Raging Angry...

BubblyMumbles

gettingready wrote: »

NO it it was not overeaction from an adult who was in charge of a kid and was himself scared/scared for the kid.

Scared of what? Dogs? Erm, here's a thought, don't go for a walk in an area where you know they'll be lots of dogs off the lead if you're scared of dogs! Random or what? :doh:

gettingready

Look - I am really not here to argue with you so pls find someone else to argue with as you are tottaly missing the oint of THIS thread.

BubblyMumbles

gettingready wrote: »

Look - I am really not here to argue with you so pls find someone else to argue with as you are tottaly missing the oint of THIS thread.

Okay, if you don't want to argue then stop replying...

And, what exactly is the point that I'm missing?

looopylala

I think the post is getting a little sidetracked.. surely as adults we all have responsibility for protecting children in our care be that stopping them from aproaching strange dogs or strange people and as pet owners we have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our dogs and the public.
With a little more consideration all round these situations would not arrise.. I realise that not everyone takes responsibility but just because they dont doesnt mean we should lower our standards. Politely ask that a dog owner puts their dog on a lead as you pass and politely ask a child not to touch your dog... have a little more respect all round and walks will be a whole lot more enjoyable for grown ups, children and dogs alike

Tropez

The way I see it...

A dog, no matter how friendly, should not be off the lead in a public place unless it will stop and recall the moment it heads off towards someone or something else. Given my experience with dogs, if one is bounding up to me I can usually tell from its body language what its intentions are but studies have proven most people haven't a clue and many may assume the worst. The truth is dogs should not be bounding up to anyone who has not invited them to approach, and if they do, then the owners of the dogs must be able to get the dogs to return immediately. If they cannot do this they do not have the proper control of the dog.

I also believe a human being should not use violence against a dog unless there is absolutely no other solution and there is real risk of danger to life or limb. It does not sound, from what the OP has described that this is the case and as such it appears to be an overreaction on the part of the grandfather but we could only speculate as to why he overreacted in this manner. Based on the information provided it certainly appears that he overreacted, there was no danger and he had no right to kick the dog.

And as somebody else brought up, yes, I do believe children should be under control in public places too!

rising_from_the_ashes

Caroline_a wrote: »

Children for the most part aren't frightened of dogs, it tends to be something they learn from adults. When children are shown how to behave around dogs and how to behave around dogs that may not be quite so friendly, it's far safer than showing them the kicking dogs is ok!

Totally agree with this - many times I've been out for a walk with Mr Pooch and I can litterally be 1000 feet from a couple of adults / children when one of the adults will grab a child up into their arms in complete panic. (As I've said, I always put him on the lead well before we get to small children).

I've even heard some saying "nasty big bad dog" as we've walked by - what chance have these kids got of growing up and not being terrified of dogs?

One of the girls I work with is terrified of dogs - nothing's ever happened but she says when she thinks back to childhood - this is exactly what her mother did.....

Errata

Tropez wrote: »

The way I see it...

A dog, no matter how friendly, should not be off the lead in a public place unless it will stop and recall the moment it heads off towards someone or something else. Given my experience with dogs, if one is bounding up to me I can usually tell from its body language what its intentions are but studies have proven most people haven't a clue and many may assume the worst. The truth is dogs should not be bounding up to anyone who has not invited them to approach, and if they do, then the owners of the dogs must be able to get the dogs to return immediately. If they cannot do this they do not have the proper control of the dog.

I also believe a human being should not use violence against a dog unless there is absolutely no other solution and there is real risk of danger to life or limb. It does not sound, from what the OP has described that this is the case and as such it appears to be an overreaction on the part of the grandfather but we could only speculate as to why he overreacted in this manner. Based on the information provided it certainly appears that he overreacted, there was no danger and he had no right to kick the dog.

And as somebody else brought up, yes, I do believe children should be under control in public places too!

The reaction may have been due to the fact that, as the OP has stated several times, two strange adult dogs were round his feet.
I'm not in favour of dogs being kicked, but when they're not under the control and protection of their owner it is always a possibility. I hope the OP has taken his dogs to the vet to be checked over for any injuries caused by the kicks.

MrsAtobe

OP, can I suggest that you get your two extending leads while you work on their recall? We had one for our spaniel, it gave her the illusion of freedom, but allowed us to be in control at all times. Her recall was not reliable, in fact we thought she was deaf at one point, until we realised that she could hear the opening of a crisp packet at 100 yards .

jimimi

The man is setting his grandson up for problems with dogs in the future if this is how he reacted when your dogs came up to him. The boy will grow up to think all dogs are dangerous. I've seen the pictures you've posted of your dogs and don't understand how anyone could be afraid of them. OK, maybe if the kid had a bad experience with dogs before, but the chap could have explained that. I think he was being unreasonable. I wouldn't dream of making such a fuss if your dogs ran up to my kids (mind you I wouldn't get chance as they'd be shouting to ask you if they could stroke them lol). Hope your dog is ok and it doesn't have any long term effects on him.

Welshwoofs

gettingready wrote: »

NO it it was not overeaction from an adult who was in charge of a kid and was himself scared/scared for the kid.

Actually, it was a total over-reaction because the op has stated that his dogs were not barking, jumping or nipping and therefore the man's reaction was disproportionate to the threat level. He hurt the dog out of his own irrational fears and even though the dogs shouldn't be running up to strangers, there is no justification whatsoever for kicking an animal which is NOT displaying aggression. What he should have done is stand still and calmly ask the owner to put the dogs on a leash because he (or the child) has a fear of dogs.

I have a phobia about spiders. If someone suddenly dumped their pet Tarantula in front of me, would I be justified in stamping on it? No! Because even though what they did was discourteous, the fact would be that my reaction would be a kneejerk one born of my own fears, rather than the ACTUAL threat.