Is this ok or would you be annoyed?

[Janiebirdy]

Our house and garden faces a park and we get a few dogs running across the gardens at times. I was working in the garden last week when a dog started running up to me and across our garden; the owner didn’t call their dog back and they didn’t say anything to me. I ignored them and carried on with gardening. Would you be annoyed or figure it’s not a problem? FTR I’ve had dogs in the past so I’m not anti.

@Noyesnoyes

Fortunately, I don’t have a phobia of dogs. I’ve had dogs in the past so I don’t have a problem with them.

It’s not always as easy as ‘get a fence.’ In my last place, there was some legal caveat that we weren’t allowed.

Have you checked his eyesight? Maybe he can't make out the letters?

Provided owners cleared up any mess I’m not sure it would bother me that much but a) most won’t; b) seem to be happy for their dogs to go charging through your flowers and c) seem to have little control so if there was a problem (child, territorial dog at home, reversing car) it would all be someone else’s fault. So on principle I would have a problem with it unless the dog and owner were known to me and my family.

You clearly weren’t though. The owner will have been reading your body language and you said yourself that you weren’t bothered so the owner responded accordingly. Put up some low picket style fences (can even be the tiny 1ft ones just to mark out the property), plant some hedges, put up a proper fence or signal to the owner if it does in fact bother you.

I foster working dogs, Guide Dogs, whilst they are training. You wouldn’t know they are working dogs when on a free run though as they’re not working at that point and just look like any other dog.

There is definitely a shift now that a lot of dog owners cannot see that everyone doesn't love their pet as much as they do. There is a sense of entitlement that the dog has to come everywhere with them and is treated like a child rather than a pet.

I’ll start by saying that my very well trained dog is on a lead all the time in public as I don’t trust other owners to have trained their dogs properly. However, looking at the example photo you put up, I really can’t tell where the park starts and the garden ends or vice versa. So I expect the owner just assumed it was all parkland. Of course they were unreasonable to allow their dog to run up to you, but personally I would have stood up and asked them to recall it and if it bothers you that dogs come into your garden area then you could have just politely explained that the area you were working in is actually your private garden.

You should still be making sure your dog does run up to strangers. I'm quite seriously allergic to dogs, it can make my throat close up and I should be safe in public spaces from dogs actively coming up to me. I seriously doubt there are any areas where there are absolutley no people who are allergic, afraid, or just dont like dogs. Its such an entitled assumption that it's OK for people to let their dogs do this, I wouldn't let my child run up to total strangers and harrass them why is it OK to let your dog do it?

If the owner doesn't keep them from other people and other dogs or they don't have recall yes they should. Public parks aren't specifically for dogs to enjoy they're for the public to enjoy and that includes people who are allergic, afraid, have dogs who aren't sociable or just dont like them. If you can't control your dog then rent a private area to exercise them off lead.

A sign like welcome to my garden