Stupid Dog Owners (RANT!)

Sorry if this offends anyone... This is from a blog post (my blog, by the by)(also, Dekka, feel free to post this on your is you wants.)


This has been bothering me for the past week. Mostly because it is me and MY dog that have suffered for it. And we do not suffer fools gladly.

Walking your dog is usually seen as an enjoyable affair, provided your dog is well behaved and doesn't enjoy trying to yank your arm out of its socket (that's another rant). Not that dog, I'm talking about a dog you can take a leisurely stroll around the block with, and not have to worry about whether or not he uses the bathroom on the walk, because he's already done it at home. Nope, you're out for a nice mosey around town time.

Well, if you live in my neighborhood you are S.O.L. Not only because people drive fifty miles an hour down the sidewalk, but because your neighbors let their dogs run loose in their yards. And these are the same neighbors who don't have really any control to speak of over their offleash (or onleash!!) dog.

My dog, Oz, is DA (dog aggressive, for those who don't know). He used to be merely reactive. But, thanks to a couple lovely neighbors, who let their Siberian Husky out, and who proceeded to attack me and my dog on the sidewalk despite my screaming at them to grab him and that Oz doesn't do well meeting other dogs on the street, and the one lady who let her Chihuahua charge at us from across his lawn, I'm positive he has developed full blown dog aggression. (On the same walk!!! [I had to drag Ozzy away from the Chi, he was making noises I've never even heard from a DOG, let alone him, and I'm sure he would have attacked and killed the little dog])

I don't even know if I trust him to meet other dogs offleash now. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.

This is why there are leash laws. Because of the over enthusiastic Lab who gets attacked for running up to a DA dog being walked safely and under control, the lab gets away scot free, with maybe a few stitches, and the other dog gets the blame. "Oh she KNEW her dog was dangerous!!" or "HIS dog is the one who attacked first!!!" "My dog would NEVER start a fight!", is a common mantra, yeah, right, okay. YOUR dog JUST did lady!! Get your pretty little head out of your ASS. And never freaking mind that the other dog WAS ON A LEASH, HE is CLEARLY the aggressive one, and the problem. Just because he doesn't appreciate RUDE dogs in his face or space.

THERE ARE LEASH LAWS PEOPLE!!! OBEY THEM!!

And the other person is the bad guy. Its even worse if the other dog is a pit bull. And I don't even want to go into the problems pit bulls are facing.

MY dog is on a leash. YOUR dog charged US. I yelled to you to keep your dog under control, my dog didn't like other dogs. And now I'M the bad guy, because my dog caused damage to yours. Never mind that YOU are the one breaking the law, and I am on the sidewalk, which, by the way, IS PUBLIC PROPERTY.

And, by the way, if your dog is attacking mine, and you are standing there and making no move to get your dog, I am going to defend MY dog. With any means possible. So therefore, if I start kicking your dog, please do not scream at me that I'm HURTING HIM, OH NOES!!! That, is precisely the point. HELLO.

I have a right to defend my dog against your stupid monster. So unless you want both my dog and myself attacking your dog, come do something about yours. As long as you do that, I can pick my dog up and get him out of the situation. But if you just stand there gawping at me, you'd better believe I'm wading in the fray.

Control your dog. Then I'm might have an easier time of it trying to help MY dog get through his problems. Unfortunately, you, in your ignorance and ineptitude have cost me MONTHS of work. And whereas before I could have fixed it so that he had no problems, your stupid ways have exacerbated it, and I have an even bigger problem on my hands.

Thank you, retards of the dog owning world. Having a dog is a privilage, not a right, or even something required of you. And if you are going to allow your dog to run loose, PLEASE train it, so that you have AT LEAST a recall or a down that is reliable on it. Wait. Scratch that. Keep him confined. Don't even THINK about letting your dog loose anywhere but in your backyard or at a dog park.

Or is that to hard for you? If it is keep your blasted dog in a fence, or on a leash. If you don't have a fence, stake him out somewhere. Or keep the bugger in the house. I'm sure he is a great dog, but keep him away from me AND my dog.

Whatever, my dog and I are going for a walk. Woe betide any offleash dog we run into. I told you we do not suffer fools gladly.

Holy CRAP do I TOTALLY understand this rant.

Thanks for making this post so that I don't have to.

Uncontrolled, off leash dogs are EVIL.

I am the neighbor that calls AC. Oh, yes. I do. I am THAT evil bitch.

I have NO problems calling and reporting to AC any off leash dogs that I see. And my neighbors better think twice if they think I won't have addresses to give AC when I call them.

