Dumbest Dog Owner I've Ever Met
There's a great discussion going on in the forum about aggressive dogs and morons who go around with their dogs off-leash.
This is one of my hobby-horses. I can get myself worked up to quite a high pitch on the subject. Here's the story:
The last German shepherd I had was strongly dog-aversive. This, it develops, is a common trait among GerSheps, aggravated in Anna's case by a neighbor's dog that would jump their six-foot fence (I expect they had junk piled up there that it could climb up on) and come after us when we walked past their house. This house was on the only route to the neighborhood park, about a quarter-mile from my house. We HAD to walk by there if we were to walk to the park.
After being jumped three times and bitten twice, Anna had become a little...uhm...funny about dogs.
If somebody came up to us with a dog, it would invariably be the type of ninny who burbles "ohhh can they say hello? Don't worry, he doesn't bite...he's FRIENDLY." You can say no to these folks as often as you'd like; they remain convinced that their dog and your dog want nothing more in the world than to become bosom buddies.
Anna, who had an eye for idiots -- she could spot them coming a mile away -- developed a technique. She would stand there looking quite relaxed. Her tail would wag in the most welcoming way, and she would evince a big, dopey-looking grin. She did this on purpose: the plan was to lull her target into a false sense of confidence. She would wag and grin and they would come trotting up all friendly and palsy. She would stay in character until the other dog got to within about six inches of her (all the while me saying "She hates dogs, she'll bite your dog, please keep your dog back") and then she'd go STRAIGHT FOR THE JUGULAR!
And that was a terrifying thing to see. Especially when you're connected to the would-be serial killer by a leather leash wrapped around your arm.
So one day we're in the park. I'd already realized that a lot of idiots would run their dogs in our park off the leash, but only a few of them were SO besotted that they wouldn't call their dog if I hollered over to them to please get their dog back. We're walking on the sidewalk -- we're not even in the park, on the grass, per se. This is a public place. I have paid my taxes to help maintain this public place. Said public place has big signs all over it reading DOGS MUST BE ON LEASH.
Some yards off the sidewalk, a family has taken over a park bench and set up their own barbecue. They're grilling hamburgers over a small hibachi-like cue. They have a large dog, which is off the lead, and several small children milling around. As I attempt to walk past -- on the sidewalk, a distance away from this tribe -- their dog starts to approach, and it is not pleased.
This animal is as big as Anna, who in her prime weighed over 80 muscular, rocket-like pounds. I say to the man -- presumably the father -- "Please call your dog."
He looks stupidly at me.
The dog continues to advance. I feel Anna steel herself and sense her delight in the upcoming encounter.
"Call. Your. Dog! My dog will bite your dog."
He doesn't move. He just looks stupid.
The dog is now coming at us, not at a run but obviously in protection mode.
Now their little boy, about 4 years old, maybe 5 at the outside, realizes what's going on (you understand: we have here a four-year-old with more IQ points than his parents combined). He toddles over and tries to grab his dog.
And in that instant the dogs go at it.
I now yell GET YOUR F**KIN' DOG!!!!!!! My feet are set in the ground but Anna is dragging me into the fight anyway, and the little boy is directly between two angry 80- or 90-pound dogs that are both going in for the attack. His sweet little head is right at maw level.
Finally the moron gets off his duff, runs over, grabs his dog, and hauls it off.
A fraction of a second later, and the child would have been seriously injured or killed.
I never took Anna to the park again. She was fine when the other person's dog was on a leash and under control. But when a dog was running loose and it started to come toward us, she was extremely dangerous. So...there was a whole beautiful park to walk in, one that I pay a premium to live near, one whose maintenance is underwritten in part by my taxes, that I could not use because of other people's belief that the county leash law doesn't apply to them. It struck me that it was one thing for an irresponsible adult to get bitten under those circumstances. But the risk of a child becoming involved...that was more than I could contemplate. After that, Anna got her exercise in our backyard.
When I take Cassie out, I carry a shilelagh. And I'll use it, given the need. Guess I've become just as dog-averse as the GerShep was.
Comment
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Comment by Vicky Hay on March 17, 2014 at 9:06pm
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@ Clara & Macy: Lordie! What a scary incident? What IS the matter with people?
I've seen people wandering around with two dogs at the end of a double-pronged retractable leash. Am I crazy, or does that look like a really bad idea?
The two times I've taken Cassie and Pup out, I've had to use Cassie's retractable leash because that's the only one I've got right now (soon it will be replaced!). Pup has a long nylon leash, for the nonce. You can imagine what that circus looks like. Though I've got Cassie's lead locked at about four or five feet, they still manage to run a ring around the maypole, and that thin cord on the leash wants to tangle a lot easier than the wider lead.
Also, is it possible that retractable leads are not all the same? Could some of them be harder to use than others? I find Cassie's to be simple to lock -- instantaneously, while she's paying it out even -- and also fast and easy to reel her in. Maybe it's somehow incorrect to assume people should be able to use these things...maybe some of them are more difficult to handle than others???
