Ignorant people

[knny187]

Well, this is mainly for venting…but also to prove that you can’t classify what a bad dog is…but bad owners.

My girlfriend & I last night took our dog for a walk.  I had the leash & as we start out, I always do a quick scan to see what’s going on in the neighborhood.  I’m usually looking for who’s walking around or if I see another dog or a cat.  Anyways, I immediately see a black Labrador (neighbors dog) on the front lawn…off the leash & unattended.  I’ve never met this dog nor has our dog so I was watching closely to see his reaction.  Well, immediately the Lab ran over to meet my dog & the owner was nowhere to be seen.  Our dog is well socialized so he knows how to meet other dogs & to just sniff & check things out.  They were facing sideways….head to tail.  Well, this dog started a low growl & then immediately starting growling & snapping at our dog.  Well, Diego just spun immediately & basically knocked into the dog so they were now face to face.  I was proud of Diego because he stood his ground & wasn’t snapping back or making a noise.  The Labrador at this point was at a level 4-5 & was snapping.  I handed the leash to my girlfriend & told him to keep Diego back & I reached down & grabbed the Labrador by the choke chain he was wearing.  The Labrador kept lunging at Diego as he just stood there being observant, calm, & alert.  So I gave a very hard tug on the choke chain & said “sit”& the Labrador immediately sat.  I tugged pretty hard because I was used to the Rottie’s weight but this Labrador only weighing around 55 pounds…I lifted his front paws clearly off the ground.
Anyways…I started to escort the Labrador back to his property when this woman came out & said “oh…don’t worry…he’s friendly & won’t attack”.  I said, “Well, your dog just came after my dog”.  She replied “Oh…he would never do that…maybe your dog isn’t friendly….is your dog friendly?”
At this point….I was becoming pissed.  I replied..”well, because your dog is off the leash, & you were no where to observe his behavior…how would you know how he reacts with every dog?  Also…if I’m not mistaken, we live in California which does have a leash law & your dog is off the leash”.
She replied back saying the same thing “Oh…he would never attack another dog.”
Well, at this point I was livid….I told her “go ahead…go ahead & let go of your dog right now & watch his behavior.  You’ll see him come after my dog (which was sitting there calm & alert).  This time…when he comes after my dog…we WONT restrain him.”
Then…all of a sudden her husband came up & asked what happened.  I told him that his dog came up, started snapping at my dog & his wife was sitting there shaking her head saying that her dog wouldn’t do such a thing.  He apologized & asked if the dogs were ok & I replied "yes".  She kept going on & on that her Labrador wouldn’t do such a thing & he told her to “shut up”.  He said “It’s our fault…our dog is not on a leash & we didn’t have him under correct supervision.”   He asked me if everything is ok & I said absolutely.  He said “I just don’t want any problems” & I told him there wasn’t any.  I told him his dog seems to be ok & maybe he is with other dogs…but it’s apparent he wanted to challenge mine for some reason.  He appologized again & said he was sorry.
Anyways…I turned & left.  I was pretty amped up not because of the dog’s confrontation…but the ignorance of this woman.  She just ‘did not get it’ that my dog was on a leash…& her dog came across to confront my dog.  She wasn’t anywhere to be found neither to observe her dog’s behavior nor to restrain him from this confrontation.  Then she had the GALL to claim her dog wouldn’t do such a thing. 
It’s another example of how dogs can be profiled incorrectly.  There was Diego…a big Rottweiler minding his business, on a leash, being put into an aggressive situation by an unleashed Labrador Retriever that was unattended.  Imagine if this dog attacked a child?  Would the owner deny it & blame it on the Rottweiler in the neighborhood?  Also imagine if I couldn’t have restrained the Labrador in time & Diego decided to fight back & injure this dog.  Who would have been at blame?  It’s sad, but we both know that Diego would be profiled just because he is a Rottweiler & twice the other dog’s size.  He’s been through a lot of training & we work with him quite a bit.  Because one day, we would like to show him…we try to keep him well socialized & this is the first time he was ever put into this situation & I am very pleased that he did very well.  It was kind of funny…because as I was done talking with the neighbors…I turned to face my girlfriend & Diego immediately stood up because I was walking back.  I must have been about 100 feet away and said “Diego…sit” & he popped right back down.  I just wanted to show the neighbors that he is a trained dog & he’s not some reckless monster that we raised.
Both of our adrenaline’s were pumping….but it was funny…Diego just wanted to get back going on his walk.  So we took him on his walk & he was happy.

