All those who don't like dogs leaping up at them while they're out, look away now....

[TsarChasm]

Here

And at a 12stone dog too! It'd have totally flattened a child.

Grrrr this makes me angry. dog owners are the most selfish people in the world. Not everyone loves your manky pet as much as you do.

As a jogger I can tell you that having a dog jump up at you is very frightening and I don't want to be told 'he won't you' - I bet the owner of all the dogs that have torn the faces off small children said that at some point.

I think ALL dogs should be kept on leads at ALL times in public places.

I run too Nancy and had a problem with a dog recently. There are so many bounding about.

I feel really sorry for the runner in that story. The poor bloke broke his ankle!

Of course the dog owner couldn't predict what his dog might do - that's why it should be on a lead I'm so surprised at the outcome of this but I suppose it does say there are 'other reasons' why this was overruled.

I'm a dog owner.. and I jog ( in fact she comes jogging with me).. in public places she is always always on the lead. only goes off the lead on my own private land, or when working. She's well trained, has great recall.. but at the end of the day she is a dog, and animal and could do anything, and dogs naturally like to chase things.. like shildren running, joggers, cyclists etc..

the dog should have been on a lead.. as said before what the heck would have happened if it had been a child.

i dont think its fair of you to say dog owners are the most selfish people in the world,
i have a dog,i have done for years,my dog has never been allowed to cause any problems when out in public,
its not that dog owners are selfish,some people are selfish,just happens that some of them own dogs lol
oh and my pet is not manky!

that dog owner should have been charged,as he was not in control of his pet,and its people like him who do give dog owners a bad name,

Mr Whippey?

So a ruddy great dog can push you over in the nettles and break your ankle, and the owner is merely gloating that he can't be held responsible?

Here's a solution; dog owners to have compulsory insurance for damage done by their pets.

I think this is already compulsory in Germany (someone correct me if that's wrong?). I have insurance for any damage inadvertently caused by my children or me.

Sorry but I think the Appeal Court were wrong and if a farmer had an animal in a field that hurt someone and even if that person was trespassing then the farmer would no doubt be sued and he or his insurance company would be forced to pay out. My Dad (an ex farmer) had insurance cover for exactly this kind of thing.

If a bull escaped because a farmer had been negligent in not fencing it in properly and it killed someone then I think it entirely possible a farmer would be commted for trial for manslaughter. Not 100% sure a jury would convict but nevertheless.

Seems like double standards to me - just because it is a dog. I am sure there is a load of case law on this involving farmers and their animals.

I suspect the judges looked at the potential consequences of loads of cases being brought for dogs biting people that would clog the courts and so they backed off and upheld the appeal.

i think the thing that really struck me in all of this was how the dog owner didnt appear to care about the damage done to the poor runner . It may just be the reporting of course .I dont think that dog owners are the most selfish people in the world though ,its just another case of the mindless minority spoiling it for the majority.

like this

God, I'm a dog lover but I would not have been happy.

On another note, though, which is not really relevant, joggers do sometimes appear silently out of nowhere and can suddenly run past you, which startles one of my dogs who is hard of hearing. He has snapped at a few joggers in the past when this has happened.

Wotulookinat - if your dod is unpredictable then it should be on a lead. It's totally unacceptable that it 'snaps' at people - how would you like it if I as an unpredictable jogger occasionally lashed out at passers by?

I've also noticed more and more dog shit on London streets and in parks now because the law isn't being enforced. Dog owners do the old 'dog off the lead, let it walk miles ahead and I'll pretend I didn't notice it having a crap' trick.

the judges were right, however unfair it seems in this particular case it's not in the public interest to have the courts flooded with similar claims is it?

dog owners are the most selfish people in the world. Not everyone loves your manky pet as much as you do.

Do you really believe that Nancy?

I have walked dogs, my own and my parents since being a child. Now as disconcerting as it may have been to people seeing a nine year old in charge of Doberman I always had full control of all the dogs I have been in charge of.

My first dog, my doberman used to love jumping at people for a fuss. Only when she was invited to do so. She adored children and would immediately roll on the floor at their feet to have her belly tickled.

I would have hated to not be able to let her loose in public places because of the actions of others.

My current puppy is atm learning to walk on her lead and tolerate traffic at the front of our house. She is being taught now, that it is not accpetable to jump at people unless they encourage her to. She is joining puppy classes in less than a fortnight.

I am not a selfish dog owner and will be very upset if I am not able to allow my dog freedom because of the actions of others.

The great dane should not have been off his lead during times when he was likely to encounter joggers if he had a habit of jumping on people.

But the article says nothing about when/where this took place. Was it at a time/place where many dogs are present and not many dog owners? Could the owner have reasonably predicted that he might encounter joggers?

Either way the dog needs training better, but I don't know where I stand in the owner being sued.

"Wotulookinat - if your dod is unpredictable then it should be on a lead. It's totally unacceptable that it 'snaps' at people - how would you like it if I as an unpredictable jogger occasionally lashed out at passers by?"

Nancy66, I don't think you are being utterly reasonable here - the jogger should leave enough space when they run past a dog so that they can react to any sudden move by the dog - and the same applies to running past a cyclist, a child or another pedestrian. You don't know if someone's about to fall over, or a small child is going to suddenly change direction, so it is your responsibility to be able to react to such things just as much as it is the responsibility of the dog owner/pedestrian/parent to try to anticipate these things and prevent them.

Powerfull she may have looked Riven but she was the most gentle thing you could ever had come accross.

Gawd, not another hysterical dog-hating thread...

ha ha - another dangerous dog owner insisting their mutt wouldn't harm anyone!

Nancy - do you not realise that your hysterical generalisations completely invalidate everything you say?

sorry but PMSL that the dog now has a terminal heart condition because of all the stress of the court case. That alone shows how bonkers unreasonable the owner is. Feel very sorry for the poor bloke who broke his ankle.

What do you suggest, Nancy? Exterminate the lot?

I don't know, though ruty - animals can be sensitive to the emotions of those around them, can't they? So though I doubt that the stress alone would have caused the heart condition, or that it was a major factor, but it could have contributed.

yes and it is my responsibility to stop a fast running dog with my psychic rays as it bounds straight towards my stationary ds and proceeds to knock him over with force.