Slightly scary walk today

[Helgathehairy]

The walk I usually do with DDog passes a house with a pitbull type dog (I'm not in the UK so they're not banned). I don't think he's a full pitbull but a cross. Anyway usually if he sees us he jumps at the very short wall, barks a lot and kinda snorts. All fine, I just walk quickly past.

Except on our way back today, the gate to the garden was open. The dog appeared and started his usual jumping and barking. Then he realised the gate was open, he came to the gate, put his head out but then went back inside. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to do. I thought if we tried to pass it might encourage him to come out. So I called DH to come get me. This was a rural area, there was no other way to get home.

What would you have done?? I feel like I over reacted.

i would probably do the same in that situation, and i would've been scared because of their awful reputation and you only know him/her for the barking and jumping to get at you.

They are banned many places in addition to uk, but regardless if you feel intimidated thats the basis of the law here now, maybe you could make enquiries on that basis? I think i would avoid walking past it as its already presented an issue with the gate open.

You could always try calling at their house to ask to meet the ddog? to find out whether it might actually be a very friendly ddog contrary to its reputation, they might be very careful and considerate owners and have a super soft dopey dawgy. Who knows? your call.

I do this walk fairly often - 2/3 times a week - and the gate has never been open before. I'm just slightly put off by the barking, my own dog jumps at the wall if there's a chance of people talking to him but he never barks.

what was weird was after DH picked us up we drove past the house and there was a man and dog standing on the road opposite the house, just standing there looking at the house. I was wondering if he was trying to get their attention without going to the door

So the gate was open but he didn't actually come out?

I'm not sure I see the problem! If it were a different breed of dog, you probably wouldn't have batted an eyelid.

I'd have done what you did OP. I wouldng risk a pit bull being able to get at me or my dog.

dieu I'll admit that I wouldn't have reacted the same if it was a different breed. More or less the same situation happened a few months ago, an Irish setter used to run around its garden barking at me/us. One day it was our on our way back, I kept walking and it turned out it ran away from us. The difference was I was more confident I could fight off an Irish Setter.

My mum is a rescue staffie owner, and is always bemoaning the fact that if her dog were to behave in the same way as some of the better regarded breeds, there would be an outcry!
I'm glad that you and your dog are ok OP, and that there wasn't a bad outcome to the gate being open. If this is a walk you do often, then maybe a wee introduction to the owner would be a good idea. Our neighbourhood 'scary' dog isn't nearly so formidable now that we know her name!

Dieu I'm pretty annoyed with myself to be honest because I do believe in "deed not breed" and there is a lovely staffy DDog plays with. I think part of my fear at the time was because it was rural, if something had happened, there was no one around to help. I would have been on my own (I don't know if there was anyone in the house or not).

That is understandable, Helga. We've all had a flight or freeze moment, when faced with an animal we're really unsure of.