Judging a dog by it's breed

Tonight I was walking my babes in the local National Park. The pups and Willow were off rabbit hunting in the bushes as usual and the old girl was just meandering along minding her own business, smelling the smells and just enjoying being out. I saw a lady (loose description) approaching with three dogs off lead but, as mine do not even bother to go and see other dogs and were all occupied, I just nodded a 'Hello' and continued walking. Two of her dogs decided that the old girl was fair game and, to cut a long story short, charged at her and grabbed her neck and bum. To give her credit, she did not retaliate, just fell over rather ungracefully (she is full of arthritis and not very steady on her feet) and I had to race to rescue her. There was no damage done, she's a tough old bird, but I thought that I was going to have a heart attack I was so shocked.
As if this wasn't enough, when I very politely suggested that the lady (very, very loose description) kept her dogs on the lead in future she replied that the only reason that her dogs had attacked mine was because they had anticipated an attack from mine and that dogs of the old girls breed (she is an Akita) should not be out in public without a muzzle let alone off lead!!!!
Nala is now nearly 12, has never ever been dog or people aggresive, has always been walked off lead and has perfect recall.
Why do people always judge a dog by its breed and not for the dog itself?
Anyone else have any problems like this?

Hi Chellie
Sorry to hear of what happened to your old girl, hope she's okay.
Sadly, some people are just ignorant.
Hugs. Ax

ignorant b**ch!!

They are just underhand comments people make because they are wrongly educated BUT think they are right!

Chellie, I used to get this all of the time Having GSDs, people would automatically think that if they went over to play, I'd get a gob full about having guard dogs and that they should be muzzled

It used to get worse when my boy played with a dog. As he's quite a vocal lad, other people took it for aggression, and they used to grab thier dog and tell me to get mine under control

Yeah, she's fine. As I said, tough old bird, hide like leather and a coat so thick it would take a crocodile to get through it. Just a good job she's so laid back otherwise this woman might have lost one of her dogs.
The others came out of the bushes and missed it all, fat lot of good they are!!

Hi Wolfie,

I've always had GSD's until I swapped to Akitas and now am addicted to crossbreeds (I have got 3 now, just can't seem to stop finding needy causes) and can honestly say that I have very rarely encountered any hostility directed at any of my chosen breeds until now. Wouldn't have minded so much if she was being confrontational but she was sniffing the ground at the time so cannot see how her dogs could have thought that she was being aggressive!!!

Awful Chellie.
I had an irate mother of a child in a buggy tell me to put my GSD X on a lead...for no reason at all...he was sitting under a tree watching a squirrel...hadn't even noticed her and her buggy...some people honestly...
Just glad your old girl is ok.
Ax

Yep, I get this all the time, even when mine are on the lead and their dogs are off the lead and approach mine and start barking at them or worse still trying to get at them !!!! Somehow that's my fault !!!

I had a horrific incident last weekend where 3 loose Staffys aggressively cornered me and my two dogs (who were on the lead), in a car park and I thought all 3 of us were going to need counselling !!! The owner told me my dogs should have had muzzles on................go figure !!!

Morons !!!

I hope your old girl is ok and she isn't too shaken up by the ordeal

Coz the owner of the other dogs is a chuffin pratt

I hope the three of you were ok. Sounds like it was the Staffies owner that needed a muzzle

Well, ice-cream made it better for all of us ......lol

The owner did need a muzzle on her face and luckily we were 'rescue' by a man who plucked the dogs from before me and launched them at their owner to her astonishment...lol

If dangerous/drink drivers have to attend a compulsary driving course before they are allowed to drive again, why can't they develop a course for owners of aggresive dogs to attend, for some canine training, before allowed their dogs back ???