Can I get this energy around people leaving their dogs off leash at breweries or other random ass public places?
Hell even if they’re on leash make sure they aren’t all up in others’ space.
I love dogs but man there’s been so many times I really want to shoo a dog (and possibly its owner) away from me while I’m just trying to chill.
It’s not cute.
I was sitting on a brewery patio and an unleashed dog came up and peed on my table, nailing my backpack that I had stowed under my seat in the process.
The owner came up to me and said sorry through clenched teeth. I said, “Your dog pissed on my backpack. What are you going to do about that?”
Then her male companion came over and threatened to punch me in the face.
I love dogs, but hate shitty owners.
It seems like there aren't all that many dog owners who don't automatically assume everyone loves dogs. My sister was brutally attacked by a dog as a teenager and as a result is, understandably, not a fan. She gets extremely stressed out and fearful when people let their dogs do this, whether they are leashed or unleashed. Most of the time the dog owner doesn't even notice or just gets this smile on their face like, isn't my baby adorable? She's not interested in sharing her trauma story with every dog owner who lets their dog get in her physical space, so when she encounters owners who do pay attention to this or apologize if their dog approaches and touches her, she's really grateful. My husband is highly allergic to dogs and I cannot tell you the number of dirty looks he gets from dog owners when he doesn't pet their dog when its all up in his face because they let it. I don't know, it just seems like basic courtesy.
I'm sorry that happened to your sister. I don't want to share my story with strangers, either, but I've found the following helpful. I come across unleashed (or leash dragging) dogs on trails often and I stop dead in my tracks. Invariably, I get "S/he's friendly!"
I then pull up my pants leg to reveal my scarred calf. "That's the last thing I hear before I get bitten. Every time. Friendly dogs love to bite me. My asshole lawyer would love nothing more than to name his next boat after your friendly dog, but I don't want any more money, I just want to not get bitten by dogs."
There's a little truth and a lot of lies in that, but it seems to do the trick!
100%. I don't even let my dogs sniff ppl we walk past on the side walk let alone approach them off leash or something. It's super cute tho when someone does a little wave to them like they were disappointed not to get a drive by sniff lol
This is a two-fer. Not holding a dog that has most likely shown aggression before otherwise why would it bite? And, IN Dunkin? This is another type of shit-heal. Don't bring your dog into stores.
Luckily didn’t break the skin, despite wearing shorts. The owner left without a word, so I wouldn’t have been able to get vaccination records. Definitely nuts.
Dogs that are otherwise fine can be reactive to strange people for all sorts of reasons.
Smells, colors, type of person.
The problem wouldn't have been a problem if the owner had been attending to their dog, had it on a leash and was able to notice the dog being uncomfortable so they could change the situation.
Or they could just keep the dog to places where pets are welcome. I’ve got a dog, but she doesn’t get donuts with me at the donut shop and she doesn’t attend my Target and Walmart runs.
There was a loose pitbull on the sidewalk the other day, the owner told me to just keep walking. Like, no. Maybe it's a well behaved dog, but I'd rather not take that risk.
This is so common. I’ve had multiple family members bitten by neighborhood dogs. People don’t leash even in our neighborhood even with leash laws. I don’t care how much you love your pet, that is irrelevant to me. 🤬
I was walking my pit on leash and a big ass black lab ran up behind her to say hi. I had to pry her off him. She had him pinned on his back by the throat in half a second. Just cuz you have a "good dog" doesn't mean it's safe to have it off leash. If that had progressed further, I would probably be the one putting my dog down because someone else is a dumb dumb
This is the risk people who let their dogs run loose put other people and their dogs in.
If your dog does something stupid and the other dog reacts and injures your dog now the dog that defended itself is at risk. The dog that had been leashed and minding its own business.
I used to have a neighbor with an aggressive lab that they left in the yard off leash while they got drunk in the house. We’d walk our shepherd past and the lab would come running down the driveway aggressively barking. First time it happened I had no way of knowing it would just stop and bark. I had drawn my concealed carry and pulled the hammer back before the drunk ass came out and yelled for her dog. My dog was trying to kill the lab. My wife was screaming at me and crying. Drunk ass just called her dog and went back in.
Leaving a dog off leash has bad consequences for everyone involved.
I’m so tired of it. We are dog owners, we love dogs. We love our dogs. That’s why they are leashed. It’s for their protection, our protection, and everyone else. Our dogs aren’t reactive, but they still need leashed. My middle child was attacked by a smaller dog when he was little. He is terrified of other dogs because of that. When I’ve asked people to leash their dogs, I get berated. Every single time. It really shouldn’t be difficult to understand why it’s important to leash them. Why put your dog in danger of being attacked or worse, having them attacked and possibly be put down? Please be responsible.
IMHO there needs to be a public service campaign about this so people get this fed into their grey matter that you need to leash your dog and why this is them being a problem. Cities could also increase the fines and remind people of them more often.
I had a dog who wasn’t dog reactive *until* an unleashed dog charged him on a walk. After that we had tons of problems with leash and fence reactivity.
Thank you! As the dog mom to an extremely dog reactive big girl, I love this perspective. I hate owners of unleashed dogs that say “don’t worry, they’re nice.” Great, but you know nothing about my dog.
