Strangers who think we all love their dog

[MaisieMouse87]

I'm a bit pissed off and need a rant. Sitting on the park with my kids, we had a large bottle of water nearly full, next to us on the grass. The top was off as one of the kids had just had some. The park is a large field and we were not near anyone else. We were minding our business.
These two women walked past with a dog on a lead. I didn't expect them to get as close as they did. They came literally right up to us. The dog (on the lead) came between me and the kids and licked the rim of the water bottle. One of the women did a tinkly laugh and I said " oh no" in an annoyed tone and told one of my kids that the water would have to go in the bin now. They just walked off grinning and I heard them say something like " imagine being like that over a dog."
I did not say anything but got up and threw it in the bin. If they'd said sorry it would have been alright or if the dog was off the lead I would have been annoyed still. But the way they actively led it over to us and allowed it to do that, then laughed about it. Aibu for being annoyed? It's not even really about the water. It's about having personal space invaded needlessly when I'm minding my own business by people who are nosy and need to see what I'm doing. And partly people with dogs who think it's acceptable because the dog likes people making a fuss of it. By the way I actually like dogs and have 2 but I have never allowed them to do this and actively keep them away from people in public.

I flushed one an innocent dog out of a tube carriage recently. The owner of small hairy dog sat next to the guy next to me with it. He sort of flinched and she asked if he was scared and he said “it’s not great” or words to that effect. But put up with it.

Anyway, after he got off, owner picked up dog and put it on the seat between us that he had vacated. I said “urghh get it off” quite exaggerated (I love dogs) to make the point and “dogs are not meant to be on seats”. Owner looked offended, took dog on her lap and kissed its face, making “poor baby” type noises, and replied “wow, you are cleaner than me” next stop she got off and moved to the next carriage, throwing me a filthy look but I don’t care!😀

That is because crappy dog owners really piss people off.

Why didn’t you say anything?

Why are you purposely taking your dog to do training somewhere where you know there will be children playing? Pretty irresponsible

dogs should not be off a lead unless they’re somewhere secure and not likely to come in contact with other people or other animals

The threads aren’t about dogs, they are about dog owners.

Sadly the world is full of awful dog owners who need regular shaming.

Worth making the point that the same rules for self defence apply to dogs as humans.

If a few more dogs ended up wacked over the head with a blunt instrument that might be a wake up call to some owners

@FanofLeaves awful topic but that's hilarious in a darkly comic way
It sums up so much doesn't it, the indulgent mum smiling at her 6 year old son whilst he's trying to side kick toddlers "so much energy", and so on

I like animals but bringing your dog over to people minding their own is unreasonable. I feel like some people just want to start trouble for no reason

A dog ran up and urinated on my baby’s changing bag at the beach a few weeks ago. The owner came over smiling like is he saying hello, I have never been so coldly aggressive in my life and he just stood there sheepishly, I wanted to take my baby to wee on his stuff and see how he liked it

There was a thread a while ago from an OP who let her dog lick the plates her family eat from and she was so annoyed that her DIL refused to eat from the same plate. Surely you can understand this is a personal choice, rather than a fear of becoming unwell? I think it’s pretty unlikely I’ll get sick if your dog licks my water bottle….. but I don’t want them too - equally I wouldn’t offer a random stranger a swig of my tea - I don’t want to share saliva with any stranger (canine or human!)

And think their ‘fur babies’ are the equivalent to an actual human baby.

FFS fur baby hate that word and I own dogs.

Kids ai t got no respect these days

And most dog walkers are fuk in idoits 🤣

So I can make him a civilised member of society that DOESN’T pull over to people and lick their water bottles. If he only ever goes places with no distractions / real life scenarios - then how the hell does he learn?

And it’s a public space I’m entitled to use responsibly? Did you even read my post- he was on a lead (long line).

And just because there’s children playing doesn’t mean they’re entitled to come bug us. We weren’t sitting on the swings we were on our own working on a grass flat. This thread is a perfect example of one rule for one thing, and another rule for others.

I’m not one of those fur baby maniacs - I love my dog but he’s a dog and he will be well trained and so that he can both work, and enjoy day to day life with me without being a nuisance to others. That requires work and exposure to everyday scenarios.

YADNBU, op. They shouldn’t have brought the god so close and should have apologised that it licked your water bottle.

I am not confrontational but wouldn’t have been able um prevent myself from saying, ‘that’s disgusting.’ People need to control their dogs or, at the very very least, try! And I like dogs generally.

Some dog owners are ridiculous. My dog is always on a leash unless we’re somewhere remote. I hate irresponsible dog owners. They give the rest of us a bad reputation.

Saw someone letting his stupid doodle chase sheep. Surely everyone knows it’s wrong? He was laughing because dog wouldn’t catch them apparently. No idea that sheep could be so terrified it could have a heart attack.

YANBU but people are like this with their dc too.

I wouldn’t I bloody love vultures but you would need to prepare yourself for a looooooooonnnnnnnng conversation about it

Lots of dog owners are complete dicks. Usually ones with retractable leads. I don’t know why people use them they are a fecking menace and feck all use for actually training your dog.
dogs should not be off lead in people spaces. However if you go to a designated DOG BEACH and set up your picnic you deserve to have your sarnies snaffled

My boy is lovely. He's only being friendly. If people don't want their food stolen they shouldn't keep it where my Thor can see it.
Vulture haters.

Always this. Always the comparison with children. There is no comparison.

Bad dog owner and spag pedant extraordinaire, eh?

Eloquent

@TheOtherSide21 your dog can enjoy life with you, doesn’t mean everyone else has to be around it. Public is for people - not animals. Dogs bite and you can’t explain to or reason with a dog, so keep it on a short lead and under control.

if you want it to run around off a lead, rent a field or get a garden but don’t force other people to have to risk being near your dog