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2nd incident: even though you know your dog is friendly and just wanted to greet the joggers, it is still your responsibility to ensure you have complete control of your dog, and that the dog is not able to jump at all. Joggers should not be expected to stop jogging and walk around your dog.
So quick background. Me and my husband own 2 dogs; an overly friendly to strangers 30lb beagle mix named Maddie and a 1yr 60lb hound mix, who was a street dog for months before we got him, named Bailey. We are currently living in a large apartment complex until we get the funds to purchase home so there are alot more people around during our walks then usual.
They are both well socialized with people and dogs, are generally friendly(Maddie almost to a fault) and have basic leash manners and training. Just your average dogs.
We've had two instances happen were I feel like my dogs were just dogs, and other people were being out line but honestly I want options in case I'm missing something and we need to do some sort of training?
The first we had taken them to the "potty grass" patches that are inbetween buildings and while I was scooping up Baileys poop(he likes to walk and poop) a young couple came around the corner, and of course here's Maddie, whole body wagging and wanting to be noticed. She is on the leash, and the couple has at least 4-5ft to go around her if they choose(remember, we are in the grass, they on the sidewalk) The girl starts panicking "I'm scared, I'm scared" and hiding behind the boyfriend, who isn't doing better. Both refused to walk around my leashed dog.
I didn't do anything, I calmly said "She friendly" finished cleaning up Bailey's mess, told them to have a good evening and walked back to our apartment. I feel like I shouldn't have to scold Maddie for being friendly, and if you really that afraid of a small leashed dog, maybe you need some professional help?
The 2nd instance we were out walking this evening, at around dusk, on a narrow street sidewalk. Apartment fence on one side, busy road with puddles(the roads around here don't drain well at all) and both dogs are leashed with a tandem leash. 2 people come jogging around the corner. I see them, stop moving with the dogs and hold the leashes about 3/4 quarters of way down, so they can't move into the joggers path. They *continued* to jog straight at us and as the guy passed Bailey jumped at him. Not a lunge, not a teeth barred jump, but a "hey omgosh what are you doing." He shot me the nastiest look, but I had no where to move with my dogs, it was street full of cars or a fence. I made my dogs stop and I didn't give them the full leash.
I feel like jogging towards leashed dogs isn't the brightest idea.
What if my dog feels threatened by that? Is it too much to ask that they walk by for about 3 seconds and then continue their jog. I've never had a problem with them passing *walking* people before, they are normally nose to ground anyway.
Am I being inconsiderate or are some people around here just not very dog savvy?
You are not the problem, the people around you are, some people are very rude and honestly think the sidewalk or walking trail is for them and not people with dogs, and I agree if you are that afraid of a little dog coming toward you in a friendly manner you should get some mental health counseling because that is not normal. Some people are just stupid and others are crazy ....
You shouldn't expect someone running to start walking as they pass you just because you have a dog. When I'm walking my dogs, I am aware that they may get excited when people run/bike/whatever past us so I make sure I have control of my dogs. I don't think it's acceptable to allow your dogs to jump on/at other people you don't know whether they are running or not.
It's also unreasonable to expect everyone not to be afraid of your dog just because she is little or whatever. Some people have irrational fears, not necessarily their fault.
So I hate to say this but yes, you are somewhat inconsiderate because you don't seem to have concern or regard for the rights or feelings of others
The original poster did not allow either of her dogs to even touch the frightened people, much less harm them; the dogs were leashed. I don't believe any dog owner is legally bound to try to predict the mindset of people crossing his/her path while he/she is walking his dogs on-leash; as long as the dogs do not make unwished physical contact with people (sometimes the people one encounters will smile and try to reach out and touch/pet the dog; it is up to the owner to decide to allow the interaction or not). I do try to tell how an approaching person reacts to my occasionally over-friendly dog; but I consider that a gesture of courtesy and social cooperation (and in my self-interest) rather than any sort of legal obligation.
Actually, in the area I live, I know that some people will fear my 26-lb. dog, but the majority will not, through experience. If my dog is leashed and not harming anyone, and I am picking up after him (which I do), that fulfills my legal duty; I don't have to waste a pleasant walking experience trying to guess who's paranoid about dogs and who isn't.
