Page 8 | Dog running over to me, toddler and pram

OliviaH2 · 2025-04-23T10:54:09+00:00

I was out walking this morning with my toddler and I also had my baby in the pram, when I saw a very large German Shepherd spot us and bolt over to us. I immediately panicked because of the way it was running over, I knew it was coming towards us. I shouted “get your dog on a lead” and grabbed my toddler. The owner shouted back “no I’m not he’s friendly” I shouted get your dog, by that point it had just reached us and sort of jumped and pound it’s paw on the ground. I again shouted “get your dog and put it on a lead” and the guy refused, I said “you don’t know who has a fear of dogs and it’s so irresponsible” but he continued to argue back not doing anything but walking in the other direction, the dog then followed him but he just continued shouting “you don’t have a fear of dogs do you” I was so shaken up after this! I’ve had dogs growing up and always thought you put them on a lead when near people. Isn’t this just common knowledge? He argued back so confidently that it isn’t his problem, just wondering what people’s thoughts are on this? I wish there was a way of reporting him?

SunnySideDeepDown · 26/04/2025 06:38

Salad666 · 23/04/2025 12:41

Take your toddler somewhere that isn't being used as a dog walk?

Not all dog owners are the same so you can miss me with that shite.

I agree dog should have been leashed and when walking my dog, I hate other dogs coming up to her and the owner saying "it's ok he/she is friendly" I don't give a shit, your dog should be on a leash FFS .

But the dog literally did nothing wrong. I'm.not sure what you'd report the owner for. Or is just that a dog exists in the same space as you and your children?

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no, if that the owner wasn’t stopping the dog from bounding over to a woman, toddler and baby. Is there something wrong with your cognition?

LochKatrine · 26/04/2025 06:43

Another selfish dog owner, there seem to be so many nowadays . They're raised as fur babies, not trained as dogs.

NewsdeskJC · 26/04/2025 06:57

He is an arse
We have a small very friendly Westie who we are very confident in off lead.
First sign of a child under about 10, he is recalled and goes back on the lead.
Because not all children like dogs and it's called being a decent human being.

LochKatrine · 26/04/2025 07:02

NewsdeskJC · 26/04/2025 06:57

He is an arse
We have a small very friendly Westie who we are very confident in off lead.
First sign of a child under about 10, he is recalled and goes back on the lead.
Because not all children like dogs and it's called being a decent human being.

This. Plus genuine dog lovers want well trained, well behaved dogs.

Enthusiasticcarrotgrower · 26/04/2025 07:09

Gustavo77 · 23/04/2025 13:07

You sound very big dogisst. The way you reacted would really have annoyed me so I don't blame the man or the dog, your drama was way over the top.
He knew his dog you didn't so not only did you insult the pup but you insulted his knowledge of his dog, his decisions and you insulted his character too and called him irresponsible to boot!!! Wayy over the top. You owe him and his dog an apology, no wonder he was unhappy.

I bet you wouldn't have reacted that way I'd it was a small curly little dog who was probably much more likely to nip than a friendly Shepherd. 🙄😤😡

Is this a serious comment? Big dogs are much more threatening when you have small children. They are much heavier and can knock over a toddler if they’re not under control.

Enthusiasticcarrotgrower · 26/04/2025 07:15

No good dog owner ever says. “Don’t worry; he’s friendly.” They say that when they are not confident that they can control their dog.

I don’t want to be friends with your dog and I don’t want it off lead approaching my small children.

There are plenty of good owners around where we live. Either they call their dog to heel when they see small children or they put their dog on a lead. Then I say thank you and we all say good morning.

Velvian · 26/04/2025 07:20

YANBU, OP. If your dog is liable to run over to people or other dogs on leads, it should not be off lead.

There are so many dogs now and so many owners that have little idea how to train and care for a dog, or behave in public generally.

I have a large dog, a very good girl, but I walk her on a lead. I would be mortified if my dog had done that.

ThisOldThang · 26/04/2025 08:40

OliviaH2 · 25/04/2025 15:54

The dog ran a far distance from its owner over to us passing through a road I would say that is having no control. It bolted the moment it saw us, due to the way it ran at me I had every reason to believe it was aggressive and out of control - as another commenter has highlighted, that is a crime because it gave me every reason to think in that moment it was a threat.
If I hadn’t of grabbed my toddler it would have 100% knocked her down.

Letting your dog approach people in that way is absolutely not ok, but you are right he was rude!

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Report it to the police and mention the fact it ran across the highway and it was lucky not to have caused a road traffic accident.

TheWonderhorse · 26/04/2025 11:41

fairybower · 26/04/2025 03:07

What kind of a prick sees a frightened woman with a baby grab her toddler to protect her when his large dog races over to her, and doesn't call it back?