I called AC on my neighbor that owns a shih-tzu that she just LOVES to "train off leash". I'm sorry, neighbor, but your shih-tzu doesn't belong off leash if she's CHARGING anyone and everyone who walks past public property because you're too STUPID to know how to train your dog off leash properly.
Leaving your dog off leash to its own devices, so that it can claim the empty lot of land in the middle of the neighborhood, neighbor, is NOT proper off leash training. So...when my dog DESTROYS your dog when your dog runs up to her, growling and barking, don't think I won't throw a DANG fit when AC is called.


It's on.

LMAO. Thank YOU!

It's just so FREAKING FRUSTRATING trying to walk my dog, enjoy my dog, have a nice TIME with MY DOG, when I have to be hyper vigilant in case Larry the Labrador wants to come visit, or Sam the Sibe decides today isn't a good day to walk past his house.

People, the sidewalk is public property. I am allowed to walk there with my dog. Who is on a leash. Who MAY be barking his head off at your dog, but who is ON A LEASH AND THEREFORE UNDER SOME SEMBLANCE OF CONTROL. Unlike your offleash eighty pound retard of a dog, who has no manners whatsoever, and is just as likely to jump on me as he is to come up to my dog.

UGH. LEASH YOUR ANIMAL.

(You?? An evil bitch?? NEVER!! just kidding! we loves you!)

I know how you feel as well! Right after Maddie's eye injury, while she was healing well and the vet said we should continue on normally with both of our lives (lol), I decided that it was time to start walking everyday, like normal.
OF COURSE there are off leash dogs, DA dogs, and the ones on leash are sometimes aloud to reach to the side walk! Ridiculus! I saw the dog, on leash, told Maddie heel and watch me, and other useless babbling to keep her focused on me and not on the dog. After we'd past it I heard a yell, I looked back and see that the dog had snapped its leash somehow, and is coming at us. The girls are yelling "Don't worry, he's nice, he's sweet, he wouldn't hurt a flea" etc etc. So what does the dog do? Jumps on Maddie and is biting her back and her neck. I was TICKED, I jerked the dog off of Maddie by its collar and picked her up - and when the dog jumped up to get Maddie in my arms, I moved my knee in the right way to knock him back on his butt. The girls grabbed the dog by the collar and drug him home. When he was in the doorway of their house, I put Maddie down. And you know what? They girls let him go to go in the house one his own... and yes OF COURSE he came at us again!! grrr

Stuff like this happens all the time. I'm trying to take on a defensive mode, without being to nervous or stressed that it affects my walk, or my dogs. It's hard - because at times (certain houses or corners) I am nervous. It's not fair.

And I trust my dogs off leash.... but I would NEVER let them off in an area where there are houses, other people, dogs (unless, of course, a dog park), roads, ect. Not even in my own yard.
There are leash laws for a reason. BUT sometimes there are also loop-wholes, like its all in how you interpret the law or something... if its worded 'control' the owners can claim they were in voice control or something. Annoying.

First off, i assure you that I am totally on your side on the unleashed dog issue. I live near a large wooded reservation, and I used to walk my pittie there, on a leash, obeying the clearly posted leash signs. I cannot count the number of times I had to half strangle Deuce by holding his front end in the air to keep him from chomping on some dog that approached me unleashed. Deuce was DA and violently protective of me ( long story, not my choice). The people invariably said, "Don't worry, my dog is friendly," If I had let go of Deuce, their dog would have been friendly, but with punctures.

I do want to add though, that whether sidewalk is public property varies depending on where you live. In my town in illinois, where we used to live, it clearly was. Here in my town in Jersey it is mine. I can remove it if I feel like it, and the town has made it clear that they have no jusrisdiction over my property right up to the street curb. I still don't let my dogs loose out there, of course, but it could affect the legal aspect of the problem.

Ah. Yes, I see that that could be a problem... Since we were on the sidewalk in front of the house where the husky lives... I'll have to call and find out. I know we aren't allowed to removed the sidewalk, and I know that its up to us to maintain it... Hmm.

If so, that is totally not fair. If the sidewalk belongs to him, then therefore, technically, we were on his property. So we would have zero legal standing practically if anything happened. We would be in the wrong, being on HIS property.

Thanks for bringing that up, I will definitely have to find out about that.

The other time though, we were in the street, which IS public property. Though that dog didn't get close enough for harm to come to either my dog or his...

I will admit, Ella is an idiot on leash when she sees another dog. But less so if I just make her keep walking like it doesn't phase me.

BUT even if she DOES act like a fool on leash when she sees another dog, I STILL have control of her.

If I am walking with Ella around my neighborhood, we stay on the street. I do not do sidewalks with her. I know that sounds dangerous, but I'm not risking Fluffy running out of her house and charging my dog and my dog lunging forward and having even so much as a paw on their property.
We also walk in Alleys. I generally only walk in alleys if Ben is with me.

