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Yet another reason to loathe loose-running dogs... (Read 899 times)


Feeling the growl again

    I can't blame a dog for behaving like a dog. I'd rather punt the little chickenshit dog owner who can't take responsibility for his animal. (Like others on this thread, I've owned dogs my whole life, and I can't stand irresponsible dog owners.)

     

    Of course the owners are irresponsible, but if a dog is a threat to safety our otherwise misbehaving, and the owners won't teach it a lesson or do what they are supposed to,i have no issues with fixing the problem myself. A bad dog is not just being a dog anymore than a criminal is just being a person. Both can benefit from an attitude adjustment to right their behavior. Funny how many dogs I have had to run by that try to grab me, when their owners let them run loose, dont try it a second time after a quick lesson. Not because their owners become any more responsible.

    "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

     

    I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

     

      When I am running on a bike trail or in a park,  and I nicely ask someone to put their loose dog on a leash,  I often get yelled at angrily by the owner . I'm not sure i understand exactly where that anger comes from.

       

      When I'm running with my dog, I will often yell at other owners to put their dogs on leashes.  It's just irresponsible if there are other people around.

       

      They get angry at me, too.  But, then, people who obey leash laws are the idiots, right? Cool  

      "When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." 
      Emil Zatopek


      Tiefsa

        Dogs have always scared me when I am running, on a leash or not.  Actually, those extendable leashes scare me the worst because sometimes the owners are slow on the trigger to keep that dog from getting to far from them.

          DC is the frickin world capital of off leash dogs and obnoxious owners. I've had dogs go after me (growling and barking) when I've been running, and owners look shocked and angry when I yelled at their dogs. The most amazing thing, though--- and this has happened a couple of times --- has been when dog owners have let their dogs wander into my son's soccer practices. I don't mean a parent with a dog that gets loose --- I mean morons that see a kids' soccer practice going on, apparently feel resentful the there are people playing soccer on the soccer field where they want to let their dog run, so they let/encourage their dogs to go onto the field and disrupt practice. I've been amazed at the other parents' calm response --- each time I've had to walk away for fear that I would hit somebody and get arrested, and I'm not usually an angry person.
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          rectumdamnnearkilledem

            DC is the frickin world capital of off leash dogs and obnoxious owners. I've had dogs go after me (growling and barking) when I've been running, and owners look shocked and angry when I yelled at their dogs. The most amazing thing, though--- and this has happened a couple of times --- has been when dog owners have let their dogs wander into my son's soccer practices. I don't mean a parent with a dog that gets loose --- I mean morons that see a kids' soccer practice going on, apparently feel resentful the there are people playing soccer on the soccer field where they want to let their dog run, so they let/encourage their dogs to go onto the field and disrupt practice. I've been amazed at the other parents' calm response --- each time I've had to walk away for fear that I would hit somebody and get arrested, and I'm not usually an angry person.

             

            That's just unreal.  They are obviously not thinking about the absolute shitstorm that would rightfully ensue if their precious pooch were to bite even ONE kid after getting kicked or stepped-on with a cleated foot.

             

            I have a friend who works for the humane society where we brought the stray rescued from our basement.  She's been working in animal welfare for several years and it's gotten to the point where she pretty much detests most of Humanity.  I can't say that I blame her, especially given the crap she deals with on a daily basis.

            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                 ~ Sarah Kay

            AnneCA


              I had an off-leash encounter last week.  Two women, who had about six off leash dogs between them, on a trail that's popular with both runners and off-leash dog walkers (and it is off-leash legal).  One of the dogs with them, a bullmastiff, came bounding up to me, as I approached from about 50m away.  Playfully, slober-ly, puppy-ish, so it's not like I felt threatened.  But, I also couldn't keep going, because this thing was hopping around my legs.  The woman calls out "Daisy, come here!"  No reaction from the dog, at all.  "Just stay there!" she yells to me.  "I'll come get her."  As she approached, she explained "Sorry, we're trying to train her not to jump on runners."    I didn't even know where to begin.


              Best Present Ever

                We had snow earlier last Sunday -- weird, because it had been 70 degrees the day before, and was back to the 70s by Thursday.  We've had essentially no snow all winter.  So this was a big deal, and everyone was at a nearby park with an awesome sledding hill.  The place was full of dogs -- all big, happy, not-very-scary labs, retrievers, labradoodles, etc mostly with outdoorsy sorts of dog owners. I was pissed, nonetheless. My son was seriously bitten in the face almost two years ago and has a  lot of fear of dogs.  He hates that he's afraid, because he has always loved dogs. It's really stressful for him to be approached by a dog.

                 

                I could see why the dog owners had all their dogs off-leash -- the dogs were as excited by the snow as the kids -- but this is not an off-leash park.  I'd have been within my rights to ask folks to leash their dogs. If I did, though, I'd seem like a huge asshole.  In the end, I  didn't say anything.  My son found a friend, and after briefly sledding, they went away from the crowd to roughhouse and throw snowballs.   He seemed ok.  

