To be upset that the police didn’t do anything? Dangerous dog

[Koulibiak]

I can’t sleep and can’t stop thinking about what happened and what could have happened.

I had just stepped out to walk my dogs (both small, placid dogs - one is a toy breed and the other a beagle mix) this afternoon. We crossed path with a woman pushing a bike with a front trolley thing. I assumed the trolley was for a child (the type you see in Amsterdam), I didn’t have time to see that there was something inside. Suddenly a dog jumped out of the trolley and attacked my dogs, one after the other. The dog was a female Labrador, she went straight for my dogs’ necks and on top of their backs. My dogs yelped in pain, started going in different directions and tripped me.

It all happened so fast, as I fell on the pavement I thought the Labrador was going to kill us all.

Eventually the woman got her dog back, I asked her to stay while I called the police. I got my dogs back inside the house, checked that neither of them was bleeding, they are both fine.

The police arrived, the woman turned on the water works and started sobbing. I said the dog was dangerously out of control, and at the very least the woman should receive a FPN for not having her dog on a lead.

The police were so dismissive - they said they wouldn’t issue a FPN because the woman had not realised the dog wasn’t tethered in the trolley, so she had no intention of breaking the law. I pointed out that intent is not part of the offence, but they said the poor woman had a flat tire on her bike, she was very distraught, she was going to have to walk 25 minutes home (like it’s a massive ordeal?) and they “didn’t want to make her day even worse with a FPN”. They said the dog is not an XL bully or Rottweiler, so it is not a dangerous dog (obviously that’s not true).

There were so many little aggressions in the way the constables spoke to me, I actually reminded them that I was the victim and she was the perpetrator. Like they implied that my dog was also out of control (absolutely untrue), or that they have discretion and can do whatever they want. Also that they now have my details on file, like I was a suspect.

Honestly it’s made me feel so sad for all the women who try and report assaults, the mix of dismissiveness and superiority and “we don’t owe you an explanation” and “I can see there’s nothing we can say that will placate you”. Just because I was asking them to enforce the law and protect the public. It was also obvious they didn’t understand the DDA at all.

I did ask the woman why her dog wasn’t muzzled and whether she was prepared to live with her conscience if her dog killed a child or another dog. She replied “absolutely”.

I just keep reliving the few seconds when the dog leapt out at my dogs and I fell on the pavement, not knowing where the dog was or how to protect myself or my dogs… it’s like a nightmare on repeat. 🙁

Well, this thread is quite the treat for the police bashers and dog haters. Whilst this was undoubtedly an unpleasant experience, you don’t come out of it particularly well OP. Your comparisons are inappropriate, you weren’t in danger of being killed and quite frankly, nobody likes unsolicited advice on how to do their job. Put it behind you and move on.

The term is actually quite apt. Somebody (male or female) misstating the legal position and assuming they'll be believed because they are a police officer. It doesn't matter whether they've misunderstood or misinterpreted the law, or are wilfully misrepresenting it, they are relying on the fact they are police to add weight to their (incorrect) words.

Police-splaining sums all those ^ words up nicely in a neat little package and saves me having to write it all. But you made me anyway. So thanks.

Not really sure what this has to do with the post, but actually most dogs are better bonded to humans that other dogs, they would however want to do their bred for ‘job’ rather than be pushed around in a trolley.

@Koulibiak please complain about those officers. I have a dog, she can be a dickhead ( wouldn’t do this, someotimes just gets overexcited nd her ears close up!) but this would be very scary. The dog was out of control, doesn’t matter on the breed, but do emphasise you were hurt as a result by falling over and it is that they should be responding to, fhey sadly wouldn’t cre much bout your dogs.

Why are some posters minimising the OP's experience? Wait, is it because the dog is a Labrador? Almost certain if she'd have said a Staffy/Bully breed those same posters would be up in fucking arms 🙄
OP I would absolutely complain about the officers that came out and dealt with this as they sound like they need training on the difference between a dangerous breed and a dangerous dog.
The woman was absolutely in the wrong and the dog should have been tethered in the carriage thing. Unfortunately there are a lot of owners now that haven't got a clue on basic dog walking manners and I completely blame this on Covid when lots of fuckwits got themselves dogs with no idea on how complex dog ownership can be and no idea how to train them.

👆voice of reason. OP try and chill. No harm done.

