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?

Ah yes, this is much better. I imagine the rabbits are not at all alarmed, scared or chased away by the sound, and bullets, of your gun🙃

You need to get a life. Dogs literally chased other animals - it's what they do.

I watched a man in a local park so the same with his lurcher/greyhound, and it killed it in front of my five year old.

I would take a bullet over being shaken and ripped to shreds by a terrier.

If i lived there I would drive somewhere else to walk my dog off lead

Cats are never kept on leads. Therefore cats kill tens of millions of birds in Britain every year. Because their owners let them. How is that different?

Good for you, unless we go individually ask every single rabbit for their thoughts what you would prefer is irrelevant though.

A squirrel can outrun a dog quite easily, a bullet though? Not so much.

So what was the point then other to amuse the dog and frighten a small animal, seems pretty pointless and cruel.

I agree with OP. It's one thing to have a dog who is running around and then happens to sniff at a rabbit hole. It's quite another to encourage a dog by letting it off a lead when it's straining to chase something.
We've had a couple of situations locally where dogs have chased and killed swans. Owner unable (or didn't want) to do anything. You should be in control of your dog when in public. Simple as that.

FFS

There's way more to exercising the dog that just running around. When i walk my dog there are some days he doesn't run. But he's off the lead using his brain while i play hunting games with him.

Why doesn't anybody ever say this about cats? Cats chase and kill literally tens of millions of birds in the UK every year. But a dog kills a swan, and it's terrible!

I dont see anyone saying to ring the police?

Whats your justification for suggesting any and all animal cruelty is ok just because some people eat meat?

Seems a bit of a strange stance. Its preferable to not be outraged if someone stamped on a kitten for example because I eat chicken occasionally? Isn't that a little sociopathic?

I say this as an ex vegan btw. I never met a vegan who appeared to prefer someone support all animal cruelty rather than be a hypocrite, they all seemed happy that people cared in some way. Is this a new extreme type of veganism?

Sorry I know I'm childish but I can just picture you pointing sternly to a sign with a picture of a mouse on it and a cross through it whole DCat blinks politely 😁

I think( whilst sad for the birds) having lots of cats is probably a good thing for keeping local vermin populations down. I suspect we’d be awash with rats / mice / squirrels (surpringly destructive in the loft) without a resident cat population.

Have a read back through the thread and you’ll see all the posts about this being illegal & to prosecute, hope that helps :)

Interesting though you haven’t actually responded to what I asked. Why is a dog chasing 1 squirrel up a tree not okay, but humans killing hundreds of animals every day okay?

You either care, or you don’t. Unless you’re suggesting that this 1 squirrel is worth more than the 500 chickens, the cows, pigs etc…

It’s not okay for a dog to chase a squirrel but as long as your nuggets are neatly packaged in a Birds Eye box you’ll turn a blind eye there😂

Made me laugh, dogs will always chase squirrels, it’s normal and natural. I’d have told you to mind your own business too! It’s part of life, chill out!!!

If it were a rat no one would give a shit

Yeah, let's call Constable Nutkin.

Bravo OP!
I do voluntary gardening in the church behind my house and so many people think it's funny to allow their dogs to run in there, chasing the squirrels, birds and neighbourhood cats while they wait at the entrance. It's really not good for the wildlife..
I've had 2 lots of neighbours fall out with me because I asked them to put them on a lead, or at least come into the church grounds with their dogs so they can keep an eye on them as the dogs would go out of sight. The self-entitlement of people these days is quite frankly disgusting. Church has since put up a sign, asking owners to keep dogs on leads and it's helped somewhat.

As a previous dog owner and growing up with them, we just didn't really allow the dog off a lead, unless in a massive field somewhere or up on the South Downs where we lived. It's about being a responsible dog owner - if the dog wants to chase, take a ball.

Who?

Chasing a squirrel isn’t out of control.

Ideally, yes.

I do voluntary gardening in the church behind my house and so many people think it's funny to allow their dogs to run in there, chasing the squirrels, birds and neighbourhood cats while they wait at the entrance. It's really not good for the wildlife..

You do realise what harm cats do to wildlife?

Doesn't help really as ive not seen a single post saying, quote "ring the police and prosecute IMMEDIATELY !!"

Im happy to answer - because, like vegans, I do what I can and am willing to do to support various causes. Some im willing to do more for.

What I never did, as a vegan, was say to a meat eater that it was ridiculous them being upset about <whatever> form of animal cruelty because they ate meat.

Why didn't I (and the many other vegans i know/knew) say that?

Because we're not spiteful people who would rather see a meat eater not give a shit about any animal at all. That would be very counter productive and not particularly intelligent.