Chased Out Of Dog Park

[DaffodilDilly]

Just been to our local dog park as i do every day, usually twice a day. I've got a Lab who is 14 months old. Mostly well behaved with good recall.
This is a designated dog park and 99% of the dogs are off lead. They all run around together quite happily
Well today a lady was walking a small dog, she saw us walking towards her and picked up her dog. Well, my lab saw this and jumped up at the dog. I quickly got him off and put him on the lead. I apologised to the lady and said if she left her dog on the ground my dog would have just walked past it.
She started swearing at me, took my photo and demanded money for her dirty coat.
She then followed me so I had no choice but to leave the park. All the time she was asking for my address and money.
I said I had no money, just poo bags and my phone.
I said she should expect to get dirty in the dog park and most people wear old clothes.
I was muddy and a few smaller dogs had jumped up at me. it doesn't bother me.
I've not seen this lady before and it really shook me up.
Was I in the wrong?

As a fellow dog owner, you were entirely in the wrong here I'm afraid. Your dog jumped up at a stranger. Regardless of the location, this isn't acceptable behaviour.

Yes of course you were in the wrong. If you can’t trust your dog to not jump up at people (whatever the reason) do t let him off lead until you’ve trained him. However, she demonstrated, perfectly, just one of the reasons small dogs shouldn’t be picked up and carried around. No excuse though.

Your dog shouldn’t have jumped up.

Your dog shouldn’t have jumped up, but you know that and you’re training them out of it. In a dog park though, I’d not expect perfect behaviour from all dogs and she was out of order following you demanding cleaning money for her coat. Probably got more mud on her coat from picking up her own dog.

I know he shouldn't have jumped up but he only did so because she picked her dog up.
I've seen other dogs jump up when some one picks up their dog.
I put my dog on the lead straight away and apologised.
It was her brutal attitude that shook me up.
Think I will be leaving it a while before I go back there.

I have a small dog and I understand the temptation to pick him up when there's a big dog around, but it almost always causes the bigger dog to jump up! She should've left her little dog down (assuming her dog isn't aggressive) as it's better for all concerned.

I also think people should assume when walking their dog they will get muddy, particularly with the weather as it has been recently. She was being unreasonable to expect you to pay because of a bit of mud, and for being aggressive towards you.

However, it might be best to try to get a handle on the jumping. People can find it scary, particularly if it's a bigger dog, and you risk ending up in a situation like this. I'm sure your dog meant no harm and was just saying hello, but how did this woman know that?

It's a dog park, people who go to a dog park should expect some sort of dog behavior. People who pick up their dogs in a dog park with loose dogs should not be surprised if a dog jumps up on them.

At the end of the day you can train and supervise as much as humanly possible but they are not bicycles, they are animals. Some common sense has to apply. The OP's dog was not being aggressive, the woman was not scared, she was slightly dirty that was all.

YABU massively!

Ok I can see it from her point of view but my dog was milling about in a bush and took no notice of her dog until she picked it up. The more I asked her to put it on the ground the more she swore at me, calling me a F**ing bitch.
I'm in my 50,s and have had dogs all my life and I've never been shouted at like this!
Like I say, my coat was muddy from the other dogs in the park jumping up for a treat or to say hello. I expect it.
She was probably new to the park and maybe didn't know most of the dogs are off lead.
Other than her, we were the only ones in there as it had just started to rain, otherwise I'm sure some other dogs would have jumped up at her too.
As we left the park with her still following and demanding money I said give me your address and I'll send a cheque, just so she would leave me alone. But she refused and couldn't understand why I had no cash

Dogs shouldn’t jump up at people, but when there are a lot of dogs running about together there is a chance that a dog might do this. Over the last few months several dogs have jumped up at me, but it doesn’t bother me because I’m dressed in suitable clothing. As long as you apologise and learn from the mistake that’s all you can do. Nobody is perfect. She should not have followed you.

I have a small dog and when we encounter big dogs who are off lead i will pick him up every single time.
Im sorry, but we learnt the hard way that some dogs just cant be trusted. Mine ended up at the vet because he got attacked by a bigger dog out of nowhere. The owner couldnt call him back and just shouted 'he wants to play', 2 seconds later he had my little one by the neck and shook him.
The second time we ended up at the vet was from playing. Big dogs sometimes just dont know how to gently play with small ones. Mine got run over during play and ended up hurting his back.
So even if the dogs are friendly, they dont get to play with mine if they are a certain size unless i know them.

I do think it was ridiculous that she demanded money from you for her coat though. Its a dog park after all. And your dog is still young. But you should train him to not jump up.

It's very difficult. Small dogs can be easily injured. I don't think you can tell her to leave her dog on the ground, even if you consider that to be the only reason your lab jumped.

Mud on her clothing, well I do think that's to be expected, particularly if she's picking up her dog, the dog will be dirty this time of year. She ought to be wearing clothing that she can put in a washing machine.

Sorry but you were completely in the wrong. I have 3 dogs and I always pick my smallest up when a dog runs towards us. I'm also frightened of bigger dogs and I would have been fuming if my coat got muddy from being jumped up at... regardless of it being a 'dog park' just keep your dog away from someone else who obviously is anxious about another dog bounding over.

