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

Precious Roy wrote:

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.

That's terrible advice. You need to look away, stand still and hope for the best. That he just jumps on you and sniffs and then goes back to the owner.

If you try to establish dominance or make it a hierarchy fight and subsequently trigger the dog to attack, you will likely lose. Dogs are powerful animals with a bite force of 200-300 pounds (rottweilers even more). That's enough power to break bones.

Many people, especially insecure women, also train their dog for protection. Which means, they go to a dog training park where the dog is supposed to subdue and bite humans wearing heavy, bite-proof armor. If you find such a trained dog off-leash and he pursues you as a threat, you will end up in the hospital with SEVERE injuries.

And yes, dogs have been domesticated for 15,000 years, but also primarily as hunting dogs, guard dogs and fighting dogs. They still have all those instincts in them.

I read so many dog pros on both sides of the "look vs don't look at the dog" discussion. Who's gonna tell me the final word on it? Seriously want to know.

I called a cat an f-ing idiot today because it ran out in front of me during a 400m time trial.

QFFT!!

As Cesar says, there are no bad dog, just bad owners.

A woman living out in the county on a popular running and biking route had a mutt that aggressively chased runners, walkers and cyclists. It was a terrifying dog. Pepper spray didn't cause the dog to rethink its hobby.

The dog's owner absolutely refused to lease the damn thing. After numerous complaints, she was arrested and fined. Still wouldn't keep the damn thing on a lease, and the court refused to take the dog away from her. No idea why.

Well, one day the dog darted into the road in pursuit of a cyclist and met it's poor demise at the hands of an SUV's fender. The dog's owner was fined again and had to pay for a ding doctor to cover the vehicle's damage.

No more issues with dogs on the route.

Leash your damn dogs people.

I read of a "dog behavior expert" telling people that "if there's a dog on your walking or running route and it comes into the road after you the next time bring some dog treats."

Can you believe that such people actually exist in this world? This person should be banished on a small island with every single dog left in the world.

I believe I read from a legitimate source, an attorney specializing in dog bite law, that 80% of all falls in the US are caused by dogs and cats. These falls in older people are often the final stretch of life for these folks. BAN ALL DOGS FOREVER!

I got news for you. There are bad dogs, regardless of how good they are trained. Every dog has the potential to injure or worse. In times of chase, like chasing a rabbit, if interrupted a well trained dog may turn on it's owner. No dogs are perfectly safe. I will never own a dog. I do not know why society tolerates them. It's not just about bites. Dog hair, noise, etc..

To all dog owners ITT, the hierarchy goes -

Others people's space > Your own space + your dog's space

Doens't matter if you think you're the perfect dog owner or not, it is YOU who needs to be aware when you're in public with your dog of what your dog is doing at all times. I've been bitten by a friendly dog hard enough to break some skin. I've also seen a very large dog approach and nip at an infant. You should never assume that a person is capable of navigating your dogs territoriality the same way you are.

guoi wrote:

I read of a "dog behavior expert" telling people that "if there's a dog on your walking or running route and it comes into the road after you the next time bring some dog treats."

Can you believe that such people actually exist in this world? This person should be banished on a small island with every single dog left in the world.

A good sized chocolate bar will do

Next time I encounter an unleashed dog I’m gonna do like that guy with the mountain lion in Colorado

Some well written perspective to dog owners from a dog owner

https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/7-tips-for-handling-off-leash-dogs-while-hiking/

The 4 worst quotes of dog owners/lovers:

"It's always the owner's fault. No dog is born bad"

Yes, that's why stray dogs are a big problem and often attack. They don't have any human to teach them how to be bad and how to misbehave, yet they attack sometimes or at least chase/bark at people.

Sure there are good and bad owners, just as there are good and bad drivers. That's why we need rules to regulate dogs/leash-policy, because a runner can't trust that the dog that's attacking him is harmless and from a good owner.

"He just wants to play"

Why do people train their dogs to always start playing with random people they encounter? WHY DON'T THEY PLAY WITH THEM??? 99% of people DON'T want to play with random dogs while they are running, walking, cycling etc. They just wanna enjoy the nature, get a good workout done or travel from A to B. If anything dogs should be trained NOT to play with random people and leave them alone, and play with other dogs/their owner's in dedicated areas.

"My dog is harmless. He would never do anything to anyone!"

Ok, so 90% of dogs are like that and 10% of dogs can jump/sniff people or might even bite for whatever reason. HOW CAN OTHER PEOPLE KNOW THAT??? NO one knows which dog is good or bad by just looking at them during their first encounter. I'm VERY cautious about any dog I encounter, no matter how small or big UNLESS I know them. I've been attacked by anything, from super small baby bulldogs all the way to a fully grown German shepherd.

"My dog only charges people if they are afraid."

HELLO??? FEAR is a NATURAL REACTION!!! Some people fear heights, some fear planes, some woman get scared when they walk alone at night and hear someone approaching them (I scared woman myself as a big guy when running by them coming from behind). The owner's NEED to make sure that their dog is NOT effected simply by someone being afraid by them. Someone being naturally scared of dogs, or because of traumatized experiences with them is NOT a legitimate reason for a dog to charge/attack/bite them!!! Please control your dogs, fear is a human emotion and should never be an excuse for a dog's behavior.

Suggestion wrote:

guoi wrote:

I read of a "dog behavior expert" telling people that "if there's a dog on your walking or running route and it comes into the road after you the next time bring some dog treats."

Can you believe that such people actually exist in this world? This person should be banished on a small island with every single dog left in the world.

A good sized chocolate bar will do

Very true, my dog loves chocolate, so did my previous dog, once ate a one pound dark chocolate easter bunny, he could not get enough

My dog has NEVER unjustifiably bitten someone and would NEVER unjustifiably bite someone!

What would justify I dog bite? What if the OP was bitten by the dog after he yelled at the owner? What if the dog thought the runner was a threat because he a. did not slow down b. looked at him in the eyes c. was aggressive towards the owner? Are those justifiable to some dogs to nip at an intruder in the natural area/ trails?

No, but for the dog not being leashed, the runner would not have been bitten.

Uncle Rico wrote:

No, but for the dog not being leashed, the runner would not have been bitten.

watch that video. MANY dog breeds are powerful enough that a leash is not stopping them from an attack if they perceive something as a threat or their natural instinct gets triggered.

Also, according to death statistics, "Pit bulls are responsible for the most human deaths each year, followed by rottweilers and huskies. However, many dog bite cases don’t get reported."

This is a no-brainer, the stronger a dog the more harm he can cause. Vast majority of dog bites are nuisances, like some soft tissue or muscle damage to the legs or arms, but in severe cases it can be death, especially for weaker people like children or older people.

I’d like to buy a clue...dogs are not children. Some children respond to language with ok dad. No dog says I hear you. Some people being bitten by your friendly dog take issue. Life is not always about being a stupid snowflake. Deal with it Jane you ignorant s__t!