Well, I Sure Feel Like a Jerk...

[Cheetah]

Well, I feel like an ass now cause a girl freaked out at the sight of Eevee when she got too close, and was jumping around, shrieking and trying to hit her away with her sandals. This has never happened to me and I didn't have time to think about what to say, so I was truthful, but a bit harsh and I think I offended her AND her mother. Sigh. But she was taking swings at my dog and I just kindof reacted. DX

This pre-teen girl and her mother were standing on the property talking to Blake and his dad, and I just happened to walk past because one of the kittens out here was too close to the road and I was getting her. Both my dogs were following me like they always do, and Eevee sniffed at the girl as we walked past, and the girl FREAKED OUT and started jumping around and waving her arms wildly and screaming "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM! MOOOOOMMMMM OMG GET IT AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

When she started swinging with her sandals and scaring the crap out of Eevee, who was already confused by her reaction, I got Eevee away from her and reacted in my own way by saying, "You know, if you react like that to a dog who IS mean, you will scare it and it might bite you. Just don't be afraid, they can sense that and it scares THEM." Both she and her mother looked at me like I had just slugged the little girl in the face or something, and then her mother said something along the lines of it being totally fine to react like that to a strange animal. >-.-<

I took the kitten and my dogs and walk away feeling defeated, and like a complete ass. Neither Blake nor his dad said anything to back me up. In fact, Blake told me how harsh I sounded, after I walked away.

I still feel like crap... I just reacted the only way I knew how and didn't have time to think about it because it happened so fast. I was trying to protect my dog. Sigh.

[JacksonsMom]

Ugh sorry. You said something perfectly logical, IMO. I understand some may have a fear of dogs/animals. But shrieking and screaming and flinging a flip flop? Ummm, yeah, won't help anything. You were doing her a favor by explaining what you did. Too bad she won't listen. Then one day she probably will get bit and the animal will of course get blamed.

[JessLough]

Originally Posted by JacksonsMom

Ugh sorry. You said something perfectly logical, IMO. I understand some may have a fear of dogs/animals. But shrieking and screaming and flinging a flip flop? Ummm, yeah, won't help anything. You were doing her a favor by explaining what you did. Too bad she won't listen. Then one day she probably will get bit and the animal will of course get blamed.

Fear often takes away any logical thinking. You don Ren think about the reaction, fight or flight response

Sorry Blake decided to be rude about it

[Moth]

You were much kinder than I would have been

[StephyMei1112]

Originally Posted by Moth

You were much kinder than I would have been

Ditto.

Especially if someone tried to swat Katalin with their footwear...oh yeah. I would be telling them on the contrary to be very afraid about what that dog's owner was going to do to them...

[TahlzK]

Was this girl on your property or off it?

[Southpaw]

Yeah swinging shoes at my dog would not be okay. Fear or no fear, I don't care.... I would have had not-so-nice words. I think you handled it fine; you didn't start swinging back at least

[Cheetah]

On it. Like I said, they were standing on the property talking with Blake and his dad. This is out in the country so there is a lot of land. My dogs were not leashed, because we were on our property and they were just following me around like they always do, being well behaved and calm.

Had I known she was going to flip out like that, I would have put my dogs in a stay while I went to fetch the kitten. But holy hell. Never was expecting that.

Also, her freak-out attracted all of Blake's family's dogs, who came up to investigate, so she was still squealing and flapping and smacking when I was leaving with my own dogs.

[Kilter]

I don't think you're out of line. If she's a teen, she's OLD enough to learn to act better than that. If she's got a huge phobia of dogs, well she needs to work on it or never go somewhere that there might be a dog.

I have a rule that people who do not ask to pet my dogs do not get to pet them. If they barge up and start to pet them, I say 'no, sorry, you didn't ask first' and walk away. I think it's important that they learn to ask first, kids mostly. I even took one kid's arm and said 'no' to her when she decided one of the dogs should sit for her and when they didn't she proceeded to attempt to shove their butt down and force them to sit.

I'm very glad my dogs don't get spooked about that sort of thing but sheesh!

[Tazwell]

I would have told the lady to keep her dog aggressive daughter on a leash and muzzle when out in public.