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The doghouse

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Original poster

German Shepard just charged at me, terrifying!

223 replies

FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 08:51

Was walking in a park just now. Saw a man walking, then looked to my left and saw about 15 meters away, a black German Shepard charging towards me at full speed. Terrifying, l shouted to the owner, put him on a lead. Then the dog charged again. It's was very frightening, a fully grown big dog making a very fast bee line towards you. Time sped up, l sort of did a standing phoetal pose. I shouted again, put your fucking dog on a lead! The man said quietly, lm very sorry. My adrenalin was pumping, l was hyperventilating. Just posting to get it out of my system. It was a young dog but fully grown. Please keep big and young dogs on leads. If that happened to a young child, it would be awful!

OP posts:
coffeecupsandfairylights · 09/07/2022 13:55

That's fine. It's perfectly ok to be scared of dogs and admit you know nothing about them. The OP maintains she trains dogs though.

Clearly that's bollocks which makes the rest of her tale slightly less convincing.

Why is it "clearly bollocks"?

I work with dogs but I'd still be a bit scared if a massive unknown dog charged towards me. I may know what to do but I'd still be worried about getting hurt or bitten.

DayreeMilk · 09/07/2022 13:57

I think it's bollocks too. The story about the Alsatian cross who killed the chicken, and the "dog trainer" was surprised?

No, I don't think so.

WhatsInAMolatovMocktail · 09/07/2022 13:57

This happened to me too OP. A large dog charged at me and my young son, as we were walking under trees. The dog was taller than my son, I assumed it would stop and then suddenly it was right upon us; the owner was calling it but the dog just ignored him. The owner must have been 50m away at this point. He just stood on the path, not a care in the world chatting to another dog owner.

As the dog ran towards us I cautioned my son to stay still and quiet and not be scared, and to put his hands behind his back. I assumed the dog would be recalled, or word lope away, but the dog kept trying to push past to get to my son, and did worm his way round me to start snuffling my son, at which point I picked my son up and turned my back on it.

I am sure the dog wasn’t aggressive in intent, but a large strange dog taller than yourself, running at full pace toward you, is frightening for a child - and as an adult it frightened me too.

I don’t care how gentle and adorable your dog is - if it cannot be recalled, take it somewhere far away from public lanes and parks to train it.

I have the owner a complete bollocking, and insisted he put the dog back on the lead. I am 100% sure he took the dog off the lead again moments later.

Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 13:58

Are you sure the dog wasn’t just being recalled back to the owner if you were caught in the middle? Did the dog actually approach you? The original post reads like the dog was just going back to its owner and your interruption and reaction stopped that and caused confusion.

OnaBegonia · 09/07/2022 14:04

I've trained dogs and horses, when they go rogue it can be dangerous
that and the hyper vigilant crap, OP sounds like a complete drama queen. The dog didn't charge you, it didn't come near you, didn't hurt you. Poor bloody dog running about in the park and you make up
this ludicrous scenario.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 09/07/2022 14:07

Well, it’s all very dramatic. Walking in a park, a dog running towards you, nothing (that you’re willing to share) happens next…

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/07/2022 14:09

FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 13:51

@coffeecupsandfairylights Thank you. I agree herding comes from the prey drive and was adapted by sheep farmers. I think if you know what a big dog is capable of, then you are right to have a healthy fear.

I remember volunteering at a dog rescue charity as a dog walker. There were young alsations always left in their pens. One day l l felt sorry for this young alsation and put him on a lead to walk. Well, he pulled me around the field. Not out of badness, just he was full of energy and untrained. I felt the power he had, my arm and shoulder were pretty sore after. That's why he wasn't walked.

Why do you think the animal charity walked dogs, on leads and in a field with a high fence? Because it's safe. Keep Dogs on Leads.

No. I'm not keeping my dog on a lead. If he had no recall I would. But otherwise no. Not a chance.

Featuredcreature · 09/07/2022 14:11

Sorry this happened to you, also happened to me when I was walking my little old blind westie, the guy screamed at me to pick my dog up. Err how about fucking no, some utter cunts about.

MushyPeasPrincess · 09/07/2022 14:12

So you've trained many,many puppies and worked at an animal shelter, but don't know the breed is spelt "shepherd" not shepard?

Right Hmm

Clymene · 09/07/2022 14:12

coffeecupsandfairylights · 09/07/2022 13:55

That's fine. It's perfectly ok to be scared of dogs and admit you know nothing about them. The OP maintains she trains dogs though.

Clearly that's bollocks which makes the rest of her tale slightly less convincing.

Why is it "clearly bollocks"?

I work with dogs but I'd still be a bit scared if a massive unknown dog charged towards me. I may know what to do but I'd still be worried about getting hurt or bitten.

