Or was he? Argument with dog owner.

[Notsuretoputit]

I’ve just been for lunch at a cafe, and was admittedly in a bad temper because I’d left to find my car battery dead, so went back in to order a taxi.

Anyway, on leaving the second time my path was blocked. The path coming from the cafe to the street is lined with thick bushes on either side, and a man, presumably waiting for someone who was in the cafe, was standing with two small dogs, one of which was on an extendable lead on the other side of the path to its owner, blocking the whole path with the lead.

As I walked up he smiled sort of apologetically and shrugged. I said ‘can I get past please?’ and he said ‘I’m trying to pull her back’. It was a small dog, he could’ve easily got her back if he’d wanted to. Anyway, he pulled her half a foot back and said ‘just walk around’. As I walked around, the dog inevitably jumped up. I said ‘totally ridiculous’, and he said ‘how’s that ridiculous?’. I said ‘come on, you’re blocking the whole path’, and he said ‘it’s a little dog, calm down’.

I know I was in a bad mood because of the car, but WIBU?

YABU - the dog did no harm and you should’ve been more patient
YANBU - it is irritating that he shrugged helplessly as if his dogs are so cute no one should mind them blocking the path and jumping up

As an aside, this attitude from some dog owners (and I’m a dog lover) is really grating on me at the moment. We have a large park with signs everywhere saying to keep dogs on the lead, and so many don’t. My toddler nephew was nearly knocked off his feet a couple of weeks ago by an off the lead large dog being called over the park’s footpath from one owner to the other, and they just shrugged and shouted sorry, same as when off the lead dogs approach you and instead of an apology and putting them on the leads they just say ‘ah he’s harmless’.

The dog did no harm and you should’ve been more patient AND it is irritating that he shrugged helplessly as if his dogs are so cute no one should mind them blocking the path and jumping up.

I think "inconsiderate" would have been a reasonable word. "Ridiculous" is over the top for a dog blocking a path.

Dogs shouldn't be allowed to jump up on strangers. He was a dick.

It seems that it’s optional to take notice of the instruction to keep dogs on leads for some people. Particularly annoying are those who are only nominally aware of their dogs, because they’re too busy with their phones.

A while ago, we were out for a walk and a dog off lead simply wouldn’t leave us alone. The owner was oblivious because he was glued to his phone. They ignore the rules to be on leads on the sea front too.

I'd think both of you were unreasonable. He shouldn't be blocking the path, or allowing his dog to jump up. There's no excuse regardless of how small or well tempered a dog might be.

You're attitude sounds ready to be pissy, if he needed to say to go around and you're muttering passive aggressive comments.

You say jumped up rather than jumped on, did the dog jump on you or lunge up on lead?

Either way, we all have bad days so hope your car is sorted and your mood improves.

He needed to say go around because he’d barely pulled the dog back to allow enough room to go around. He could have also just crossed the path to where the dog was.

I went to walk around the dog (without enough room) and the dog jumped up. It was little so only reached mid calf but if he’d just pulled the dog back or crossed over to the dog it wouldn’t have been able to. It definitely felt like he thought I should pet and coo over the dog.

how wide was the path? If his dog was within a meter of him I don’t think he could’ve got it much closer. It shouldn’t have jumped up, but if you are that nervy of dogs you shouldn’t get that close. It’s one thing to complain if they are off lead in a park, but if they are on lead and they manage to jump at you then you have got too close.

No one expects people to pet and coo over their dogs. It sounds like you were just in a foul mood, and still are.

Ime extendable leads should be banned.. Nearly had a ddog walk into my car on several occasions...

Indeed. I was looking after an aunt’s elderly small dog a few weeks ago and I had her out for a walk in the park. She’s slow now but enjoys a wander. Multiple dogs kept approaching her off lead with the owners claiming they were friendly. They might be, but she couldn’t be bothered with them and wanted to be left alone but was too old to be able to do anything about them jumping all over her. It’s so inconsiderate.

I can entirely understand them if you’re going on walks where you want to give them freedom if no one is around, but when there are people/other dogs walking past then rein them in. The door of a cafe isn’t a place to let it run to its full length.

@Notsuretoputit my feeling is that if you could walk around, which you did, then he shouldn't have had to tell you to walk around. It paints a picture of you standing and being obtuse, whilst he's being equally difficult.

If I were standing in the cafe watching both of you I'd think you were both being tricky with each other. And in truth, for something so minor I couldn't imagine getting worked up about it.

Ohhh and look, it’s descend into the typical mumsnet all dog owners are shit thread. Again. Christ why start another conversation on this- just join one of the thousands of others.

My suspicion given your follow up post is that you have an axe to grind, were in a bad mood, and this fellow bore the brunt of your anger.

Nonsense.

1. You can clearly get a dog closer to you than a meter- on a narrow path where someone needs to pass the dog should be by the owners feet.

2. if the dog + lead+ owner are taking up 3/4 of the pavement, was @Notsuretoputit supposed to walk into the road so that the man didn’t have to bother controlling his dog?

Doesn't matter how wide the path was, move the fucking dog! It's really not difficult, so tired of shit dog owners that have zero control of their animal-dogs shouldn't be jumping up at people, end of.

I didn’t want to get too close, hence asking him if I could get past and waiting while he did nothing to get the dog closer. It was at the end of an extendable lead and the path is wide. The other dog was standing by the owner and was no issue.

The bit coloured in green is now a thick hedge.

Nothing should jump up at you without consent. Human or animal. You should be allowed to go about your business without having to navigate your way around entitled dog owners and their ridiculous pandering to an animal above everything, and everyone else. YANBU.

There wasn’t enough room to walk around without coming into contact with the dog. He pulled the lead half of a foot back and said ‘just walk around’. I still wasn’t happy because there wasn’t enough room to prevent the dog jumping up, which it inevitably did.

Not all dog owners are shit, but some are.

God I fucking hate some dog owners.

Move your fucking mutt out of the way you entitled selfish arses! I’d have kicked it and have kicked out in the past at dogs who jump up at me.

Dog ownership has become totally ridiculous in this country.

Was the dog having a sniff about ready to pee or just sniffing generally at the hedge by the lampost where many dogs have already pee'd?

I only ask because dogs think with their noses, unlike men who think with their balls and you came across the nose/balls combo in this case.

And you were just in a bad mood.

Sounds like one of those little moments in the street where a bit of good humour from both sides would have made the day happier for both parties. Like when you're in a tight spot and someone steps aside for the other or steps off the path so that someone in a wheelchair or with a toddler on a trike can pass. Both people smile and feel better that someone's been nice to them/they've helped someone sail happily through their day.

@Ohffsbarbara Kicking a tiny dog like the one being discussed here doesn't show you in a good light at all.

I'm absolutely on your side op. Just the idea that you are supposed to edge yourself past this dog irritates me.

If he had made any semblance of trying I think I’d have reacted differently, but he just stood there with the lead and dog blocking my way smiling apologetically. If he’d said ‘come on Spot, get out of the way’ or ‘sorry’ and picked the dog up, I wouldn’t have minded. But he just stood there until I had to say ‘can I get past please’.

I love dogs. The only reason I don't have one is because my curcumstances don't enable it.

But I am so fed up with what in my area appear to be the majority of dogs owners at the moment. Allowing their dogs to approach everyone, expecting others to walk in the road so they can walk on one side of the pavement and the dog the other, not controlling their clearly reactive dogs until they've actually gone for someone.

You were not being unreasonable Op. Some dog owners are entitled arseholes.