[Camel Jockey]

I'm not expert, nor do I own any pets, but let me chime in anyways.

There will always be stupid people, weak people.. Whether it's some dumb woman who treats the dog like  a baby and doesn't give it proper training because she thinks it cruel, or some wannabe gangster who gets an animal to look tough. Seems like I've seen so many of these idiots.

I think dog ownership should be more regulated.. That would ensure certain idiots getting weeded out, you know, the types who think they should keep an animal for the sake of vanity. Hopefully responsible and passionate owners would be willing to go through the steps needed and everyone would be better off.

[TrapsMcLats]

Its hilarious, there's a woman who picks up her little yapping POS dog everytime me and my pit see her on the trails (usually every sunday).  My dog doesn't bark, lunge, growl or do anything except keep his stupid, "tired, tongue to the side, hanging out of his mouth" look on his face while not really paying attention to anything but me.  the other dog is the going crazy, snapping and snarling and barking, while the other woman usualy makes some comment like "stupid pit bulls..." or "thats the 3rd fucking pit bull i've seen today."  Every time, i turn the other cheek and tell her to look @ my dog and hers and decide which is acting aggressively.  Now, in all honesty, were my dog unrestrained and not with me, he woulda attacked that dog in a second because he was never socialized in the slightest and was intact until the SPCA got him, which was about 1 month before we adopted him (we take him to socialization classes every week to no avail/little progress, but we're not stopping.  the head trainer says our guy is off the charts dog aggressive, but since he is such a gentleman on a leash there's room for hope).  But when he's on the leash, he's as well behaved as any dog you will see, and it drives me crazy that this woman just berates my dog and gives him evil looks every time she sees him even though he does nothing but try and look friendly to her and her dog.

[knny187]

Its hilarious, there's a woman who picks up her little yapping POS dog everytime me and my pit see her on the trails (usually every sunday).  My dog doesn't bark, lunge, growl or do anything except keep his stupid, "tired, tongue to the side, hanging out of his mouth" look on his face while not really paying attention to anything but me.  the other dog is the going crazy, snapping and snarling and barking, while the other woman usualy makes some comment like "stupid pit bulls..." or "thats the 3rd fucking pit bull i've seen today."  Every time, i turn the other cheek and tell her to look @ my dog and hers and decide which is acting aggressively.  Now, in all honesty, were my dog unrestrained and not with me, he woulda attacked that dog in a second because he was never socialized in the slightest and was intact until the SPCA got him, which was about 1 month before we adopted him (we take him to socialization classes every week to no avail/little progress, but we're not stopping.  the head trainer says our guy is off the charts dog aggressive, but since he is such a gentleman on a leash there's room for hope).  But when he's on the leash, he's as well behaved as any dog you will see, and it drives me crazy that this woman just berates my dog and gives him evil looks every time she sees him even though he does nothing but try and look friendly to her and her dog.

I've seen alot of people with small dogs pick them up as they pass our Rottie.

I think nothing of it other than it's the only way they can keep their dog under control.

If I heard someone say "stupid Rottie or thats the Thrird fucking Rottie I've seen today".....

I'm sure I would say something like "don't worry....he doesn't bite...but I do"

 

[~flower~]

I've seen alot of people with small dogs pick them up as they pass our Rottie.

I think nothing of it other than it's the only way they can keep their dog under control.

That is not necessarily a true statement. As an owner of a small dog, if I was walking Tad and another dog was approaching us I can't say it wouldn't cross my mind to pick him up.  You never know what another dog is going to do, and at his size one bite and he could be severely injured.   I would not, however, make a rude comment about the other dog especially if the other dog passed by fine. 

 I would rather pick him up needlessly, than not pick him up and I should of.

[knny187]

Well...it's a true statement in my eyes

My parents/gf parents have small dogs & I know plenty of small dogs.  If I had the 'pleasure' of walking one & another dog...bigger dog....was approaching the same side of the street....I wouldn't pick the pooch up.  I would make distance between the two dogs & place myself in between the two.  If I felt the little pooch was not going to listen or abide (which they commonly can't stop barking) then I would pick the little bastard up because most likely it's going to cause trouble.  If the other owner could not control the over powering larger dog...then of course...I would pick the dog up.  Picking up the small dog just because it's small & another dog is coming seems to be a little over 'protective' IMO w/o substantiating a cause.

