Fed up with irresponsible and rude dog owners

[Ruftysdad]

Went for a hack today with 2 friends and decided to ride on a fairly new bridlepath which goes
Alongside a river. Until about a year ago it was a footpath but was upgraded to a multi user route in order that the local council could get funding to improve the surface and drainage.

We were riding single file at a walk and were chased by several barking dogs. The owners seemed to have no control over them. Luckily our horses are not bothered but you can never say that they will not kick if the dog goes close to their back legs. One of the owners (with the most ill behaved dog) said that we were stupid riding on the path. We pointed out politely that it was a bridleway. It is clearly marked. Another was running with his dog and said we were in his way and taking up too much room. We were still single file but it hard for a horse not to take up a bit of space. I must admit one of us told him not to be so discurteous and that we were doing our best to be responsible

Our ride was well and truly spoilt. Both by unruly dogs and rude owners.

Rant over

 

[Rapidash]

I agree- really annoys me the number of out of control dogs with owners wandering around after them gentling calling its poncy name. I don't know what it's going to do and I'm not doing that thing where the pony's galloping as fast as it can across plough with some stupid cockerpoodlepoo around her ankles ever again. So I have to get off,hold her, and stand there and watch and weep for mankind.

If it doesn't come back once called/ whistled it should be on a lead. End of.

I mean, its their dog which would get hurt in an encounter with my pony. Potentially severely.

Can you tell they annoy me

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Some non horsey people are clueless, I find. They think horses are like dogs or robots and won't do anything scary. When mine was taking his fronts off the ground and dancing on the spot because there was a loose dog, the owner rolled her eyes like I was asking for the moon when I politley asked if she would mind just keeping the dog near Her til I passed. It was that or the horse would've galloped off down the road. (He's ok with dogs now, but wasn't good at the time)

 

[fatpiggy]

Went for a hack today with 2 friends and decided to ride on a fairly new bridlepath which goes
Alongside a river. Until about a year ago it was a footpath but was upgraded to a multi user route in order that the local council could get funding to improve the surface and drainage.

We were riding single file at a walk and were chased by several barking dogs. The owners seemed to have no control over them. Luckily our horses are not bothered but you can never say that they will not kick if the dog goes close to their back legs. One of the owners (with the most ill behaved dog) said that we were stupid riding on the path. We pointed out politely that it was a bridleway. It is clearly marked. Another was running with his dog and said we were in his way and taking up too much room. We were still single file but it hard for a horse not to take up a bit of space. I must admit one of us told him not to be so discurteous and that we were doing our best to be responsible

Our ride was well and truly spoilt. Both by unruly dogs and rude owners.

Rant over

I think it is a NW thing. I used to keep my mare near the Mersey and had numerous attacks by untrained dogs - apparently it was entirely my fault that my horse was badly bitten and clawed by a staffordshire and was therefore not surprisingly, rather terrified of dogs she didn't know. Prior to this she had been fine with dogs - one time I looked around to see a young doberman swinging off her tail and she hadn't even put her ears back. The council also made the river banks multi-user, ie. they tarmacced them. Trouble was it meant all the scrotes used to race their quad and motor bikes up and down them. I moved yards.

 

[OWLIE185]

I am totally amazed at how daft the owners of dogs are in the countryside. They seem to think that they can leave them off the lead and get on with it.
I kept my horse in London (riding through London and in Hyde Park Hampstead Heath etc.) for many years and only on one occasion did I have a problem with a dog.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Def not a NW thing, have endless problem numpty dog owners here in the SE, just outside the M25

 

[cremedemonthe]

I think it's nationwide fatpiggy and not dog owners, horse owners, scrotes or any particular group the common factor are HUMANS ********* ones at that.
We get stupid dog walkers here, we get attacks on our dogs and on people's horses, we get selfish stupid horse riders too who ride absolutely anywhere and often at a gallop just because they can as there's no one to stop them. Some lovely woods here on the downs and fragile chalk Downland is being ruined by them, none of the places I have mentioned are near any bridlepaths.
The council here is lazy, will not maintain the bridlepaths in some places so horses HAVE to go round, I accept that.
We have motorbike,quads and cyclists who also go where ever they want, I was walking my dogs on a footpath in the woods (cyclists here are supposed to keep to bridlepaths) and 2 men on off road cycles came straight at us, when I reminded them they shouldn't be there got the usual ****** off and pick your dog muck up. I wasn't quick enough as I had 2 bags full of it in my hand as I would have chucked it at him.
So, ********* people are the problem you need to get rid of who lack common sense and manners.
Oz

 

[cremedemonthe]

I am totally amazed at how daft the owners of dogs are in the countryside. They seem to think that they can leave them off the lead and get on with it.
I kept my horse in London (riding through London and in Hyde Park Hampstead Heath etc.) for many years and only on one occasion did I have a problem with a dog.

