To be verbally abused by this dog owner

[moana1234]

This is an extremely honest account of what happened to me this evening and I am still shook up over now. Out walking my dog with my 2 sons age 2 and 6 dog is very friendly & likes to play, we pass a dog with his male owner and 3 sons near some outdoor fitness equipment both his and my dog are off lead so my dog goes over to say hello both dogs are excited and run in a circle around the fitness equipment. I turned my head and in that moment it is alleged my dog ran and knocked over the man’s son who is obviously upset. I ask if that was my dog and if so I’m sorry and hope the boy is okay. To which I am given a torrent of abuse, the man shouts at me to get my dog under control and on lead. I said sorry she is very friendly and wouldn’t have meant to it was an accident and his dog was playing too. He continued screaming and shouting at me telling me to train my dog and if I didn’t he would train it for me... I was so took aback I asked if he was joking then when he continued shouting I asked if he would just stop so I could firstly put my dog on a lead (I really didn’t need to as she had come back & has good recall but I didn’t want to provoke anything) and secondly not shout round the children (my 6 yr
old was visibly distressed) I got the dog on the lead and as I was walking away he shouted arsehole. I am ashamed to say I was so stressed and upset I actually soiled myself and can’t stop shaking and crying about this. Was I in the wrong here??

his kid Had been knocked over by an uncontrolled dog
I think most people rightly so would respond the same I would

I see I'm in the minority but I don't think one person with their dog(s) off lead can complain if another person's (friendly) dog is off lead.

The difference is that you are with a friend and know each other and your dogs very well.
You bring knocked off you feet by a dog you know is very different to your child being knocked over by an unknown dog.

My dog went over to say hello to him and he said something unpleasant like to get the dog away from him. I said Oh he just likes to say hello

To all dog owners:
Keep your dogs away from me. I don't want them to say 'hello' to me. I don't want them anywhere near me. Just keep them away.
How dare you assume that the desire of you dog to 'say hello' is more important than the feelings of the human you are inflicting their presence on.

Unless the other person actively initiates engagement, e.g. by bending down and talking to your dog, just keep your dog well away from other people. That means on a lead in a public place, and in another room if you have tradesmen or any strangers in your home.

I would have kept your dog on a lead. You don’t say how big his dog or yours were. A friendly big dog can knock a small child over if they are excitable. And you apologised so accepted that it was the case that your dog had indeed knocked over his child. Recall in that situation is too late. Around a children’s play area especially keep a dog on a lead. That is the lesson to take from this.

His reaction was by the sound of it far too much. You don’t know what else he has going on in his world to make such an event throw him over the top. He might be like it all the time. We don’t know. Coming across someone who is very aggressive towards you is intimidating. And unpleasant.

Am sorry you are feeling so bad. Reflect on it a bit but try not to dwell. Your children will be watching to see how you are. So show them that when an incident happens, you dust yourself down and get on as before.

Exactly.

His own dog was also uncontrolled and yet he felt entitled to shout and behave abusively. Sounds unpleasant.

I don't think you are unreasonable

Young dogs both off lead chasing in circles with no one other than the 2 dogs families there is something we have often enjoyed, especially when DDog was younger.

It has it's risks, if kids (and adults) aren't alert there is always a small chance of them getting bowled over. Happened to DD once as she was running with them and got accidentally bowled over.

If you don't want the risk don't be complicit in letting the dogs play. They're like small children. No spacial awareness when caught up in a game.

If others were around you would be unreasonable and should get your ddog under control.

I understand him being shaken up, but there is no excuse for a man shouting at and intimidating a woman for an accident based on their joint decisions. If DDog was still playing I could understand him being impatient for you to get the lead on, but from your description DDog had stopped and returned to you.

Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “I shit myself” to describe feeling scared.

Seriously thought it’s not normal to literally shit yourself during an argument with someone

I'm sorry but you should both have had your dogs on leads.

What about the child? They don't get a say do they and they're the one hurt. The father hasn't been great either, no, but both adults need to be more responsible with small children and dogs.

Too many crap owners and too many dogs.

But the man who owned the other dog appeared to be allowing the OPs dog to chase his. In this situation dogs chasing each other not concentrating on anything but this either dog could have knocked the child over.
Frankly I don’t see that knowing the dog who knocks you over makes any difference. The large bouncy out of control dog who knocked me over was known to me I still did t like it. A dog owning friend was knocked over by her neighbours dog who she often looked after and # her patella knowing the dog made no difference to her injuries.
Both owner should have known that in this scenario someone e.g. the man’s son could be knocked over.

I’m not disputing this but the OP wasn’t the only one at fault here.

Exactly. Dogs are treated with more rights and entitlements than humans quite a lot of the time.

Don't be a half wit. Both dogs were off lead so were both at fault. And there was no need for that sort of behaviour.

Take the dogs out of the equation for a second.

If that man had knocked your kid over, you’d have (rightly) gone beserk.

Just because it’s a dog doesn’t make it ok.

There’s a lesson there for all dog owners.

Here’s another one: don’t go out if you’re already touching cloth or turtlenecking.

I feel sorry for his wife

Maybe your dog is in fact quite aggressive and intimidating to other dogs but you are choosing to see it as friendliness?

Maybe the man thought your out of control, aggressive dog would attack his child? I’d probably shout as you too in that situation.

That literally is the meaning of that expression!
Nearly always used figuratively of course, but that’s how it originated. People can lose control of their bowels in cases of extreme stress or terror.

Quite a reach there...🙄

Here’s another one: don’t go out if you’re already touching cloth or turtlenecking.

You really think this is an appropriate comment to make, given OP has said she was scared enough to have an involuntary bowel movement ?

Do you know her?

The man shouldn't have shouted at you but I understand how he felt.
if your dog knocked his child over then you are very unreasonable to let your dog run around without the lead as he is obviously not to be trusted.
You should train your dog not to approach people. Friendly to you can be threatening to someone else and especially to a small child.
I have lost patience with dog owners who let their dogs jump up on people, run towards small children and generally bother people who don't want to be bothered.
The response from the owner is always he is just being friendly.

he was very wrong to react like this its awful you were made to be this scared. his dog could have as easily knocked someone over too.he was in the wrong.

I do. It’s karma for all the people (especially kids) who are frightened by dogs and get no choice at all about whether one of the little shitehounds runs up to them or not.

I imagine more involuntary shitting has been done by dog victims rather than dog owners.