Page 2 | Was I awful to keep on walking?

doggodramas · 2022-11-02T17:15:01+00:00

Bit of background. I have a very lovely, placid spaniel. As lots of spaniels are she's totally ball obsessed and not bothered with other dogs. She's not aggressive, just totally ignores them. I walk her on a nature reserve where dogs are allowed to be off lead. At the start of the nature reserve is a natural kids play area and the nature reserve consists of 5 adjoining fields. Every day I walk my dog there is a lady and her toddler son on the play equipment. They have a greyhound puppy and let it run around the fields while they're on the play area. This dog always sprints over and pesters my dog. Jumps on her, pins her down, nips at her collar etc. Usually the woman spends about 15 minutes trying to call her dog back while I just stand there, as if I walk on then her dog follows. Eventually she catches her dog. Today I was so fed up and in a rush that I just kept on walking and walking (only had 30 minutes before work and didn't want to spend 15 mins waiting for her to catch her dog) And her dog kept following me. We got through 2.5 fields and this woman was struggling with a toddler and running after her dog who paid no attention whatsoever. Eventually she caught her dog and said to me "why didn't you stop?" Am I the bad guy? Surely if your dog has no recall then it should be on a lead! And surely you don't let your puppy run riot pestering other dogs while you're 100m away on a play area? Should I have wasted half of my own dogs walk until she managed to catch her dog?

mrstea301 · 02/11/2022 18:26

YANBU - I have a greyhound and I would never let him off the lead! He has no common sense and would easily walk out in front of traffic or whatever, plus if the dog has a strong prey drive, one whiff of a squirrel and he'd be off like a rocket. Greyhounds can get up to about 45mph within 3 or 4 strides, so if they start running properly, they'll be out of earshot before you can shout their name.

MandyMotherOfBrian · 02/11/2022 19:15

Well of course you’re not unreasonable. But you probably should have carried on walking, maybe not the first time, but definitely the second time cos she’s clearly relying on you to make up for her lack of training of her dog. Although, tbh, unusual to have a Greyhound off lead in that situation anyway. Having said all that, one of my rescues (years ago now, God I miss him 🥰) was very difficult to get to a reliable recall. I really thought I’d cracked it but had two memorable failures. One where he just kept running down the seafront and I was running after him and a human/canine chain formed of people trying to grab him for me. Eventually a woman with two Chows managed to stop him and sent back a message ‘would you like to hold on to him for you?’ And I had to send back ‘Yes please!’ down the human/canine chain😁. Second time, a guy on a bike cycling the sea wall proved our downfall. My, by now, good at recall dog suddenly decided chasing a guy on a bike was the best fun he’d ever had. Wouldn’t listen to my call, or the Thunderer (which previously worked every time). Luckily for me said bike guy found it amusing, stopped, turned and brought him back to a very apologetic and thankful (and knackered from running) me.

MuggleMe · 02/11/2022 19:34

Could you not walk your dog to her at the playpark so she could easily get her dog then walk on? No waiting around so your dog still tired out.

SarahSissions · 02/11/2022 19:44

I think I look at this differently to the “set a precedent” posters. I think you should’ve stopped if it hadn’t happened before and she was caught out. But this happens every day, she knows her dog has shit recall so she wasn’t caught out or surprised. It should be on a lead. You were right to keep going.

Pumpkinpatchlookinggood · 02/11/2022 19:48

Good on you op. She may take better care of her ddog in future..

creideamhdóchasgrá · 02/11/2022 19:49

Sorry if I've missed it, what did you say when she asked, "why didn't you stop?"

tunthebloodyalarmoff · 02/11/2022 19:55

She was in the wrong but I would have held the dog there by the collar abs asked her to hurry over and get him she had a toddler so you could have helped her out

Riverlee · 02/11/2022 19:59

Not wrong to carry on walking, but do I understand you walked through 2 1/2 fields. Couldn’t you have waited at edge of first field?

getsomehelp · 02/11/2022 20:06

I'd go directly to see this woman the next time you are there & tell her you are walking your dog, hers is not under control, not your problem
Plus you are fed up of your dog being attacked. You are within your rights to report her wayward dog

Badger1970 · 02/11/2022 20:13

We used to meet a walker with a dog like this, and after politely waiting a few times for her to catch us up, I got fed up and starting walking on. Not my problem her dog has no recall, I made the effort to train mine.

ohforthelife · 02/11/2022 20:25

Obviously yanbu, she's a twat who needs to train her dog.

HipposHaveNipples · 02/11/2022 20:29

YADNBU. How arrogant do you have to be to rely on random members of the public to help you control your dog?! If your dog isn't under your control, they shouldn't be off lead in public, ever. This is exactly why we walk our dog on a longline, in enclosed fields, because I cannot say that he wouldn't approach other walkers. He just wants to play, but other people shouldn't have to worry about him jumping on them or bothering their dog, who may A. not be dog-friendly B. might be scared of him. It's not rocket science!

MarmiteCoriander · 02/11/2022 20:30

creideamhdóchasgrá · 02/11/2022 19:49

Sorry if I've missed it, what did you say when she asked, "why didn't you stop?"