Because she's talking a load of crap about dogs

Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 14:13

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 09/07/2022 14:07

Well, it’s all very dramatic. Walking in a park, a dog running towards you, nothing (that you’re willing to share) happens next…

Yeah. The refusing to share what really happened when repeatedly asked.

tabulahrasa · 09/07/2022 14:19

“Did he bite? Growl? Attempt to attack you?

It doesn't matter. OP was frightened and by law, that's enough for the dog to be considered dangerously out of control.”

Actually the wording includes “reasonably apprehensive” that a dog may bite or attack, which without any further details tbh, it doesn’t sound reasonable at all.

Basically a dog ran in the OP’s direction, away again and then towards the OP again, and presumably looked at the OP while running.... but did nothing else apparently.

coffeecupsandfairylights · 09/07/2022 14:26

tabulahrasa · 09/07/2022 14:19

“Did he bite? Growl? Attempt to attack you?

It doesn't matter. OP was frightened and by law, that's enough for the dog to be considered dangerously out of control.”

Actually the wording includes “reasonably apprehensive” that a dog may bite or attack, which without any further details tbh, it doesn’t sound reasonable at all.

Basically a dog ran in the OP’s direction, away again and then towards the OP again, and presumably looked at the OP while running.... but did nothing else apparently.

But either way it's OP's word against the dog owners'.

I wouldn't put my dog in a position where he had to be leashed and muzzled for life based on someone else's say-so.

Whether OP is being dramatic or not, the law is pretty clear.

NeedMoreMilk · 09/07/2022 14:35

FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 12:44

@User48751490 Thank you. It's important to have a healthy respect for big dog breeds.

I used to walk a malamute/alsation cross. I loved him, in my eyes, a very chilled out older gentleman. My daughter took him to her friend's house on a play date. She came back with the news that he had killed one of their chickens. I never saw it coming.

Dogs are animals, and need to be trained to socialise. I just looked up the American Kennel Club, they said, keep your dog on a lead, as even a trained dog can be unpredictable.

You let your daughter take someone else’s dog (and a big, powerful dog at that) round to her friends house for a play date without you going too? And knowing they had chickens?

I’m sorry you were scared by this experience but I’m not sure you should be preaching too much about responsible dog ownership…

007DoubleOSeven · 09/07/2022 14:46

NeedMoreMilk · 09/07/2022 14:35

You let your daughter take someone else’s dog (and a big, powerful dog at that) round to her friends house for a play date without you going too? And knowing they had chickens?

I’m sorry you were scared by this experience but I’m not sure you should be preaching too much about responsible dog ownership…

Show quote history

Something that charged jumped out at me too

Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 14:58

Could do with a classic MN diagram 😂 Where was OP in relation to the dog and owner. Lots of talk that dog should have recall, sounds like it was actually just trying to get back to the owner before the hysterics distracted it.

Off lead dogs with good recall do run around and won’t be glued to the owner, dog could have just been returning to the owner by the sound of it.

Lots of replies by the OP make me highly questionable of their supposed dog training knowledge and judgement.

Philandbill · 09/07/2022 15:03

So very many defensive dog owners on this thread who seem to be finding hard to accept that not everyone likes dogs running loose in a park.

Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 15:08

Not really defensive. The best trained dogs are going to find what the OP did very distracting.

A dog running up to and bouncing on someone isn’t ok, but from what OP describes the dog was just going back to its owner and she was just caught in the middle.

elizabethdraper · 09/07/2022 15:18

i have a grehound whoe's main love in life is to run at high speed in circles.
She might be running in your general direction but she doesnt give a shite about you or your dog.

3 laps - 60 seconds and she is done, drags herself around beside me until i let her go back to sleep for 6 hours

just because a dog is running does mean they are attacking, he could just be running.

the only times my girl has been attacked, which is many, is when she is on the lead. it is safer for her to be off the lead, as she will always outrun her attackers

TheAverageUser · 09/07/2022 15:19

I don't really understand the arguemnt here. If a dog is running about but it's a friendly dog with no aggressive behaviours then the dog owner is responsible because the person is in zero danger. The reality is that you're frightened of dogs which is not the dog owners issue.

Original poster
FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 15:22

Keep Dogs on Leads.

OP posts:
Stellaris22 · 09/07/2022 15:30

Are you going to admit OP that the dog never approached you, or got anywhere near? It’s fairly clear that this has very little to do with what the dog did, and more your attitude to dogs.

Do you actually train dogs? I wouldn’t value a trainer who advised to keep dogs on leads, why wouldn’t you train recall and obedience? A well trained dog is never going to bother someone being off lead.

dworky · 09/07/2022 15:35

This also happened to me this morning. Not a German Shepherd but a big, powerful dog, growling & snarling.
I absolutely love dogs but it's not acceptable & the owner received a long, loud diatribe of why she needs to keep such a dog on the lead.

ShirleyPhallus · 09/07/2022 15:41

I also think the OP might have overegged this a little!

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 09/07/2022 15:42

FreshHelll · 09/07/2022 15:22

Keep Dogs on Leads.

No