And where is the empathy for the OP in this thread? People seem to be bending over backwards to somehow make her in the wrong, because apparently all dogs are all good and all dog owners are the best of the best by virtue of owning dogs.

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I don't think anyone is saying that.

I think the guy should have called the dog back. I do find it problematic that simply giving the impression of danger is enough to call the incident a crime when how a situation is perceived can be nothing to do with the dog or the owner.

The dog wasn't barking or growling, it wasn't refusing to obey it's owner, it didn't actually do anything that could be called aggressive except approach OP. No intervention was needed for the dog to leave OP alone.

OP is afraid of dogs, and that's a shame and I'm sure the encounter was unpleasant because of that. But the owner hadn't put anyone in danger. He was a crap human, certainly, but the dog evidently wasn't dangerous.

pinkfloralcurtains · 26/04/2025 11:51

TheWonderhorse · 26/04/2025 11:41

I don't think anyone is saying that.

I think the guy should have called the dog back. I do find it problematic that simply giving the impression of danger is enough to call the incident a crime when how a situation is perceived can be nothing to do with the dog or the owner.

The dog wasn't barking or growling, it wasn't refusing to obey it's owner, it didn't actually do anything that could be called aggressive except approach OP. No intervention was needed for the dog to leave OP alone.

OP is afraid of dogs, and that's a shame and I'm sure the encounter was unpleasant because of that. But the owner hadn't put anyone in danger. He was a crap human, certainly, but the dog evidently wasn't dangerous.

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Some of these excuses really remind me of the NotAllMen argument. It is entirely reasonable to be wary of a dog you don’t know from a breed with a strong protective trait heading towards you, a toddler and your baby, irrespective of of whether you’re afraid of dogs or not.

Young GSD dogs are also bitey until they mature, having grown up with 5 of them myself. I love the breed but would never trust a strange one.

TheWonderhorse · 26/04/2025 11:54

pinkfloralcurtains · 26/04/2025 11:51

Some of these excuses really remind me of the NotAllMen argument. It is entirely reasonable to be wary of a dog you don’t know from a breed with a strong protective trait heading towards you, a toddler and your baby, irrespective of of whether you’re afraid of dogs or not.

Young GSD dogs are also bitey until they mature, having grown up with 5 of them myself. I love the breed but would never trust a strange one.

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Wary perhaps, but reporting a crime?

pinkfloralcurtains · 26/04/2025 11:56

TheWonderhorse · 26/04/2025 11:54

Wary perhaps, but reporting a crime?

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Go on, keep defending the dog and his owner.

TheWonderhorse · 26/04/2025 11:57

pinkfloralcurtains · 26/04/2025 11:56

Go on, keep defending the dog and his owner.

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I have called the owner a crap human. How is that defending him?

The dog wasn't doing anything wrong.

alcoholnightmare · 26/04/2025 11:59

Oh for goodness sake…. The post with “I’m sorry this happened to you”…. A dog came NEAR her. Grow a pair @OliviaH2

Original poster

OliviaH2 · 26/04/2025 12:26

alcoholnightmare · 26/04/2025 11:59

Oh for goodness sake…. The post with “I’m sorry this happened to you”…. A dog came NEAR her. Grow a pair @OliviaH2

Grow a pair?! I Seriously hope you aren’t a dog owner if you think this is acceptable. This dog had zero control, it almost knocked my toddler down. Go somewhere else with your unhelpful and ignorant comment

OP posts:

AbigfanofDogs · 26/04/2025 16:13

I have a message you’ve not read I assume, dog warden, 101

Grammarnut · 26/04/2025 23:14

He was an entitled male putting a woman down. Unfortunately I don't think the police are much interested in this - misogyny is not a hate crime and entitled males are two a penny. I have my dog on a lead near children - it's common sense, they, after all, could hurt my dog or run off with him! (He's little and fluffy.)

Grammarnut · 26/04/2025 23:17

pinkfloralcurtains · 26/04/2025 11:56

Go on, keep defending the dog and his owner.

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It's not a crime. The world is full of male twits, sadly.

Orollos · 26/04/2025 23:22

BMW6 · 23/04/2025 13:07

CPS Dangerous Dogs Act

Section 10(3) of the 1991 Act provides that a dog shall be regarded as dangerously out of control on any occasion on which there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure any person or assistance dog, whether or not it actually does so

So I interpret this as if a person has fear (apprehension) of an off-lead dog running toward them then the dog can be considered as out of control and therefore and offence has been committed.

Edited

You’re completely right and I was reading through the replies on the first page to see if anyone had posted this law or I was going to.

Pp saying he has done nothing wrong aren’t correct IMO he is in breach of the DDA as a person could reasonably be in fear as a result of his dogs action.

