Irresponsible Owners

Today's winner:

Out with both my horses, my friend riding Fin. I was in the lead on Hermosa, and Fin suddenly shot forwards. Hermosa did a milder spook, jumping forwards a couple meters, and I spun her round to see a dog charging after us, right up our arses, no owners in sight. I rode her at the dog, waving my long dressage whip around and screaming invective and threats of violent bodily harm that would have Malcolm Tucker from "The Thick of It" quaking in terror. The dog was also cowering and regretting its life choices. I am sure most of Mugdock heard. Still no owners in sight, so Hermosa and I drove it back along the trail until I spotted the owners, who managed to gather it up and sheepishly slink off down another trail. Yeah, f987k you very much.

Hermosa is used to me acting like a psychotic maniac when we have to deal with dogs. I think she's come to expect it! The one time (back in the summer) I thought she was going to tank off the other way was when a Rhodesian Ridgeback with poor recall came at us, and I froze in an "oh, sh1t, we're gonna die" moment. Those things are big. And bred to hunt freakin lions. She felt like she was about to spin and leg it, which would have been a very bad idea. But when I took a breath and started screaming and swearing at the dog and acting far more like a lunatic than any lion, Hermosa felt a lot more confident. "Oh, yeah, this is what she does. Back to normal."
 
Last edited:
So just now, fighting my way along a pavement that has obscured views with buddlia growing all over the place, I was suddenly confronted by a very large brindle mastiff cross I suppose, trotting along the pavement with a choke chain and no lead. It was accompanied by a man behind it on a bike. I shrieked in terror, to the amusement of the school kids on their way home, and dragged my little dog with me as I turned tail and fled. The man said it was OK, got off his bike and caught the dog, which in all fairness seemed very placid. I honestly thought we would be attacked!

However, it is a very very busy normal width road in between a large supermarket and a retail park. Whilst the dog seemed steadfast in its course along the pavement, it didn't seem sensible to risk it. And I know it's illegal to have them off lead on a road, but legality doesn't seem to matter much around here.
 
Last edited:
On a lighter note, I just saw one of my neighbour's girls who made a fuss of my dog. I asked how theirs was (a spaniel x terrier they got as a pup from a rescue who would be about 3 now) and she said fine. I asked if they walked her much (I never see them out with her) and she replied the dog didn't need it as she spent all day running around the house 😮, and she was being serious!

I expect they fitted all the criteria when rehoming as well
 
This morning, someone uttered an ineffectual 'no' as they typed on their phone and their small fluffy charged barking towards my dog, who I had straddled between my legs... she just looked a bit mortified and decided not ro retaliate 🤣
 
Just had a right humdinger with a bloke in the local park. He had a German Shepherd, lovely dog but very boisterous and playful and he had no recall. Another man was innocently walking with his dog off lead about 50 yards away. GS runs over to this dog, while GS owner shouts pathetically at it to come back, and starts jumping on it. So other dog retaliates and scares it off. GS then runs over to my dogs and starts annoying them, before racing back over to the other dog (who is still walking calmly next to owner minding its own business). GS jumped on it again and of course, other dog retaliates. GS keeps going back for more and eventually ends up squealing and backing off.

GS owner then starts screaming at the poor man that his dog is dangerous and should be on a lead and what if it had been a child. Absolutely screaming at him across the field, while still failing to get his GS under control. In fairness, to the other bloke, he just told him to give it a rest and walked off. All while GS man shouted that his dog was dangerous and was a risk to kids.

Next thing, GS comes tearing back to my dogs and starts leaping on Bess to get her ball. I’m afraid I lost the plot and told GS bloke that the only out of control dog was his and that he had no right to shout at that other bloke. The other dog was minding its own business and that it was HIS dog that was out of control.
He called me every name under the sun- “sl*g, d*ckhead” 🤣 Apparently I’m one of those “little dog owners” and he’s been training dogs for years and knows what he’s doing and that he’s always had big dogs like Rotties and Shepherds and people always have a go because of the breed.
I refrained from telling him that I grew up with GS’s so I’m not bothered by them, but I’m afraid I did point out that his need to have these big dogs made me wonder whether he was making up for something else lacking in his life… (petty, but whatever).

I then heard him telling anyone who would listen that I was “one of those small dog owners” 😂
He did put GS on a lead though, so I wonder whether something I said registered.

Why are people so thick??? It absolutely baffles me that people read these situations so differently.
 
My girl is your classic big bouncy GSD. I don't think she has a nasty bone in her body but her idea of playing is to splat other dogs! That is why she is always on lead around others, because it wouldn't be fair on them, but I get no end of people wanting me to let her play with their dogs. I have spent all my life defending the breed but there seem to be more and more idiots out there undoing all the good.
 
MurphysMinder said:
My girl is your classic big bouncy GSD. I don't think she has a nasty bone in her body but her idea of playing is to splat other dogs! That is why she is always on lead around others, because it wouldn't be fair on them, but I get no end of people wanting me to let her play with their dogs. I have spent all my life defending the breed but there seem to be more and more idiots out there undoing all the good.
Click to expand...

