My problem isn't the 200 lb. bloodthirsty monster jumping and barking and straining at its leash

[Orrex]

My problem is the asshole who's semi-holding the leash and who leans away from his cell just long enough to chuckle "oh, he won't bother you. Ha ha."

It's clear, in such a dyad, that the dog is either totally in control or else so totally uncontolled as to render the human irrelevant. And when I'm trying to take my five- and two-year-old for a pleasant walk, the last thing I want to worry about is whether some cavalier asshole really has sufficient strength between thumb and forefinger to maintain his hold on the leash when his huge and bred-for-fury killing machine decides to bolt.

And it's all the more infuriating that such an inattentive "owner" acts like everyone else has a problem simply because everyone else doesn't adore the savage creature howling at its tether.


For the record, and in anticipation of the "that's not my dog" crowd, I'd like to underscore that this is not the behavior of a majority of dog owners and their well-behaved four-legged family members nationwide, but locally I find it to be true of between 95% and 99%.

[Parche]

1. So the Dog Is Walking The Owner?

:shrug::hi:

[Orrex]

2. More like the Owner walking its human

[wartraceatwork]

3. He had better hope it doesn't.

If his animal HAD gotten away from him he would be hearing from my lawyers. I also carry a firearm for personal protection so there is a likelyhood the dog would not bother me other than the fact my gun would need cleaning.

[Orrex]

4. I wouldn't hesitate to kill a dog that threatened my children

And I'd probably give that dog's nominal owner a serious wedgie, too, just for being so inept.

The issue that this particular kind of "owner" never seems to understand is that a huge dog can kill a child in less than a second, so it's hardly a laughing matter when the animal springs free from its restraint and goes bounding across the street.


Welcome to DU, by the way!
:hi:

[wartraceatwork]

5. I could only fault you if you didn't protect them.

That guy sounds like a drunk playing with a gun "don't worry, it isn't loaded". If it concerned you enough to cause worry he obviously did not have control of his animal. I love dogs, I have six of my own(all stay in my fenced yard & are small friendly dogs). I would hate to hurt a dog but if its master was careless I would have no choice.

BTW- A tip I learned about dogs that might come in handy some day. If ever attacked by a pack of dogs, all you have to do is pick out the weakest one and hurt it. The other dogs will turn their attention to attacking that dog instead of you. I had a friend who used this technique once on some strays and he got away with only a couple of bites. (He hit it with a walking stick over the head as hard as he could)

[GaYellowDawg]

6. Bottle of ammonia.

Squirt the dog in the nose. It's amazing how quickly the aggression goes away.

[Orrex]

11. Years ago I heard of a (possibly apocryphal) trick used by cops

When busting down the door of a suspected drug den, the cops (on Long Island, in this story) knew that the dealers kept pit bulls, etc. So the first cop would stand behind the newly-smashed door, holding open a thick blanket with which he'd intercept and coccoon the leaping dog. The second cop would have a CO2 fire extinguisher on hand, and when the dog got its head free from the blanket, he'd give it a quick blast.

It wouldn't really hurt the dog, but that cold spray on the sensitive nose would take a lot of the fight out of it.

Don't know if that's true, but the father of the guy who told me the story was a cop, so maybe...


Still, a squirt-bottle of ammonia would be a lot easier to carry!

[MadMaddie]

7. I have a dogwalking friend that has a German Shepard

puppy that is smart but he is not getting enough training. He is very mouthy and I was getting concerned that he would bite and break the skin on my dogs or other dogs. I and the other walkers had to finally say he needs a muzzle. She has it on him now and things are much better. The thing is she has had dogs for years and knows better but I don't know why it didn't sink in..

I have been through this once before, it was an accident with another dog. The owner of that dog put a muzzle on him and he is just fine now and he can socialize with other dogs. By the way that was a $500.00 Vet bill, luckily the body cavity wasn't punctured...whew..

[wartraceatwork]

16. Muzzles are a great device.

This is Lucy right after her spaying. She went through three of these collars after she chewed her stitches out & I was forced to put them on her. She figured out that they were easy to break. I couldn't afford to buy a new one every day for two weeks so I bought a muzzle. She didn't like it much but she couldn't break it or chew her stitches. It would be nice if owners of dogs like the one in the O.P. would use them for other peoples safety.

[MadMaddie]

17. That's a dog cone in your picture used to prevent dogs

or cats from nibbling on surgery stitches ets..


The dog muzzles I refer to you can see at the following link.
http://www.morrco.com/dogmuzzles1.html

The important thing about muzzles is you need to buy one tha will allow the dog to pant and drink water. The velcro ones I would not recommend.

