I yelled at another runners dog today - am I a bad person

No. You're yelling on behalf of many of us. Thank you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jxevPxKhpQ

This is totally fine, and I experienced something similar, as I'm sure many runners have.

I live in a suburban area with some dirt roads nearby that aren't frequently travelled by anyone other than runners and horse riders. I guess someone who lives on the road lets their dogs roam around outside their house freely, because I was on a run one day and all of a sudden saw two medium-sized dogs run across their lawn across from me and stop just past their driveway.

I thought it may have been an electric fence set up a bit further than normal, so I continued running towards the house.

But then, I see the two dogs start running past what I thought was their invisible limit and straight towards me. So I stop and wait for them to reach me. Both dogs seemed quite aggressive, baring their teeth and barking, but clearly also curious as to why I was there in the first place -- more scared and defensive than bloodthirsty. I screamed "HEY!" at them but they were undeterred, so I quickly lunged at them and screamed "HEY!" again, and again until they backed off. Then I backed away until I was out of their sight, and continued my run in the other direction.

No one on the street noticed, and the owners of the dogs certainly did not. I, of course, didn't want to yell or anything because I didn't want to look like an idiot or disturb the peace, but when two strange dogs are baring their teeth at six inches away from you, I didn't want to take the chance.

Most, not all, dogs are reasonably friendly, but you can never know for sure. That's why I don't take the owner's word for it when they say "Oh, he's friendly, don't worry" or "that's just his way of saying hi!" as they're chomping on my leg.

Dogs should always be kept on a leash when in public traffic, unless they're at a dog park, open space, or something similar. It's not only unsafe and sometimes scary for people, but unsafe for the dog as well.

This happened to me today. I yelled by instinct (the dog came up behind me and jumped on my leg) and then shouted at the owner. The guy did apologize which is good but now I will always kind of feel guilty or mad every time I run by his house from now. He's the one who should feel guilty but many dog owners here in the US are simply irresponsible and just don't understand that their dog running loose could be a problem at all. I literally want their to be national law that goes like this "You want to own a dog? Then you and your dog must attend and pass a training course."

I’m pretty good at reading dog language so while I end up with paw prints on my clothes from other people’s friendly dogs, I have rarely felt threatened. When my dog was younger, she ran most of my miles with me, always off leash, but I run in the mountains with almost no people. Also, my dog is under my voice command, which I’d make evident whenever we saw a runner/cyclist to put their mind at ease.

I’m not going to say that you’re a bad person for expressing your frustration at someone’s untrained dog disrupting your run. But as for the other posters and their wanting federal laws for prospective dog owners, get real, people. I happen to get annoyed by kids running loose in restaurants and on planes. I don’t dislike kids, but I like to eat in peace and spend 11 hours on a plane in (relative) peace. It doesn’t always happen. But even if the little Ritalin sniffers are running around wild, I don’t glare (OK, maybe sometimes...) or lose my shlt at the parents and I don’t expect my state or the federal government to start regulating who can and cannot have children. Life’s not always convenient and peaceful. Deal with it.

I did something similar then felt really guilty. The reason I felt guilty was it wasn't the dog's fault. It had been badly trained. I screamed at it to F O in a park.

I'm not at all saying the federal government should regulate dog ownership. I'm saying there needs to be, let's say, a rule. Rules should answer one question; Does this activity violate, or is likely to violate, the rights of anyone? If yes then it's a rule - In order to own a dog you and your dog must pass the test. This is good not only for dogs and owners but for everyone else, too. When there becomes a culture of well behaved dogs the rule will no longer be needed. No government required.

ftyjr wrote:

I'm not at all saying the federal government should regulate dog ownership. I'm saying there needs to be, let's say, a rule. Rules should answer one question; Does this activity violate, or is likely to violate, the rights of anyone? If yes then it's a rule - In order to own a dog you and your dog must pass the test. This is good not only for dogs and owners but for everyone else, too. When there becomes a culture of well behaved dogs the rule will no longer be needed. No government required.

But then how do you enforce it?

I’m all for rules; rules are the linchpin of a civilized society. Also, as a real, true, dyed-in-the-wool dog lover I hate to see irresponsible dog ownership. I’ve seen dogs euthanized because the owners hadn’t bothered to socialize them properly. I’m just saying that if you get ticked off and actually react with anger every time an off leash dog approaches you , you’ll accomplish little to change the dog owner’s behavior but you’ll give yourself an ulcer. Most dogs are harmless; they’ll sniff you and move on. If you’re tense and geared for confrontation, dogs pick up on it and may act aggressively where they otherwise wouldn’t.

Let’s face it, enforced rules/laws are unlikely to happen. All you can do is take steps to deal with adverse situations effectively. Stewing about it doesn’t help (if it did, I’d never have my airline seat kicked for 10 hours straight). Yelling may help in the moment, but won’t prevent the same situation in the future. I say chill and carry a high pitched whistle. Very effective.

There was once a small dog barking at me when I was running towards it. When I passed it, it suddenly started to follow me. All of a sudden it jumped right at me. It was rather small, so I crouched down and caught in my gaping maw. Because it was a small dog, it went right down my throat. The owner asked me "are you going to pay for that hotdog?" I don't carry money while running, so I had to run away. It was hard to run though, because the dog kept barking in my stomach. Eventually I had to go to the hospital, where they had to cut the dog out of my stomach. Turned out that counts as giving birth, so I became the dog's biological parent.

dog person wrote:

But then how do you enforce it?