I love the breed. I grew up with them from being a tot. But idiots like this give the breed a bad name.
He was deflecting his own poor training onto someone else’s dog, which was totally unfair. That other dog did nothing wrong other than protect himself.
 
I have a GSD mix and won't allow her to play with others.

She is a bit barky lungey, but once she is past that all she really wants to do is dick about and play.

Her play style, however, is just too much. She's a bulldozer. One hundred mile an hour. In your face.

I don't think she has it in her to really start a fight, however she could absolutely cause one with her absurdness.
 
The breed was actually irrelevant in this situation. It could have been any dog. The fact was the dog was allowed to run up to other dogs (on lead or otherwise) and then the owner blamed those owners when their dogs retaliated.

I wasn’t actually that bothered when it annoyed my dogs. Bess just wanted to play ball so was sort of ignoring it and occasionally barking to tell it to back off. But I was still inwardly fuming from watching this poor other innocent bloke get a mouthful, so it just came out. My mum did say I’m going to get us all punched one day 😂

One thing I can’t stand is bully-blokes who deflect their own failings onto others. Which I told him.
It didn’t go down well!
 
Sat having coffee with a friend this morning post walk. Stupid owner allows her dog over to ours and it promptly sticks its face into my friends dogs face, and gets nipped. Qué shocked face and OMG reaction.

I asked her what she expected to happen? Not that, she responded.

Was she amused when I told her every day was a learning day? Nope 😳
 
Post on local community page - 4 month old puppy 'still learning recall', off lead in very popular busy woodland during a public 10k run, ran up to and jumped up at a runner who 'kicked out with his leg and then shoved him down with his arm'. They are bemoaning the behaviour of the nasty aggressive man. It's going about 80:20 in favour of the puppy owner...!
 
blackcob said:
Ignoring the colour for a minute, if that one puppy in particular doesn't have a malocclusion I'll eat my hat.

That practice wants to be a bit more circumspect about what they choose to post - the (merle) bulldog puppy is appalling.
Click to expand...
Just seen the bulldog picture , how can any vet think it’s a good idea to post that , unless as an example of health issues 😡
 
I'm always relieved when I look it up and it's not one of 'mine' 😅 One month to go and I never have to look at a practice page again, hurrah.

For a responsible owner antidote, shout out to the lady on our walk last week who on seeing me me recall my dog and pick up her line, immediately called her dog and clipped his lead on, and as we passed and I said thanks went 'by the way, our cat followed us here, he might still be by the gate' in a completely non-judgy, genuinely helping out tone. Cat had gone home but I appreciated the heads up!
 
MurphysMinder said:
Just seen the bulldog picture , how can any vet think it’s a good idea to post that , unless as an example of health issues 😡
Click to expand...
We certainly wouldn't post that at our practice. That poor pup, lined up for a lifetime of medical problems and misery. "Aw, stunning...":rolleyes:

Out of interest, we wouldn't post the pic of the dog in glasses either. We have a policy of no dressed-up dogs on our FB (Obvs not including normal dog coats).
 
Out of place, but want to share my proud mother moment.

Out with my three yesterday morning. Very early, before sunrise.

All off lead.

We are in the New Forest so there are ponies all over.

A group of yearlings, who I assume had not long been turned out as all had fresh collars on and were very full of themselves, came up suddenly behind us, hesitated at the ditch, then one jumped it, bucking and pratting, followed by another three. All took off at a mad gallop, straight through the middle of my dogs and I.

All of my dogs just watched them. Listened when I told them to leave them and not follow. Then carried on with their walk like nothing had happened.

They are good around the feral ponies, but it was a very lively encounter 😅
 
Once again , my 3 on lead as we were close to the road , off lead lab size dog has a go at mine, owner just standing there so I shouted at it and pulled mine away, owner half heartedly calls it with a softly spoken come here and carried on talking to another dog walker. No apology!!!! My back is bad today otherwise I would have kicked it, she would have spoken to me then . What is the matter with people?
 
Outing to a market town today with family, sans dogs. We took a post lunch walk around the historical site and gardens, behind a couple with a dog off the lead. It remained off lead as we re-entered town, crossed a road, and entered a square surrounded by roads on all sides. As they carried on walking, it spotted what I can only think was a wet heap of human sick and some sort of discarded foodstuff - I only saw briefly as what happened next gave me the boak and I had to look away. Dog stops to chobble down pile of sick and (burger? pizza?) while owners unconcernedly walk on ahead. They did eventually realise and run back.
 
blackcob said:
Outing to a market town today with family, sans dogs. We took a post lunch walk around the historical site and gardens, behind a couple with a dog off the lead. It remained off lead as we re-entered town, crossed a road, and entered a square surrounded by roads on all sides. As they carried on walking, it spotted what I can only think was a wet heap of human sick and some sort of discarded foodstuff - I only saw briefly as what happened next gave me the boak and I had to look away. Dog stops to chobble down pile of sick and (burger? pizza?) while owners unconcernedly walk on ahead. They did eventually realise and run back.
Click to expand...
🤢🤢🤢
One can only hope their dog threw it back up on their carpet when they got home 🤣
 
A Cautionary Tale.

