to be pissed off with this dog owner

[BrokenBananaTantrum]

So this morning DH, DD and I decide to take a walk around a local lake. DD is only 3.7 and is not keen on dogs so I keep a real close eye out for dogs that are not on a lead. DH is scared of dogs since being attacked by 2 when he has in his teens.

DH had hold of DD's hand and I was slightly ahead of them when 2 dogs come bounding around the corner. They were both big ish dogs (not entirley sure what breed). I turned around to make sure DD and DH were ok as the first dog just ran past and ignored us. There was no sign of the dogs owner at this point. The second dog ran straight at DD and DH barking and growling so I ran at it to scare it off as the owner came around the corner and said "oh he only wants to play". My response was "and how can you be so sure?" The owner said "oh he's a big softy" By now DD was a bit upset so I turned my attention to her. Am I being unreasonable to think that this dog should have been on a lead? and to be really pissed off that the guy didn't see at all bothered that his dog had scared DH and DD?

We then passed several other dogs that were not on leads but they just happily trotted along and didn't show any interest in us.

Sorry needed to vent. It's been bugging me all day/ What if the dog had attacked us? Would appreciate any advice also about dealing with big "friendly" dogs in case this happens again.

oh all dogs are just being friendly, didn't you know that?

And us non dog owners are a miserable bunch of bastards for not wanting to be covered in mud and have our clothes ripped by their smelly mutts.

You shouldn't have run at it. If it was nasty that might not have ended well for you!

there's this on how to deal with a dog attack

or this

You shouldn't run at it, run away from it, make loud noises etc, apparently that's the worst thing to do!

We had this last week - get your child and dh to turn away from the dog and fold their arms, dogs want attention.

The owner was in the wrong, they should be on a lead and controlled in a public place.

I let my dog off lead a lot but out in the country. And he is (mostly) controllable and good at recall.

i am a dog owner and mine are kept on leads and let off in fenced of areas if a dog is off the lead it usually friendly but don t like it near you just shout could you please put dog on lead as your scared and most owners will.

YANBU at all. We have a big bouncy friendly dog and she is always under control when off the lead. I personally think it's irresponsible to take a dog off a lead if you can't control them and you must always have them in sight.

When I was younger I was scared of dogs. My dad used to find a nice big stick at the beginning of a walk, if any dogs came sniffing around he used to lob it for the dog to fetch. Always worked well as by the time the dog had retrieved the stick the owners had appeared. It also helped me to feel less scared as the dog wasn't paying me any attention but focused on the stick instead.

I hope your DH and DD are ok. I remember I used to tremble for ages after coming into contact with strange/off the lead dogs.

I don't think you are being unreasonable at all, and it is a dog owners responsibility to keep their dogs away from other people unless the person instigates contact and the dog owner is OK with that.

I'm sure though that the dog probably was being friendly, but it's behaviour alone is enough to be taken up under the dangerous dogs act, so if that is how it reacts to strangers it is probably wise for the owner to keep it on a lead.

Sadly, some owners just do not realise not everyone loves thir dog as much as they do and seem oblivious to it and although they should keep their dog under proper control, they often don't. If a dog approaches you, the best thing to do is turn your back, fold your arms and ignore it. It will get bored very quickly and sod off.

Thanks all of you. Glenda I really like your suggestion about throwing a stick to divert their attention will try that I think. Glad to know it's not just me.

Thanks

oooh i loath dogs, i am litterally petrified of them.

It infuriates me when they come runnign up and the owner always without fail claims "ahh, he/she is just saying hello and bieng friendly"
NO fuck off with your fucking dog before i drop kick the fucker across the park....im just bieng friendly and saying hello....

I'm not scared of most dogs. However what I find really is when a dog leaps out of nowhere, scrabbles its paws down your clothing and dcs clothing, then the owner eventually ambles along without a word of apology or even a pleasant greeting. So rude.

Second what midori recommends about turning away, folding arms etc. No chatting, and try and stop dcs from shrieking/yelling in excitement or fear. The dog (ime) sees this as encouragement/invitation to play or jump up more.

YANBU, I have a young dog and her recall is still not 100% (she's 7 months now) so no off lead around others. If I were that dog owner I'd have been apologising profusely and got the dogs on the lead right away. I'd never have been so flippant about what their intentions were.

Running at an unknown dog/one showing any form of threat is indeed the last thing to do, for your own safety. Stay still, don't look the dog in the eyes directly, maintain positive voice command and confident posture etc.

It is ime very rare for someone to be foolish enough to have a human-aggressive dog off lead so in a way, there is more panic over these sort of situations than is necessary. Of course, the argument from those in your shoes is that you don't know which are friendly and which aren't. That said, borh my dogs are immediately called to wait and generally called back to me as we approach a corner off-lead, so that they don't knock over any innocent passers-by.

I could argue that you were a bit unreasonable to be pissed off with the owner when her dog wasn't guilty of harming your child and when it was only your perception of the situation/fear of what might have happened. The problem is there are so many peaople who are pissed off with dogs for being there/going too close to them etc that even if my own 2 weren't capable of knocking someone flying as they ran round a corner I would lead them on the approach to it. Common sense really, it just stops any unpleasantness before it starts.

You say that DD isn't keen on dogs - not trying to be rude, but please do watch that you don't teach her your own or DHs fears, as it may cause her much difficulty in later years.

I agree that you should introduce your DD to some known friendly dogs. I did this with DS because he was wary of them. A day spent in the company of a friend's lollopping, friendly Irish Setter and he was "cured". Life is so much easier when they are OK with dogs.

There's no excuse for the dog owner not to apologise though. The first (and last!) words I say to the people my Disreputable Dog has bounced at (all dog walkers) are always an apology.

I'm not afraid of dogs at all. DH is. I am anxious about DD picking up on his fear as he is sahd and she goes out with him to the park etc most days.

What would you suggest to help calm her fears? My sisters friend has a small friendly dog. Should we gradually introduce her to her and see if we can get her used to dogs?

Ah, apologies BBT. I was trying to reply inbetween answering an email and doing paperwork and I mis-read.

I'd certainly suggest that you introduce your daughter to a friendly dog, even if only in small doses to start with. Perhaps a walk in the park with your daughter "holding" the lead (ok, the owner or Mum on the other end too!), making her feel both confident and interested in engaging with dogs?

As this is a small, friendly dog owned by people you know I'd think you would have very few problems in quickly reassuring your daughter. I'm sure others will do a far better job of advising on that one - dog advice I can do, children I still haven't got the hang of.

No worries vallhala Think I will try introducing her to small friendly dog. Seems sensible and most of you think this is the way to go. I like the idea of her "holding" the lead - she does like to be in charge. Hmmm wonder where she gets that from?????

I've heard that a lot: "oh he just wants to play", "oh he's just being friendly" or "he's just a big softie".
I'm sure that's true. It's the assumption that we're all supposed to love to their dog that I find obnoxious.
If we wanted to be playing with a dog - we'd get a dog.