To expect someone not to let their three dogs jump all over me

[8oreighty]

and "playbite" my arms?!!! I was on a rural path...fair enough, but I think people should control their dogs...I got muddy footprints all over me. It is also kind of scary if you don't know the dogs. There were two women with 3 dogs, not even an apology. Even when I said angrily, "please can you get your dogs off me". That's just not on - is it?

were you speaking to me about the collie, sun? wasn't my child who got bitten by a collie. have never had a problem with collie. just a problem with dog owners who are convinced their dog can never bite. because we've had bad experiences in the past with that particular mindset.

Listen, sunshine ....

the owners of the dog who mauled my son and put him in hospital under a general anaesthetic to have the damage repaired said their dog had never bitten* or growled at anyone before.

So excuse me if I take what you say about your dog witha pinch of salt.

muzzels - no i wouldnt put one on my dog, why should i??

Because it might stop your so-called "perfect" dog mauling or killing a child.

The owners of the collie x, not me.

I don't think Sunshine has a dog at all, I think she is just enjoying winding us all up.

Deluded dog owners blaming children for getting mauled....well you look reasonable for sure !

Its always "my dog is so sweet, it would never bite anyone", well maybe thats true, but thats also what the owners of the dog that bites tend to say as well. Nobody actually says, yes you should be scared, he's a bit vicious actually" do they?

"i know my dog and i dont need to defend her, everyone that knows her, knows she would not bite, she has never hurt anyone including children that torment her.

you hit my dog and shall hit you back twice as hard.
it's not the dogs fault it is the owners."

What about people who don't know your dog? Do you make the effort to keep her away from people or do you just let her be "Friendly"? I don't know your dog, I don't know it won't bite, and I don't want it to get close enough to find out thanks very much. I'd hit your dog if it jumped on my kid, and if it hurt my kid, you'd be in a cell and your dog would be in the pound awaiting destruction if I had anything to do with it.

You want to keep a dog, fine, be happy. But keep it away from the rest of us.

sunshine,re knowing your dog would NEVER..... - please read my 14.30 post.

EVERYONE thought like you do about my friends dog. All the mums let their kids stroke it, it was calm and placid and never yapped, jumped up or anything.

BUT suddenly, one day, for NO REASON it went for their DD

no i dont need too, my dog has never bit.

stop venting your anger on me?

why are you saying my perfect dog? it was not mine that attacked your child

getorfmoiland You generalise - I am a dog owner and am not getting cross about idea of dog being shoved - in fact I would prob do the same. But the owners are to blame - not the dog.

People are more important than dogs yes... although I love my dog - more than I like some people .

end of the day - dogs are animals - they can sometimes bite (pain etc. whatever) no dog is 100% safe - but we all make risk assessments and is fair to say that I don't see my dog as a risk to people as he has never shown any agression to people or other animals in any situation. But you can never guarantee an animals behviour...

I still say is people not dogs that the problem is with

See, the problem with these threads is that people get all het up and defend their own dogs and their own dog-training abilities

Then you get people like weegiemum describing awful situations where the dog owners were clearly in complete denial

And never the twain shall meet

Total cross purposes

Weegiemum I don't think anyone is suggesting that your DS being bitten was his fault. It's the owner's fault in all these cases. I have a dog and would never assume that I could predict her behaviour 100% in any situation (even reliable dogs can change behaviour without warning and people who know about dogs acknowledge that)

So my dog is not left alone with my children at all. She stays on the lead when we're out. Full stop. When her recall is better she will be allowed off the lead when there's no one else around.

I honestly get really f*ked off with crap irresponsible dog owners who get us all tarred with the same brush. And quite logically we are all branded as wankers because as someone said earlier (quite rightly) you can't tell by looking.

no i didnot not blame the child did i??

I do believe that all dogs off the lead should wear a muzzle,that way the only damage they can do is knock a child over rather than scar it for life.

Even a totally non-vicious dog needs to be controlled properly. We had to take our dachs to the vet after a playful boxer trod on his eye. A situation like the OPs could be serious if the person jumped up at was frail and was pushed over.

i dont like people implying that i did.

i said you tell other children not to touch a dog and they do! not the womans child on here he was playing in the park wasnt he.

sunshines, just because your dog has never bitten, that does not mean it never will. Every dog is capable of biting.

Can't you see that people would not trust what you say about your dog because of their past experiences? and can't you see that's not actually a reflection on you or your dog?

I would never expect someone to take my word for it that my dog was "safe" - that would be pretty arrogant of me.

I don't think muzzles are a universal solution. One of the best ways of training/exercising collie type dogs seems to be with endless games of fetch. Can't do that with a muzzle on.

riven muzzles don't hurt the dog - but would affect them mentally. Dogs who are muzzled can become more defense agressive because you are making them vulnerable in their minds by muzzling them (same as being on lead).

Not saying muzzles are bad - but not really ideal as solution as would not be psychologically very good for the dog's behaviour. I guess would be different if 100% of dogs were muzzled, but can't see that would happen...

I do think known agressive dogs should be muzzled tho.

ok yes, i will go put my dog down now shall i, cause a child got bit by a collie so it means mine must bite to.

stupid post sunshines

What is getting me annoyed here is sunshine's insistence that she can predict her dog's behaviour in every situation.

That just isn't possible.

I can't predict my kids behaviour!! They are individuals, and though I have a pretty good idea of what they might do, I can't predict 100% of the time. Why shoudl a dog be any different?

And sunshine, I know it wasn't your dog who bit my child. But it was a collie type. Why shoudl I not defend my child from any dog who comes near himand will not leave us alone with a sharp command.

I'm not angry with you. I'm cross with your complacency. Cos it was compalcent owners who said exactly the same things as you are saying here, who owned the dog who seriously hurt my kid.

If you would in the smallest, tiniest bit admit that your dog is not totally predictable, then I would be less irritated by you!

Just keep your dog under control sunshine! In whatever way is appropriate for the particular dog and situation.

I am feckin sick of days out to park or beach etc being ruined by bloody dogs.

I have been jumped on numerous times, my little boy has been jumped on and knocked over, if a dog is running toward me or my child then i dont know if its friendly or not, i have kicked a dog and used a stick to get one away.

When i had my DS out sledging last year, a large alsation type dog came running toward him, it was growling and trying to get at him, i got him off sledge and used sledge as a barrier.

I could see the owner down bottom of hill making no attempt to get his dog, i roared at him to come and get his dog, and got a mouthful about you and your precious child blah blah blah. I phoned the police and reported him.