Isnt that what i said on the last page pretty much?
anagallis_arvensis said Its can be dangerous when people have reasonable cause to feel threatened.
no, you’re wrong.

I have two staffys, both rescued. I generally keep them both on relatively short leads as they are both quite nervy and unpredictable at times (mostly as a result of being abused). Neither dog has ever behaved aggressively towards a human and both are very clearly kept under close control in public.
None of this stops people behaving as though we are the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. I once had a guy on a bike see us on a very wide path, stop, turn around and go the other way.
I think there are a lot of people who allow their preconceptions about “status dogs” to run away with them. I’m sure a few people have walked past me and my dogs and gone home with a story about their “near miss” because one of my dogs may have sniffed them as they anxiously scurried past.
Not saying that there aren’t a lot of poorly controlled, even dangerous dogs out and about, I come across them now and again on my commute to work. Just saying that it is often not the actions of my dogs which cause people to worry that they may injure them, it is their own preconceptions about staffys.

Isnt that what i said on the last page pretty much?

Pretty much, just clarifying it for any dog owners that don’t know the law, which in my experience is just about all of them.

I know the law, hence my adherence to it.
About 90% of dog owners I come across on my commute behave according to the law.

Stop exaggerating.

I grew up in the countryside and everyone had dogs. Dogs were treated as such, some lived outside, none were ever mistreated but, they were treated as dogs, not children.

Did a lot of beating, dogs that jumped all over the guns when they arrived wouldn’t have been popular.

Since moving to an urban area things are somewhat different.

My dog is well behaved thanks.

Not attempting to pick on you in particular… maybe your dog is well behaved, but that is exactly what a lot of people say about their dogs when it just isn’t true.
A lot of dog owners are completely deluded about their dogs behavior.

‘Oh, he usually just barks.’ is the response I got from the owner of the last dog to bite me. Willing to bet that’s not the first time that owner has used that line, and it’s because he really believes it!

I like you and your dogs.

Not saying that there aren’t a lot of poorly controlled, even dangerous dogs out and about, I come across them now and again on my commute to work. Just saying that it is often not the actions of my dogs which cause people to worry that they may injure them, it is their own preconceptions about staffys.

You write that as if people are worried about dogs injuring them because they’ve got some idea into their heads before they’ve ever met a dog, despite having just admitted that a lot of people’s experience with some dogs is a bad one. Clearly people’s impressions of dogs isn’t your fault, but neither can you blame them that their “reasonable apprehension” is not what it should be around your dogs. Because as has been mentioned several times, you know your dogs and your level of control, but other people don’t. Unfair on you and your dogs, but sadly the irresponsible owners have spoiled it.

I’m not suggesting it is the criteria I’d use, but given the circumstances on the occasions I’ve been bitten, I reckon if put in front of a jury I could supply sufficient evidence to prove that I have a reasonable apprehension that a dog will injure me any time one runs towards me off a lead.

They are unnecessary child replacement, child blinding, money making, untrained, shit machines and have no place in the urban environment unless they are Guide dogs, hearing dogs or doing something useful. Their owners often have no control or knowledge so they both get fat and seem surprised when ever someone gets killed or a farmer shoots the dog. They make your house smell, they make you smell. Euuugh. Clatty things. 100% of dog owners say they pick up its shit. 1% actually do.

I vote we nuke them from orbit.

My dog is well behaved thanks.

Good to hear, then why are you arguing that we all have to accommodate the crap owners?

To be honest when I said passive aggressive what I meant was you come across as a complete nutter trying to be an internet hardman.

TBH I just assumed you didn’t really understand what “passive agressive” meant as my posts were pretty much the opposite i.e. forthright and honest, if maybe a little abrupt.

I stated my opinion based on my experiences to date, it doesn’t match your’s, I doubt we would ever agree, such is life.

I will continue to be cautious around dogs where their control isn’t clearly demonstrated… Hardly a ground breaking point of view and I haven’t said I “hate” them or would intentionally harm a dog… I wouldn’t consider my thoughts on the topic very extreme.

internet hardman.

I’ve pretty much admitted to being a bit afraid of dogs, which apparently I shouldn’t be, cos they’re “just being friendly” so surely that makes me more of an “Internet pussy”…

Feel free to deconstruct my personality further though if you have to…

TTFN.

Arguing on these threads is pointless.

If you feel a dog is dangerously out of control and you are threatened rather than just whine about it on a random forum report it to the Police so and let them decide, as that’s their job and they can decide if your concern is reasonable or not. That way you can leave the Law to people whose job it is to interpret it rather than putting your own bias on it and then castigating people for not following your interpretation.

Fortunately the only place I’ve really experienced this random hatred towards dogs is on here, In person people are very happy just to live and let live and if and when someone asks me to call my dogs as they are scared of them, I call them back and put them on the lead.

I should have added however, if you told me to put my dog on the lead because you were scared, I would. However if you told me to put it on the lead as it was dangerously out of control as it was running; I would just laugh at you, as one request is reasonable and the other is ridiculous.

…unless it is running and dangerously out of control, of course?

cbike 😆 now don’t hold back, tell us what you really think.

If you feel a dog is dangerously out of control and you are threatened rather than just whine about it on a random forum report it to the Police so and let them decide,

This only works if you know where they live.. it does work though. On National Cycle route 20 there is an owner of 3 dogs who, over a period of months & taught by the lead dog, all got into the habit of attacking cyclists – the owner wouldn’t even apologise. Owner never kept an eye on them (I once got chased by the Jack Russel on 3 legs as the fourth was pinned with all kinds of veterinary steel work I’m guessing because it got run over trying to attack bikes/cars/people)

Fortunately the Police must have had a word – I’ve not seen them (heard them) for over a year.

