Perhaps i didn't explain the situation well, but tell me.. what would have changed in this situation had my dogs been on an 8 foot lead?
I was in the middle of a clearing with my dogs.
In fact, the only reason they were on an extended lead at the time of the incident is that i was in the middle of an empty clearing and had been exercising them.
At the point that i noticed her, her partner and her unleashed dogs were playing at the edge of a clearing... they were not walking purposefully down a path in my direction.
After her dog was leashed, she chose to walk directly at me at substantial speed in spite of the fact that i clearly warned her repeatedly that there was the danger of a confrontation...
she chose to come within leash length of my dogs... in fact at one point she was substantially closer than 17 ft... but i had already successfully pulled the dogs closer to me.
It was a clearing.. there was plenty of room to go around me. She heeled her dog in next to her and charged at me and my dogs... in spite of the fact that i warned her that my dogs weren't dog friendly and that i was dealing with both leashes and filled poop bags.
In this situation, the only reason there was no confrontation is because her dog was smart enough to move out of the way.
In fact, had the dog obeyed her and walked where she put him, there would have been a confrontation... provoked by her.
I was not reporting the behavior of a space cadet here... this was not some bumbling keystone cops comedy unfolding over a long period of time...
i was reporting deliberate provocation which occurred in less time than you can speed walk half a block's distance.
You might have had less reason to chastise me if my dogs had been sitting next to me on leash..
but that wouldn't have changed her behavior one bit.
And in this particular situation would have likely resulted in far more danger to me and my dogs.
The suggestion that I will always be at fault for choosing to walk my dogs at all in a public park simply because other people frequently choose to disobey the law and walk their dogs off leash... seems more than a little wrong headed to me.
I choose times when there are few people in the park and choose routes which are generally not much used.
At the first sign of another dog, i pull my dogs in next to me... walk off the path a substantial distance regardless of the terrain and wait for the other dog to pass... whether those dogs are leashed or not.
I was in the process of doing just that as this woman chose to walk rapidly and deliberately right at me and my dogs.
I commented on this instance because it was so blatant...
I admit i am more accustomed to seeing the "I am entitled and my dog can kick the crap out of your dog.. i like to see them fight" attitude from men than i am from women... but this type of incident happens too frequently...
i have been injured more than once while my dogs were sitting next to my knee.. off the path... by a dog or dog and owner combination that approached and provoked confrontations after they had been warned to leash their animals and leave mine alone.
Should i be happy to report that my dogs have never been injured during one of those confrontations??? .. just me... and their dogs.
JimmyG...... your pronouncements about what i should and shouldn't be doing with my dogs is more than a bit judgmental...
You don't know my dogs.. you don't know my level of skill handling them and you were not there.
i am sure armchair quarterbacking is a lot of fun.. but to be just a tad catty... your dog walker tale pretty much disqualifies you from having the kind of expertise to pass that kind of judgment on other dog owners.
but hey, we all get to have opinions...
mellaw6565....
thanks, but i don't need assistance purchasing control leashes.. i already own them.. and train my dogs on them.
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