[~flower~]

Guess it would depend on the dog and how it was approaching.  Tad doesn't really want anything to do with other dogs we see, he doesn't bark at them and speeds up to get by them.

   I'd rather pick him up (if there was not enough room to be a "safe" distance between) when a POS dog was approaching than wait and see if said POS dog lunges at him and then pick him up if the POS dog hadn't gotten him of course.

   

[knny187]

We used to weekly take Diego around a public walking trail around a lake.

There was alot of people & alot of dogs.

IMO...the worst dogs are small terrier/poodle type dogs.  Most Chi's are very into their owner especially because they are a one person dog in most cases....

but....

I've been snipped & snapped at by more Chi's than any other breed.  I don't consider them POS...but I remember growing up my father telling me because they are small...they are more afraid of being stepped on or hurt.

Still doesn't make sense to me...but ok

[~flower~]

And maybe I am more over protective since my BIG dogs were JUMPED by another dog.  Not sniffed, but run at full blast and jumped on.  Imagine if he had went for Tad instead of Addie?   Even without biting he could of seriously hurt him if he had jumped on Tad. 

 I would rather feel a little foolish and overprotective now, then later on be burying Tad or see him seriously hurt.       Like I said, I wouldn't make any snide comments and would possibly say to the person that we have had dogs jump at us before and I am very cautious now.  If someone can't respect that, then oh well.

[~flower~]

We used to weekly take Diego around a public walking trail around a lake.

There was alot of people & alot of dogs.

IMO...the worst dogs are small terrier/poodle type dogs.  Most Chi's are very into their owner especially because they are a one person dog in most cases....

but....

I've been snipped & snapped at by more Chi's than any other breed.  I don't consider them POS...but I remember growing up my father telling me because they are small...they are more afraid of being stepped on or hurt.

Still doesn't make sense to me...but ok

I agree with to an extent, out of all my dogs Tad is the one who would snap at you.  He never uses his teeth, but he can look like he will rip your throat out.  But on walks he wants to mind his own business and not attack people or other dogs.  That is Tad, not all Chi's of course.   I have had to pick him up because a dog behind a fence was going ballistic and Tad didn't want to walk by, so I carried him by.   He is defensive at home and at work, "his" environments.  And he is of me of course.  Out of "his" environments he is more cautious and not so full of himself.  He just needs to know where I am and be around me at all times in other places. 

[knny187]

& I think traps was talking about dogs on a leash when your on a walk & your instance was a dog off a leash like the one I had on top of this discussion

[~flower~]

& I think traps was talking about dogs on a leash when your on a walk & your instance was a dog off a leash like the one I had on top of this discussion

Yes he was, but leash doesn't always mean control.   My point was that if someone picks up their small dog it very well could be because they are afraid and not because their dog is out of control.  And in my case, having had an altercation in the past with a dog, off leash or not, puts a bit of a spook in you especially in reference to a toy dog. I will look a little silly if it ensures his safety.

[knny187]

anyways....

I think my point in this thread was to show Hedgehog (more than anyone else)

You can't hold accountable any one specific breed for attacks & only the irresponsible owner can really be held accounted for but seldom do.

[chaos]

Well, this is mainly for venting…but also to prove that you can’t classify what a bad dog is…but bad owners.