They do Owlie185, don't you know it's their god given right to go anywhere in the country and do anything they want?
A few years ago we were looking to move further out in the countryside as it's got too built up here for my liking, everytime we looked at property the first thing I would ask is, where's the nearest road and footpath.If it was anywhere NEAR the property I would immediately cross it off the list no matter how much I liked it.I have seen the poor land owners on here who have had problems as well as lots of my own customers

 

[Orangehorse]

Don't forget to report this, OP. The BHS needs all the information it can get.
http://www.bhs.org.uk/safety-and-accidents/report-an-incident

 

[LittleBlackMule]

My little mare used to be extremely tolerant of aggressive dogs and would ignore them as they came screaming up to her, and I was very proud of that.
That changed one day when some idiots let their dog chase us up a bridle way snapping at her back legs, and she discovered that double barrelling it made it go away, so that is now her default reaction to any dog that gets too close behind her.

It's amazing how quickly idiot owners learn how to recall their dogs when a couple of hooves have just whistled past Fluffykin's ears....

 

[Sealine]

If a dog comes running at my horse when I'm out I get him to face the dog and stand still and then very loudly in a growly voice tell the dog to 'go away' repeatedly if necessary. It usually works. Owners don't like you telling their dog off but I tell them the option is the dog getting kicked and it wouldn't be my fault.

My horse is generally good with dogs and we've started doing some hunting so I really don't want him kicking out at dogs.

 

[3OldPonies]

Loose badly behaved dogs are the reason I've not taken down my Shetland proof electric fencing since the little fella passed on. I have a footpath crossing my field and while I have plans to raise some strands so that the local radio nutter doesn't have to put up with the shorting from long grass in the summer, but the low strands will be staying on both sides of the footpath.

It's not just loose dogs that annoy me either, it's the poo. Sometimes 'professional' walkers use the path and they never clean up after their charges. Which means I get the grief from walkers who stand in it. Last year I even had some kind soul poop the scoop and hang the bag on my fence for me to dispose of it. I left it there with increasingly sarcastic and rude comments, counting the number of weeks it was left. In the end another doggie person (a lovely lady) took it away because she said she thought the responsible people were getting a bad name - everyone who passed was commenting - she even said she thought she knew the culprit because after my notes started bags started appearing on another footpath not far away.

 

[Annagain]

It can work the other way round too. I was out walking my dog the other day and met some riders. She was pretty close to me (about 5m away) anyway as she's clingy so always likes me in sight, but I called her back (she came straight away) and told her to sit in between my legs. She's been trained to do this and she won't move on again until I've told her she can. She's very used to horses and wasn't paying them the slightest bit of attention. It didn't stop one of them screaming at me in quite unpleasant language that I must put her on her lead as if she attacked her horse she'd get off and attack me! I said I would put her on her lead as she was clearly frightened and if it made her feel better and stopped her being so aggressive it was worth it, but, as she could see, my dog was perfectly under control and wasn't the slightest bit interested in attacking her horse. Instead of a thank you I got another mouthful of abuse. Her friends didn't know where to look. I think she must have had a bad experience beofre but she had a very strange way of dealing with it!

 

[Pennythetank]

I have been known to reach down off whichever horse I am riding at the time(depending on how comfortable that horse was around dogs...) and give aggressive/attacking dogs a whack with my whip (jockey whip- loud sound, little pain). I have never had to do it to the same dog twice because I normally give the eejit owners a lecture once they have caught up with the dogs and from then on they call the dog as soon as they see me in the distance!

 

[pansymouse]

To the ones that glibly dismiss their dogs bad behaviour with a "he/she's good with horses" I always respond "good but unfortunately she's bad with dogs" (she isn't that bad but it's 100% reliable and is prone to hair trigger flightiness).