I often get a bit nervous when I see good-sized men walking on their own in the park while I'm walking my dog, if there aren't any other pedestrians nearby. Should I freak out and ask them to stay still while I pass, given the numbers of robberies, rapes, and murders in the U.S. every year? Definitely not. My fears are in my head; based only on potential scenarios rather than what is actually occurring. They have the same right to walk in the park as I do. So while I may keep a discrete eye on them; I don't make a fuss and try to remain calm and polite.
Dogs do "jump at" people in an effort to greet them, befriend them, etc. If they don't make physical contact with people, if either they are called back by voice control before they come near a person, or are physically restrained so that they cannot jump on the person, there is no harm done. The OP's dog was leashed; unless I read the post wrong, it did not touch the people, the OP kept the dog under control, demonstrating consideration for the people.
2nd incident: even though you know your dog is friendly and just wanted to greet the joggers, it is still your responsibility to ensure you have complete control of your dog, and that the dog is not able to jump at all. Joggers should not be expected to stop jogging and walk around your dog.
I disagree. The jogger came right into her space with her dogs, and she said he was so close to her, he rubbed against her.
There's absolutely no way to avoid an idiot like that.
You shouldn't expect someone running to start walking as they pass you just because you have a dog. When I'm walking my dogs, I am aware that they may get excited when people run/bike/whatever past us so I make sure I have control of my dogs. I don't think it's acceptable to allow your dogs to jump on/at other people you don't know whether they are running or not.
It's also unreasonable to expect everyone not to be afraid of your dog just because she is little or whatever. Some people have irrational fears, not necessarily their fault.
So I hate to say this but yes, you are somewhat inconsiderate because you don't seem to have concern or regard for the rights or feelings of others
These could have been my words.
I have a dog who is clearly a mix of that most dreaded of breeds, pitbull. I know he is one of the sweetest, gentlest souls to inhabit this Earth; I also know there are people who are terrified of him. Not his fault, but true. He thinks everyone should love him, I agree but it isn't going to happen. Good Heavens, when he was younger, I had people squeal at just the sight of him from across a street. I would try to keep in mind that I am the one with the dog so I was the one who had to fix any problem created by his presence, real or imagined by the uninformed or frightened. I understood it would be unfair of me to expect others to alter their lives because I chose to have a pet, so my solution was to have him immediately sit at my feet, leaning against my leg while I scratched his head. He was perfectly happy doing this and it worked most of the time in calming people down. It also went a long way towards getting many to also eventually trust and even like him. Now he is so old people could care less and he isn't moving anywhere fast.
Our dogs take their cues from us, by the way. You should assume people don't want contact with your dog unless they indicate otherwise, not the other way around, and act accordingly. To do otherwise is being an inconsiderate dog owner.
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You shouldn't expect someone running to start walking as they pass you just because you have a dog. When I'm walking my dogs, I am aware that they may get excited when people run/bike/whatever past us so I make sure I have control of my dogs. I don't think it's acceptable to allow your dogs to jump on/at other people you don't know whether they are running or not.
It's also unreasonable to expect everyone not to be afraid of your dog just because she is little or whatever. Some people have irrational fears, not necessarily their fault.
So I hate to say this but yes, you are somewhat inconsiderate because you don't seem to have concern or regard for the rights or feelings of others
That is exactly correct. A person is not obligated to alter their life over someone else having a dog. Period.
As the one person said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldhag1
{snip} I am the one with the dog so I was the one who had to fix any problem created by his presence, real or imagined by the uninformed or frightened. I understood it would be unfair of me to expect others to alter their lives because I chose to have a pet...{snip}..
Bingo, bingo, BINGO.
The jogger is a human being. The dog is a dog. There is a hierarchy at play here, because human beings matter infinitely more than animals, even loved and lovely pets. Compared to the jogger, that dog doesn't matter for spit. Its desires and needs are practically irrelevant compared to the jogger, who is a human being. It's as simple as that.
Moreover, human beings have the right to be left alone when they're living their life minding their own business. If I'm bicycling or jogging etc and someone's dog comes at me, I consider that flat-out harassment. I didn't ask for your dog to approach me, and I don't give 2 spits that such is its "instinct" and it doesn't know any better. I simply don't care, nor should I care. I'm minding my own business. I didn't ask for your animal to come up all in my face like that without an invitation. I have every right to be as scared of that as I wish, and to expect that fear to be respected, because between your dog's "right" to be outdoors and my right to be left alone, the latter will win every-time, because--again--I'm a human being, that's an animal, and compared to me or any other human being that animal doesn't count for squat.
