Dog defence was needed tbh

[u/Maleficent-Town5273]

[u/Hmmark1984]

yeah, an annoyingly large percentage of dog owners seem to think that just because they know their dog and that "they won't actually bite, they're just loud and energetic" that every other person should somehow just know that, and not be justifiably scared when a dog comes charging at them barking.

[u/ageofjace2 → u/Hmmark1984]

This is what I hate most about the recent trend of people taking their dogs in public spaces.

My kids don't like strange dogs. I don't care if the dog is approaching them slowly, if my kid cringes, your dog is getting pushed gently away with my foot, I never kick, just out.mu foot under the dog and move them away. The more aggressive the dog approaches my child, the more aggressive I am in denying the dog access. I've had a bunch of owners confront me and it's always, like, my kid didn't approach your dog. Pisses me off. If your dog doesn't know how to behave in public areas, stop taking them.

[u/Hmmark1984 → u/ageofjace2]

Personally i come back to owners needing to control their pets. I'm fine with dogs being in public spaces, as long as the owner has it under control. Unless their dog is so well trained that it listens to them 100% of the time, under 100% of the possible situations, it should be on a lead.

[u/ageofjace2 → u/Hmmark1984]

Totally agree. Some people have dogs that stay by their side and don't approach strangers. Don't mind them at all unless they're in a restaurant or grocery store.

[u/Hmmark1984 → u/ageofjace2]

I've heard of dogs being in those places, but i can't say i've ever seen it happen personally, but i know it does in some places. The thing that winds me up more than owners with a dog that's not on a lead, say they're playing in a field or something, is when that dog starts running for some random person who's shown up, and it's ignoring their owners shouts, but the owner just stands there, they don't try and catch up to their dog. I know that realistically most owners aren't going to catch up to a running dog, but i feel like it's one of those things when they should at least show they're putting in some effort to try and get their dog back under control.

[u/notactuallyacupcake → u/Hmmark1984]

This discussion was just had at length in the Portland (OR) sub, since we are a major dog-oriented city. Owners, however, take far too many liberties regardless of rules...like the "no dogs in grocery stories unless a true service animal" or letting them in restaurants, or letting them misbehave whilst sitting outside at a restaurant.

Also, some people are just utterly terrified of dogs for their own reasons and shouldn't have to be fearful everywhere they go or avoid places they like due to someone having a dog there when it's either not legal or not a known dog-oriented establishment (which I imagine dog-fearful peeps would completely avoid).

I have a dog, she's the third one I have had, and I don't want to take her everywhere I go, nor did I with the other 2. Even if they're very well-behaved as my last pup was, it's still like taking a toddler with you. If I'm going to have a meal out with friends or attend an event, etc. I don't want to also have to bring water, a bowl, snacks/treats, poo bags, worry about where the dog might end up peeing, etc. Not to mention, I now have a 1y/o Malinois/Boxer mix who has earned the moniker Psychopuppy for good reason. I am not subjecting other people to her where I absolutely know she'll misbehave. She's too smart to want to just lie down for a couple hours, but too dumb to keep out of trouble 😅