 

[Shantara]

My Annie was 100% with horses all her life, however I always put her on the lead if we saw horses as I felt it was a gesture of good will, rather than for anyone's safety.
I don't mind loose dogs as Ned is fine (Apart from once, when a collie came flying out of the long grass, just behind him! He spooked into some thorns, which I was picking out of both of us when we got home...ouch!) I've only come across 2 bad dog owners, one of which had no control over 3 large, excitable dogs, who all came charging at Ned on one of our first outings alone. Thankfully he kept his cool and just kept walking towards them. They backed down.

The other, I was on a horse called Archie and it was on the beach. A beautiful Saluki came snapping at his heels and I could see the owner wasn't bothered, even though I was telling him his dog was about to be kicked! After a few moments Archie kicked out, narrowly missing the dog, who thankfully left us alone.

Why are people so uncaring?!

Speaking of which, I saw a story in the local tack shop about how a horse was savaged by a dog and the owners just drove off and left the dog, who was taken away by police and probably PTS.

 

[fatpiggy]

To the ones that glibly dismiss their dogs bad behaviour with a "he/she's good with horses" I always respond "good but unfortunately she's bad with dogs" (she isn't that bad but it's 100% reliable and is prone to hair trigger flightiness).

The worst owners for that are horseriders who take their dogs out with them, in my experience!

 

[Luci07]

Everywhere is getting more crowded. I don't have the answer or even a suggestion but I have personally seen how popular areas where I live (so Ranmore, Holmbury, Blackheath) are struggling with such increased usage and the paths and byways are not coping. 15 years ago, Ranmore was pretty good going all winter. Now it is heavily flinted and I saw a massive upsurge in cycling. Holmbury is the same. It is great that so many more people head out to the countryside but there does not appear to be the resources to cope.
Oddly enough I am now in Reigate. Heavily HEAVILY populated with dog walkers. Not yet met one dog walker who hasn't checked their dogs when we meet them out riding. I am a dog owner myself and did used to hack one of them out with me. Can't do it anymore as said horse had a flip and knocked her so she won't come out with me. Do miss her as I had put of work into her training to make her safe and had loved having her out with us.

 

[Singing Dawg]

...not to mention the ones who grab their dogs and then hide behind a tree....

 

[serenityjane]

'...not to mention the ones who grab their dogs and then hide behind a tree...'
Don't you just love these! Or the walker/cyclist that hides in a gateway and then looks at you as if you are totally mad when you tell your horse there is someone there by shouting 'hello, lady in the gateway' before you pass!
We have a footpath going through our land, and I get so many ' it's OK my dog is good with Sheep' comments when I ask people to put the their dogs on a lead- my reply is always- 'That may be so, but my sheep are not good with dogs!'

 

[lawa]

I agree my dad breeds setters and we often meet some local riders and they are always pur on leads. We always ask if we can bring the dogs up calmly to the horses to desensetize them

 

[Deltaflyer]

I had a great one a few weeks ago. I was riding on the private hacking which belongs to the yard where I keep my horse. There is a footpath that runs along this particular stretch with a field on one side and woods on the other. Approaching were three people with a young dog none of them appeared to have much control over. My horse is generally an angel but on this occasion the dog kept running in to the woods alongside the track right where we were waiting, the resulting rustling of undergrowth by an unseen entity made my horse understandably jumpy. Obviously I didn't want to turn round and go back the way we'd come for many reasons. Finally, the owners managed to get their dog back, however, whilst clipping the lead on the dog one of them decides to put a flipping umbrella up!! As my boy was already stressed by the stealth dog this was the last straw and he wanted to turn and gallop off back to the yard. I managed to get the woman to put the umbrella down and so I could pass safely. I don't think I've EVER encountered someone out on a country walk putting up an umbrella. Talk about add to an already tricky situation! I have no problem with dogs off leads if they come to heel and I could understand that a young excited dog can be hard to get to heel and was happy to wait while they caught him. But the UMBRELLA!! Sheesh. I did thank them for catching their dog but also explained that umbrellas and horses aren't always great mix.

