt expressly encourages it & its managed carefully. Absolutely bloody sick of the sheer stupidity & entitlement of dog owners. Nobody knows how any dog will react to a child, whatever they say.

They all "just want to play" don't they, until they rip someone's throat out 😡

You should report it. They wont do anything but its recorded for if this dog crosses a line in the future.

I am ABSOLUTELY prejudiced against those dogs because of the news and because they terrify me. Multiple people have been killed where I live by bully breeds. I don’t like anyone’s dogs approaching me or my children but those I really do not like! He’s a stupid prick! People have been torn to death by them including when the owner was present. Poor baby having to live with one! The news on the children in Tennessee ripped to death by their 2 ‘friendly XL bully dogs’ was clear they’d been raised with them and their dogs had always been ‘so sweet’ until they weren’t and they killed them both in front of the mother.

@BellaAndDave I'm so sorry for your poor doggy :(

I was lunged at by what appeared to be an XL bully. It was a terrifying experience. I didn't do anything but walk past it and it went for me. It's owner held it back (barley) so I got away with no harm, but felt very shaken after. If it hadn't been on a lead I'm pretty sure I would have ended up harmed.

My own dog (who is 8kg) is kept on a lead. We rent secure fields if we want her to be able to have a run around. She is well behaved and wouldn't harm a fly but I appreciate others are afraid of dogs and don't know that so I don't let her run around in public places. I also tbh don't want off lead dogs running up to her either.

@Peachpicklepie so even though my dog was happily sniffing the base of trees and shrubs, always in my line of sight, isn't aggressive, and has great recall she shouldn't be off lead unless we are actively walking? She does mooch around if we stop for something so the kids can play, but never out of sight or out of control. Why shouldn't she be allowed to explore under those conditions? She doesn't wander far and never out of sight, so why should she be confined to a lead? Just like I wouldn't let my kids wander around unsupervised, I don't let my dog wander around unsupervised. We always know where she is. I don't see the problem.

The owner went absolutely ballistic. Telling me that he just wants to play with them

Unfortunately people like this are not very intelligent so there is little point trying to reason with them.

The reality is other people have no idea what their dog is about to do, but they are too dim to realise this.

All you can do is try and make a quick assessment of dog walkers likely intellect as you see one approaching. If your judgement is that they are a knuckle dragger then you should put space between them and you and keep a very close eye on the dog as you pass (some distance) away from them.

Generally I do not get many bounding up towards me. Only once a few months ago which was a smaller breed but jumped right up. I rather loudly told the dog to fuck off (I did not mean to but it just came out in shock) and gave it a bit of a jab with my knee. It and the dog walker got the hint.

I think "march" is flattering it too much. It looks like there were about 20 people there.

I own a large German shepherd and have a 4 month old - even when I am out with the pram my dog is always on the lead, down in a sit and blocked to let any child or person pass, the decision I make for my child are mine and mine alone I will never ever put another parent in the position of feeling uncomfortable with my dog approaching their child or them at all. It’s irresponsible owners of any breed that take that decision away from people and it really infuriates me! It should be up to the individual if they want to approach a dog but then always with owner permission!

Op, you came across a bully with a bully. Rather, he sought you out, you and your small children were his Guinea pig to “prove’ that bully dogs are sweet little dewdrops that only tear babies’ faces off when the babies don’t behave like responsible dog owners like himself. All hail to vicious mauling monsters.

Then his awful dog charged your daughter and knocked her down so the owner had to scurry away because his dog just proved your point.

I think you were too nice. You should report him. He was harassing you.

The sooner they ban them the better.

I had one (off-lead, the wanker of an owner had two of these beasts roaming around a public place) approach and growl at my then 7yo daughter. We both stood stock still and luckily the owner grabbed it before it could do anything.

It was terrifying and I still think about it a lot. I don’t go into our local park anymore because of all the off-lead dogs, and I don’t consider myself someone who is even particularly scared of dogs. The entitled owners just do my fucking head in.

My child is really nervous of dogs. I’ve no problem with dogs being off lead if the owners can control them but it drives me mad when they bound up to her and she’s terrified and the owners say ‘oh they love children’, like can you not see she’s terrified hiding behind my legs?! And your dog making for her and invading her space isn’t going to win her over! A big dog, very friendly, knocked her over in the park last week, right outside the playground and she was so upset. The owner apologised profusely, which I appreciated but she’d been engrossed in her phone, paying no attention to what her dog was doing til my child was in tears.

Report to the police. The dog was out of control.
I'm sorry you went through this.

@PumpkinSly
You were absolutely in the right to tell the owner to get his dog away from your children.

You were absolutely hypocritical to let your own dog run around unleashed in the same area.

Both you and the other dog owner allowed your dogs run unleashed because both of you, based upon your knowledge and experiences with your dogs, are convinced that your animals pose no threat to the children in the park.

Given that neither of you can with absolute certainty guarantee what your dog might or might not do, I would think that in an environment populated by very young children, all dogs should be leashed and in control of the owners.

My 3 year old nephew is terrified of dogs, and because of that his parents do not allow him free range in parks and playgrounds. He would have no way of distinguishing a harmless 11 year old dog from an energetic 2 year old bully dog. He would be terrified of both.

I think that's why the owner left quickly, realising that he/his dog had stepped over the mark.

One other thing OP. If there are lots of dogs like this near you or the owner is a repeat offender then consider getting a small camera that you can attach to your top. You can get shirt button 1080 cameras online for about £30. Make sure the footage goes to the police.