Devil Dog !!

[plodalong]

Well I love dogs and am certainly not afraid of them but this encounter left me feeling pretty angry.

Out with my other half enjoying our run through the woods when we encountered a lady out with a rather large alsation (not on a lead ) who promptly laid down as we approached.

Well then the growling started,the barking and some rather disturbing teeth baring. Needless to say we both stopped in our tracks as the dog got up and proceeded to bark at us . The owner pathetically called to her dog "don't be naughty" she said and walked over to the dog and I stupidly believed she had put it on the lead.

Wrong!! as we continued with our run the dog decided to follow barking away.Finally it gave up after some rather unrepeatable language from me.

Oh... she did say sorry though .A bit of a worry don't you think x

[edqa233 Graduate]

I get dogs bounding up to my little ones all the time (some larger dogs nearly knock my youngest one over) and although they're "just being friendly" as the owners always say it really upsets me, and sometimes scares the kids. Haven't yet encountered any whilst running, but I can imagine how annoying that was. You'd think the owner would have least put the dog on the lead until you were out of range.

[Tessababy]

That's a pain, must of put you off your stride? my son runs through the woods and he often gets the same dog running along with him, lol...hes now used to it...that's also an alsation...it runs back after a while.

[mrslazy Graduate]

I sympathise, I get this too. I run through a park and there are often quite a lot of dog s off leads. I never eyeball them and am anxious. There is one in particular that runs and jumps up at me, it's quite big and the first time I thought I might loose a chunk of my bottom! What staggers me is you look at the owners who clearly think you should love their beast like they do. They don't get that I don't know it isn't aggressive. I just got back from my run in the poring rain, not a dog walker in site. Bliss

[Beek Graduate]

Hi plodalong, you've just hit my hobbyhorse button!. I meet these awful dog walkers too most days I go out for a run and they have a supercilious way of making you feel a total wuss for not realising that their teeth barring growling mutt is in fact a gentle soft little pussycat that couldn't harm a fly!

You must do your running with an open mind. You apparently don't know that these angry looking animals don't want to bite you, stop being so silly - they are utterly harmless - and how could you possibly not LOVE them?! You are a psychic aren't you? You must know these things, surely?

Large growling dogs utterly terrify me (having twice been bitten by an Alsatian) I know their bite will hurt - a lot! Carry on swearing as much as you can bear to. It won't hurt as much as a bite will!

I hope one day the dog walkers will wake up to just how intimidating and antisocial their behaviour is, particularly to those of us who hate being growled at, chased, barked at, jumped up at and licked or slobbered on. YUK!

Hope you don't come across them again but if you do YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO SWEAR - LONG AND LOUD!

If dogs were reliable and trustworthy we wouldn't hear of those tragic incidents when these 'friendly' dogs suddenly turn feral and savage (and occasionally kill) people/little ones they live with and know.

[Oldgirl Graduate]

I love most animals but truly hate it when a strange dog runs towards me when I'm out running, it also happens to me quite a lot as I run through the forest tracks which dog walkers love. Any dog that bars its teeth and growls should be kept on a lead with a muzzle too. If it happens again I would report the owner to the police, this time you came to no harm the next time it could be children who meet it and the outcome may not be such a happy one.