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Location: UK
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 7,369
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12-05-2007, 12:45 PM
Originally Posted by WelshWoofs 
Warning: Rant alert!
Ok, so my Mastiff is 5 months and a like a huge teddy. He's as soppy as hell, sits down and offers up a paw when he meets people (and dogs
). I'd consider myself a responsible owner, on our regular walk I let him off lead out on the beach (it's miles long and rarely has people on) or on the miles of nature reserve behind the beach but keep him on the lead near any roads or in areas where there's lots of people and/or dogs. He's in obedience classes and responds to basic commands (sit, down, give, stay) and recalls most of the time - the times he doesn't he'll chase after me if I walk away rather than let me out of his sight.So last night we were out in the nature reserve which is several square miles in area and allows dogs off lead, there was nobody around and so he was off the lead. As we rounded a corner a couple were coming towards us with a young Spaniel on a lead. Beauford did his usual thing, trotted up to the Spaniel and plonked himself down in preparation for the good old paw shake. Then it all went pear shaped. The woman immediately yanked the Spaniel puppy away (which made it squeal
) and started swatting at Beauford like a fly and shooing him away. I was surprised by this reaction, he's a big dog but he's not bloody Cujo - so I walked up smiling and tried to put their mind at rest, telling them not to worry, he's a puppy too and he's not dangerous, he's just trying to 'meet' their dog. I got stared at like I'd just grown another head, the woman was continually yanking this Spaniel away on the lead (which was now screaming and falling over when yanked) whenever Beauford got near, whilst swatting at him and saying "why don't you put that horrible thing on a lead!"Well naturally, call my dog a 'horrible thing' and the hackles rise...and I'm not talking about the dog's...
I told her, between clenched teeth, that I'd be grateful if she stopped swatting my dog right now and perhaps, rather than acting like a prima donna, she try socalising her puppy rather than yanking the bloody thing around like a sack of grain on a rope. The bloke then cut in and informed me 'people like me' were why 'people often don't like dogs' and that I gave 'responsible dog owners a bad name'.
All I can say is that what followed was a 'full and frank exchange of views' before I was called a bitch and told that
'a dog like that should be on a lead at all times'.
A dog like that? A dog like that?
Roof was hit in a big way and I won't repeat what I said, but it wasn't pretty.
Now perhaps it's me, but I can't see what the issue was with these people. Their puppy obviously wasn't socialised and they obviously weren't going to let it become socialised either. They saw Beauford and simply saw a big dog, appeared to think 'big=dangerous' and set out to treat me, and my dog, like arch criminals. The problem is that in situations like that, I'm not worried about my dog attacking... I'm more worried about me wrapping my boot round someone!
What would you do in that situation?
and how identical to the situations I've been in with mine.You know what there is a fine line between being responsible and being over controlling and to me it's like some people don't allow dogs to think for themselves anymore in duty of their responsibilty. What these people and loads like them do is to take away all the dogs own natural interaction and make it feel fearful...I know I would feel fearful of any situation where people faffed about getting high strung and yanked me around...To me that is far more harmful than an encounter with another dog of any sort.
I know it's polite to never have your dog approach another till you basically know the other persons inside leg measurement but it bothers me that people just don't want dogs getting close to one another, how do they learn their social skills by people acting irrational and being pulled away?...Some people are just more relaxed than others not everyone has to act strung out and it doesn't mean that those more relaxed have no control or are irresponsible it means that we don't see the need in making mountains out of mole hills.
My boy who is a really large dog has suffered in my opinion as a result of other people thinking that because of his size they need to keep their dogs away and to be honest he hasn't interacted as much as I would like with other dogs of different breeds and sizes because not only do people not want to let their dogs play with him but in reaction to people being so awkward I found myself stearing clear of alot of people.
Anyway your not alone it has happened to me loads...I just wish I could scoop up all the people walking their dogs that are like me and just have them walk at the same time and not have to come across uppity over reactors who bang on about how responsible they are when they are out upsetting their own dog and screaming like an idiot making a situation out of nothing - responsible
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Location: Bolton
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 24,075
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12-05-2007, 01:14 PM
I don't even take mine out in the day at weekends now we have finer weather, they go out at teatime when all the 'casuals' have gone in for their tea and telly. It was too nervewracking, I was constantly worried about what was going to happen next.
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Location: Swindon Wilts
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 167
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12-05-2007, 01:19 PM
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Location: Liverpool, UK
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,477
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12-05-2007, 02:30 PM
Originally Posted by Evie
Perhaps in years to come they will see the error in their ways when they have a nervous aggressive unsocialised dog.....
grrrr!
Originally Posted by Evie
Just feel sorry for their poor spaniel.
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Location: UK
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 5,551
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12-05-2007, 04:23 PM
Originally Posted by WelshWoofs
...
As we rounded a corner a couple were coming towards us with a young Spaniel on a lead. Beauford did his usual thing, trotted up to the Spaniel and plonked himself down in preparation for the good old paw shake.... Then it all went pear shaped. The woman immediately yanked the Spaniel puppy away (which made it squeal
) and started swatting at Beauford like a fly... ...the woman was continually yanking this Spaniel away on the lead (which was now screaming and falling over when yanked) whenever Beauford got near, whilst swatting at him and saying "why don't you put that horrible thing on a lead!"?
I would just like to mention something though, hope you don't mind me being honest :smt001 . If my dog is off lead, and I see another dog on lead, I have a policy of recalling my dog and getting her under close control.
The reason for this is because I don't know what reason the other dog is on the lead for. (Could be rehabilitation, bad hips, just recovering from an operation, etc etc).
It's difficult if you are rounding a corner and can't see what's coming :smt001
In this case it sounds as if the poor Spaniel was on lead because the owners maybe couldn't recall it or were too worried about other dogs...
which is a big shame for their pup. I feel so so sorry for it as it's being taught right now that other dogs are something to be scared of, and that its owner is going to be reactive and panicky when other dogs appear.Even if they were scared of your dog, you had every right to be there and they had no right to behave in the OTT way that they did.
It's worrying to think that there are such rude, ignorant and badly behaved owners out there and I hope you don't let their behaviour upset you.
Wys
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Location: High Peak, UK
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 396
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12-05-2007, 06:50 PM
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Location: Cumbria, UK
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,111
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12-05-2007, 06:57 PM
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Location: UK
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 39
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12-05-2007, 07:34 PM
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Location: Swindon Wilts
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 167
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12-05-2007, 08:32 PM
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Location: Sheffield
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,856
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12-05-2007, 08:42 PM
I too lose my rag big time when it comes to my dogs. To give you an idea of what I'd have said, we once came across an old man with a walking stick who tried to hit Takara with his stick.
This is obviously not acceptable, but even moreso because I often have to use a stick and cannot risk her being afraid of it.
Obviously Takara moved sharpish and she didn't get hit but the silly old prat was still waving it around.
I turned to him and said 'you touch a hair on that dog with that stick, and lets just say you won't find your stick again but you won't have that stoop either!!'
If I'd have come across the couple that you came across, I'm afraid I wouldn't have let it go... I once followed a man right around the park reciting dog laws to him because he refused to pick up dog poo, so I can see myself having been stood on this couple's doorstep the next day waiting for an apology
Sorry you had to come across these idiots... maybe one day when their dog turns on a perfectly friendly large breed, they'll realise they've made a HUGE mistake.
Or maybe they won't
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