Last night my dog walk cost me £140 and I feel terrible.

[Beaverfeaver2]

I was walking my 7month Viszla boy alone last night. (Usually go with DH)

We go to a designated dog walking field nearby where it doesn't get too busy and he can run off the lead and get the exercise and training he needs.

We had been happily walking along for about 40 mins. His recall was excellent and was coming back when asked every time even when other people and dogs were about.

Then all of a sudden he turns a corner and goes. I run after him and see him jumping up at a very frail young girl who is in tears by this point.

I have been calling him back the whole time and get to her her and pull him away and put him on his lead and apologise to the girl.

I continue walking with him on the lead and make my way back to exit the field.
The girl has left the field and has called her friend to meet her.

They are very cross with me and shout across and say my dog jumped up at her and has ripped her top.
I apologise once again and give her my number and say for her to give me a call and I will compensate her for everything.

The ladies continue by telling me how much of a terrible dog owner I am and that I should never let him of his lead if he doesn't come back.
There was no point explaining to them that he does and apart from this one strange moment, he is very well behaved for a puppy and has done all the training classes.

I go home teary and talk to DH who is surprised as well.

The girl calls me and tells me how it was her favourite top, and that her trousers are damaged too and that she is absolutely traumatised.
I agreed to give her the money and went straight to the cashpoint and drove it round to her.

They are thankful for this, but make it clear that they were nearly going to report me and get the dog taken away or put down.

The dog was not being vicious and didn't bite her, he was just excited and playing. However I know this can be scary for someone who is weak, frail and cant handle dogs.

I am feeling sorry for the girl. And I am feeling angry towards myself.
Should I never let him off the lead again in case he doesn't come back again?
Should I find walks where there are no other people so that he gets the exercise he needs?

I feel totally embarrassed and have been teary and cant stop thinking about it.

I started looking at training collars, but they seem ever so cruel and my mostly lovely Viszla doesn't deserve it.

Should I never walk him alone any more?

Should I get rid of him?

How would you feel?

I cant possibly risk another costly walk like this.

Bloody hell. I'm not condoning what happened, dogs jumping up at people is unacceptable. But £140! I might be wrong but I'd eat my hat if you weren't ripped off (ha ha) and it was a £5 top from Primark.

Dd had a new Gap top ripped by a dog in the park and I was pissed off and did think about going round to see the owners for £20 but decided I couldn't face the hassle.

I certainly wouldn't get rid of my dog for something like this but I'd work at the training more. Not take him off the lead unless you're certain there's either no one about or his recall is better. Do you go to classes?

Your dog won't be taken away or put down.

No idea what a training collar is but if you think it looks cruel it probably is.

Calm down.....breath. He is 7 months old he is still a baby still learning. There is no need to get rid of your beloved puppy and please don't. Perhaps some extra training on recall with other people, do you have friends puppy dosnt know that you could ask to walk on to the field and work on him ignoring them?

I did this after our ridgeback decided to play with a man in the park, jumped up on him, tried to lick him and wrestle with him she has never done this beforebut did on this occasion. We got our friends to help us and now she is happy to ignore strange people.

You don't need need a training collar - they are cruel - you need a harness and 10m long line. If recall is mostly fine, you can allow him off with the lead trailing. Then if he ignores a recall you can stamp on it before he has a chance to leg it.

Blimey £140???? why so expensive? I bet you've funded her entire summer wardrobe fgs.

What exactly are they going to report you for? he's sn excitable puppy, just needs extra recall practice.

Do not feel bad, I'd be gutted about the cash!

Get a longline so that you have more control until his recall is absolutely spot on . You probably have been conned about the cost of the clothes but TBH it is ,as you acknowledge ,your own fault and its easier to pay than have further aggravation .

The lady said her top was from fat face and a gift and that her trousers were from river island.
Both looked terribly worn and old anyway and wouldn't surprise me if they had been holy before.

I saw holes in the top but not in the trousers.
I told her I would give her £50 for the top and £50 for her trauma when she said she was hurt (I don't believe she was, she didn't get pushed over, but is very frail so you never know).

She was still teary when I went and dropped the cash off to her and kept telling me how she is poor and ill and has no family for support.

I was wondering why she was walking alone in a dog walking field.

My dog is usually one of the better behaved!

I am hugely embarressed and do feel sorry for her though.

I also do not want to walk him again there.

I felt very ganged up by the ladies who were there.

If you're meaning one of those spikes on the inside collars they are barbaric. Squirty ones are not ideal either.

