Off leash dog problem

[MRG]

Thanks for the BC story and photos. Our neighbor has two, and multiple before.

He's does rural postal delivery and his last Wrangler was a right hand drive. First time I passed him with the BC on the passenger seat, dog's sitting up looking straight at me as he drives by! I never did get used to the look of the dog in the wrong seat. Part of it was if you saw him with the dog you might believe that it could drive.

 

[FI by 2024]

My pet peeve (pun intended) is dog owners who seem compelled to take their dogs with them shopping, running errands, etc. We went to a fair-type event a couple weeks ago that was quite crowded and I was surprised at the number of people who had dogs of various sizes with them.

To the [-]bike[/-] multi-use path for a walk... ok... to the dog park... ok.... to a park with lots of open space....ok... but why to an event where there is a crowd of people around or out running errands with you.... please just leave them at home.

I hope for your sake you don't end up in Germany. There were dogs everywhere I went. Mall, restaurants, subway, you name it.

 

[calmloki]

My pet peeve (pun intended) is dog owners who seem compelled to take their dogs with them shopping, running errands, etc. We went to a fair-type event a couple weeks ago that was quite crowded and I was surprised at the number of people who had dogs of various sizes with them.

To the [-]bike[/-] multi-use path for a walk... ok... to the dog park... ok.... to a park with lots of open space....ok... but why to an event where there is a crowd of people around or out running errands with you.... please just leave them at home.

Dollars to donuts if you asked them you would get the new magic phrase: "its a service animal". That is supposed to stop any further inquiries from the person asking about the dog, or cat, or pig or small pony or or or. As a landlord in a state that is progressive this is kinda a sore subject with me.

On a more cheerful note, here's a mutt that gets what he deserves!
http://i.imgur.com/JpoZXFa.gifv

 

[ERD50]

I wasn't talking about my own dog, so thanks but I don't think I'll be buying a farm anytime soon. I was asking what other people consider aggressive behavior. Just trying to make sense of this thread since the relationship to dogs in my current city is very different from my last location.

Well, I have to agree with haha - many pet owners seem to be oblivious to how bothersome their pets are to others.

Just seeing a dog running towards me can set me on edge. I love dogs in many ways (not all owners), but I have no idea how that particular dog (or owner) acts. I don't want him jumping on me and having the owner laugh it off as 'friendly'. Or licking my face or sniffing my crotch. If you think that is acceptable to everyone, you are wrong.

I'm only mildly allergic to pet hair, dander, whatever. But so many pet owners just think nothing of you suffering (and many people suffer far more than I do). Or I'll go to someone's home, and their cat is walking across the counter they are preparing our dinner on. Gross!

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this (no pun intended) - but in some ways I think the social acceptance of pet owners will evolve like it did with smokers. We don't want the effect of your pet (or smoke) to interfere with our lives. Take it outside, keep it away from us.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

With all the talk of Border Collies, I'll add that I had a BC mix when I was a kid. Amazing animals!

A few years ago, I saw a demo of a BC herding sheep. Incredible how the dog could respond to so many different commands. He just loved to round up those sheep!

If he misbehaved a bit, the owner said she would just give him a 'time out'. Not being able to herd those sheep was the worst punishment imaginable for that dog!

-ERD50

 

[Nemo2]

A few years ago, I saw a demo of a BC herding sheep. Incredible how the dog could respond to so many different commands. He just loved to round up those sheep!

Watched a show on BC's some years ago......commentator said that one Border Collie can replicate the actions of an entire wolf pack, (except the BC doesn't kill the 'prey'), they drive from behind, flank, head the flock off...totally control them.

If you haven't read it, Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men by Donald McCaig is worth a look:

Dog Owner's Guide Book Review: Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men

 

[Amethyst]

The service-animal scam is popular with renters, who want to bring pets into a no-pets-allowed dwelling. People buy "service animal" vests for their pets off Ebay, and expect the landlord to roll over and play dead. The landlord is not allowed to ask the renter to prove their pet is a true service animal (such as Seeing Eye dogs, and various species who are trained to listen for Deaf people, retrieve things for the physically limited, keep watch over autistic kids, etc.)