The trouble is you don’t have interactions with dogs from good owners as they are under control, on a leash or not brought into these situations.
So non-dog owning people only tend to interact with dogs owned by twunts.

Good to hear, then why are you arguing that we all have to accommodate the crap owners?

I havent. If you could read you would know this

What is really sad, and something I have never experienced elsewhere, is the number of parents up here in London who are visibly terrified of dogs and are training their kids to be the same. I can be walking along the pavement with the dog (a soppy-looking spaniel, not exactly a ferocious beast) on a lead, walking nicely to heel, and there are parents who will gasp and virtually throw themselves in front of their children to shield them. Children who will scream, throw their arms around and dart out into the road when they see a dog coming, and the parents do nothing to reassure them.

My daughters nursery regularly have guide dogs in, plus other dogs from different breeders, so as to get the kids used to animals. As a result my little one is smitten with dogs, and is totally relaxed around them (even when a ‘toddler head height’ Husky named Thor came bounding out of the woods to get a stroke the other day!).

Also, when I was in Vancouver last year, with bumbling toddler, I lost count of how many dog owners went out of their way to bring their dogs over to see my daughter. I had a great conversation with a professional dog sitter who said that part of his role was to socialise and train the dogs he cared for. Primarily so they were calm around other animals, people and especially pokey, screamy, unpredictable kids. It was fantastic to see.

It seems funny, but the dogs over there just seemed so much more socialised, chilled out, and most of all….trained. I wonder if Dog Parks have anything to do with it, or whether its just a different mind set for owners?

…unless it is running and dangerously out of control, of course?

Yes, if in my opinion they are dangerously out of control I would put them on the lead. However if some random stranger thought they were dangerously out of control, when actual fact they were just running around, I would more than likely ignore them as they could just be a dog hating loon with zero experience of dogs who have no idea what they are talking about 🙂

Mine typically go on the lead, if they are near something dangerous (busy road) or they are at risk of making a nuisance of themselves (picnics), one of mine rarely even wears a collar (shock – horror) let alone go on the lead as she rarely needs to.

t seems funny, but the dogs over there just seemed so much more socialised, chilled out, and most of all….trained.

I think part of the problem is that many people are too worried about the dig hating loons to let their dogs off the lead so thatcthey can be trained. You cannot have a well trained older dogs without having had a puppy that has made the odd mistake. So people dont get the puppy used to being off lead, then its a ball of pent up energy stuck on a lead then they just let it off and it goes mad.

if and when someone asks me to call my dogs as they are scared of them, I call them back and put them on the lead.

However if some random stranger thought they were dangerously out of control, when actual fact they were just running around, I would more than likely ignore them

make your mind up

As the owner of two border collies and a terrier cross, I’d agree that there’s a lot of dogs out there that are very badly trained.

I’d also agree that there’s a lot of dogs frequently offlead in completely inappropriate locations – including most areas thought of as ‘countryside’. If there’s farmland or moors with nexting birds around, ALL dogs should be on leads with only exceptions belonging to the farmer. I don’t believe dogs should ever be offlead outdoors in town apart from in parks (*not* the ‘no dogs’ kid areas FFS…) or private gardens. I believe this would help solve a lot of the dog turd issues, also.

I do notice a great many people who are clearly scared shitless of dogs around town though, and in general they couldn’t be doing a better job of inviting trouble from an out of control dog. Trying to stare a dog down is just stupid. When I was a kid, my primary school was visited by local Police as part of their ‘trust your friendly local copper’ program and how to behave around dogs you don’t know was one of the sessions. I assume nothing like this exists anymore, which is a shame.

I hate those ones that chase you. You’ll be cycling along all merry and pass a woman and her loose dog and the dog’ll start to chase you so you cycle faster. You’ll think it’s gone but then it’ll be back snapping at your ankles and you’re like ‘king hell’ and it’ll carry on for ages where you wonder how the hell it’ll find it’s way back to it’s owner. I find they rarely bite though just have a snap at you. This one woman says to me once ‘sorry, he doesn’t like bikes’ oh that’s okay then! I also wondered what would happen if I booted one in the mush to get rid of it chasing me and did some serious damage.

What a load of victim blaming twaddle. The owners of the problem dogs (though that should really be the problem owners of dogs) have no hesitation at all in letting their dogs off the lead. If they didn’t let the dogs of the lead there wouldn’t be a problem 🙄

You cannot have a well trained older dogs without having had a puppy that has made the odd mistake.

I presume the bite I got from a puppy was part of its training?

No it was part of your training you big girl victim

It’s all a bit strange ? I’ve cycled for 50 years, had dozens of dogs chase me for a bit, been subject to savage growling, aggressive ball sniffing even the occasional nip. But honestly WTF. Is it only on here that every dysfunctional dog hater in the country comes to have a moan ?

I was attacked and bitten as a 6 year old by an Alsatian. And say I’ve since been bitten by a Jack Russell whilst minding my own business in a public car park, had my heels nipped by a Collie whilst on my bike and seen my son flattened and bitten by an out of control dog. Do you think I might have a reason to dislike dogs in general?

I’ve been reared up on by two horses, once with my son nearby. I hate the ****ing things, and if one had come within a foot of my boy, I’d have followed it home and killed every last one in the stables. All followed with lame excuses “he’s nervous” – well I don’t GAF about your animals state of ****ing mind. I hate the bloody things and their entitled riders.
I understand how you feel.