One could say the same thing about children, but my response is going to be different, for one key reason--children are people. You don't DARE compare the two situations. Children are people and thus infinitely more important. For anyone to even remotely compare the two, they're being completely ridiculous if they were to do so. Yet, even so, here's the thing--I have children, and I do teach them how to not bother someone if that person is wanting to be left alone. If children, who are way important than any dog or cat will ever be, can be reasonably expected to leave people alone who wish to be, then certainly a dramatically inferior dog should be.
The reason why many dog people get a bad rap is because of this very thing--they, too often, show no regard for how other people feel, and fail to realize that they the dog owner may love their dog but other people don't, and they don't need to. You see it with neighbors with yapping yorkies that refuse to shut up, owned by people who refuse to make their yorkies shut up. If they were mine, they would, even if it meant I had to put my foot up their rear-end, so be it, but when I say "shut up," I mean it. Other people, instead, care more about not hurting their dog's precious feelings for, oh my goodness, yelling at it (or giving it a pop with a rolled-up newspaper or installing an anti-bark collar) than they do at the prospect of a human being living next door having to tolerate that insane torture from the barking.
Not me--I have 2 dogs, and they're quiet by nature most times anyway, but I've had to pop them a time or two with a rolled-up newspaper when they were being stubborn about barking, and wouldn't you know it--it stopped. If they're scared of me at such times, I DON'T CARE, what I care about and ALL I care about is that when I say "knock it off," they do so, and yet they're happy and licking all over me like I'm a lamb chop all the other times we interact with each other. So don't tell me you can't make your dog shut up--you're just too lazy or overly sensitive towards the dog's feelings to do it, is all.
Okay, "side" rant over.
Those sorts of things are why you have contemptuous attitudes from others about other people's dogs. If, instead, when a dog lunges at a jogger, one were to apologize profusely about how the jogger had every right to feel the way they do, and kept one's dogs in check, then we'd not have any of this. I say this NOT to bash the poster so much, but really rather the behaviors I see from so many others who are totally indifferent towards the human beings, thinking their freaking DOGS are more important. The poster deserves kudos for at least asking and looking to be a good "neighbor" of sorts.
That is exactly correct. A person is not obligated to alter their life over someone else having a dog. Period.
As the one person said:
Bingo, bingo, BINGO.
The jogger is a human being. The dog is a dog. There is a hierarchy at play here, because human beings matter infinitely more than animals, even loved and lovely pets. Compared to the jogger, that dog doesn't matter for spit. Its desires and needs are practically irrelevant compared to the jogger, who is a human being. It's as simple as that.
Moreover, human beings have the right to be left alone when they're living their life minding their own business. If I'm bicycling or jogging etc and someone's dog comes at me, I consider that flat-out harassment. I didn't ask for your dog to approach me, and I don't give 2 spits that such is its "instinct" and it doesn't know any better. I simply don't care, nor should I care. I'm minding my own business. I didn't ask for your animal to come up all in my face like that without an invitation. I have every right to be as scared of that as I wish, and to expect that fear to be respected, because between your dog's "right" to be outdoors and my right to be left alone, the latter will win every-time, because--again--I'm a human being, that's an animal, and compared to me or any other human being that animal doesn't count for squat.
One could say the same thing about children, but my response is going to be different, for one key reason--children are people. You don't DARE compare the two situations. Children are people and thus infinitely more important. For anyone to even remotely compare the two, they're being completely ridiculous if they were to do so. Yet, even so, here's the thing--I have children, and I do teach them how to not bother someone if that person is wanting to be left alone. If children, who are way important than any dog or cat will ever be, can be reasonably expected to leave people alone who wish to be, then certainly a dramatically inferior dog should be.
