So upset

[hotdog2007]

I am just so upset right now. I was walking my dogs and an off leash dog (a pit bull, maybe about 9 months old) starts walking up to us. I saw his owner, a big middle-aged man, well behind him. I yelled out "you need to call him back to you, my dogs aren't friendly." The man doesn't do anything. I yell to the dog "go away" but the dog keeps on coming. The strange dog is finally on top of my dogs, trying to smell them or I don't know what. I yell again to the guy to call his dog back, but he still doesn't do anything. My dogs start lunging at barking at him, and his dog starts to fight back. My dogs pulled me down. I skinned my knees and elbows, and I was holding a bag of dog poop, which broke open and got all over me. The guy finally comes up. I told him "there's a leash law. Your dog needs to be on a leash." He says he didn't know that, he's not from around here. (We live in a city; it's not out in the middle of the country somewhere.) I told him that he needed to keep his dog on a leash, and that my dogs didn't like other dogs coming up to them while they were on their leashes." He tells me "I don't know what are you so upset about? Your dogs attacked my dog." I told him that my dogs wouldn't have attacked his dog if he hadn't been up in their faces while they were on their leashed. BTW, my dogs didn't actually bite him or scratch him or anything. He says, "What's wrong with your dogs?" And tells me again that my dogs attacked his dog. I just lost it with him. I called him a f***ing idiot, I'm embarrassed to say, and walked away.

I'm just so upset. That's never happened before; people have always been respectful when I tell them my dogs can't meet their dog on their leashes, and my dogs won't starting barking unless a dog is right in their faces. Even though there's a leash law, I don't have a problem with people having their dogs off-leash as long as they're under control and they can call them back if need be, but this dog was clearly not under control, and they guy clearly did not care. I wish I had thought to just keep walking, but I froze up when he started coming at us.

 

[HayleyMarie]

Augh some people are just so dumb. I would not be too worried about it. Your dogs were on a leash undercontrol. Where his was not. I agree that this situation could have been easily prevented if his dog was on a leash. I personally would have freaked out too and probably said even worse things. Augh!

 

[elegy]

been there done that (well, minus the dog poop) and it sucks. it's scary and infuriating and upsetting, not to mention making it more likely that your dogs will react in the future.

 

[corgipower]

Ugh.

Some people are idiots. Just remember you were doing the responsible thing. And you told him before his dog even got to you and he was still stupid.

I'm ready for it to be tomorrow. This day just sucks.

 

[HayleyMarie]

Ugh.

Some people are idiots. Just remember you were doing the responsible thing. And you told him before his dog even got to you and he was still stupid.

I'm ready for it to be tomorrow. This day just sucks.

Augh I think this whole month sucks for Chazers this June!

 

[hotdog2007]

Thank you so much for your replies. It is really helpful to me. I am just so upset about the whole situation. I've worked so hard with my dogs, and this man was just so nasty and dumb. Most people here are very considerate. They keep their dogs on-leash and ask if their dogs can greet mine; I always explain that no, they're not friendly, and we walk along peacefully. We've occasionally come across dogs that have escaped, but they've never come right into my dogs' faces before like this dog. I've never encountered someone like this man before.

 

[Renee750il]

Well, if you ever see this moron again, please thank him on behalf of Bully owners everywhere who are having to fight to keep their dogs because of irresponsible numbnutz like him.

 

[Doberluv]

OMG! I'd be furious too! I'm so sorry this happened to you. There are indeed so many idiots out there who ruin things for others.

 

[vanillasugar]

Been there. It's horrible and makes me feel sick every single time. I'm so sorry that you've had to deal with it too

Sierra's gotten SO MUCH better, but she still will not deal well with a loose dog running up in her face. Can't say I blame her, but situations like you've just experienced today cause major setbacks that are so infuriatingly frustrating because it's someone ELSE'S fault. You were doing everything right, don't let this jerk get under your skin.

 

[Whisper]

What an idiot.
With a situation like that, not only will incidences like that set a dog up to be reactive, but he's being so irresponsible even more because he has a "pit bull." He's setting his dog up for a media explosion and euthanasia (if someone blames that dog for doing any harm, whether it did or not), further making it harder for responsible "pit bull" owners to keep their dogs.

 

[ACooper]

Awe Hotdog I'm so sorry you had to go through that, I'd be mad as hell too.

Mace or a walking stick. I never walk my dogs without one or the other. Orson doesn't like strange dogs either and I do whatever it takes to keep them away from us............and that would include whacking one or macing it before a full on dog fight could break out. I wouldn't like it, but you can bet I'd do it.

 

[*blackrose]

I've had that happen to be too and it SUCKS. Luckly, most of the time I am walking with someone and they can help intercept the other dog. If I'm by myself and I know that the loose dog will pester my dogs and cause major issues, I typically just give them a smack right across the face with the leather leash while telling them to get back. Thankfully I have yet to come across a truely aggressive dog that is off lead, so that normally gets the job done.

 

[puppydog]

I second the pepper spray thing. Having small dogs I am UBER careful of strange off leash dogs.

 

[Miakoda]

I tend to lose my cool a lot quicker these days with owners of off-leash dogs.

I own APBTs and I can't tell you how many different breeds of dogs we have been approached and harassed by and a few times attacked by.

 

[milos_mommy]

I probably would have made him stay there and called the cops. Honestly. Even if no charges could be pressed and many would say it was a "waste of the police's time", it might prevent him from being a stupid ass more often, and letting his pit bull kill someone's dog and give the breed a bad name.

 

[hotdog2007]

Thank you for all the replies. It really helps to know I'm not the only one who's been in this situation. It wasn't that the dog was a pit bull that upset me, it could have been any medium or large dog. (My dogs don't care about small dogs.) I would have even been understanding if it was a mistake where an owner lost control the dog, as long as they apologized afterward. It was more that I kept asking him to call his dog back and he made no effort at all, and then he blamed my dogs. I think I will look into pepper spray. I know this time I made a mistake in that I froze and just backed up, whereas I should have charged forward. I have basket muzzles for my dogs too, but I don't think they'll help much for this type of situation.

I think one of my dogs actually got scratched from it, but it doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, and I had a doctor's appt today (unrelated), and she gave me an updated tetanus shot since my knees and elbows were skinned, which I'm glad I got anyway. I'll spend some time one on one this weekend with them working on 'Click to Calm' training. (I am trying to finish my dissertation so I have been pressed for time lately.)

 

[corgipower]

I know this time I made a mistake in that I froze and just backed up, whereas I should have charged forward.

Freezing is part of human nature. Like a deer in the headlights. Don't beat yourself up over it.

 

[AgilityPup]

Some people are plain STUPID and pay you no respect when you say your dog isn't friendly. Heck, I MADE EYE CONTACT with a woman, telling her Bella wasn't friendly, and asking her to bring her dog away from mine, and she ignored me.

Sorry that happened to you; I know it's really upsetting when people are jerks when you're just trying to be a responsible dog owner.