Very easy. Dogs on leashes at ALL (100%) times when on property of which you yourself are not the deeded owner.

There is no circumstance in modern civilization where an unleashed dog should be let to run loose in a shared public space. I don't care how well trained your dog is. For every one well-behaved dog which responds every time to the spoken commands of its owner, there are ten dogs which are not trained at all and respond to nothing but the demon voice inside their head.

To the person who said "life is inconvenient, get over it" as a defense in favor of letting a wild animal run loose in public - yes, life is inconvenient, but it should be made inconvenient for the fewest number of people in favor of the greater population. Make it inconvenient for the one dog owner (leash your dog in public), not the hundred other people trying to enjoy the outdoors in peace. Make it inconvenient for the one person with the jerk kid running amok on a commercial flight (drive your car to grandma's, or stay home), not the two hundred other people in the plane who paid money to travel somewhere via the most miserable method of conveyance ever devised by man.

Enough of this making everyone on earth suffer because ONE person might get offended.

+a billion. This is it right here. One of the worst parts of life is how about the 10-15% of people who are complete idiots and how for some reason they are allowed to make life so much more miserable than it needs to be.

Stop being a selfish brat and leash your dog in public places. And don't compare children to dogs. I have no kids (and own 2 well mannered dogs) and realize how stupid that argument is. Ur KiD iS bAd AnD mAkEs Me MaD sO i CaN dO wHaT i WaNt 2.

Just put a fkn leash on your dog in public and not one of those retractable 12 ft trip lines.

Except in this instance, you're the outlier, the one who is offended. Most people wouldn't agree to these ridiculous rules because most people are fairly responsible and know it.

If you make this rule then the only people you will have to worry about are the ones who wouldn't follow the rules anyway. Sound familiar?

As a dog owner, I totally agree that dogs should be on leash most of the time. The exception is when you are in a natural area or forest, on trails, or playing fetch with a dog in a park. Many dog breeds need exercise in order to behave well and follow commands. However, there is nothing wrong with yelling at a dog if it is approaching you aggressively.

Some say dog ownership itself is irresponsible because of the ethical considerations it creates. However, dogs have been human companions for literally millions of years. If you're not going to exterminate all dogs, understand that dogs have biological and emotional needs. You cant legislate that away. It is arguably the strictures of our society that keep dogs from being socialized correctly (i.e. able to roam free, basically) that has created the fearful/reactive dog issue. Dog trainers understand that aggressiveness is either trained into a dog by nefarious people, or it is fear-based. Mandatory dog training isn't a bad idea, but again, people will always flaunt the rules.

If you're really worried about getting attacked, bring mace on your runs. It could happen with a wild animal or a crazy person too.

Unleashed dogs are NOT okay. In any situation. Not everyone is as loving of those critters as you are. And don’t try and deflect by changing the topic to misbehaving children. Just like Dems who insist there is no southern border problem because more people overstay their visas. One does not negate the other. Period.

Ok, the dog should be on a leash. But, you overreacted and the dog felt threatened.

I have a dog and I run with him off leash when we are out and away from areas where we might run into people, I put him on leash if and when we encounter someone. The guy should have had him off leash, but if you were not such a wimp the dog would have left you alone after a quick visit to say hello. When out running be happy and enjoy yourself, it is contagious.

There is no denying that dogs bite people. The CDC estimated that there are over 4.5 million dog bites inflicted on people in the US each year.

Over a million people go to the hospital emergency rooms in the US each year because of dog bites. 27,000 people require reconstructive surgery each year due to dog bites.

The danger of being bit by a dog is real, and it is not agro to be upset, fearful, threatened or worried when a loose dog approaches. Especially if the dog acts aggressively.

Those who say that potential dog bite victims bring the bites on themselves because they feel fearful and dogs sense this are crazy.

The burden to control dogs should be on the dog owner, not the general population.

"Most dogs are harmless" - that is a dumb statement to justify you position. I personally have been attacked from behind by a vicious dog . Pants ripped and bleeding. It was traumatic. I have also been knocked over by a super friendly dog and bruised my hip. And finally kids are not like dogs at all! The comparison is dumb.

“However, dogs have been human companions for literally millions of years. “

Do you know what literally means?

Dogs have been domesticated for 15,000 years. My guess is that you are using the term ‘literally’ to try and strengthen or amplify your point.

I was once approached by two off leash dogs who came sauntering over from the other side of the street. I stopped running and stood quietly on the assumption that the owner would come over and get the dogs. Also, I did not want them tagging along with me as I was running 7something pace and the owner (round middle aged woman) would not be able to keep up and might lose her dogs. As soon as the dogs got up to me, they went bark, bark, bite, bite. One got me on the calf, the other leaped in the air and gave me a gash across the back. I have had dogs of all shapes and sizes for over 40 years. I had no clue these dogs were going to be aggressive. No growling, no barking, just looked like they wanted to give me a sniff.

Always establish dominance when approached by an off leash dog. Stand your ground, stomp your foot and give them a firm "get back" with your hand extended out. Most dogs will go submissive and put their tail between their legs and retreat. If a dog keeps coming or stops and starts barking, you need to continue to stand your ground until the owner gets control of the dog. F--k anyone who thinks you're being mean to animals.

The solution is to nationally deputize every runner. Every runner can make a citizen's arrest for unleashed dogs. 'cuz the cops are never around.