Altercation on walk that made me cry

[fruitstick]

Have taken dog for lovely walk. Met lots of lovely people and dogs, lovely chats, very much the perfect walk.

Dog is a spaniel so a friendly sort but very gentle, plays nicely etc.

Walking back along the road (most of our walk is off lead) on the lead and there is a woman behind us when I cross the road with a small dog. Chihuahua/Pomeranian type. She walks quicker than me so after about 100 yards catches us up.

Dog is being a pain and desperately trying to go backwards to say hello. I stop and tell her to go ahead but she says no. Carry on another 100 yards, my dog still trying to turn round again so I say 'no, honestly, you go ahead' but she says no, she doesn't like people walking behind her.

I figure fair enough, who I am to question it. So I carry on but she is very close behind me and I realise I don't really like people walking behind me either!

Then we come across a lorry parked on the pavement, so I go round it one way and she goes the other, so by the time we get round the lorry she is in front. She stops to let me go in front of her again and my dog, who by this time is excited, goes to say hello to her dog (sniff noses) and SHE KICKS HIM OUT OF THE WAY

I tell her not to kick my dog and then she says 'well why is he behaving like that'

I say because he wants to say hello to your dog. I tell her to go in front of me and she refuses again, so I tell her to stay where she is until we are around the corner because she is not walking 2m behind me and kicking my dog.

I march off.

I'm so upset.

He's a friendly sort but I don't let him say hello to every dog, but normally the dog who doesn't want to be said hello to quickly moves past or, if it's a reactive dog, they keep their distance and my dog gets over it fairly quickly.

I have never kicked another dog even though in some encounters they were agressive to mine and some shithead with a bull terrier let his dog off leash approach mine even though I asked him please keep him away. I never went back to that place to walk my dog after that experience. I can totally understand that woman’s impulse to kick your dog if she has has similar experiences but she brought the situation upon herself by forcing you to pass her very closely on a very narrow part of the path.
I always made sure to stay far away from any dog owners I did not want close to me.

'Goes to say hello' but didn't reach her dog because he was on a short lead.

Her options at that point were to either pass her, which meant “approaching” her.

Stand in the middle of the road while the other woman stood on the pavement... indefinitely.

Or turn back away from the direction of her house and go behind the woman - which she’d already been asked not to do.

Or I dunno, levitate away from her?

Thank you 😊

But you can pass by another dog owner without yours "going to say hello".

You just keep it close & on the other side to you.

So many posters determined to justify kicking a dog.

The Op was on a narrow pavement with a dog on a short lead. When i have walked reactive dogs I understood the onus was on me to keep both dogs safe and if that meant walking in the road so be it.

I think what annoys me is dog owners who think every other dog and owner has to change their behaviour for their dog, telepathically knowing what's required.

So no, I'm not constantly switching sides or making my dog walk in the road on the off chance that the other dog standing still on the pavement might be reactive.

I don't let him say hello to every dog, and he's still young so we're working on it, but neither do I expect him to stare and walk straight ahead when passing one like he hasn't seen it.

I know lots of lovely dog owners with reactive dogs, but also know a number who seem to expect every dog to be perfectly trained and behaved except their own.

Also, there was nothing to suggest this dog was nervous or reactive.

Thank you. You've put it better than I did!

This is what I do. I get my phone out and act like I'm reading a text until they've got well past me.

She sounds like a right weirdo.

I think posters are overlooking the part where she was waiting for you to pass her on the narrow path rather than moving on ahead which would have been a great option for everyone.

"I get my phone out and act like I'm reading a text until they've got well past me."

If you really need to create space I recommend shouting down your phone. Pretty much everyone will give you a wide berth then.
Does nothing for your reputation though!

Has anyone justified Op's dog being kicked?

I would have thought that the woman's behaviour had made it obvious that she didn't want the dogs to interact.

Sometimes you just want to get on with your walk & don't want other dogs "saying hello"!

Sometimes you just want to get on with your walk & don't want other dogs "saying hello"!

Then you pass. Or in this case once you have overtaken the dog you keep moving. It was clear she was walking quicker than the Op and therefore creating a moment when the two dogs would be in close contact.

Slow your gait, change your route or - as in this case - when you have already safely passed keep going.

Oh I agree that the woman acted strangely.

But she stopped to let Op pass-not for a doggy hello!

She had safely passed the Op. That should have been the end of it.

You are joking right? Sounds like this crazy woman was deliberately being awkward. Even if this wasn’t the case she was in no way justified in kicking a dog, especially as it wasn’t being aggressive. My dog doesn’t like meeting other dogs much so I certainly don’t walk directly behind them and take the opportunity to pass them where possible.
OP, it sounds like you did nothing wrong. If it had been me in your situation I don’t think I’d have been able to control myself. I’d have had to return the kick!…….but not to the dog

I think my point was unclear. When I said the approaching dog doesn’t appear to be a threat, I said it in the context of kicking it being the first response.

Clearly if you look at my posting history you’ll see that I always advocate for putting your own dog on a lead when you see another dog on one as personally I would never want to make a reactive dog feel worse then they already do.

Again, my comment regarding reactive dogs referred so some, not all. So if you’ve read this and included yourself in it, that’s up to you and not what was written. Some dogs are reactive because their owners don’t allow them to socialise properly. Some have been abused, attacked etc. I’m not stupid and don’t need the ridiculous comments explaining that to me.

It’s so tiresome dealing with such combative people on this board, always looking to take offence and requiring a full express sentence to ensure that any comment is not taken offensively.

OP you did nothing wrong. No way should your dog have been kicked.

Ah name change fail. Not that I’d ask for help here anymore.

She sounds nuts. I would have just refused to move. If I have this situation, like others I stop, check my phone. I would have just stood there until she moved.