[wartrace]

21. I know it is an elizabethan collar- She destroyed four of them.

I mentioned in my post that I was forced to buy a muzzle AFTER she destroyed the collars. The point being that the muzzle (NOT PICTURED) did in fact work fine & it didn't bother her at all.

[MadMaddie]

22. ahh.....just reread...my bad...

glad that the muzzle worked....plus she was probably able to get around better.

[wartrace]

23. She did act more comfortable.

She scared the life out of me when she chewed her spaying stitches out. She was outside playing like nothing was wrong, I opened the door and she jumped up to give me a "lick" & I saw her "stuffing" coming out! Imagine my surprise when the woman at the vets office said "Oh, that happens all the time"........

She's good now, still a "puppy" at two years old. She still likes crawling up on my lap from time to to time despite her 65lbs...

[gbate]

24. I have a German Shepherd.

She is smart but protective. Unforunatly, she came from a pound situation so we don't know how much training (if any) she had before she came to us at a year old. We know our dog can be vicious so we don't bring her around kids. If a child asks to pet her, we always tell them no.
Responsible dog ownership is a good thing.

[Critters2]

8. "Oh, he won't bother you."

There are no more irritating words in the English language.

[Orrex]

12. Yes indeed! It instantly shifts me from 'wary and cautious' to 'irritated and furious'

And I always want to say "he's bothering me already, you asshole."

[flvegan]

9. File a menacing charge against the owner with your local animal control.

Dogs acting that aggressively in public may be subject to that in your jurisdiction.

[Orrex]

10. That's an interesting thought--I'll look into it

This happened within city limits, where I know local ordinances to be somewhat more strict, so maybe there's a specific rule I can cite.

Thanks for the tip!

[flvegan]

13. For example, here's the one from my county

(Hillsborough, Florida)

VICIOUS ANIMALS
No person shall allow a companion animal, when unprovoked, to bite, attack, endanger, or inflict injury on a human, domestic animal, or livestock while on public or private property; or chase or approach an individual upon the streets, sidewalks, or any public grounds in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack. Violations of this Section may constitute proof of “prior knowledge of a dog’s dangerous propensities” under Section 767.13(2), Florida Statutes (2002), as may be amended.

Note the "in a menacing fashion." A dog pulling in such a way on a leash where the owner doesn't have full apparent control (on a cell) can be construed as "attempted menacing." Worth a visit from the animal cops. Likely no fine or penalty, but it should wake him up so it doesn't happen to you or anyone else. If it does, a second visit might not be so kind.

[likesmountains 52]

14. I love this one" No, down boy..naught boy." after the dog runs up to me and puts his

muddy paws on my chest...grrrrrrr

[Orrex]

15. Dogs are like guys that way, I guess

And you're right--these flat-footed owners are very quick to react a few seconds after the incident occurs, whatever it might be. It would be nice if they'd anticipate what the unruly dog might do and take steps to prevent it.

But no...

[hibbing]

18. and it is always funny to the owner

Hi,
Biking on a busy bike path, some dog owner with two dogs taking up the whole path, coming *towards* me. I have to actually stop biking completely and wait for him to get his dogs around me, and of course it is just cute and funny to him.

I don't mind dogs, I just have been around too many poorly trained dogs combined with rude and inconsiderate owners.

Peace

[polly7]

19. My dad's dog isn't vicious, but holy crap she's strong

This is Miss Ellie at 4 months. I think we need the Dog Whisperer for a little training. The day I got my cast from toes to knee she didn't think it belonged, grabbed my ankle in her mouth and shook and shook it trying to get it off. I was laughing too hard and slipping around on the ice trying and only got free when my dad finally looked out the kitchen window and nearly had a heart attack. Then she took off with a crutch and he spent another ten minutes chasing that down. I so regret not having a camera with me that day. That's my big sis in the pic, hope she doesn't mind.

[lukasahero]

20. FTR, there are those of us who are trying to train our dogs

I'm not talking about the idiot on the cell phone paying no attention to the dog but I'm also tired of people acting like my dog should never be allowed out in public because she doesn't know yet that people aren't going to hurt her and she barks at them. Socialization takes interaction with people and dogs she does not know and yes, she's scared and she's probably going to bark at you if you get too close.

You want to rant about dog owners who pay no attention to their dogs? I'd like to rant about parents who pay no attention to their kids then get mad at my dog for barking at them. She wears an 'I'm in training' vest but I still get the rude comments and dirty looks when some kid (whose parents are too busy chatting on the phone) doesn't read the vest, doesn't ask my permission and comes up and frightens my dog.

Flame away.