Absolute nonsense of the posters saying “he knows his dog”,etc many a jogger or child or random passerby has been bit by a dog before whose owner claims “it’s friendly” and inevitably “oh he’s never done that before” 🤡

At the end of the day no one knows for a fact their animal will not bite or not, and it’s not up to the owners to subject others especially children to that risk.

If it happens again and if you think fast enough perhaps discreetly record him OP and or take a mental note of how he looks and the time etc next time you see him and perhaps he can be tracked.

Not the police but I had to report a woman in my flat building for her out of control off-leash dog. All the dog owners in the building were then reminded to keep their dogs on a leash and that woman was spoken to individually . Sure, the police may not take it seriously but it’s worth a try.

Orollos · 26/04/2025 23:32

Enthusiasticcarrotgrower · 26/04/2025 07:15

No good dog owner ever says. “Don’t worry; he’s friendly.” They say that when they are not confident that they can control their dog.

I don’t want to be friends with your dog and I don’t want it off lead approaching my small children.

There are plenty of good owners around where we live. Either they call their dog to heel when they see small children or they put their dog on a lead. Then I say thank you and we all say good morning.

It’s so true that no good dog owners says that.

The woman in my flat building I mentioned in my previous posts clearly had zero control over her large poodle type dog. It was probably a lockdown purchase and she had no clue how to train it.

So since her dog wouldn’t listen to her at all she had to resort to trying to manage my reaction (!) instead by telling me it’s ok and it’s friendly and all the other crap irresponsible dog owners come out with. Unfortunately the friendly dog ran full pelt at me and dug it’s sharp claws into me 🙄 “friendly” or not it still hurt me and it could’ve been much worse. The second time her dog ran at me I told her to put it on a leash and she said no which is when I reported her.

Orollos · 26/04/2025 23:39

BlondiePortz · 26/04/2025 03:08

All dogs should be on leads when in public I can't believe it is not law

Same- I heard it’s the law in Germany, at least in some settings.

I avoid my local parks because I can’t be bothered with dogs running at /approaching me or interrupting picnics but it’s still happened in cafes, trains, my own flat building and a path that was nowhere near a park. Sick to the back of teeth of it.

pinkfloralcurtains · 27/04/2025 11:50

Orollos · 26/04/2025 23:39

Same- I heard it’s the law in Germany, at least in some settings.

I avoid my local parks because I can’t be bothered with dogs running at /approaching me or interrupting picnics but it’s still happened in cafes, trains, my own flat building and a path that was nowhere near a park. Sick to the back of teeth of it.

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Despite being a nation of dog lovers, dogs have to be leashed in all public spaces in Australia unless specifically designated otherwise. This usually means a fenced dog area, or on beaches at certain times. They’re not allowed in playgrounds or picnic/BBQ areas, even on a leash.

https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/living-and-community/animals-and-pets/keeping-dogs/exercising-dogs/dog-parks-and-off-leash-areas

Fines for letting your dog off leash can be quite steep - around £500 in Queensland. There’s large signs at popular walking spots reminding dog owners of the potential for a fine!

Dog parks and off-leash areas | Sunshine Coast Council

List of areas by suburb that are designated off-leash areas for dogs on the Sunshine Coast.

https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/living-and-community/animals-and-pets/keeping-dogs/exercising-dogs/dog-parks-and-off-leash-areas

fairybower · 27/04/2025 12:55

Enthusiasticcarrotgrower · 26/04/2025 07:15

No good dog owner ever says. “Don’t worry; he’s friendly.” They say that when they are not confident that they can control their dog.

I don’t want to be friends with your dog and I don’t want it off lead approaching my small children.

There are plenty of good owners around where we live. Either they call their dog to heel when they see small children or they put their dog on a lead. Then I say thank you and we all say good morning.

I had one owner say that to me literally in the same moment his dog sank his teeth into my dog's arse. He looked really frightened as he tried to unhook its jaws.

DefinitelyMaybe92 · 27/04/2025 12:58

Tricky one because he hasn’t really done anything wrong in the eyes of the law, but I can definitely see why you would be worried and react how you did. It sounds like he knows his dog well enough to know they wouldn’t harm anyone, but he’s clearly not very empathetic at all. I would just put it down to him being ignorant and try and forget about it.

TeenLifeMum · 27/04/2025 13:01

I’ll start with I have 2 spaniels and walk them off lead. I do not let them approach people, especially with prams etc without the explicit permission - people call my dogs over to say hi because they’re friendly looking (they are very gentle and trained around dc but that doesn’t mean I let them go up to randoms because I know that’s not okay).

when someone says “it’s okay they’re friendly” I reply “well I’m not. Recall your dog!” Dd was 2 when a puppy jumped up and caught her knee with a sharp puppy claw that drew blood. They said “she’s just playing” … she cut my daughter’s leg ffs. I love dogs but not all owners!