Walking my dog at lunchtime. Due to repeat bad experiences with other peoples' offleash dogs in public, she is dog reactive and quite noisy and ferocious looking with it. Luckily she is small and I know how to handle it and I usually call ahead.

On a very narrow path with a bend ahead. Small cocker puppy, alone, appears, comes towards her, limited time or space for me to do much mitigation. I say into the ether, 'call your dog please'. I put my dog between my legs but she will no longer accept food in my other hand as the dog is approaching her at speed.
The owner, still not in sight, says the dogs name several times along with several 'come heres' (that's *two* commands that mean the same thing, folks!) all ignored.
Once it comes nose to nose (my dog is literally between my legs, I cannot have her under any more control) then banshee mode is initiated. Cocker starts barking furiously back. Owner appears and puts dog on a leash. I say something like 'It's OK, I have her'.
Owner walks on, my dog recovers quickly and goes on about her business. I can hear the Cocker barking for some time in the distance.
For the sake of a leash and a handful of kibble and a bit of cop on, this little puppy could have avoided a very negative experience which may influence its next meeting with another dog. Also, I wonder why one would walk a little puppy like that offleash on a day like this.

Please only let your little puppies only socialise with KNOWN, NICE dogs in a controlled manner and save yourself a lot of hassle by keeping them on leash in areas where you cannot see what is around the next corner. Can you imagine if I was a person who did not care/wasn't concentrating and my own dog was offleash/under less control and it was worse than noisy barking?
 
CorvusCorax said:
A Cautionary Tale.

Walking my dog at lunchtime. Due to repeat bad experiences with other peoples' offleash dogs in public, she is dog reactive and quite noisy and ferocious looking with it. Luckily she is small and I know how to handle it and I usually call ahead.

On a very narrow path with a bend ahead. Small cocker puppy, alone, appears, comes towards her, limited time or space for me to do much mitigation. I say into the ether, 'call your dog please'. I put my dog between my legs but she will no longer accept food in my other hand as the dog is approaching her at speed.
The owner, still not in sight, says the dogs name several times along with several 'come heres' (that's *two* commands that mean the same thing, folks!) all ignored.
Once it comes nose to nose (my dog is literally between my legs, I cannot have her under any more control) then banshee mode is initiated. Cocker starts barking furiously back. Owner appears and puts dog on a leash. I say something like 'It's OK, I have her'.
Owner walks on, my dog recovers quickly and goes on about her business. I can hear the Cocker barking for some time in the distance.
For the sake of a leash and a handful of kibble and a bit of cop on, this little puppy could have avoided a very negative experience which may influence its next meeting with another dog. Also, I wonder why one would walk a little puppy like that offleash on a day like this.

Please only let your little puppies only socialise with KNOWN, NICE dogs in a controlled manner and save yourself a lot of hassle by keeping them on leash in areas where you cannot see what is around the next corner. Can you imagine if I was a person who did not care/wasn't concentrating and my own dog was offleash/under less control and it was worse than noisy barking?
Click to expand...
I find many puppy owners are oblivious to the dangers their puppy is risking.

At dog club, I tend to work one of my dogs (which depends on the week, but all three have joined at least once) in the big puppy class (roughly 6 to 10 months old - variable depending on size and maturity) as I'm busy teaching during the adult dog class. I'm amazed at the number of people who are busy having a chin wag and have no clue what their puppy is up to even at the end of its shortish lead. I got a bit sharp with one woman because she was letting (through inattention) her rather large and boisterous golden retriever puppy pester a dog that had been tied up to a tying point while its owner sorted out the paperwork and the poor dog was showing all the signs of having had enough. I told her once, the puppy was at it again. I told her twice. She then let her puppy get in Liberty's face, so I got even sharper. On another occasion, same owner got an ear hole full from the treasurer after she'd let the golden go up to the treasurer's papillon. Treasurer not impressed at having to fend of a large puppy from her tiny dog.
People also let their puppies approach others in lessons despite being told not too and being warned to be especially careful of certain dogs (mine!). Once case that really floored me was the man with the tiny chihuahua, that was merrily letting it go up to pretty much any dog. It was so tiny that one snap from Monster would have finished it off. I can't comprehend how the owner couldn't see the danger to his tiny pup.
I've got pretty good with all the stock phrases at dog club: "Give us space", "you're too close", "watch your dog", "move away, now!". I also regularly give a speech at the end of class (with the teacher in charge's permission) about exactly what you said, CC, keep your innocent puppies innocent as long as you can. It doesn't appear to sink in, the careful owners are still careful, the away with the fairies owners are still away with the fairies and still don't have a clue what their dog is up to less than 2m from them
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top