Other people - yet another post

I know others have posted on this subject recently but I just wanted to have another rant.

Most on here will know the problems I've had with my lad - he's not transformed, but I think the way we handle him has transformed, I can say with some certainty that he will never be in a position to attack another dog.

So, that said, he gets walked twice a day, first walk around 10am off-lead (muzzled) in an isolated field second walk around 3.30pm on a lead in a dog-walking area. This area is large enough to have a lot of space around him - I avoid paths that are closed in etc.. I walk him where there are other dogs because I don't want him to think he lives in a world where there are none - I also practice BAT with him and he's got to the stage now where he never reacts to another dog, even when quite close.

Now- sorry there is a point, there's one woman that brings her two little fluffy numbers on a walk the same time in the afternoon. I had met her down a wide track once or twice and my boy is put into a sit and fed lots of treats - he doesn't even notice her dogs, I do it out of respect to her (and any other dog walker). She also comes into one of the fields we go into and she walks around the very edge of the field to get away (she virtually climbs into the bramble hedge) - please remember my dog is on a lead!

I can't help her being scared of my dog it's none of my business, what I do object to is her gossiping to others she has told one woman that "if that staffie comes near my dogs I'm going to hit it with a large stick" she tells others that my dog has "ripped the face of a whippet" a lie and a peculiar one at that.

Today I was so angry I saw her chit-chatting to a young couple who had just walked past me and they were all looking in my direction. I was in the middle of the field, he was on a long (but very secure) lead and chasing his boomer ball, believe me there could be a nuclear attack and he wouldn't notice when he's got his boomer. I stewed all day and vowed that next time I see her I am going to suggest that she doesn't gossip about my dog.

Obviously my dog doesn't give a toss - he's happy she stays away, maybe I should be too?

People like that would make you wonder why you go to all the bother of working with your dog and being in control at all times.....By judging your boy on appearance just shows her ignorance and to start a vicious rumour about him...well is she even worth the time of day
You should be really proud of him and yourself for what you have achieved,sounds like you've both come along way If confronted my guess is she'll deny saying anything...personally I wouldn't bother....she's so not worth it

And breathe, Lol
I do feel sorry for you, I would be furious. Especially as you are taking such sensible precautions.
Can you change your times slightly to avoid her? There again, why should you? Seems like she is the one with the problem.

So sorry your feeling like this not fair to judge your boyout of hand like this
The old saying springs to mind
Least said soonest mended ,or confronting her may only add fuel to her fire
Hugs to you both

I wouldn't raise it with her, if she's that kind of person then she'll likely only tell people that you had a go at her even if you only said one calm sentence.

Other people will see you with your dog and realise that this woman is only telling lies as they'll see how well controlled he is and know not to believe her.

You stick to your walks at the times that you want to, enjoy your time with him and leave her to her malicious fabricated world.

You will always get someone like that and the only thing I can suggest is to just ignore her - difficult as it is. She can gossip and tell as many lies as she wants but she cannot prove anything so let her waste her breath.

For what it is worth I had the police round a year or so back because someone had said that my dog had bitten her as she was walking along the pavement. The fact that my dog is tethered and cannot reach the pavement had obviously escaped her notice. I was told to just forget it but it upset me and took me ages to simmer down.

This is nothing to do with dogs and everything to do with her being a gossipy woman who has too much time on her hands and believes everything she reads in the tabloid press. If she, like you, were training her dogs, she wouldn't be able to chitchat.

Continue to lead by example. You know you're in the right. If others are bothered, they would speak to you about it.

A lot of people seem to believe everything they read in the press about staffs but as most of us know its not the dogs but the owners. Me and Ollie came across our first staff on his third time off the lead. It came running straight up to us totallly ignored ollie and sat on my feet! If more people took the trouble to work with there dogs we would all be happier

I've said it before and will do many times again I think...you have to grow a thick skin and ignore those negative folk, if you don't you will get paranoid and start to think everyone you see out on your dog walks are whispering about you and your nasty dog.

You have a couple of things going against you even befor you open your mouth or your dog sees another.....you own a staffie cross, this alone is going to get you bad mouthed by plenty of dog walkers, regardless of deserved or not.

The other is the fact your dog has been labeled aggressive due to some of his behaviour.

I think something I have learnt from many yrs of owning a dog with issues, is that everyone sees you are thr devil incarnate, and they all have wonderfully behaved dogs, in truth there are plenty f dogs that don't like other dogs, but when they are fluffy and cute, the owners and other people don't see it.

But the person with the staffie is ALWAYS going to get the bad press.

I would simply ignore her or anyone else you think is talking behind your back, carry on doing what you are doing with your boy, and don't give anyone any ammunition to fire at you.

I do feel for you..it's hard to not let it get to you.

Tonks made a bad mistake over 18 months ago now. Paul's son, who was 8 then, left our front door open (not an unusual occurrence back then grrrrrrrrrr) and Tonks took the opportunity to run the road to a house where there are cats often in the garden. I ran after her but was too late, she had chased them right in through their open back door. She ran out quick enough because the woman kicked her really hard out the door. I was going to shout 'don't kick my dog!' But I didn't..obviously because I and Tonks were the ones in the wrong. I tried to apologise straight away and tried to explain that a young child had let her out. ...but she went bonkers (underestandbly) but was swearing and screaming, I had the girls with me. So just said 'I'm sorry but please don't swear infornt of my small children' so she carried on 'ill f*****g swear if I want to'. So I started to walk off and she started on the old that's a dangerous dog and should be put down and I'm going to call the police.....so I lost it and shouted back 'she's not dangerous she is a dog who chased a cat...get over it! I've already heard you got shot of your Staffie because you couldn't be bothered to walk it!' Anyway she followed me home shouting she was going to take my house number down and call the police. I assume either she didn't or she did and they weren't that interested as we never saw the police.

Anyway..I passed her very recently, gossiping on the street corner as that's all the ever seem to do, and she said in a loud voice 'and that woman's dog attacked my cat in my own home!!!'

The people she was talking to we're a mother with her teenage daughter and her young son...who also only ever seem to wander round the streets gossiping pushin the poor kid in the pushchair..and they said 'ooo did it!' All ooos and aaaaahs at their dregs of gossip.

I was really close to challenging her and asking her why she felt the need to dramatise everything and that Tonks CHASED her cat not ATTACKED it as she hadnt touched it and if it had been attacked why the hell didn't she mention it at the time and I would have paid the vets bills?! Because its a b****y lie!

But as I had the kids with me I thought f**k you and your sad lonely life that has turned you into a sour faced drama queen and walked on by holding my head high.....and thank god Tonks didn't see any cats just then because she does do a Staffie scream!

P.s I've seen Tonks corner a cat many times, because they come in our garden, and all she does is puff up like hippo and jump up and down screaming! None of which she had time for that day before she was kicked out the house.

Needless to say it has never happened since and Paul's son has been told very clearly what will happen if he walks in or out of the house leaving the doors open again.

Just rise above them. Xxxx