My girlfriend & I last night took our dog for a walk.  I had the leash & as we start out, I always do a quick scan to see what’s going on in the neighborhood.  I’m usually looking for who’s walking around or if I see another dog or a cat.  Anyways, I immediately see a black Labrador (neighbors dog) on the front lawn…off the leash & unattended.  I’ve never met this dog nor has our dog so I was watching closely to see his reaction.  Well, immediately the Lab ran over to meet my dog & the owner was nowhere to be seen.  Our dog is well socialized so he knows how to meet other dogs & to just sniff & check things out.  They were facing sideways….head to tail.  Well, this dog started a low growl & then immediately starting growling & snapping at our dog.  Well, Diego just spun immediately & basically knocked into the dog so they were now face to face.  I was proud of Diego because he stood his ground & wasn’t snapping back or making a noise.  The Labrador at this point was at a level 4-5 & was snapping.  I handed the leash to my girlfriend & told him to keep Diego back & I reached down & grabbed the Labrador by the choke chain he was wearing.  The Labrador kept lunging at Diego as he just stood there being observant, calm, & alert.  So I gave a very hard tug on the choke chain & said “sit”& the Labrador immediately sat.  I tugged pretty hard because I was used to the Rottie’s weight but this Labrador only weighing around 55 pounds…I lifted his front paws clearly off the ground.
Anyways…I started to escort the Labrador back to his property when this woman came out & said “oh…don’t worry…he’s friendly & won’t attack”.  I said, “Well, your dog just came after my dog”.  She replied “Oh…he would never do that…maybe your dog isn’t friendly….is your dog friendly?”
At this point….I was becoming pissed.  I replied..”well, because your dog is off the leash, & you were no where to observe his behavior…how would you know how he reacts with every dog?  Also…if I’m not mistaken, we live in California which does have a leash law & your dog is off the leash”.
She replied back saying the same thing “Oh…he would never attack another dog.”
Well, at this point I was livid….I told her “go ahead…go ahead & let go of your dog right now & watch his behavior.  You’ll see him come after my dog (which was sitting there calm & alert).  This time…when he comes after my dog…we WONT restrain him.”
Then…all of a sudden her husband came up & asked what happened.  I told him that his dog came up, started snapping at my dog & his wife was sitting there shaking her head saying that her dog wouldn’t do such a thing.  He apologized & asked if the dogs were ok & I replied "yes".  She kept going on & on that her Labrador wouldn’t do such a thing & he told her to “shut up”.  He said “It’s our fault…our dog is not on a leash & we didn’t have him under correct supervision.”   He asked me if everything is ok & I said absolutely.  He said “I just don’t want any problems” & I told him there wasn’t any.  I told him his dog seems to be ok & maybe he is with other dogs…but it’s apparent he wanted to challenge mine for some reason.  He appologized again & said he was sorry.
Anyways…I turned & left.  I was pretty amped up not because of the dog’s confrontation…but the ignorance of this woman.  She just ‘did not get it’ that my dog was on a leash…& her dog came across to confront my dog.  She wasn’t anywhere to be found neither to observe her dog’s behavior nor to restrain him from this confrontation.  Then she had the GALL to claim her dog wouldn’t do such a thing. 
It’s another example of how dogs can be profiled incorrectly.  There was Diego…a big Rottweiler minding his business, on a leash, being put into an aggressive situation by an unleashed Labrador Retriever that was unattended.  Imagine if this dog attacked a child?  Would the owner deny it & blame it on the Rottweiler in the neighborhood?  Also imagine if I couldn’t have restrained the Labrador in time & Diego decided to fight back & injure this dog.  Who would have been at blame?  It’s sad, but we both know that Diego would be profiled just because he is a Rottweiler & twice the other dog’s size.  He’s been through a lot of training & we work with him quite a bit.  Because one day, we would like to show him…we try to keep him well socialized & this is the first time he was ever put into this situation & I am very pleased that he did very well.  It was kind of funny…because as I was done talking with the neighbors…I turned to face my girlfriend & Diego immediately stood up because I was walking back.  I must have been about 100 feet away and said “Diego…sit” & he popped right back down.  I just wanted to show the neighbors that he is a trained dog & he’s not some reckless monster that we raised.
Both of our adrenaline’s were pumping….but it was funny…Diego just wanted to get back going on his walk.  So we took him on his walk & he was happy.

pet board moderator meltdown

glad everything turned out OK

[Vet]

What drives me nuts are stupid people with retractable leashes.   I absolutely hate those things.  So much I wish they'd all be taken off the shelves and never sold again. 

I was in Petsmart a couple of days back for socialization of the puppy and the dogo.  Around the corner comes some 40 lb yap factory dog on a retractable leash basically at an all out run towards my dogs.  I've got no where to go but backwards as fast as I can.  And the stupid retractable leash went on and on for several feet as the owner at the other end continued to chitchat on her cell phone oblivious to what her dog was doing.   You'd think my scowling, 290 lb ugly unshaven powerlifter face in shorts and a ripped T-shirt and flip flops with 150 lbs of dog on short leashes next to me would be some sort of a subliminal barrier for a person with at least 3 functioning brain cells.   Apparently its not.  Maybe I need to get some tattoos or body piercings.    