My dog doesnt jump up at random people, he hasnt done for a good while now, but of course hes not perfect.
Nothing to do with this I know', but on our first time in the park when my dog was 14ish weeks old, he was bitten by a French bulldog and required surgery and an overnight stay at the vet. So i know all dogs can be unpredictable.
It was just her awful attitude that has shaken me up. I can't stop thinking about how brutal she was.

You should train yours not to jump up at people. Put the lead on him/her when people walk past. Especially if they're wearing nice clothes. I wear old clothes and wellies when dog walking, but do get annoyed when a strangers big dog gets my coat really muddy ( as I dont have another rain coat). I shout, " no" if mine looks like he will jump up at people, when he listens I give him a treat. Seems to work so far. I do think its ridiculous though to demand money from you. What did she mean. Do you buy her coat so she takes it off and gives it to you, or is it for dry cleaning?!

@teacherwidow Fair enough, but I had no idea the lady was anxious until she picked up her dog. As I said, my dog wasn't running towards her, he was to the side of her in the bush area, but as soon as he clocked the dog in her arms he was straight up.

@DaffodilDilly I found out today that a dog jumping up somebody is actually seen as aggression, and owners could get into big trouble over it . My trainer told it me anyway. Think it came in in 2016.

What happened was your fault, sorry, but it does happen so please don't get upset about it. Many of us have been there! Labradors are incredibly underestimated dogs - especially adolescents, so they're a bit unpredictable with iffy recall. When teens anyway.

She should not have abused you in anyway; putting aside the fact it's unpleasant, mainly because humans shouting at each other aren't going to help a situation involving excitable and nervous dogs.

Idk what you do in terms of training, and I don't intend for this to be patronising in anyway at all, maybe try an work with your dog on some doggy manners? If yours is charging over to any dog (regardless of size), your pooch is being a bit rude! Especially if it's a head-on meeting. Also, nail your recall, or maybe lunge lead/harness it for a bit? At least that way if you bump into her, she can see you've done something.

She's pushing it a bit asking for money! Very cheeky.

You're an experienced dog owner, so you probably know all of this. Sometimes it's hard to spot fault in our own dogs and handling of, (especially when they're labs, gorgeous dogs) and a stranger saying it makes a bit more sense

Don't let it put you off using your dog park, it sounds fun! Perhaps be mindful that your best friend might be someone elses' worst nightmare. Even if it's a 'friendly lab'

@Beautiful3 I think she wanted cash for dry cleaning, she was aghast that I wasn't carrying cash with me. I emptied my pockets to show her poo bags and my phone and as I said I offered to send her a cheque.
And why on earth take my photo?!

I had a similar experience. Dog is pretty reliable, but woman picked up her small dog and started squealing and screaming about my perfectly calm dog walking towards her with us. That caught me by surprise, and fascinated my dog who then wouldn't leave her alone, cue lots of swearing at us.

My dog has done this before - he's a big mean looking thing that you would not wanting jumping up at you. Of course I know he's a friendly and non aggressive dog but other people dont know that and it's natural to pick a small dog up to protect it if a bigger one is lumbering towards it even if it is the 'wrong' thing to do. On the two occasions my dog did this I was absolutely mortified. Obviously you have to let them off the lead to practice recall but I really think it should only be done in areas where you can be sure there's nobody else about. That's the mistake I made - thought the area was clear but some tricksy dog walkers were about that I hadn't seen.

Thankfully those people were fine and understanding but it really reiterated to me the importance of keeping them on a lead if their recall isn't absolutely bang on. If you don't then people can report you and you can be fined. In this instance I do think the lady sounds like an idiot who has over reacted and probably is a massive drama queen who will be dining out on this for weeks. BUT sadly she has every right to complain. I wouldn't give her any money but I would apologise and make sure you keep your dog on the lead in future even if it is a dog park.

I’m a new dog owner with a lab puppy

It’s a minefield!! I can’t understand why she was so upset. A dog being a dog in a dog designated park?

But the asking for cash? How much and what coat was she wearing?

@itadakimas Thankyou, He has had lots of training at puppy and adolescent classes and he has really good recall. Even when there are lots of other dogs running in the park he will come back straight away for a piece of ham.
As I say, I've seen other dogs jump up before when someone is carrying their dog so that's something we need to seriously work on. I'm giving the park a rest for a few days I think. I'm actually scared of seeing her again.

@RocketFire she didn't specify an amount! Her coat was an anorak type with a furry hood. Similar to what I was wearing actually, and mine goes straight in the washing machine.

rocketfire you seriously can’t understand why someone is upset that a dirty dog has jumped up and made dirty marks on their coat ? The OP was totally at fault for the incident and her response should have been to ask the woman for her information so she could send her the money for cleaning .

@Floralnomad I did ask for her address so I could send her a cheque. She told me to F* off she wasn't giving me her address and continued to demand cash.
I wouldn't give her my address either which is when she followed me out of the park and took photos of me.