The reason why many dog people get a bad rap is because of this very thing--they, too often, show no regard for how other people feel, and fail to realize that they the dog owner may love their dog but other people don't, and they don't need to. You see it with neighbors with yapping yorkies that refuse to shut up, owned by people who refuse to make their yorkies shut up. If they were mine, they would, even if it meant I had to put my foot up their rear-end, so be it, but when I say "shut up," I mean it. Other people, instead, care more about not hurting their dog's precious feelings for, oh my goodness, yelling at it (or giving it a pop with a rolled-up newspaper or installing an anti-bark collar) than they do at the prospect of a human being living next door having to tolerate that insane torture from the barking.
Not me--I have 2 dogs, and they're quiet by nature most times anyway, but I've had to pop them a time or two with a rolled-up newspaper when they were being stubborn about barking, and wouldn't you know it--it stopped. If they're scared of me at such times, I DON'T CARE, what I care about and ALL I care about is that when I say "knock it off," they do so, and yet they're happy and licking all over me like I'm a lamb chop all the other times we interact with each other. So don't tell me you can't make your dog shut up--you're just too lazy or overly sensitive towards the dog's feelings to do it, is all.
Okay, "side" rant over.
Those sorts of things are why you have contemptuous attitudes from others about other people's dogs. If, instead, when a dog lunges at a jogger, one were to apologize profusely about how the jogger had every right to feel the way they do, and kept one's dogs in check, then we'd not have any of this. I say this NOT to bash the poster so much, but really rather the behaviors I see from so many others who are totally indifferent towards the human beings, thinking their freaking DOGS are more important. The poster deserves kudos for at least asking and looking to be a good "neighbor" of sorts.
^I agree with Happy in Wyoming.
The OP is not inconsiderate.....asking other people shows us that.
I hate joggers, especially the ones that come up behind you and give no warning and than whine that a dog lunges at them.....DUH. The joggers like to jog on HIKING TRAILS and think that they are entitled to the right of way. If you come up behind someone walking a dog or dogs, SAY SOMETHING....ANYTHING....Heads UP or Ding, Ding, Ding. Give us a chance to move off the trail.
I haven't read the entire thread but the OP reminds me of the time DH and I were jogging our usual path and a young lady with two large pits were up ahead, leashed! I knew enough not to run past them but they got excited any how. Imagine walking past when the owner lost control of BOTH of them, she fell on her butt trying to restrain them and they both came running toward me!
It was further confirmation, at least to me, that Angels exist! I was able to maintain a decent measure of calm but found a " please don't let your dogs harm me" escape my lips as they came to me. Nothing happened but they then turned their attention to my husband who I yelled to be calm! It went without further incident. She was able to call those large dogs back to her, world without end Amen!!
However, if I see a dog in the distance now, I turn completely around! I love dogs but find it UTTERLY irresponsible for owners to not do any and everything in their power to train and control their dogs in public AND in their homes when company arrives! Not everyone is an animal appreciator. And friendly or not, not everyone wants an animal jumping on and excitedly approaching them! No different then how we humans don't want other humans in our personal space!
Why the heck would I want a dog in my space? Control your friendly pups!
^I agree with Happy in Wyoming.
The OP is not inconsiderate.....asking other people shows us that.
I hate joggers, especially the ones that come up behind you and give no warning and than whine that a dog lunges at them.....DUH. The joggers like to jog on HIKING TRAILS and think that they are entitled to the right of way. If you come up behind someone walking a dog or dogs, SAY SOMETHING....ANYTHING....Heads UP or Ding, Ding, Ding. Give us a chance to move off the trail.
Based on the things I've observed over the years, I doubt it would make much difference anyway. It's like the one person said with respect to the controversy over police officers shooting dogs, even if they were to Taser them instead, this person said "then the dog owners would complain about them Tasering the dogs."
Besides that, stating that you "hate joggers" reveals a form of discrimination existing in the heart to start with. Heck, I don't recall saying I hate dogs or dog owners, just PARTICULAR dogs and especially their owners, as is ones who think the world revolves around their dogs. Me personally--I think the slow people of the world are obligated to move out of the way of the people who have a decent amount of speed going on. Few things are more annoying than to be booking it at a good pace only to come behind people going slowly and then having to go slowly with them. Heck, I recall "jogging" on hiking trails, mainly meaning that I was wanting to get where I was going fast, and the trails were the only way to get there, and others going at a more leisurely pace seemed quite happy to let me on by, and the most I might have done was say "pardon" every now and then. THAT is the right attitude.
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