I'm going to start keeping count of ALL the off leash dogs that I find wandering into my yard.
Last year it was a mini-schnauzer. She was RIGHT UP in front of our bushes. I didn't see her and had stepped out with Ella on leash and Ella saw the dog and pulled forward and started her hissy fit. The dog took one look at how Ella was reacting and darted off in the other direction towards her home.
THAT was a smart off leash dog.

Great post.. I think I shall use it

Oh man, me too. Just these past two months there have been THREE off leash (well, I'll get to that) clearly owned dogs running around through my yard. And SOMEBODY left HUGE dog tracks in the yard just a few days ago. I didn't see it, and neither did Oz thankfully, but I would have HATED to step outside at night with Ozzy and run into that dog.

First time was two Labs, both had collars, and one was HUGELY pregnant. The other was a mutt of indeterminable history (shepherd something, maybe whoknows) and was dragging a leash, and skiddish as all get out. Of course, Oz freaked when he saw them from the window.

EDIT: Glad I could be of some help Dekka!

I totally TOTALLY understand. Bamm is highly reactive and it's already hard enough trying to work on that with him. I don't need some random unleashed dog coming after him everytime we step outside the door for a leisurley (I cant spell) walk. This has now happened to us twice. The first time it was a little shih tzu mix. The dog came running at us in a friendly manner and attempted to play, but Bamm would have none of it. I had to hold his front half up to avoid him laying a chomper down on that little dog. Luckily that time around I had Brendan with me. He grabbed the other dog and took it back to the dumbfounded owner who was casually walking in our direction. Yes... I did say CASUALLY walking. He not once apologized for his OFF LEASH dog racing towards my REACTIVE dog, though he did thank Brendan for saving his dog... *rolling my eyes now*

The second incident was when a guy had 2 off leash dobermans. I hadn't even seen them yet. There's a field I take Bamm to sometimes and you sort of have to walk up a hill and then down into the field. We were still walking up the hill and as soon as we were overlooking the field I saw the dogs. You can bet they saw us too, especially when Bamm started to bark. They by no means made a friendly approach. I was by myself... no Brendan to help me. I was fighting two big dogs in order to save my own. Bamm was freaked out and snarling back at them and lunging. This owner did come running and apologized over and over again. I told him, "Don't apologize, leash your dogs." I did point out to him that my dog is reactive and that experiences like this DESTROYS so much work that has already been put in to helping a dog overcome their reactivity.

I do wonder though, even if the sidewalk belongs to the property owner, doesn't its very existance invite the public onto the property? I still doubt it's legal to actually attack leashed dogs there.

Thankyou CD! :hail:

buster still ahsn't been for a decent walk in weeks, why? Because I'm so bloody nervous taking him out in this area. I have seen 2 large breed dogs out loose very regularily since I moved in, one is my next door neighbours, the dog craps on our front lawn and growls at us if we go near their fence. Plus this family has just got a new puppy, it worries me, if it gets too close Buster will eat it and if the larger one comes to its aid, its about twice Buster's size.


And if something does happen, its all my fault for having a
"dangerous dog"...grr. I could rant all day.

Call animal control. I told my neighbor with the Sibe if it happened again, I'm going to do something about it. And not stand there and yell at them either.

I recommend staying off people's property and carrying a squirt bottle of water, or if it is really bad, ammonia, to defend yourself and your dog with. It's fun out there, isn't it?

do any of you with reactive dogs carry any type of deterrents on you to ward off any approaching dogs?

I think it's completely ironic that *I* am the one with the dog aggressive dog and *I* am the one that carries at least 5 deterrents on me. I even carry a bad cuz ball as a distraction tool for Ella. And I simply pray the day that I have to use that to get her attention off an off leash dog, that that off leash dog doesn't enjoy squeaky balls as much as she does.

I know people who carry treats on them to simply toss at off leash dogs. I REFUSE to do that. I REFUSE to reinforce the behavior of a dog rudely running up to us. To me, it's also a good way to get that off leash dog to continue following you.

I go with the ammonia. Especially if i am going out on a long hike with them alone. My mom used to do it, and it saved us from a human attacker once. She used to use an old baby lotion bottle, which I thought was pretty funny.

I didn't used to have to carry anything, then, suddenly an influx of stupid neighbors with stupid dogs. So I guess I'm going to have to start carrying SOMETHING, if I want to walk my dog unmolested.






Think a baseball bat is over kill??

The ammonia works better.

I usually carry a stick if I remember. But it annoy sme that I even have to, I get so sick of "don't worry he's friendly"

or Buster is snarling and lunging while the small fluffy is bouncing around just out of his reach, the owner is there, slowly wandering after this littler dog. OMG you could atleast put in some effort, I'm just trying to go home.

Note on ammonia- it can cause permanent eye damage. Dilute with water first, and use only in emergency.