 

[pip6]

I always ask them to catch their dogs. When you get the standard 'oh he wont bother you', as the dog is running straight to the horse to nip at its heals, I reply 'but my horse doesn't like dogs and has steel shoes on. I don't want your dog to die if it gets kicked in the head from being too close', that usually rams message home and they call it back or more often try to call it back but darling pooch is ignoring them and snapping at heals so they go into a panicked frenzy. Might make them call it back sooner next time. If anyone dares say I shouldn't ride a 'dangerous' horse, I point out that if their dog is not harrassing my horse it wont be close enough to be kicked, and I am sat on a wild animal, whereas dogs are deemed domesticated so should be under control at all times in a public place.

Absolutely no need for it. I live with 2 collie dogs, that know their manners around horses and cats etc. It's about taking responsibility for your animals actions.

 

[Zero00000]

Sometimes dogs do act out the ordinary, I've had a bulldog chase us and run in and out of legs barking, Luckily my mare is ok with dogs, she just looks at it like 'what are you doing' the mare I was with was not, and would kick with great accuracy,
I got off and held said dog by its collar or he was going to get a hoof in the head, owner came running up to us very apologetic, turned out to be a friend of mine, who also has horses and this was very out of the ordinary for a dog who spends 50% of his day around horses,

Its the ones that tell you, you have no right to be somewhere, suddenly forget they own the dog once it starts misbehaving, the ones that are scared of horses so will not come to retrieve their dog, and the most annoying and scary, those who's dogs have acted this way before and caused damage and still! do not keep there dog on a lead!! that really get on my goat!

 

[Pigeon]

Last year I even had some kind soul poop the scoop and hang the bag on my fence for me to dispose of it. .

Oh my god I don't get why people do this! It's endemic around here! It's revolting, would be better to just leave the poo on the floor, at least it would get washed away eventually! Idiots!

 

[gmw]

Out hacking on local bridleway met a very heavy lady with leg in plaster in wheelchair being pushed by very frail looking lady. Two dogs tied to the wheelchair and three loose. One dog took one look at my cob and came bounding over hackles up and snarling. I managed to retrieve an Irish sergeant major voice and yelled 'Waaaaaarrrrre Leaveit'. God knows where I got that phrase from I'm not Irish and have no military training whatsoever, but it worked a treat.

 

[wingedhorse99]

Oddly enough I am now in Reigate. Heavily HEAVILY populated with dog walkers. Not yet met one dog walker who hasn't checked their dogs when we meet them out riding. I am a dog owner myself and did used to hack one of them out with me. Can't do it anymore as said horse had a flip and knocked her so she won't come out with me. Do miss her as I had put of work into her training to make her safe and had loved having her out with us.

I am in Reigate too. Might see you on the heath. Are a LOT of walkers, golf players and dog walkers. And 99% of the dog walkers are good. I think we see so many dogs, the horses are v used to them.

We did nearly trip over an elderly lab a few weeks ago - owner had 5 dogs off lead on path, and the elderly one was weaving about, and horses were nearly treading on her. Owners rather too relaxed! Bet you can guess owner

 

[npage123]

Out hacking on local bridleway met a very heavy lady with leg in plaster in wheelchair being pushed by very frail looking lady. Two dogs tied to the wheelchair and three loose. One dog took one look at my cob and came bounding over hackles up and snarling. I managed to retrieve an Irish sergeant major voice and yelled 'Waaaaaarrrrre Leaveit'. God knows where I got that phrase from I'm not Irish and have no military training whatsoever, but it worked a treat.

That's hilarious!! Thanks for sharing that story

 

[lurcherlu]

Two staffs and a min pin approached us on a lovely ride one day , I know the. Min pins owners and she's a bimbo at best . Min pin is barking so gets scooped up , staffed get put on flexi lead waheyyyyyyyy and then allowed to wrap around my mares back leg. Thank God she's bare foot , listens to me and knows how to stand like a rock . The dog initially sniffed at her hooves then walked around her leg I asked the owner to keep the dog away and next thing e know the lead is wrapped around her leg . Thankfully he unclipped the dog and retracted lead. Why why why use those stupid leads

 

[npage123]

That's hilarious!! Thanks for sharing that story

Just to add: obviously I don't think it's a laughing matter to be attacked my a dog, but the quick and efficient way in which you dealt with a potential attack really made me laugh