[Hedgehog]

I wouldn't have blamed you if you would've snapped the neck of that dog.

But that's me.

A lotta people should not be allowed to have dogs.

[Vet]

People are stupid.  Seriously stupid. 

I live in the SE US a couple of hours from the Gulf of Mexico.  Right now its 101F outside with a humidity of 90%.   The heat index is over 115.

We get this call that there is a 5-6 week old pitbull puppy (of course ) locked in a car at a local business's parking lot.  We call animal control and the city police, but by the time we get through the switch board and everything else, the security guards have located the woman with the dog and she's gone out to unlock the car.  According to what she told the security guard, she'd found the puppy on the way into town that morning and had forgot that she'd put it in her car.  Her kids were upset and she was trying to get them some lunch so they'd be happy.  At this point the animal control officer calls me back and informs me that because the security guard had located the owner and she was near the car and the dog was not showing severe signs of heat stroke, there was nothing that could be done.  Basically the owner could argue that the dog had been accidentally locked in the car and she needed their assistance, not that she'd left the dog in the car.  Basically the security guard screwed up by trying to help the dog and this idiot gets by locking a puppy in her car and leaving it there because the dog lived. 

I seriously hate humans more and more every day.  Who in their right mind locks a puppy in a car on a 100+F day?  Her excuse for not cracking the windows (not that it would have helped much) was that the last time she was in this area she'd left the window of her car cracked and someone broke into the car.  Not only that, but who would have thought that the security guard by trying to help the dog would keep the woman from at least getting a ticket.

[~flower~]

So she "forgot" there was a puppy in her car, yet had a reason for not cracking the windows?  oh...........k.

 I hope they took the puppy from her since it wasn't hers anyways.   

[knny187]

I wouldn't have blamed you if you would've snapped the neck of that dog.

But that's me.

A lotta people should not be allowed to have dogs.

 

Well...that would be a little over board.  I almost felt like snapping the neck of the woman though.

The Dog was just being a dog.  I was raised around Labs & know how to handle them.  I was really amazed when I grabbed that dog by the choker & snapped hard followed by a "sit" the dog responded immediately.

I SERIOUSLY doubt that I would have ever called the police or animal control on a dog but would have rather liked to punch the owners instead.  To me....it makes more sense going after the source of the problem.

From now on....I've decided that if were in that situation again....is to hand the leash of our dog to my girlfriend & I'll confront the approaching dog.  Sure...it may be more dangerous "for myself" & I stand risk of being bit...but it's nothing that hasn't happened to me before.  I figure it's easier to take on one dog...then to separate two dogs going at it & one of them being our big dog.

fyi....I saw the dog last night being walked....ON A LEASH.  I guess the husband was being sincere in his apology & his responsibility.

 

[Camel Jockey]

Epic not paying attention to a decent resolution of these idiots, idiots.. 

[Luv2Hurt]

Picking up the yapping out of control little dog is a bad idea.  Picking the dog up rewards this bad behavior, its just another way dogs manipulate people to get what they want and that is to get thier way and dominate.  Now if its ready to get eaten just try and seperate it from the other dog.

Being on the ground is where a dog should be, in your arms or on you in any way is a dominate position for them.

[Hedgehog]

Picking up the yapping out of control little dog is a bad idea.  Picking the dog up rewards this bad behavior, its just another way dogs manipulate people to get what they want and that is to get thier way and dominate.  Now if its ready to get eaten just try and seperate it from the other dog.

Being on the ground is where a dog should be, in your arms or on you in any way is a dominate position for them.

Interesting post.

[~flower~]

Picking up the yapping out of control little dog is a bad idea.  Picking the dog up rewards this bad behavior, its just another way dogs manipulate people to get what they want and that is to get thier way and dominate.  Now if its ready to get eaten just try and seperate it from the other dog.

Being on the ground is where a dog should be, in your arms or on you in any way is a dominate position for them.

I don't agree with this.  Being picked up is not a dominate position for the dog, my little dog really doesn't like being picked up.  To him I am showing dominance by picking him up and in essence controlling him.