It sounds unfortunate - clearly you can't let him get that far away from you for a while yet. I would work on recall and make sure that you always have a really enticing treat and that he gets that for a really good recall - not an 'every time' but randomly.

I had to return a child's ball at the park the other day and felt very - they threw it just as mistlehound was going past, minding her own business, in the opposite direction and she thought it was an invitation for her to play. Then she thought it was part of the game to run round with the ball and play with it rather than stop and let me retrieve it (she's not really got the idea of 'fetch'). Luckily the ball was fine albeit a bit slobbery (I wiped it on my trousers!) so it wasn't too bad. £140 for a top and trousers seems a bit steep.

Sounds like you were totally taken advantage of and I would watch out for them in future.

The law states that it is an offence to have a dog dangerously out of control in a public place . It does not have to bite to be an offence if the person who is jumped on feels that they were in danger of injury that is sufficient . I'm in no way saying that the OPs pup is a danger but that's the law and this lady could have felt 'in danger' . She can walk where she likes whether its odd or not . Personally I would ring 101 and speak to the community police person and let them know what happened just in case she comes back for more money .

I have a dog, and his recall is good but we walked round a corner once and there was a young lad with a bag of cridps AND a stick ...my dog thought he was in heaven and jumped up to him. I called him and he came back, but it happened really quickly.
These things happen, you apologised, your dog didn't bite. I appreciate it might have been scary but I think £140 was excessive! ! Please don't give any more money, and don't get rid of your dog over one mistake.

£140! She sounds like a chancer to me.

You were in a dog field, dogs were to be expected there, and dogs do sometimes jump up. He didn't attack her so quite what she was going to report you for I don't know.

Obviously it's not ok for dogs to greet people so excitedly they rip clothes and frighten them etc, but you apologised and have made (extremely) generous reparations for her clothes. Try to put her out of your mind and focus on your puppy.

You can't stop walking him, you can't use one of those horrible collars and of course you're not going to get rid of him, (and you shouldn't!) so maybe some more recall training as pp have suggested, a long lead/harness and make sure DH is with you for the next few walks until you get your confidence back.

Sound quite strange - do you think it was some sort of scam? I.e. she went to an area wearing a ripped top where there were bound to be dogs carrying something likely to make them jump up? Did she seem genuinely distressed? Could she have been on drugs?
Don't get rid of your dog - he jumped up once - I know that huge swaths of the population think that dogs are the antichrist but it's really not that bad and you seem to be doing all the right things.

When you say designated dog walking field, what does that mean? That you're not supposed to be in there with a dog?

I don't think you should be questioning what she was doing there, unless it was some kind of private field. She has the absolute right to walk across any public field without being jumped on by your dog.

Your dog was not under your control, you were in the wrong - not her.

not supposed to be in there without a dog

The op knows she was in the wrong....but surley asking for £140 for a top and skirt is wrong too?

Girl or woman? Are you sure she didn't encourage the dog to jump up?

It all sounds a bit off to me.

I'm all for responsible dog owning but I'd have laughed in her face in your shoes op. She'd have gotten a £40 eBay voucher if I felt generous.

I'd be surprised if she encouraged the dog to jump up, or if it was a scam - the op says:

"Then all of a sudden he turns a corner and goes. I run after him and see him jumping up at a very frail young girl who is in tears by this point."

Sounds like she was minding her own business and the OP's dog just decided to go bounding up to her.

I'm sure you weren't legally obliged to give her any money so didn't have to do that. Perhaps you should just have let her report you to the police - I can't remember but I think the offence is having a dog dangerously out of control in a public place. I'm assuming it was a public place?

Whether the dog would be deemed dangerously out of control or not, I don't know. But I'm sure the police would investigate the matter.

Why did you give her the money?

Silent whistle?

Something about this whole thing is just off.

I'd ring 101 and report it myself if I were you OP.

A dog has to be trained to a silent whistle to know what it means.

OP your dog is now a teenager, they push boundaries and ignore training previously mastered. Long line and harness and keep working on the recall.

You were in the dog field, where you are allowed to have your dog off lead, and two women were in the field with no dog at all?

I think you've been scammed.

I want to know more about this 'dog field'. Is it private? Who designates it as such? We don't have them in our area, I walk my dog in field accessible to everyone.

Gosh how horrible for you OP, but please put it behind you. You've made reparation and you'll probably keep your dog a bit closer now. No real harm done. I have to day £140 was very generous but I do understand how you feel. My two mutts have let me down in several occasions but a cheery "sorry" is all I would dish out.