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Ironically enough, I had a situation 2 weekends ago that has slightly changed my view on the whole conversation. We went to a new brewery in West Asheville and one of our friends brought her little chihuahua. It's not the yippy/yelpy nippy type that you would think. He's super relaxed and has a really good disposition. We walked into the place that was packed and there were several other dogs in there. A hippie dude had his GIANT German Shepard dog (stunningly beautiful) off-leash and as we approached the bar, the GSD came to meet the little one. My friend was a bit nervous, but she dog-sits on the side and has many years of interaction experience with various breeds. They sniffed each other and all was well; the GSD was a sweetheart.
Right after that happened, there was a guy in the corner that had his mixed breed so and so on a leash but he wasn't holding onto the leash. It was a mid sized black dog that looked like some type of pit mix. Right after the GSD got done meeting little chico, this other dog came over and just grabbed him right by the neck and violently started yanking him. We all went in and got him out of this dog's jaws. The owner was over in the corner and saw the whole thing and had an evil smug grin on his face. I wanted to destroy him. It took a few minutes, but we all settled down and were in awe of what a total #^%$#&^ this guy was. 5 minutes later, he comes up and around us with his dog and aggressively asks if we want the dogs to 'meet'. Our friend had chico in her arms at this point (he was still shaking from the attack), and I told the guy "your dog just attacked hers, why would we want them to meet?". He got really angry and yelled some expletives and walked to the outdoor area while flicking us off. I was appalled that this guy wasn't kicked out at this point. We got a drink and I think we all just wanted to leave. The guy COMES BACK IN and stands right behind us to cash out his tab, clearly looking for a fight. She picked chico back up to protect him. After he said several disparaging things, I lost my mind and we were in each other's faces. I told him several things pertaining to him leaving. He finally did, and the bar tender asked us what that was all about. We told him, and he said this guy is in there 3 days a week and usually isn't starting trouble. We probably won't be going back if that's the kind of people that hang out there (the place is called The Whale).
The long and short of it is this: The animals can be a DIRECT reflection of the human responsible for their care. Vince: I know not all dogs should be judged just based on their size and breed, but after this altercation with my friend's poor little dog I now understand some of the scenarios that are happening to you. Not only does a dog owner have to contend with the dog's disposition, but how the owner's have raised them as well. It's a tough situation but this made me see it slightly different.
Ironically enough, I had a situation 2 weekends ago that has slightly changed my view on the whole conversation. We went to a new brewery in West Asheville and one of our friends brought her little chihuahua. It's not the yippy/yelpy nippy type that you would think. He's super relaxed and has a really good disposition. We walked into the place that was packed and there were several other dogs in there. A hippie dude had his GIANT German Shepard dog (stunningly beautiful) off-leash and as we approached the bar, the GSD came to meet the little one. My friend was a bit nervous, but she dog-sits on the side and has many years of interaction experience with various breeds. They sniffed each other and all was well; the GSD was a sweetheart.
Right after that happened, there was a guy in the corner that had his mixed breed so and so on a leash but he wasn't holding onto the leash. It was a mid sized black dog that looked like some type of pit mix. Right after the GSD got done meeting little chico, this other dog came over and just grabbed him right by the neck and violently started yanking him. We all went in and got him out of this dog's jaws. The owner was over in the corner and saw the whole thing and had an evil smug grin on his face. I wanted to destroy him. It took a few minutes, but we all settled down and were in awe of what a total #^%$#&^ this guy was. 5 minutes later, he comes up and around us with his dog and aggressively asks if we want the dogs to 'meet'. Our friend had chico in her arms at this point (he was still shaking from the attack), and I told the guy "your dog just attacked hers, why would we want them to meet?". He got really angry and yelled some expletives and walked to the outdoor area while flicking us off. I was appalled that this guy wasn't kicked out at this point. We got a drink and I think we all just wanted to leave. The guy COMES BACK IN and stands right behind us to cash out his tab, clearly looking for a fight. She picked chico back up to protect him. After he said several disparaging things, I lost my mind and we were in each other's faces. I told him several things pertaining to him leaving. He finally did, and the bar tender asked us what that was all about. We told him, and he said this guy is in there 3 days a week and usually isn't starting trouble. We probably won't be going back if that's the kind of people that hang out there (the place is called The Whale).
