To tell couple off in park?

[TLOAS]

Walking through the park this morning. It’s a lovely park with lots of woodland but big open grass area in the centre and home to lots of wildlife. The squirrels were running round this morning when I see one couple stopped with their dog who was pulling on the lead while looking at a squirrel. The couple, fully aware of this, lean down and upclip the lead and dog pelts at the squirrel.

I shout over, I say shout but it was a little windy and about 20ft away, and say why would you do that? They asked do what so I said “why would you purposely take the dog off the lead knowing it was going to chase the squirrel?” They shouted back some nonsense about it only being a squirrel and that their dog is only small and to mind my own business.

WIBU to tell them that the size of their dog doesn’t entitle them to purposely release it on a squirrel and terrorise wildlife?

Don’t think dogs should be off a lead in parks anyway. Take them to designated areas away from children and other wildlife to run around.

Not great but you can pretty much guarantee the squirrel’s prey instincts got it way up a tree the second the dog was unclipped.

So no dogs can ever be off the lead because they chase other animals.

Yabvu

They sound like idiots. I imagine it's quite unlikely their dog would have actually managed to catch a squirrel as they're very fast but equally I'd guess they'd have issues with recall then so that would have been my main concern.

Very very few dogs can catch a squirrel but they have great fun trying. Its completely not comparable to dogs being off lead near livestock such as sheep, horses, cattle etc

Well, they are committing the offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control.

So if a big dog is straining to get off the lead to chase a small dog, is it fine for the big-dog owner to notice this and let the big dog off the lead so it can chase, bark, growl and terrorise the small dog?

If that’s not okay, why is it fine to allow small dog to chase squirrels?

Really... 🤣

There’s a massive difference between chasing a squirrel and actually catching and harming one.

I would think the couple knew their dog better than you do and know it was not actually going to catch the squirrel.

And in my example doesn’t Big Dog have a wonderful time terrorising Small Dog?

“That’s Big Dog’s nature and he can’t help it! Mind your own business small dog owner, it’s just the way nature intended it for your tiny pooch to be bullied by my big dog.”

🤔

Dogs chasing a squirrel is perfectly normal. Releasing it from its lead so it can intentionally scare one is not normal behaviour imo. It makes you a twat.

Not a lot of fun for the squirrel though is it?

“There’s a massive difference between my Big Dog growling, barking, chasing and intimidating your dog and actually attacking it. Stop being so unreasonable. It’s natural for your little dog to be terrified.”

Oh FFS. If we applied this logic then no dog could be off lead ever.

We have 3 very fast and energetic dogs and not one of them has - or could ever - catch a squirrel. Most likely because they can't climb trees.

Whilst I don't agree with deliberately letting a dog off lead to run after another animal (weird), pretty much all dogs have a prey drive to a greater or lesser degree. It is in their DNA. Yes we have domesticated them and try to train these instincts out of them but for certain dogs it will never happen.

Well no but I'm guessing it's no fun for a squirrel (or any animal) when it's being chased by it's natural predators. Of which you could argue a dog is one.

I agree with this though. Very strange behaviour.

I let my dog have a run after squirrels sometimes. She never gets near it as they are very nippy and there's always a tree to run up. I don't want her to catch one particularly but squirrels are tough nuts 🐿 and there are millions of them. Being chased by predators is normal for rodents.

Ffs why all the excuses for a couple tormenting an animal.

Do you all go round chasing pigeons and ducks ?

If the dog was already off the lead the op wouldn't be posting, why are people so obtuse???

@TLOAS did the squirrels also run away from you?
Or are you Saint Francis of Assisi? I which case I can understand your concerns.

We live in the countryside. I would love you to tell me which open space is "away from wildlife".

The key being in the name "wild"life 😂

Yabu to tell a couple of grown adults off. Who do you think you are? Did you waggle your finger at them?

@Starlight1984 “if we applied this logic then no dog could be off lead ever“

👏good idea

Too many dogs, too many bad owners.

Better to have a presumption dogs are always kept on the lead except in specially designated dog-walking areas which could be clearly signposted.

This would not include any of the parkland near my house where there are so many dogs with poor recall and lots of children walking home from school or playing on fields which are covered in poop that owners have failed to spot/deal with.

People are idiots.

There was a guy walking with dog off a lead, maybe a spaniel, it ran up to me and growled but I said nothing. It then ran off towards a baby swan that had been hanging around the pond for a couple of weeks and started hassling that.

I told him that if he didn't get his dog under control I would call the police. He just shrugged his shoulders and said what can I do ?

What is the good news ? Well if people behave like this, sooner or later their out of control dog will meet a bigger more aggressive out of control dog and at that point rather than getting a verbal ticking off they will discover the (somewhat expensive) consequences. I have seen this happen several times.

So eventually they will be taught a lesson. It may just take some time.

Far more likely to be the other way round with people who think their yappy little buggers are small and cute and don't need training and go round bothering mild mannered big dogs.

I think I’m someone who doesn’t think it’s okay to intentionally cause any creature fear. Whether it’s human or not.