 I think to much emphasize is given on "being dominate" all the time.  Wolves have an alpha male and female but dominance is not shown the way it seems humans feel it should be and definitely not 100% of the time.  A dog should know how to properly behave of course, but to say that dog that comes over and puts his head in your lap to be petted is trying to dominate you is ridiculous. You can chose whether you pet the dog or not.  He is just looking for attention.

If you look at any pack animals their is a definite hierarchy, but it is not an iron fist ruled one.   

[24KT]

My girlfriend & I last night took our dog for a walk.  I had the leash & as we start out, I always do a quick scan to see what’s going on in the neighborhood.  I’m usually looking for who’s walking around or if I see another dog or a cat.  Anyways, I immediately see a black Labrador (neighbors dog) on the front lawn…off the leash & unattended.  ...  I handed the leash to my girlfriend & told him to keep Diego back & I reached down & grabbed the Labrador by the choke chain he was wearing. 

ummm... knny, is there something you'd like to tell us?
Is this your subtle way of coming out of the closet, ...or just an accidental revelation?
g'head... you can talk openly, ...you're among friends here. 

I know exactly what you mean. I've had the exact same situation occur with me many times, and for some odd reason, in my experiences, it was always the women who don't get it. The guys seem to understand they need to get their animals away, or secure them with a leash, but I've always had women dismissively say the same thing, ...oh he's harmless... as their mongrel beasts jump up on you. 

I was once leaving my house, ...and my neighbours dog from up the street came charging across the street up my walkway and straight at me. Unfortunately I had already locked my front door, and put my keys in my purse so I had no opportunity to get back into the house. This thing had me cornered on my front steps, was on my walkway growling & snarling at me, while the dipshit brain dead owner was saying "oh don't worry about him, he's harmless" Harmless my ass! I told her to get her dog NOW! Get him on a leash and the fuck off my property. "oh don't worry he's harmless". I know I'm risking life & limb by saying it here, ...but I told her "Lady, get your fucking dog NOW! If it makes one more move towards me, I'm taking the little fucker out!" That dipshit kept going "Oh don't worry he's harmless". It's a good thing both for her and the dog, that her husband came along just then and grabbed the dog, and dragged him off my walkway, apologizing to me the whole time, and promising to keep the dog on the leash. I know exactly how you felt in that situation Knny, 'cause when it happened to me, I wanted to take the woman out, along with the dog. Why are people so stupid sometimes?

On another note, I had a positive dog experience the other day. I was walking down the street, and approaching a corner. The house at the corner had waist high hedges, so I did not know the guy approaching the corner was walking a huge HUGE mother of a dog. As we approached the corner at the same time, he said I have a dog, I hope you're not scared of dogs. <LOL> I was thinking to myself 'Well bully for you... you have a doggy'. I didn't at first realize he was trying to warn me that he was walking a HUGE dog that I was about to come face-to-face with. We both reached the corner of those hedges at the same time, and I swear I don't know how I managed to keep from messing my pants. I came face-to-face with the biggest, meanest, scariest, looking dog I ever saw. The owner saw the look on my face, and immediately pulled his dog away from me. The poor thing started crying too. In retrospect, he was just a little puppy that was curious about me, and started crying because his owner wouldn't let him sniff me, ...but puppy or no, seeing it come around the corner like that startled the bejeebers out of me. It's nice to know there are responsible pet owners who realize that NOT everyone enjoys their animals jumping up all over them.

[Luv2Hurt]

I don't agree with this.  Being picked up is not a dominate position for the dog, my little dog really doesn't like being picked up.  To him I am showing dominance by picking him up and in essence controlling him.

I would overall agree with this statement for dogs in general  But....I think those little guys like to be picked up and held, some people give them affection at that point and that is not when a dog should be rewarded....when it is misbehaving.  Cause when i pick up my dog Cody (just to mess with him  ) he hates it!  But some dogs seem to like it, maybe cause they get picked up often?  I rarely pick mine up cause he weighs about 80lbs but it feels like he's 120lbs.

I would ask you this do you ever pick up this dog to pet it and show it affection?  Im thinking people do and the dog is thinking when you pick it up... "pets and kisses time again, Im up in those arms and this in the past has lead to what I want"