If your dog is scaring somebody, please restrain your dog

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by Sliver

My daughter is really scared of dogs (she's six). We're trying to work on it with her. "Fortunately," everybody I know has at least two dogs so there is plenty of opportunity to coach her on how to be with dogs...let them sniff you, stand still instead of running away, etc. She makes slow and steady progress, then there is always some ######ed dog owner that comes along and puts us back at square one.

So this weekend some dumb lady was walking her two dogs with no leash. My daughter and I were walking along the sidewalk. Right away I could tell they were friendly so I wasn't concerned at all for her safety, but she was completely terrified. Of course the dumb owner is like twenty feet back thinking it's the cutest thing to watch her mutts interact with a little girl. She's saying all the usual terrible dog owner things like "they're just saying hi!", "they're really friendly!", "they just want to give you a kiss!", etc.

Luckily, I have my gloves on so I can kind of push them away with my hands and my legs (I won't touch a filthy dog with my bare hands unless there is a sink nearby where I can wash). But my daughter is losing her junk. In her panic, I can't get her to stand still because these heaving, panting balls of nastiness are snarfing all over her. I picked her up and it made them want to sniff her and get their slobber on her even more. I was so fataing pissed.

Then the owner finally saunters over to talk about her dogs to me. This one is very vocal. This one is about four or five...we're not sure because she's a rescue and we're so great because we rescue crappy dogs people throw away for a reason, etc. Then she tries to coach my daughter on how to pet the dogs. Um, no thanks. We couldn't have made it any more clear we didn't want to be anywhere near her gross dogs.

Anyway, my point is if you have a dog please don't assume everybody wants to touch it/be touched by it. And if you can see somebody is scared of it, grab your dog and GTFO. My six year-old doesn't need a little lesson on how to love mutts from some stranger.

I was actually sympathetic until I read the bolded section. Ridiculous.

That said, if the dogs were off leash in an on leash area, then the dog's owner was definitely in the wrong. If you were walking in an off leash area, that's a different matter.

Did you happen to tell the owner as she was approaching that your daughter had a fear of dogs? You don't mention it in your post.

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by OffsideSpecialist

Dog owners that don't keep their dog on a leash in residential neighbourhoods should get a 5-wood to the chops.

I'll confess that when I walk my Newfie at 6 AM there are days I don't put him on the leash as we walk to the park. If there is any expectation that we'll run into people though, he goes on leash.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by longsuffering

If you were walking in an off leash area, that's a different matter.

.

I think earlier he said it was not an off lease area, just a sidewalk.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by photon

I'm not afraid of dogs and generally teach my kid to be kind to animals (I usually put spiders outside rather than squishing them), but he's still reacted in terror to the smallest most innocent dog you could imagine. So it could be something else, and putting it that way just continues conflict rather than discussion.

With all due respect, I wasn't trying to create a conflict. Racists raise children to be racists. Flames fans raise their kids to be Flames fans. And I grew up in a home where my parents always ragged on domestic cars and swore they would never buy one... therefore I grew up hating on domestic cars.

You cannot discount the fact, the child may very well be a product of their environment. And we know Slivers extreme anti-dog views.

[FanIn80]

Ignoring the whole "dogs and owners" thing (as well as the tone of the original post) for a moment... I think it just comes down to simple courtesy. If I want to pet your dog, I'll respond in a manner that indicates that. If I don't want to pet your dog, I'll respond in a manner that indicates that instead. I'm not going to be an a**hole about it, because it's not in my nature, but at the same time, I would appreciate the courtesy of the owner being able to differentiate between the two reactions.

I don't think it's unheard of for somebody to want to walk down a neighborhood sidewalk without a couple of overly-friendly dogs jumping all over them in the process.

[To Be Quite Honest]

I always wash my hands after petting any dog. I give the dog in my home a few good minutes of attention and then I wash my hands and go back to work. Why, because my hands DO stink after. She even had a bath last week. I also carry my gloves with me when I walk Portia because I pick up poop and stuff...

