In praise of our furry, canine friends...🐕🐩👍

[Sandraj39]

They don't always get a good press on running forums but I have been pretty lucky on my runs, in that I seem to have met a pretty friendly bunch along with considerate owners. Apart from one comical mishap a good while ago now, when one overenthusiastic pooch changed direction right in front of me, resulting in my having to hurdle him in order to stay upright😮🐕, the only animal that has ever caused me to change gear quickly in order to 'escape' was a fox, which turned out not to be chasing me (of course😮) but was merely going in my direction!

Today, I seemed to come across lots of dog walkers whilst out for my 10k and all were fab at holding on to their little 'chasers', or standing to the side with them while I trotted past. Equally, I try to be considerate in return, running to the side, thanking the owners and saying 'hello' to the dogs! (🙂makes a change from talking to the sheep!😉)

So, thank you all lovely dog owners and your lovely dogs!😀

[Oldfloss Administrator 60minGraduate]

It is so great to have a pooch friendly post for a change, my friend... I would have loved to have seen the dog hurdling incident..not you getting hurt obviously!!And the fox .. wow ! Dog whisperer as opposed to sheep whisperer.. yes,, a real change! Great run! x

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Aww Sandra, how lovely. 😀 I’m a dog owner and I often run with her, occasionally on the lead (parkrun), but more often than not, off. She’s very good, but I always keep an eye on her as I know not everyone likes dogs.

I’ve yet to have anyone complain about her, nor have I had any incidents to speak of, but once I was running along minding my own business when another dog began ambushing mine and I very nearly fell over both of them. The other owner did absolutely nothing about trying to recall her dog, so I can fully appreciate how irritating some dogs can be. It just makes me even more vigilant with mine!

It’s nice to hear someone genuinely appreciating courteous dog owners, so thank you! 😀🐕❤️ They really are fabulous running buddies. 🏃‍♀️🐕👍

[linda9389 Graduate10]

I have a big dog and do try to be very careful with other people and dogs; for runners or cyclists I will always try to call her in to avoid any over excitement or misplaced friendliness Yesterday I got pulled up to a dead stop by a very bouncy (very lovely) golden lab who launched himself at me at chest height! I was outwardly calm, standing still, back to the dog, while she tried to catch him, inwardly cursing the break in my run :D. His owner was incredibly apologetic and thanked me for being so understanding and she did acknowledge that some people would rightly be upset or even scared by her dog's behaviour. I could sympathise with her, knowing how hard it is to train a large, overfriendly dog - I've got the T-shirt! - but equally wondering what, if anything, she was doing to fix the problem 😂.

[Bridget007]

Yay I love dogs ... even the ones who jump up at me 😍 the only thing I worry about is the little quick ones I’m scared I might land on them and accidentally squash them!

I can’t run with my dog I did try a couple of times last year when doing C25K but every time I started to run he started barking frantically at me as he thought I must be in danger and running from something scary 🤣🤣🤣

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10]

It is nice to read of responsible dog owners. I also saw lots of dogs on my run today and everyone was so considerate. I guy stopped his huge dog on the bridge had him focussing on him as I trotted by. I gave him a huge thank you as I went by. It is so important to acknowledge and thank these wonderful owners with their well behaved dogs.

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

I met an elderly couple in the park today with 6 King Charles spaniels, most of them rescued, some from a dog farm. 2 of them were very nervous as they had been kicked in the past. How wonderful that these people were trying to make a difference to these dogs lives. It is great when dogs are owned by responsible people and trained, but I worry about the current fashion to have a dog and the owners who don’t know how to train them. I hope the novelty doesn’t wear off and they end up in rescue homes.

[skysue16 Graduate10]

What a lovely post 😊

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Runners are just the nicest people, as this post demonstrates Sandra. Its like the warm 10k glow oozes out and you are full of kind impulses

[Beachcomber66 Graduate10]

As a runner and owner of a big over friendly dog I can see both sides of the problem. I have had the odd mainly comical running encounter with other people's dogs and have the paw marks on my running jacket to prove it! They don't bother me because I am completely calm around dogs of any size or shape and I reckon that I can spot a bad one from a 100 yards range, mainly by looking at the owner! If I see a runner when walking our dog I call her to heel and she plods alongside me until told she is free to go( a treat in the hand as an insurance policy works particularly well!). It took years of hard work to get her to that point though, because we were battling against her naturally friendly nature. Left to her own devices she would be jumping up to give every passing person, particularly females, a kiss!! As a runner, I give dogs the widest possible berth for the benefit of the owner as well as myself. The odd rare problem arises on narrow paths with a difficult or young dog and an inexperienced or don't care dog owner......time to slow off to a walk in my book..shame to spoil a run with with a confrontation whether it be with the dog, the owner or both.

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

I so wish my experiences have been more doggie friendly but they haven't ☹️ When I do experience well behaved owners and dogs I gush as if I'm giving them an Oscar but sadly, it's a rare occurance.

Nice post though Sandra 🙂