How to complain about another dog walker

SnoopDoop

Over the last few years walking my dog on waste land, I and other dog walkers I know have had to avoid a certain lone walker who walks three dogs - two large dogs on leads and another agressive dog with no lead/collar. He clearly has limited control of the large dogs on his own and NO control of agressive dog. Yesterday I was insulted and shouted at by this walker and stating to put my dog on a lead, telling me I am inconsiderate and questioning my using the area. I was incensed! Initially, I reacted to his insults and tried to point out that his "dog on the loose" was the problem (if he could put a lead on it!). I was so angy at him shouting/insulting me.

I met another dog walker whilst I was trying to calm down and she told me the same dog had attacked her dog.

I feel I should complain about his intimidation/lack of dog control but have no idea to whom. I took his car registration no. as he frequently commutes to this waste ground. Right now I feel anxious about going there again, however I also won't let him intimidate me. I should be able to exercise my dog in my local area, as I have done the past four+ years.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Bromley86

I initially thought it was the dog warden. Your local council should have something like this. Worth a try, but be warned you may get nothing out of it and may have to contact the police.

EDIT: Looks like you're in luck, at least as this police advice is written rather than necessarily how it's acted upon:

"If your dog injures another person’s animal, or an owner of an animal reasonably believes that they could be injured if they intervened to protect their animal from your dog, then an offence may have been committed."

SnoopDoop

Thanks Bromley86. I think I'll try contacting the local council first and see what they say.

I may need to avoid as there for now as there would be no way of preventing his dog with no lead/collar (yet he yelled at me to have my dog on a lead).

Just such a shame a few spoil it for the many.

Caroline_a

Can I ask why the other walker said that your dog should be on a lead? Was this dog aggressive with your dog? and in what way?

I own 2 large dogs who are rarely on leads when I walk them. My German Shep is large, hairy and black and there are a lot of people who wrongly assume that because of his looks he is aggressive! From time to time when we are out he will turn his ears off, but gets put back on the lead until he listens. However, he has never been known to be aggressive, and normally tends to turn his back on any dogs that try to attack him - which are normally small yappy sorts!

SnoopDoop

Hi Caroline_a. I have to say I'm not sure why he was asking me to put the lead on my dog. My dog is not agressive and tends to just trot by with his ball in his mouth. Even if/when I do put mine on the lead, his "off lead" dog would still come at my dog.

He struggles to contain two afghan hounds who generally snarl up on their hind legs - they are not too bad as they are on leads (just!). Controlling them looks hard enough. The third is a collie and without fail comes at my dog - this generally starts the other big two on leads. He's not bitten my dog (yet) but I was told by another owner that it had attacked her dog whilst her daughter was walking him.

My opinion is if he can't control three dogs at once (which clearly he can't or won't) then perhaps he needs to re-think taking them out separately so that he can be control rather than throwing responsibility to other dog owners.

Up to now, when I see the troupe coming I've tried to go another way - but now I think "why should I"?

Caroline_a

Playing devil's advocate here, the other dog has not attacked your dog. You only have the other owner's word that her dog has been bitten - my dogs play a lot, particularly with their mates that we walk with. Sometimes there's a lot of noise as they play - but I promise you there is absolutely no aggression at all. It's akin to kids running around shouting at each other. None of the dogs has ever been hurt by this. However.... lots of people have commented on 'vicious dogs off-lead', which couldn't be further from the truth. All four dogs can be stopped from this play by a word from either my friend or me.

My friend does (as do I) put her male dog on the lead if he goes conveniently 'deaf', and that usually does the trick after they watch their friends running around.

I don't think there is any excuse for him being insulting to you, but perhaps he's fed up of people thinking that his other dog is aggressive as the 2 on the lead lead appear to be. They might be on the lead as they are sight hounds and have bad recall, which is pretty standard!

People treat their dogs like their children, and if he considers that you've been possibly unfairly judging your dog, this would probably have made him grumpy - I know it does with me!

Just a suggestion - maybe next time you see him ask if his dog would like to 'meet' your dog. Let them have a sniff if he agrees. Ask if his dog is 'ok' with other dogs, rather than 'is he aggressive' - that can be a red rag to a bull to some people! You never know, you and your dog might make some new friends!

Wellyboots6

I agree with asking if his dog is ok with other dogs, rather than asking if it is aggressive.
People often ask me if mine is agressive, and it's not an easy question to answer sometimes in a limited amount of time! He is dog-aggressive through fear, but only when he is on his lead. So trying to explain that to someone when they shout across a field to me is not easy. They tend to switch off at the 'no, but...' stage, especially when he is carrying on like a loon, bouncing around at the end of his lead!

gettingready

Caroline and Katy are spot on.

Agressive does not sit well with me as Zara, my GS is not agressive. She loves allpeople BUT she dislikes some dogs.

So she is dog reactive and even that - not towards all dogs/not all the time.

Dogs/owners have to give and take all the time - for everyone to be reasonably happy and safe.

lostinrates

Afghans in particular among sight hounds are often not ever let off the lead in untended areas such is their recall.


However, they are energetic, dogs, as keen to sprint as any of their greyhound cousins. It might be seeing other dogs run past them is simply irresistible for them and causing them to leap about. Not your problem but his, but might explain but not excuse his mood.
Personally I'd try and walk with someone else and ask what it is that upset him about your dog to see if its something legitimate (most likely not) or easily avoidable (more likely to be so).


Being spoken to offensively is NEVER acceptable but its not clear to me from the description here of what the actual dog problem was.

Caroline_a

Slightly off-topic, but relevant I feel. Last Saturday I was out walking with my 2 and my friends 2 Shepherds. So 3 Sheps in all, 2 white, one black and tan. Woman walks past with small-ish terrier type. Dogs start trotting towards dog to say hello, to be called back by us. All came back except her younger Shep who has ears that turn on and off at will... Well I say that, he got within about 20m of them and then turned back to us.

My friend said (as this woman gathered up her dog) 'it's ok, they are friendly'. That's fine said the woman, but this one doesnt like German Shepherds.

Now. How on earth can this dog differentiate breeds? What are his feelings towards Shepherd crosses? and there are many many different types of Sheps, from the huge ones like mine, to tiny ones as I saw at Crufts this year. Lots of different colours, long and short haired...

Might it be more that the owner doesnt like Sheps, and her reaction provokes a reaction in her dog?

Just saying...

Wellyboots6

I think it may be breed traits, rather than breeds specifically they can differentiate between.

LS has a thing about collies, although I suspect it is more the eye contact and the lowering of the head that they do which he doesn't like.

As lostinrates said about the afghans, some dogs I am sure are worse on leads than others. LS prances around like a lunatic when he sees a dog, which makes him look awful as he is straining at the end of his lead and he looks aggressive. I do have hold of him however, and he is in training so eventually (I hope!) he will calm. He is also muzzled.

A dog on a lead can look 'out of control' but if they are on a lead and cannot get to your dog then I am not really sure what else you can ask of the owner.