I did some research after prospective renters, learning we did not accept dogs, pulled the "therapy dog" line. It turns out a) so-called "therapy animals" are not the same as true service animals, and b) while you cannot ask what the owner's disability may be, you can ask what service the dog is trained to provide. I firmly believe these people would not have stopped at inventing some service, but fortunately (for us) they had horrible credit and we were able to reject them for that.

Dollars to donuts if you asked them you would get the new magic phrase: "its a service animal". That is supposed to stop any further inquiries from the person asking about the dog, or cat, or pig or small pony or or or. As a landlord in a state that is progressive this is kinda a sore subject with me.

On a more cheerful note, here's a mutt that gets what he deserves!
http://i.imgur.com/JpoZXFa.gifv

 

[heeyy_joe]

The title of this thread is incorrect. Should be dog off leash owner problem.

 

[FI by 2024]

Well, I have to agree with haha - many pet owners seem to be oblivious to how bothersome their pets are to others.



Just seeing a dog running towards me can set me on edge. I love dogs in many ways (not all owners), but I have no idea how that particular dog (or owner) acts. I don't want him jumping on me and having the owner laugh it off as 'friendly'. Or licking my face or sniffing my crotch. If you think that is acceptable to everyone, you are wrong.



I'm only mildly allergic to pet hair, dander, whatever. But so many pet owners just think nothing of you suffering (and many people suffer far more than I do). Or I'll go to someone's home, and their cat is walking across the counter they are preparing our dinner on. Gross!



I'm sure I'll get flamed for this (no pun intended) - but in some ways I think the social acceptance of pet owners will evolve like it did with smokers. We don't want the effect of your pet (or smoke) to interfere with our lives. Take it outside, keep it away from us.



-ERD50

I appear to be quite unsuccessful in getting my point across. I promise I am not trying to justify the actions of a dog I own. I really did just want people to say how they defined aggressive. For the record, I don't think a dog running at someone, or jumping on people, or licking faces or sniffing crotches is acceptable either. Those weren't any of the things I originally suggested were annoying. I did say jumping but I meant jumping in place, not on someone. That can be very dangerous! I am also mildly allergic to cat dander and saliva so I think about these things too.

Once again - not trying to defend actions, just trying to figure out what people mean by aggressive. In my last city aggressive meant the things I've said: jumping on people, growling, running at someone. In my current city, I've seen dogs called aggressive even when they were sitting calmly, not barking, tail wagging. A neighbor's dog was insulted for being too large (it weighs about 40-50 lbs, I'd say) and was called aggressive for running too fast while the owner was jogging with the dog (the owner was easily matching the dog's pace). It just seems like very different reactions in the different cities, so I'm trying to get a handle on people's definitions.

(ETA: when I said the dog was insulted for being too large, I didn't mean fat. I mean the woman said "that dog is too large to be a pet. Dogs shouldn't be bigger than mine (a chihuahua). You need to get rid of it.")

From my own experience, I once walked a dog in my neighborhood and a woman dressed me down for the fact that the dog was on my right, not my left. She said I couldn't control him if he was on my right (he was leashed). I can laugh about it now, but boy was I mad at the time!

 

[FI by 2024]

The title of this thread is incorrect. Should be dog off leash owner problem.

+1

 

[ERD50]

I appear to be quite unsuccessful in getting my point across. I promise I am not trying to justify the actions of a dog I own. I really did just want people to say how they defined aggressive. For the record, I don't think a dog running at someone, or jumping on people, or licking faces or sniffing crotches is acceptable either. Those weren't any of the things I originally suggested were annoying. I did say jumping but I meant jumping in place, not on someone. ...

OK, but it still gets tricky. It's "in the eye of the beholder". I can imagine a scene where I would consider a "jumping" dog to be aggressive. I might take that as a sign that it is just itchin' to break away from the owner and run after me.

I'm not overly sensitive, I don't think, it's just that you don't know the dog or the owner, so anything 'hyper' (which is totally normal/safe behavior for many dogs) can be perceived as a signal of 'aggressive'.

As a counter example, we just got my Mom set up in an assisted living place, and they have a 'community dog'. Super gentle, laid back, well-behaved dog. It walks around the place with the recreation person, no leash, and I never give that dog a second thought as far as 'aggression'. It just spreads an aura of calm and gentle, a really nice dog. But that's hard to define, you just sense it.

-ERD50