As many have posted, the dog owner shouldn’t have let the dog out. Maybe it was inadvertent maybe not – no one on this thread knows the reason – but instead of just assuming it was probably not intended to happen or that it most certainly wasn’t intended to harm or threaten or scare anyone – too many of your conjecture that the owner is some sort of dog owner criminal setting his dog loose on the unsuspecting world in order to scare people by barking and pooping apparently all over the entirety of Alki! The horror of it all!

The facts we do know are that the dog owner acted responsibly and IMMEDIATELY to get the dog back into the house and under control, and it worked. But that’s not enough for the haters. HE MUST BE PUNISHED! SEVERELY!! There are several of you implying that you would have seriously physically harmed him for a bark and argue that it would be justified. I can guarantee you, having worked on cases involving alleged dog behavior that actually caused a person an injury, that no prosecutor is going to waste his or her precious time on a matter so trivial as a bark. I can also guarantee that in the event you decide to take the law into your own hands and harm a person and/or an animal because of a bark, YOU will be charged with a crime. And for those among you who think you know the law, like the guy who cited the CA Penal Code which is entirely irrelevant in WA, an assault is the “threat of bodily harm coupled with an apparent, present ability to cause the harm”. But there must be a likelihood that the harm will actually occur and you generally are expected to take action to avoid the harm if you are able. Nothing but a dog barking without more is unlikely to meet this standard.

The man who made the threat, on the other hand, not only likely committed an assault, but he also probably committed a battery because he actually touched the dog owner.

Both men did something wrong here, but thank God neither of them took it to the level that some of you dream about here because then we might have 2 dead or incarcerated men and a dog and even those of you out for bloodlust could rejoice and dance on their graves, but that makes you the sick ones.

There’s no question that EVERYONE should be picking up their dogs’ poop. Period. But failing to do so does not equate to a high crime for God’s sake! It’s disgusting and disrespectful but not a felony. And that can happen whether the dog is on or off leash so how this became part of the discussion demonstrates that many of you were just looking for a place to rant because you wanted to rant and it had nothing to do with the criminal case described.

As for people who sometimes let their dogs off leash, it depends upon where they are for the level of inappropriateness for God’s sake! In a crowded area – absolutely not! In an isolated area where no one else is around? What’s the big deal – assuming that the dog will respond to a command so it doesn’t bother anyone else? Of course when another person comes along, the dog should be under the control of the owner.

I own two dogs and when I walk them they are on leashes almost always and I carry poop bags and use them. I try to move out of the way for other people walking on the sidewalk and otherwise be respectful of other people and the fact that they might not want to be around my dogs. But sometimes I let my dogs off leash in a place where no one else is around and I use commands to make sure that they stay near me and away from other people and creatures. Does this make me rise to the criminal level of a batterer, as some of you have ranted? No – it does not. It makes me a person who is trying to live and enjoy my life and be respectful of the lives of others. Period.

As for those of you with dog allergies, I am sorry about that (I have other allergies too and they can be awful) but your physical or mental problems do not require the entire world – most of whom do not even know you or your “needs” – to go overboard to accommodate you. The world does not revolve around you. I know this may be news to SOME of you, but it’s true. I do not let my dogs rub up against people who I don’t know and who do want them to do so allergy or not. However, at some point in time, while I am trying to get out of the way with my dogs, their long tails or some other body part MIGHT accidentally touch you. This does NOT equate to a battery or invasion of your space any more than my inadvertently rubbing against someone while wearing perfume to which they are allergic. Does the fact that some people are very allergic to peanuts mean that I can only eat them in my home in an allergy free zone? I can’t walk down the street with a PB&J because I might walk by someone with an allergy? I am sorry you have these physical issues but the world does not revolve around you and your issues and you do not have the right to move through the world as you want to with everyone else dancing to your tune. Please do try to remember that.

For those people with dog phobias, the world also does not resolve around you. If I had a phobia about men with beards, that does not mean that I can demand that they move to the other side of the street because I am uncomfortable or afraid of them. As I noted above, as a respectful and responsible dog owner, I try my best to keep my dogs away from other people who I do not know. Even when people invite my dogs to be petted or to get attention, I am careful about that process as well so that they do not overwhelm or overstay their welcome. But again, this does not mean that when trying to move out of the way to share space in common areas such as sidewalks or paths, there might not be some times when my dogs get close to you. They are allowed to be out in the world with me and I am not required to remain locked in my house with them because you have a phobia any more than the bearded men would have to stay locked inside if I am out and about. Please try to remember that your phobias do not dictate the manner in which others operate in the world.

WE GET IT. OFFLEASH DOGS = BAD. The more you beat that dead horse the less I honestly care about the issue. I agree that owners need to take every precaution to keep their dog on a leash – but the users on this blog have made me not give a damn about it anymore. I don’t want to be lumped in with you.

Enough.

Who committed assault first? Dog owner. Who committed the worse offense? Neither – both are considered misdemeanor assault.
Who is in the right? Neither.
So to defend the dog owner is every bit as wrong as defending the guy who threatened it.

Who had a deadly weapon? The dog owner.

The dog owner deserves a scolding for releasing a deadly weapon on an unsuspecting person – really?
I hope, for the sake of your dog, you learn something today. You will get your dog hurt by pretending you and it have the right to threaten others. People like me will send it back to you in a bag. Try me.