The long and short of it is this: The animals can be a DIRECT reflection of the human responsible for their care. Vince: I know not all dogs should be judged just based on their size and breed, but after this altercation with my friend's poor little dog I now understand some of the scenarios that are happening to you. Not only does a dog owner have to contend with the dog's disposition, but how the owner's have raised them as well. It's a tough situation but this made me see it slightly different.
Excellent story and it makes the case well, on so many levels. Some comments:
-- Absolutely, dogs with bad behavior are owned by people with bad attitudes. This is basic. Proper owners do not allow their dogs to threaten others animals or humans. It all starts with the OWNER.
-- I'm glad you now understand what the risks can be for small dogs but I must admit that it's mystifying it doesn't seem to be grasped by people without having to witness it. You experienced the very thing I described in Post #12. I'd wager any small dog owner, that takes their dog out in public, has experienced one, or many, versions of what you did. That is why the owners sometimes behave as they do. Basic.
-- Yup, the times some jackazz big dog randomly jumped one of my dogs -- it was always ME pulling the offending dog off of mine! I'm the one risking getting bitten by their bad dog! There are plenty of people who shouldn't own dogs and if you're going to own a big one you dang well better be able to physically control it.
-- "brought her little chihuahua. It's not the yippy/yelpy nippy type that you would think." --- This is something widely misunderstood. I'm just trying to illuminate here.....again, it's back to the owner. Small, even tiny, dogs are not inherently barky. Most are like that because they are not widely exposed or well socialized. Period. I've owned two 20 lb dogs and one 10 lb dog and none of them have been "yappy". That's because they were comfortable in almost any environment, I made sure of it. The other thing to remember is all that small dogs have to put forth, as defense, is attitude and bark. They do not have strength or heft. That also explains why some bark a fair amount, it's their only defensive warning mechanism. Makes sense.
Excellent story and it makes the case well, on so many levels. Some comments:
-- Absolutely, dogs with bad behavior are owned by people with bad attitudes. This is basic. Proper owners do not allow their dogs to threaten others animals or humans. It all starts with the OWNER.
-- I'm glad you now understand what the risks can be for small dogs but I must admit that it's mystifying it doesn't seem to be grasped by people without having to witness it. You experienced the very thing I described in Post #12. I'd wager any small dog owner, that takes their dog out in public, has experienced one, or many, versions of what you did. That is why the owners sometimes behave as they do. Basic.
-- Yup, the times some jackazz big dog randomly jumped one of my dogs -- it was always ME pulling the offending dog off of mine! I'm the one risking getting bitten by their bad dog! There are plenty of people who shouldn't own dogs and if you're going to own a big one you dang well better be able to physically control it.
-- "brought her little chihuahua. It's not the yippy/yelpy nippy type that you would think." --- This is something widely misunderstood. I'm just trying to illuminate here.....again, it's back to the owner. Small, even tiny, dogs are not inherently barky. Most are like that because they are not widely exposed or well socialized. Period. I've owned two 20 lb dogs and one 10 lb dog and none of them have been "yappy". That's because they were comfortable in almost any environment, I made sure of it. The other thing to remember is all that small dogs have to put forth, as defense, is attitude and bark. They do not have strength or heft. That also explains why some bark a fair amount, it's their only defensive warning mechanism. Makes sense.
I totally get it now. Not being a dog owner myself (always owned cats), I somehow didn't think about how inherently dangerous it is for a small dog in these situations. That pit mix that grabbed chico would have split him in half in less than a minute. And yes, WE had to pull the dog's jaws and teeth off of him while the owner pretended he wasn't seeing this. It was a terrible and disturbing situation that I would never ever want to be in again, so it makes sense now.
