Yes she did ask for comments not rudeness, there is no need for it IMO.

I would report it to the Dog Warden, if a Yorkie came running out like that with my Greyhound he would kill it and there are many dogs like him.

I do keep my dogs under control especially my Greyhound so why should myself or others like me suffer for that idiotic woman? If Merlin did kill a dog in those circumstances, it would have a terrible effect on me which I would have to live with for the rest of my life and it wouldn't be mine or Merlin's fault.

We have a problem with a Shar-Pei (may be a cross). The chap that normally walks it with his other dog has absolutely no control over it (or the other dog) when it is off its lead - he comes bombing across the field and always seems to make a bee-line for my eldest and jumps up, snapping at his face. My husband has had numerous words with the owner and his wife saw me back a while and said that he was only playing. My response was it certainly didn't look like play and it was not what my 9.5 year old Setter wanted at him time of life. They now generally keep it on a lead!

We have a lurcher and (luckly) she knows its a dog not a bunny but it does worry me that (some) people seem to think its ok for little dogs to be out of control.

I did ask for comments on the whole situation. There are ways of answering that rather than just insinuating that both owners were at fault and I should just get over it.

If you were walking your dog and another dog came out suddenly and aggressively, then you shouted at the other dog(who was unattended) to get away would you expect to be shouted at by it's owner when they appeared?

I don't want to get into another argument so do accept your apology.

As a terrier owner i do find it very irritating that other owners seem to think that their dogs being out of control is acceptable as they are small. We had a situation down my road recently - people own a JRT which is appallingly behaved and they have not listened to anyone but things have come to a head as he sunk his teeth into a little girl's ankle the other day. He is now finally on a lead but how awful that he had to draw blood from a child before the owners got the message.

Glad you and yours are ok Fudgely - and at least from wht you posted the owner eventually (albeit reluctantly) acknowledged that you were at least partly right.

PS if it's the gates of the owner's house that are always open and their dog behaves like that (rather than them being out walking with him off the lead) then they are even more irresponsible. It only takes a boot from someone who loves animals less than we do or a bite from a more aggressive dog who is annoyed by the yappy fuzzball to do some serious damage. I would personally not want to put my dog at risk of that. Surely shutting the gate can't be hard?!

Yes Woodstock it is the gate from the bottom of their garden that leads onto the canal. Her dog was unsupervised and is given free rein from the garden onto the canal path.

True. If the boot was on the other foot and it was your dog being aggressive, I'm sure she would have had something to say! Some small dog owners think that bigger dogs should just put up with it!
Totally agree. Loki was bitten on the face by a Cocker Spaniel last year when he was on the lead. If it was the other way around the owner would have had a lot to say, but as it was a bigger dog that got bitten some people must think they are bite proof or something.

When a little dog snaps at mine, 9 times out of 10 the owners laugh and think it's cute. It's just plain antisocial.

I totally agree with the way you handled the situation Fudgeley. The Yorkie owner is in the wrong to allow her dog free access to the canal towpath to harrass anyone walking past.

I would give them the benefit of the doubt this time, especially now you have spoken to her, and see if the dog is loose again next time you go that way. If so, I would comtact the Dog Warden.

Some people are too selfish for words!