Getting yelled at for having my dog off the leash...

In my experience dog owners are the most inconsiderate people around.

'Keep the dog on the leash' means exactly that, keep the dog on the leash.
 
As someone who is terrified of dogs I get really anxious when I see a dog off the leash or on a very very long leash. I know a lot of owners are responsible and would make sure the dog doesn't run at me or jump around me. But I have also had plenty of experience of owners just standing by while their dog rushes up to me barking and leaping around the place. Reassurances that 'he won't hurt you. He's just being friendly' etc are absolutely no use in that situation. As a result, I really would prefer if dogs were kept on a leash in public places and especially if there is a sign requesting this.

Okay, that woman's reaction was over the top. But, as someone has already said, she may have had a few bad experiences from inconsiderate and downright stupid dogowners.
 

That made me smile Purple - exactly how I would react (a bigger dog might require a slightly different reaction though!)
 
If the angry lady had not been angry but approached the OP and politely requested 'would you please keep your dog on a leash please?', I wonder how Flossie would have complied with the request?
 
liaconn said:
Reassurances that 'he won't hurt you. He's just being friendly' etc are absolutely no use in that situation.
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And not only are the reassurances no use, but they are incorrect. Excitement can lead to aggression. The prey drive can be triggered by someones fear. Or by someone trying to run away.

Owners who give the rubbish reassurances are irresponsible and idiotic.

Im a dog lover but I dont appreciate being slobbered on by strange dogs either.
 

Agree with that 100%

When I was 10, I walking down the road minding my own business when I was attacked and bitten by a Golden Labrador. He took a nice big chunk out of my thigh. I have been terrified by dogs ever since. If one runs anywhere near me and he is off his leash, I freeze up and panic. I would like to say that I react in a calm and rational manner. I do not. Fear does that to people. Dog owners just don't understand that. All the reassurances that Fido is the most lovable mutt on the planet, and is just "being friendly" don't mean a damm when my heart rate is going like a jack hammer. I don't condone the behaviour of the lady that the OP met, but I certainly understand it.

If there are enough people in the area where the OP was walking to warrant the council putting a sign up about dogs, than it should be obeyed at all times. It is inconsiderate & rude not to. Wanting Fido to be able to get a good stretch of his legs is laudable, but it should not come at the expense of causing emotional distress to others. Dog owners will no doubt roll their eyes at that phrase, and think that I am being over the top, but trust me, I am not.
 
As someone who has had dogs around them since day one, I fund it amazing how “city folk” think about dogs.

Dogs an get very excited and will often cause damage to property and people, thinking they are playing or thinking that their owner is in some kind of danger. This is most often the case. Believe me if even a mid size dog attacks you it could kill you if that’s what it wants. However years of domestic breeding has wiped that out of our dog stock.

Dogs are like any other animal, happy in their own territory (home) but anxious and excitable when out side this space. Good training will help owners keep dogs calm in social situations. Socialising young dogs with groups is now becoming popular in training centres. But it is naïve in the extreme to think that a dog off a leash in public place is under control.

Also be very aware that if a dog behaves aggressively or in a threatening manner towards anyone in public, regardless of actual damage, that dog can be seized and destroyed if the “victim” were to take it on themselves to launch a complaint and had a witness. This is the most obvious reason to keep a dog on a leash.

There is a growing culture of mastiff half and full breed dogs being kept as pets by families in 3-bed semis. These people have absolutely no idea what they are doing. If they did the would never have taken that breed of dog. Mastiff breeds should never, ever be off a lead in a public place. End of.

My two cents regarding pet dogs. For what it’s worth, it sounds like the OP is doing their best to give the dog a good life with minimal disturbance to others, which I think is commendable.
 
'Please' to me does not signify a choice. If I say to my children, "Please go and brush your teeth", it does not mean I don't care if they brush their teeth or not, it's a polite way to ask them to go and brush their teeth now!!
 
I agree. If a request is posted asking people to keep their dog on a leash then I really think that should be respected. Deciding it is open to interpretation is the kind of thing that really does not do responsible dog owners any favours. I also agree that a criteria that a dog should be 'under control' is totally subjective and really do not see how this could be decided legally if a case came to court.
 
I was actually kind of on the fence for this argument until last night - went out for a run around the park and almost no-one had their dogs and leads and I did have to swerve once or twice to avoid a pooch running around.

I am firmly in the "keep them on a lead" camp now!
 

Just count yourself lucky your running didnt trigger anyones prey drive, Id a large dog launch himself after me running recently - luckily his recall was good and he did stop when called.
 
truthseeker said:
Just count yourself lucky your running didnt trigger anyones prey drive, Id a large dog launch himself after me running recently - luckily his recall was good and he did stop when called.
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It's OK - I'm very fast
 
Average running speed of a domestic dog is 15-30 mph....I could get away from the slower ones anyway (Usain Bolt hits about 30mph for some comparisons....)!

Not too sure what the speed of a zombie is, but I will try figure it out the next time there's an apocalypse!
 
Kine said:
Not too sure what the speed of a zombie is, but I will try figure it out the next time there's an apocalypse!
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Well it really depends. Whatever was their average speed in life I think. So in theory - we could all be trying to get away from YOU!
 
Ceepee said:
If the angry lady had not been angry but approached the OP and politely requested 'would you please keep your dog on a leash please?', I wonder how Flossie would have complied with the request?
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No doubt he would have continued to think that he had the right to keep his animal off the leash because he would have interpreted her request in whatever manner suited him.
 
Yes, in light of

flossie said:
There are signs saying 'Please keep the dog on the leash' which i have interpreted as being a request as opposed to an order.

and this

I also pointed out that I interpreted the word 'Please' as a request, not an order.
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I would also assume that, no matter how nicely she'd asked, the OP would interpret as he saw fit.
 
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