Aggressive dogs - what do you do?

[solus]

Originally Posted by Cordaline

The big brown Labrador came bounding over & lept up at me, leaving it's wet, muddy paw smears all over the front of my new duck down, dryclean only coat!
All she could say was "sorry" in a very lame voice as she walked on by, carrying on her merry way, leaving me cursing the air blue!

You should have told her you wanted the money to pay for the dry cleaning - cash, now, will be fine! If nothing else, she might have thought about the potential financial loss if someone should sue her in future...

I was on my knees photographing a fungus in an NT-owned woodland with public footpaths and bridleways a couple of years back, Himself standing nearby (but not too close lest people thought I was with him!) when something (turned out to be an off-lead dog) hurtled out of nowhere and leapt on to me from behind. I screamed, "Get it off me!!!!" several times, very loudly, and the owner seemed to be more frightened than I was! Himself muttered "it's only a dog" but as I pointed out, I had as much right to be there as it did and I hadn't attacked it out of nowhere, had I? I had no idea what size it was or if it was ging to lick me or bite me as it was on my back. Don't suppose it made any difference to the owner's behaviour though. It's another of those places that seems to attract van/car loads of assorted unruly dogs being "walked" by a couple of women carrying half a dozen leads each, engrossed in conversation, while the dogs cause havoc to other walkers, dogs and (if there was any left) wildlife. Incidentally, we have NEVER met any horse riders on the bridleways during the main part of the day as they too prefer to avoid their mounts being chased, barked at and generally spooked by dogs!
I have always liked dogs but find increasingly now, with so many undisciplined and untrained animals and owners about, that I'm starting to really loathe them and we actively avoid going for walks in certain areas which we know will be over-run with dogs and festooned with doggy-poo bags by those that do pick up and with the paths (particularly within a few hundred yards of the car parking area) with raw doggy-poo by those who don't.

[Chris Hawes]

Originally Posted by Cordaline

I don't like dogs at the best of times but this took the biscuit!
Being in a reserve, surely these dogs should've been on leads?
Yes/No?
Grrrrrrr!

I've got every sympathy with you. So many dog owners seem to have the attitude that everyone else loves dogs too, and that people will be quite happy to have them running up to them, jumping up, and disturbing everything else within sight. Regardless of whether it was a reserve or not, in my opinion dogs that behave like that shouldn't have been off the lead.

[Cordaline]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

Annoying but hardly aggressive or dangerous.

Dangerous - no
Aggressive - yes, to me it was!

[Cordaline]

Originally Posted by solus

You should have told her you wanted the money to pay for the dry cleaning - cash, now, will be fine! If nothing else, she might have thought about the potential financial loss if someone should sue her in future...

I was on my knees photographing a fungus in an NT-owned woodland with public footpaths and bridleways a couple of years back, Himself standing nearby (but not too close lest people thought I was with him!) when something (turned out to be an off-lead dog) hurtled out of nowhere and leapt on to me from behind. I screamed, "Get it off me!!!!" several times, very loudly, and the owner seemed to be more frightened than I was! Himself muttered "it's only a dog" but as I pointed out, I had as much right to be there as it did and I hadn't attacked it out of nowhere, had I? I had no idea what size it was or if it was ging to lick me or bite me as it was on my back. Don't suppose it made any difference to the owner's behaviour though. It's another of those places that seems to attract van/car loads of assorted unruly dogs being "walked" by a couple of women carrying half a dozen leads each, engrossed in conversation, while the dogs cause havoc to other walkers, dogs and (if there was any left) wildlife. Incidentally, we have NEVER met any horse riders on the bridleways during the main part of the day as they too prefer to avoid their mounts being chased, barked at and generally spooked by dogs!
I have always liked dogs but find increasingly now, with so many undisciplined and untrained animals and owners about, that I'm starting to really loathe them and we actively avoid going for walks in certain areas which we know will be over-run with dogs and festooned with doggy-poo bags by those that do pick up and with the paths (particularly within a few hundred yards of the car parking area) with raw doggy-poo by those who don't.

A perfect example of TOTALLY unacceptable behaviour & extremely upsetting for you!

[Cordaline]

Originally Posted by Chris Hawes

I've got every sympathy with you. So many dog owners seem to have the attitude that everyone else loves dogs too, and that people will be quite happy to have them running up to them, jumping up, and disturbing everything else within sight. Regardless of whether it was a reserve or not, in my opinion dogs that behave like that shouldn't have been off the lead.

Thanks Chris!

[Wild-Woman]

I like dogs but I very much doubt if I would ever own one because I don't think I could put the right amount of time, energy and commitment into getting one to the civilised state I would expect. Well behaved dogs, that do as they're told and are given tight boundaries are a credit to their owners. However it does seem to me that a large proportion of dog owners, really shouldn't be, if they're not prepared to put in the work to get their pets to an acceptable level of good behaviour.

On more than one occasion, I've had to stand between a group of pupils and a dog that has bounded up to us uncontrolled with the owner saying- oh it won't bite! Try calming down some youngsters after this has happened! It's not a pleasant experience.

[PMG]

I like dogs too and we had dogs all the time I was growing up and despite the Corgi biting me thro the lip I still like dogs! (I was very young and tormenting her - she was barring her teeth and warning she'd had enough and I got what I deserved - she was not chastised for this as I knew I was in the wrong)(I was a horrible peevish sickly small child )

I was bitten in the back by a Dalmation when I was 12 - the dog charged and I turned and fled but it sank its teeth into my back and left 4 bruises thro my school mac and all my other clothing ....... this was reported to the Police as I had some younger children out with me - we had all gone for a walk - if it had gone for one of them it could have been very nasty. I was tall but the other kids were on face level with it....

Even so I still like dogs and I will go out of my way to pat or fondle ears if one meets my eye while out walking. But I don;t like being bounded up to and jumped all over - I don;t like them muddying me even if I;ve been crawling in it with the camera and am already filthy - I don;t like jumper-uppers! I don't like it when speaking out of my car and their dog jumps up the side of the car and these days I will come straight out with it and say 'Don't let him scratch the paintwork please' - you shouldn't have to tell folks this - maybe their paintwork is gouged from their dog - but thats up to them.

The times that I get really annoyed is folk who see you trying to photograph something and let their dog run up to you or into the area you are facing and then they stroll up and ask what you are taking pics of ......... well nothing now you *+&%£* idiot All of which no doubt leads to folks saying I'm a grumpy old woman

And yes Jules when I was working and out with school groups it was hell in the park if the dog walkers let their animals rush up to the group while we were mini beasting or pond dipping - many children these days seem very frightened of dogs and a screaming panicked stricken child takes some dealing with - several panicking children is hell to deal with and you've lost the education value and them losing themselves in nature as for the rest of the session 35 pairs of nervous eyes are watching for the next dog ....

What on earth is wrong with people that they cannot or won;t put themselves in the other persons shoes for a minute and have a little consideration?

Pauline

[stevecurtis]

It is not hard to see by the post on WAB that our countryside is being heavily polluted by dog problems of one kind or another some minor so life threatening ,it can’t go on so what is going to happen?

Steve

[Davy Crockett]

Aggressive dogs have a look at this campain link that's on facebook


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