                 

                On the way home, I asked how he felt about the dogs, and he shrugged and said "ok."  I said something about how those dogs did all seem pretty friendly, not scary at all.  He stopped dead, looked me straight in the eye, and said in a dead-serious voice, "They didn't seem friendly at all."   Then I realized that he'd chosen to stay away from the area where the dogs were rather than sled like everyone else on purpose.  I should have gone the big asshole route.  

                stadjak


                Interval Junkie --Nobby

                  That was one heck of a snowstorm.  I came back from my LSD looking like I did snow-angles the dumb way (face down).

                   

                  What I can't figure out about the dogs off the leash is that when you're barreling down the trail, and a dog is coming the other way, he doesn't seem to understand that as I outweigh him by 120lbs, and I'm moving at a good clip, and I'm the dominant species: I HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY!  A mid-sized terrier today blockheadedly just refused to veer.  I almost plowed through him just for Darwin's sake.  

                  2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do


                  Feeling the growl again

                     

                    What I can't figure out about the dogs off the leash is that when you're barreling down the trail, and a dog is coming the other way, he doesn't seem to understand that as I outweigh him by 120lbs, and I'm moving at a good clip, and I'm the dominant species: I HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY!  A mid-sized terrier today blockheadedly just refused to veer.  I almost plowed through him just for Darwin's sake.  

                     

                    While big strong dogs can obviously do the most damage IF they become a problem, I have found that it is rare for this to happen (though I've had a terrifying encounter with a Rott and a Doberman before).  The big ones seem to be more inclined to really evaluate if they want to get aggressive or not, or just put up a show.  They know they are big and tough so why go to the effort?  I regularly run by a couple 150lb mastiffs that I was really worried about when the people moved in, but it takes so much effort for those beasts to move that they don't even try unless they are already right by the road when I come by.

                     

                    Then there are the little chickenshit dogs that have no fear or common sense, but are also more or less harmless due to their size.  They have the Napoleon complex from hell, and are used to being babied their whole lives since they'd be dead if they were ever really put in their place in the pecking order by a larger animal.

                     

                    That leaves the mid-sized ones which I find the worst.  They are big enough to do some damage, but small enough to act like an over-cocky small dog.  I had a terrier, sized like you describe, come after me last fall.  All the while it was chasing off the porch and after me the fat redneck owners not trying to call the dog back but yelling "don't kick our dog $&%hole!" before I'd done anything.

                     

                    So of course when it came straight in for the kill I booted it just hard enough to get the message across.  I'm not going to allow myself to get bit but I'm not going to unnecessarily hurt the dog to make a point to the redneck owners either.  The twice that the dog has been out when I went by since then it stays behind the fence....

                    "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                     

                    I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                     

                      Thank goodness those results came back negative Zoomy. I would hate to have to take you out by behind the shed and put a slug in ya.

                       

                      Under the circumstances it had to be tested for rabies and I had to wait nearly a week to find out if *I* would have to undergo the series of shots, myself (it was not a particularly stress-free period of time for me).

                      Trent


                      Good Bad & The Monkey

                        Then there are the little chickenshit dogs that have no fear or common sense, but are also more or less harmless due to their size.

                         

                        I've seen one of these nearly kill a grown man.

                         

                        For real.


                        Feeling the growl again

                          I've seen one of these nearly kill a grown man.

                           

                          For real.

                           

                          Well, to be honest, the only dog that ever tasted my blood was a Pekingese....sneak attack around a door and through my running shoe's breathable material.  Friggin' needle teeth.

                          "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                           

                          I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                           

                          Trent


                          Good Bad & The Monkey

                          zoom-zoom


                          rectumdamnnearkilledem

                            Thank goodness those results came back negative Zoomy. I would hate to have to take you out by behind the shed and put a slug in ya.

                             

                            Ha, you and my dad...same joke. Tongue Knuckleheads.

                            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                 ~ Sarah Kay

                            zoom-zoom


                            rectumdamnnearkilledem

                              Then there are the little chickenshit dogs that have no fear or common sense, but are also more or less harmless due to their size.  They have the Napoleon complex from hell, and are used to being babied their whole lives since they'd be dead if they were ever really put in their place in the pecking order by a larger animal.

                               

                              The only dogs I've really ever had issues with are 2 separate doxies.  Little dogs with big asshole personalities.  One would cross the road to sink his teeth in my calf (he actually tried...fortunately I have big calves and he couldn't open his tiny jaws wide enough to get a bite).  The people with the 1 doxie apparently moved.  I haven't seen the other one in ages.  My guess is he got walloped by a car.

                               

                              Still waiting to find out if my neighbor knows anything about the old guy's status.  I'm hoping he just got a bump, but he just seemed so out of sorts.  In hindsight I wish I would have stuck the dumbass dog in our garage and called animal control, but I was pressed for time and animal control is at least 25 minutes away.

                              Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                              remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                   ~ Sarah Kay

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