Here's an etiquette question for discussion - dog pee. I only let Portia walk about a foot and a half on the grass when I take her for walks. I always pick up her poop with those scary thin plastic bags but you can't pick up pee. How far do you let your dog roam on your neighbors lawn while going on a pet washroom break?

Also you push dogs away when they jump on you or invade your space. You don't back away or give away your space

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by pylon

With all due respect, I wasn't trying to create a conflict. Racists raise children to be racists. Flames fans raise their kids to be Flames fans. And I grew up in a home where my parents always ragged on domestic cars and swore they would never buy one... therefore I grew up hating on domestic cars.

You cannot discount the fact, the child may very well be a product of their environment. And we know Slivers extreme anti-dog views.

I fully believe the child is a product of her environment.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Sliver

My daughter is really scared of dogs (she's six). We're trying to work on it with her. "Fortunately," everybody I know has at least two dogs so there is plenty of opportunity to coach her on how to be with dogs...let them sniff you, stand still instead of running away, etc. She makes slow and steady progress, then there is always some ######ed dog owner that comes along and puts us back at square one.

So this weekend some dumb lady was walking her two dogs with no leash. My daughter and I were walking along the sidewalk. Right away I could tell they were friendly so I wasn't concerned at all for her safety, but she was completely terrified. Of course the dumb owner is like twenty feet back thinking it's the cutest thing to watch her mutts interact with a little girl. She's saying all the usual terrible dog owner things like "they're just saying hi!", "they're really friendly!", "they just want to give you a kiss!", etc.

Luckily, I have my gloves on so I can kind of push them away with my hands and my legs (I won't touch a filthy dog with my bare hands unless there is a sink nearby where I can wash). But my daughter is losing her junk. In her panic, I can't get her to stand still because these heaving, panting balls of nastiness are snarfing all over her. I picked her up and it made them want to sniff her and get their slobber on her even more. I was so fataing pissed.

Then the owner finally saunters over to talk about her dogs to me. This one is very vocal. This one is about four or five...we're not sure because she's a rescue and we're so great because we rescue crappy dogs people throw away for a reason, etc. Then she tries to coach my daughter on how to pet the dogs. Um, no thanks. We couldn't have made it any more clear we didn't want to be anywhere near her gross dogs.

.

All of the bolded parts are insulting to any dog owner. They assume dog owners are dumb, and filthy people. I would fathom to guess a 5 year old child is filthier than most dogs. The last part about rescue dogs is totally ignorant. Most rescue animals were abused animals that did nothing to deserve their fate. So no, I won't back off.

I really hope you never at any time require an assist animal at any point in your life Sliver. Or I hope you never require the assistance of a search and rescue animal. You don't deserve it.

[Zevo]

Absolutely dogs should be on a leash, especially in a residential neighborhood, but seeing as how Sliver has admitted to enjoying getting dogs all riled up when he passes a dog in a parked car, this is nothing short of karma.

Even though the lady walking the dogs was completely in the wrong, I have zero sympathy for you. I do however feel bad for your daughter.

[V]

Dog owners are like smokers. The vast majority are completely oblivious to their surroundings, and how their dirty habit affects their environment.

Fortunately all the responsible dog owners are here in this thread.

[To Be Quite Honest]

Originally Posted by pylon

All of the bolded parts are insulting to any dog owner. They assume dog owners are dumb, and filthy people. I would fathom to guess a 5 year old child is filthier than most dogs. The last part about rescue dogs is totally ignorant. Most rescue animals were abused animals that did nothing to deserve their fate. So no, I won't back off.

I really hope you never at any time require an assist animal at any point in your life Sliver. Or I hope you never require the assistance of a search and rescue animal. You don't deserve it.

