Hurrah-I'm learning to ignore numpties!!

Had a strange walk yesterday.....didn't start too well as we walked round the field near our house and when I was coming near to the road I called Parker and leashed him. There was someone behind me with an off-lead dog near and I asked him if he would put it on a lead as my dog (Cherry) was dog-aggressive.

He took offence at this and had a go at me saying I was walking 2 cats (!) and various other rude words and comments.

I crossed the road and thought I am going to ignore this plonker-he is obviously off his head on something so it is not worth things escalating. He then was shouting out about you should let your dog have its freedom whilst his dog was sniffing and roaming all over someone's front garden!

I did feel quite pleased that I didn't retaliate as it would have upped my blood pressure and my stress levels and ruined my walk.

Later on the walk by the river I recalled Parker before we got to the pavement near the road. I was just about to clip the lead on his harness when he saw a cat and chased it round a pub garden with me following and running round the tables and chairs-eek how embarassing! Hope they didn't have CCTV!

Later that day we went to a different park and sat for 5 minutes on a bench (Cherry likes this bit!). I then saw someone's Staffy charging up to Cherry's head and the owner quite a distance away. I sued my pet corrector spray to get it to back off and was shouting out "She's dog aggressive" but unfortunately the owner thought I was saying her dog was aggressive but then when she had run over and grabbed her dog I explained that Cherry was partly-sighted and nervous about other dogs charging up to her head like that and she apologised and said it was her fault!

I have never, ever had anyone apologise before when they let their dogs charge up to Cherry from a distance (Cherry is kept on leash) so this was a first. They usually have a go at me and say I shouldn't bring Cherry out if she is scared of other dogs. We then had a little chat about dogs and I went away happy.

Hope your day was less eventful than mine!

Its nice that the lady appologised for her dog. I doubt many people would.

Shame about the plonker earlier though, always think they know better some people dont they?!

At least you managed to keep your cool, I would of had a go lol

Yes-in the past I would have had a go back but have finally realised that it does not do me any good as I feel bad about losing my temper and it casts a cloud over the day. (No I am not saying I am now a saint-just a bit wiser!).

Wow! Good for you being able to ignore that guy. I'm not sure I could have. I need to learn that kind of self control. lol

Awww what a nice lady - I always apologise for rude behaviour - on my dogs part.

What a plonker - what if his dog had gotten run over - would he have been happy to let it have it's freedom then?

There is always one idiot with a dog that thinks he knows everything ! xx

Sadly, more than one!!

Where we live is pretty remote and you can go weeks and see no other dog walkers then if it's sunny the fairweather dog walkers come out.

Once there was this woman coming towards us across a field with an offlead black lab and it spotted my dogs (bull terriers - both on lead) and pelted towards them. Its hackles were up and its tail wasn't wagging. My dogs had been at soem distance and did nowt to provoke this. My old staffie would never start a fight - he loved other dogs - but i was afraid if something went for him head-on like this thing was.. he'd have finished the fight. And as the bull breed - he'd have got the blame.

I managed to keep the dog away from us, only just, by threatening it with my body language (and maybe taught it some new vocabulary ) as the woman took what seemed like an age to reach us. She was floundering along, ineffectively wailing 'commands' the lab ignored. Its hackles were still up and it was barking really aggressively but kept just out of range of us. Looked mad enough to charge us any minute. I don;t think I've ever seen a dog bowling towards me so fast, and I was very glad I didn't have my young kids with me when it happened.

"He's friendly. He's only trying to say 'hello'!" is what she said when she finally reached us. Why do these prats always come out with that?

I told her to put the thing on a lead, and not let it off again as it didn't have recall. I went on to lecture her that if it didn't come on the recall 100% of the time, she had no right to let it off lead.

Know what she said?

"Who are you to tell me what to do with my dog?"

I pointed out she was dictating to me and my dogs what we did by her very inablity to control her dog...and my dogs were under control, and behaving and just minding their own business. I also said to her I was glad I didn't have my young kids with me at the time, as it wouldn't have hesitated to bowl them over.

She marched off, dog at least now on a lead, and I never saw her again. Wonder why?

Thing is, as bull terriers, mine could have easily done serious damage to her dog - in self defence - if it had attacked. She had zero control and must have known it but still let the thing off lead. Yet my dogs would have got the blame if something happened.

I felt she didn't care for the safety of her own dog, either as that situation could very easily have had a different otucome if I'd been a young lad with a Burberry baseball hat and a staffie off-lead, who had as little control over my dog on the recall as she had.

Why is it the people who can't recall are the ones to have the dogs off-lead?

I only could take her on verbally as she was a woman, like me. There are situations like the OP's where I wouldn;t have been able to say a word without putting my dogs or self in danger.

[QUOTE=BullseyesTail;2157505]

"He's friendly. He's only trying to say 'hello'!" is what she said when she finally reached us. Why do these prats always come out with that?

I told her to put the thing on a lead, and not let it off again as it didn't have recall. I went on to lecture her that if it didn't come on the recall 100% of the time, she had no right to let it off lead.

Know what she said?

"Who are you to tell me what to do with my dog?"
QUOTE]

Oh dear-this is familiar we get this all the time!

Once I was sitting on a bench overlooking one of the Norfolk broads with Cherry on leash sitting quietly beside me when I saw this huge wolfy look-alike dog charging towards Cherry. It bounced on her a few times (owner a speck in the distance) and I eventually managed to get it to back off with my pet corrector spray. When the woman owner eventually caught up it took her 5 minutes to recall the dog.

I am afraid I did "have a go" and say my dog is dog-aggressive why don't you control yours better?" and she replied "My dog is friendly-you shouldn't bring yours out if it isn't friendly"!!

I retorted "my dog has 2 obedience trophies-it has just taken you 5 minutes to recall your dog-I suggest some training classes!" Sadly I don't think she had any intention of altering her dog's behaviour.

It may be that one day her dog does this to a dog that would actually bite another dog for bouncing on it rather than Cherry who just head-butts when she gets scared.

Well done for staying calm!

I normally don't say anything in these situations because i'm to shy but i do get really wound up and have a rant when i get home