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@ Beth: Yes, it became evident that Anna had to be kept away from the park, even though it wasn't her fault that people were letting their dogs run around illegally. Notwithstanding her (justifiable, after the biting incidents) dislike of dogs, it still seemed unfair to me, because she was fine if the other dog was on a lead -- loose dogs that came bounding up to us would set her off. And those dogs had no business being loose.
On the other hand, some poor little kid has nothing to do with either point of view but is just standing there being a little kid. The risk of harming an innocent bystander, who might very well be a child, was just too high, no matter what the "fairness" or "unfairness" of the matter might have been.
As for taking your dog on a trail? As soon as I realized that Anna was dog-aggressive -- this developed at about 9 months -- I never took her on the local hiking trails. This city has several mountain parks with a large network of trails, and there, too, many people ignore the leash laws and let their large dogs roam loose in the mountain parks. In most places along those trails, if someone was coming toward us (or wanted to pass from behind) with a dog on a leash, it was an easy matter to step a few yards off the trail, in which case the person and pooch could pass without incident. But only if said pooch was leashed. Since too often they weren't, we stopped going there, too.
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Comment by Ciara & Macy on March 17, 2014 at 8:03pm
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Some people just don't have the simple common sense that is needed.
I was walking my happy-go-lucky Lab, Macy, down a main street and we have a strict leash law, so she was on leash. There was someone across the street with burly English Bulldog and a tiny Shar Pei. She was using those extendable leashes also and didn't seem to know how to work them in the slightest. The Shar Pei ended up getting loose and charging towards Macy. (Luckily, I knew how to handle this situation for the most part because we had trained a Leader Dog prior to this and we had to attend a class on how to deal with interactions as the one I am describing.) Anyway, I could see Macy get visibly tense and the Shar Pei wasn't slowing down any. I quickly flipped Macy around so the dog was no longer running towards Macy's face, but towards her but and it puts her into a "submissive position" or that was the information we got from Leader Dogs. The Shar Pei did slow down and didn't end up attacking Macy but as the lady ran over to get her dog the English Bulldog still on leash was also growling and lunging at Macy.
She then innocently says "sorry I usually don't walk them with these leashes, or together." and she walks away. New leashes like those she definitely be practiced with on ONE dog let alone two. Both of them had aggression issues also. I'm glad nothing happened but it really put into perspective how clueless people could really be
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Comment by Beth on March 17, 2014 at 7:24pm
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Yes, people can be stupid. Honestly all the times ours have been attacked have been by on-leash dogs who got loose. 1- man fell. 2-- dog slipped harness. 3--- dog too large for handler and simply dragged her along like a kite on a string.
So yes, owners should obey leash laws and be respectful when asking to approach strange dogs.
The flip side is, if a dog is so dog-aggressive that if it were to get loose around other dogs (or another dog gets loose around it) there is a very high chance there will be a fight, that is a dog that should probably not be walked in areas frequented by other dogs.
We visited an on-leash state park with beautiful walking trails around a stream. Many of the trails were very narrow. We had our leashed and well-behaved dogs with us. I was amazed by the number of people who had dogs who postured, stiffened, and/or lunged at other dogs. I have no idea why people think it's a good idea to do this. The dog clearly does not enjoy it and it's a threat to everyone if something goes wrong.
There are plenty of breeds that are known for not liking other dogs, and that's fine. But if your dog hates other dogs, busy parks aren't the best place for them either.
I wonder what they do in Europe, where leash laws are much less strict?
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Comment by Bev Levy on March 17, 2014 at 5:17pm
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I understand exactly what you are talking about. My doberman was quite reactive around strange dogs. She was a a big wimp anyway and I think on leash she felt very vulnerable since off leash she was fine. It drove me crazy when people would allow their dog to come up to us without asking. At one point a tiny yorkie came running over to greet us while I was picking up a poop and Misty picked it up (the yorkie). Fortunately she let it go when I said drop it but the owner was obviously unhappy with me and scooped up her dog and stalked off in a huff. We were in a park with strict leash laws so she was in the wrong but I was just glad that Misty responded to me because the little dog was not being aggressive. I tried the yellow ribbon tied to her collar for awhile but no one seemed to know what it was for. I walked Misty with a prong collar not because she was difficult but so I would be able to hold her if we were charged by a strange dog. We have miles of parkland behind our house that enforce very strict leash laws but constantly encounter people with a loose dog that seem unhappy that I yell in response to their " he is friendly", "mine is not!". Misty is gone now but now that Izzy has been attacked twice I am not very confident that she will respond well even to a friendly dog. Although this morning while chatting with my neighbor and her friendly dog she was OK. Fortunately the other dog realized right away that Izzy was scared and did not attempt to approach her. I agree that this is a huge problem among dog owners!
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