His post is completely harsh but he could just be posting emotionally and venting his frustration. Perhaps it's because he loves his daughter so much and it pains him to watch her go through this.

I only say this because I've embarrassed my self on this board by posting full of emotion several times... a week.

Perhaps a search and rescue dog would change his mind about animals, but that was a pretty harsh thing you said, because it's filled with venom and it sounds like you want something bad to happen even though you say "I really hope you never".

[First Lady]

100% agree the dogs should have been on leashes.

By the same token I believe kids need to be under control in the off-leash areas.

Originally Posted by Sliver

Plus, what about my story sounds far fetched?

Maybe this part...

Originally Posted by Sliver

You really don't see this issue with somebody's dog getting it's drool, fur and mange all over my clothes and my daughter's clothes?

Did they really have mange?

[DuffMan]

Just got back from taking my dog for a walk. No incidents to report.

[photon]

Originally Posted by pylon

With all due respect, I wasn't trying to create a conflict.

I never said you were, but it just continues the conflict.

There's posting to elicit a response, then there's responding to the post in a way that elicit a similar response, the only way one stops is when the other does, I was just mentioning one side of things there.

Originally Posted by pylon

You cannot discount the fact, the child may very well be a product of their environment. And we know Slivers extreme anti-dog views.

Sure, children are products of their environment, but it's their ENTIRE environment (not just parents), and it's not a complete 1:1 correlation.. otherwise children could never be at all different from their parents. My grandma is afraid of water but my mom swims, my wife is terrified of snakes but my son wants to buy one, the funny thing about correlations is they're totally obvious except for all the times when they aren't.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by To Be Quite Honest

Perhaps a search and rescue dog would change his mind about animals, but that was a pretty harsh thing you said, because it's filled with venom and it sounds like you want something bad to happen even though you say "I really hope you never".

And his original post isn't filled with venom towards dog owners and dogs? I was mauled by a dog when I was a little kid, I have posted on here about it before, and I still think they are awesome pets.

If the guy hates dogs, that is fine. But berating an entire part of society as stupid, filthy people for owning an animal is over the line. I am not stupid and filthy, my folks are not stupid and filthy, nor are the vast majority of people I know that also own dogs. There are just as many stupid and filthy people that are non-dog owners out there.

[photon]

Disclaimer: I hate dogs. I get the friendly and fun part, and I'd probably like them if I didn't find them so dirty and disgusting.

Bull dog with drooling jowls? Excuse me while I vomit.

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by photon

Disclaimer: I hate dogs. I get the friendly and fun part, and I'd probably like them if I didn't find them so dirty and disgusting.

Bull dog with drooling jowls? Excuse me while I vomit.

How do you feel about little kids?

Little disease carriers that make noise, vomit, drool, poop, get into anything, and cry.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by photon

Disclaimer: I hate dogs. I get the friendly and fun part, and I'd probably like them if I didn't find them so dirty and disgusting.

Bull dog with drooling jowls? Excuse me while I vomit.

Drooling dogs are pretty damn disgusting. Pugs? they give us, the chinese a bad name.

You need to buy a shiba. My dog won't even drool when it's +30 outside and i lock her in my car with leather seats and no windows open...

and worried about her jumping on people? she won't even let a person pet her unless she has seen them 10 times. hmmm She is prob more of a cat than a dog.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

Drooling dogs are pretty damn disgusting. Pugs? they give us, the chinese a bad name.

You need to buy a shiba. My dog won't even drool when it's +30 outside and i lock her in my car with leather seats and no windows open...

and worried about her jumping on people? she won't even let a person pet her unless she has seen them 10 times. hmmm She is prob more of a cat than a dog.

[MarchHare]

She is prob more of a cat than a dog.

+1

Shibas are the dog breed for people who don't like most things about dogs. Mine is meticulously clean, she's quiet as a mouse, and she's far too timid to ever run up and jump on people.

Also, everyone will think you're walking around with a domesticated fox, so badass points++.