This ^

BiasedBinding · 02/11/2022 20:36

God I once walked on a footpath through a farmyard and on into fields and was followed by a dog that clearly lived on the farm. I ignored it (i don’t have a dog or anything so nothing to interest it) and assumed it knew the area and would turn back at some point. It stayed a reasonable distance behind me but kept coming. After a while a woman came absolutely SCREAMING up the hill behind me yelling about me stealing her dog. I shrugged and said it followed me, I wasn’t encouraging it and she carried on yelling that I should have stopped and brought it back. I didn’t see why, I grew up around farms and was used to loose dogs who knew their way around the surrounding fields, if a dog will wander off don’t keep them in an open farmyard.

anyway YANBU OP. Though as you had waited before I might have warned her that I couldn’t wait this time

Original poster

doggodramas · 02/11/2022 20:44

When she asked why I didn't wait I just told her that I only had 30 minutes before I needed to leave for work, so I had to get a move on.
I'll see what tomorrow brings on our daily dog walk!

OP posts:

Beautiful3 · 02/11/2022 20:50

At least it's taught her a lesson. If she has any sense, she'll whip the lead on it next time she sees you.

Cornishclio · 02/11/2022 20:51

YANBU

Next time she asks why you didn't stop tell her you don't have time to wait for her to recall her dog and she should put it on a lead until it comes back when called.

VeronicaFranklin · 02/11/2022 21:01

And her dog kept following me. We got through 2.5 fields and this woman was struggling with a toddler and running after her dog who paid no attention whatsoever.

Seeing she had a toddler and was struggling and choosing not to stop is absolutely unreasonable.

Of course she should have better control over her dog, but she doesn't...and you know that because apparently this happens every day....
So why not help her get it back on the lead and then speak to her like a grown up about it, mention you see the dog do this often and you need to get to work etc, perhaps recommend some recall techniques or suggest some training...but to see she has a child and was struggling and to purposefully keep on walking 2.5 fields...is just shitty to be honest. Shame on you for purposefully doing that.

Poor woman is probably at the park trying to let her toddler and dog run off some steam and is just trying to parent a toddler and a pet simultaneously and failing miserably. I imagine she probably went home, knackered at running 2.5 fields unnecessarily with a toddler in tow and cried her eyes out.

The dog shouldn't be off lead if it has no recall, but that doesn't justify your behaviour purposefully doing what you did and watching her struggling with a toddler to keep up to get her dog back.

creideamhdóchasgrá · 02/11/2022 21:10

doggodramas · 02/11/2022 20:44

When she asked why I didn't wait I just told her that I only had 30 minutes before I needed to leave for work, so I had to get a move on.
I'll see what tomorrow brings on our daily dog walk!

Thanks for clarifying.

Time permitting you could speak with her tomorrow and say you've both got into a pattern that's not a long term solution for her and her dog - especially with toddler in tow.

(I appreciate that up until now you've been trying to be kind to her which is nice of you :) and it's just morphed into a problem).

Maybe offer some tips on recall - you have a well trained dog so maybe she your expertise if you've got the time / inclination?

creideamhdóchasgrá · 02/11/2022 21:11

^share your expertise

HalfWower · 02/11/2022 21:12

VeronicaFranklin · 02/11/2022 21:01

And her dog kept following me. We got through 2.5 fields and this woman was struggling with a toddler and running after her dog who paid no attention whatsoever.

Seeing she had a toddler and was struggling and choosing not to stop is absolutely unreasonable.

Of course she should have better control over her dog, but she doesn't...and you know that because apparently this happens every day....
So why not help her get it back on the lead and then speak to her like a grown up about it, mention you see the dog do this often and you need to get to work etc, perhaps recommend some recall techniques or suggest some training...but to see she has a child and was struggling and to purposefully keep on walking 2.5 fields...is just shitty to be honest. Shame on you for purposefully doing that.

Poor woman is probably at the park trying to let her toddler and dog run off some steam and is just trying to parent a toddler and a pet simultaneously and failing miserably. I imagine she probably went home, knackered at running 2.5 fields unnecessarily with a toddler in tow and cried her eyes out.

The dog shouldn't be off lead if it has no recall, but that doesn't justify your behaviour purposefully doing what you did and watching her struggling with a toddler to keep up to get her dog back.

Are you for real?

Who gets a puppy with a toddler anyway.

creideamhdóchasgrá · 02/11/2022 21:15

Good luck for tomorrow @doggodramas Hope both parties enjoy their walk and all is harmonious :)

Pumpkinpatchlookinggood · 02/11/2022 21:16

Surely ddog walking with a toddler plus dpuppy involves a buggy and a lead?.

Honeyroar · 02/11/2022 21:19

Technically you were not being unreasonable, but I think you were a tad mean personally.

rwalker · 02/11/2022 21:24

VeronicaFranklin · 02/11/2022 21:01

And her dog kept following me. We got through 2.5 fields and this woman was struggling with a toddler and running after her dog who paid no attention whatsoever.

Seeing she had a toddler and was struggling and choosing not to stop is absolutely unreasonable.

Of course she should have better control over her dog, but she doesn't...and you know that because apparently this happens every day....
So why not help her get it back on the lead and then speak to her like a grown up about it, mention you see the dog do this often and you need to get to work etc, perhaps recommend some recall techniques or suggest some training...but to see she has a child and was struggling and to purposefully keep on walking 2.5 fields...is just shitty to be honest. Shame on you for purposefully doing that.

Poor woman is probably at the park trying to let her toddler and dog run off some steam and is just trying to parent a toddler and a pet simultaneously and failing miserably. I imagine she probably went home, knackered at running 2.5 fields unnecessarily with a toddler in tow and cried her eyes out.

The dog shouldn't be off lead if it has no recall, but that doesn't justify your behaviour purposefully doing what you did and watching her struggling with a toddler to keep up to get her dog back.

Nobody’s fault but the entitled dog owner with toddler
the only reason she was struggling is because her dog wasn’t under control