Sadly, I imagine it's more that they can't do anything until it does something worse than lunging at things while on a lead. If it's never walked, how has it almost bitten numerous people in the street?

When you were waiting for the police did you just stand near each other whilst the small dogs barked?

You couldn't have feared for your life if you were happy to wait.

I suspect the police think you were wasting their time and that’s why the other woman wasn’t charged with anything.

Yes, her dog should have been under control but your dogs weren’t hurt, and the reason you tripped and fell was because you got caught in the leads you were holding.

It’s never nice when another dog has a go at yours and it’s a horrible feeling when you’re “out of control” like that but calling the police was a huge overreaction IMO.

They aren’t that bad especially in the Netherlands where it’s really flat. I had one with an electric helper engine once and it was fab.

This is absolutely nothing like what happened to the OP though. Her dogs were well behaved and were attacked by the other woman's dog who wasn't on a lead. OP didn't say her dogs were yapping or nipping.

I actually wonder about this too. Dogs can have neurological issues as much as any other animal can.

Honestly whilst I can appreciate it may have been a little scary, the reality is both your dogs were uninjured, it probably wasn't as violent an attack as you think. Getting tripped over probably made it seem worse.
Yes I'd have a go at the lady, but after that I wouldn't expect much else.

I’m surprised she waited for the police to arrive; I can’t imagine they got there quickly given the lack of serious injuries.

Seems to me that she thought you were at fault; why else would she have stayed?

Was she younger and more attractive than you as otherwise, I can’t understand why the Police minimised what happened here. As you say, her dog clearly wasn’t under her control and it did cause harm, with attacking your dogs and causing you to fall.

I definitely think it’s worth a complaint to the local station.

You need to report to the dog warden, they may impose restrictions such as muzzle wearing.

No, it’s not because of the breed, it’s because no one was hurt and she was only on the floor because she tripped over her own dogs but she laid on the floor thinking the dog was going to kill them all which seems a bit OTT.

They occasionally take it out on a narrow path. Two people escorting it. Maybe once a week if that for about 10mins which is disgraceful for a dog that is bred to work.

During this time it lunges constant at everyone on the narrow path outside our house. I’ve watched it almost grab peoples coats and sleeves as they try and squeeze past it.

They won’t do anything for a scuffle between dogs where the only injury was caused by OP tripping over her own dogs.

Nothing was minimised - OP called the police for a non-event and they didn’t take action because they probably think it was a total waste of their time.

OP only got hurt because she tripped over the dogs she was controlling. Yes, the Labrador should have been on a lead but it didn’t bite anyone nor did it cause any injury to OP’s dogs.

I walk dogs for a living and see scuffles like this constantly - dogs communicate very differently to us and while it can look aggressive and scary, it very often isn’t and is just their way of establishing the way of things.

The police can’t really do anything based on a scenario of “he said she said” - without evidence of an injury (like a bite) then what can they do? They can’t just take OP’s word for it and punish someone without proof.

@faerietalesthe dog was unleashed and went for an unprovoked attack, if the owner gets a warning then that may be enough for the owner to start being responsible for her dog.

But the police have no proof of that - they can't just go around punishing people based on someone's say-so.

Unless OP has evidence that she was bitten, or that her dogs were bitten and required veterinary attention, there's nothing that the police can (or should) do.

The dog warden isn’t the police. The OP can contact the dog warden, there may have been previous reports about the same dog.

The police only get involved when a human is injured.

I know, but the dog warden won't get involved either.

All that happened was three dogs had a scuffle and OP tripped over her own dogs' leads. Yes, the lab should have been on a lead but the dog warden is honestly not going to get involved here.

A dog near where I live got killed by another dog - the dog warden didn't even attend, let alone have a word or hand out any consequences. They really won't care about something like this where there's no injury, and especially where there's no proof of what happened.

I was attacked by a dog a couple of years ago. The dog had got loose from its field. A large Alsatian used as a guard dog. In similar circumstances it had attacked other people walking past the house it is supposed to protect. The Police did get the dog moved, but took more than two months to act and even then looked for an informal resolution rather than any other form of action. I had a bite mark, but the Police said they would only take such a case seriously if there was a deep bite. The owner simply got another dog. The Police show no interest.

A Labrador attacking a toy breed is not a “minor scuffle”.