Ironically enough, I had a situation 2 weekends ago that has slightly changed my view on the whole conversation. We went to a new brewery in West Asheville and one of our friends brought her little chihuahua. It's not the yippy/yelpy nippy type that you would think. He's super relaxed and has a really good disposition. We walked into the place that was packed and there were several other dogs in there. A hippie dude had his GIANT German Shepard dog (stunningly beautiful) off-leash and as we approached the bar, the GSD came to meet the little one. My friend was a bit nervous, but she dog-sits on the side and has many years of interaction experience with various breeds. They sniffed each other and all was well; the GSD was a sweetheart.
Right after that happened, there was a guy in the corner that had his mixed breed so and so on a leash but he wasn't holding onto the leash. It was a mid sized black dog that looked like some type of pit mix. Right after the GSD got done meeting little chico, this other dog came over and just grabbed him right by the neck and violently started yanking him. We all went in and got him out of this dog's jaws. The owner was over in the corner and saw the whole thing and had an evil smug grin on his face. I wanted to destroy him. It took a few minutes, but we all settled down and were in awe of what a total #^%$#&^ this guy was. 5 minutes later, he comes up and around us with his dog and aggressively asks if we want the dogs to 'meet'. Our friend had chico in her arms at this point (he was still shaking from the attack), and I told the guy "your dog just attacked hers, why would we want them to meet?". He got really angry and yelled some expletives and walked to the outdoor area while flicking us off. I was appalled that this guy wasn't kicked out at this point. We got a drink and I think we all just wanted to leave. The guy COMES BACK IN and stands right behind us to cash out his tab, clearly looking for a fight. She picked chico back up to protect him. After he said several disparaging things, I lost my mind and we were in each other's faces. I told him several things pertaining to him leaving. He finally did, and the bar tender asked us what that was all about. We told him, and he said this guy is in there 3 days a week and usually isn't starting trouble. We probably won't be going back if that's the kind of people that hang out there (the place is called The Whale).
The long and short of it is this: The animals can be a DIRECT reflection of the human responsible for their care. Vince: I know not all dogs should be judged just based on their size and breed, but after this altercation with my friend's poor little dog I now understand some of the scenarios that are happening to you. Not only does a dog owner have to contend with the dog's disposition, but how the owner's have raised them as well. It's a tough situation but this made me see it slightly different.
Sorry about your friends dog Chris. Seems like you ran across a really bad apple. Their aggressive attitudes (him and his dog) are surely a reflection of each other, and I would have reacted to the situation the same exact way.
This all goes back to my original point. Initially you and your friends met a large breed dog (the GSD), that although friendly really should have been on a leash, especially in a public space. Can't expect everyone to act responsibly though but it seemed to work out. Then the incident happened with Mr. Macho, which although unfortunate looked to be the fault of another irresponsible dog owner, one who may have been drinking on top of having a crappy attitude. Pretty unfortunate situation ...
Point being is that the encounter shouldn't be a reason to now snub other dog owners, especially ones with larger breeds. It all begins with the owner and I can completely understand someone wanting to protect their pet by picking it up. What I can't understand is the snottyness from folks once they do.
Don't want to engage a fellow dog owner due to XYZ reason (like your encounter ...), then don't, but remember that the bad encounter had nothing to do with me or my pet so why be snotty? Just doesn't make sense to us, but like I always say to each their own. Have had way more bad encounters with smaller dogs than larger ones, yet we still look forward to meeting dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds. Never been one to let an isolated incident shape how we treat others.
Either way glad your friends dog is ok! Mixing the public, pets and alcohol to me is never a great idea, hence why we've never taken our dog to a brewery. Just too many variables for us in combination with macho attitudes and irresponsible people.
Last edited by VinceTheExplorer; 05-08-2018 at 12:28 PM..
This is anecdotal, so take it with a grain of salt.
We had four terriers, including our current Airedale. An Irish, a Manchester, and a German Pinscher.
You all know how scrappy terriers are.
They all had something in common. They were willing to fight any dog as large or bigger than themselves.
With smaller dogs they acted friendly. The Manchester, all 24 pounds of him, wanted to fight every Rottweiler, but the Poms and Chiuvavas were ignored.
The German Pinscher was a sweetie with all dogs, but a relentless hunter of game, squirrels, rats, opossums.
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