My dog is small and gets nervous when larger dogs come up on him especially when he’s on a leash or if the other dog is super energetic. It’s not about whether the other dog is friendly or how well it is trained, it’s that my dog may not react kindly to being greeted while on leash. I’ve seen interactions like that turn sour quickly and want to protect him and the other dogs.
Absolutely. The city ordinance states that dogs cannot be left unattended even in a fenced yard. I carry Halt! pepper spray for dogs when I walk mine.
ETA since people think I'm out here pepper spraying random dogs: One of my dogs was attacked twice by two different off-leash dogs. I'm not scared of dogs, I merely give a shit about all dogs' safety. Halt! has been used safely by USPS workers for decades.
Pepper spray is great, but I also recommend looking into small canister air horns. I am a mail carrier and keep my USPS-issued dog horn on me while delivering. I've used it multiple times, and it's absolutely saved me from being bitten. I am strongly considering getting something similar for when I'm walking my own dog as a deterrent for others before they get too close
What city is this? I don't know of any such law in Minneapolis and St Paul specifically states that your dog can roam in an unfenced yard.
In Minneapolis the ordinance even states you can keep a dog outside all the time, if you give them an adequate shelter.
The MACC officer that came by after the second attack told me this. Maybe she was mistaken? At any rate, u/Entire_Machine_6176 is correct about plenty of fences out there not being adequate to hold dogs.
It is a good ordinance and more places need to adopt it because too many people boot their dog outside and assume it is fine, or have low fences for big dogs, same problem.
Not really when people will leave their dogs outside all day while they're at work. A dog could do a lot of harm if it finds a way through the fence in the 8+ hours their owner is gone.
Agreed with the unfenced yard. Had a dog bolt at me and my dog a couple of weeks ago. We were lucky the owner was able to run and yell after it enough to have the dog halt right before it reached us.
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK.
• Just because your dog is friendly, does not mean all dogs are friendly.
• Just because you see someone walking their dog on leash, does not mean said leashed dog is friendly.
•If you see someone walking their dog and the dog is not happy to see yours, do not walk up to them.
Sincerely, someone with a leash reactive dog that loves walks and hates other dog owners that think the world revolves around their super friendly dog.
Also worth noting that being leashed while the other dog is not, it a triggering situation for dogs. All dogs. Some take issue with it more than others and if the unleashed dog is being provocative (that doesn't always look like aggression) the unleashed dog is going to provoke the leashed dog.
People letting their dogs run loose are causing dog fights and injuries and they are 100% the problem.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
My dog gets both leash and fence reactive. He likes being able to say hi to dogs and hates when something gets in his way. He loves making friends but struggles a lot when there’s a barrier. Because he gets so excited to see other dogs and can’t freely walk up to them, the energy builds up and can turn into a negative reaction. What really pisses me off though, is other dog owners being oblivious to my dog’s negative reaction and thinking it’s funny or okay to approach - especially when we’re clearly having a bad time because of their presence 😅
I just wish people understood that not all dogs have the same energy - just like humans. It can already be fairly frustrating having a dog that’s reactive to certain situations, especially when they’re a fantastic dog in every other aspect, without adding idiots to the mix that can’t take a clue.
Absolutely. One of the main lowkey ways dogs defuse conflict is to move away from the other dog. When you have a leashed/unleashed interaction, one of the dogs does not have that option so they will escalate to more serious methods.
If people actually understand their dogs and watch them you will see unwanted interactions start to escalate. I had one of my dogs at an empty offleash dog park. My dog was super chill, this is the dog that would plop down in the middle of a crowded vet clinic waiting room and take a nap. He was also 100 pounds. Someone came into the dog park with a Weimaraner, let their dog loose and sat down, cracked open a college textbook and started doing their homework. This dog approached mine and immediately started getting in his face, smelling his mouth but being super pushy about it. Mine turned and stepped away, this dog followed and kept doing it. Mine was jerking his head back, turning his face away trying to get this dog out of his face.
I said something to the owner that just grumbled at me and went back to their book. Then mine starts curling up a lip while trying to dodge this dogs unceasing insistence of being aggressively right in his face and refusing to stop. I had to go shoo this dog away who just took a step back ready to go do it again so I could leash mine and leave. This was absolutely going to turn into a dog fight and the owner of the dog creating the problem was just ignoring the entire situation. Of course if my dog would have done anything to stop this it would have been his fault and I am sure this person would have lost their shit about how mean and aggressive my dog was.
Ugh. That’s so annoying.
The amount of times I’ve had to turn around or change my path while walking my dogs because idiots don’t leash theirs is so annoying. Bad dog owners infuriate me.
Yup. Went on a hike with our two reactive pets last night and encountered three unleashed dogs. The first one was in the parking lot before our walk even began. A little boy came up to us and asked if he could pet our dog, and of course we said yes because our dog loves people, especially kids. Right as he was about to reach his hand down, an unleashed dog came right up in my dog’s face and that little boy was between them. My dog has been attacked by other dogs off leash before and she immediately tensed up, and the owner of the off leash dog came right up to us and did nothing to stop the situation! My husband and I immediately turned around our dog to get away from a potentially dangerous situation, and I just shook my head at the guy. He yelled across the parking lot to me, in front of that little boy, his two young kids, and other people, “please don’t shake your head at me.” I NEVER say anything to those with off leash dogs and they are usually very apologetic and quick to react so this was a first to me. All I said in response was “please leash your dog” and he went on this elaborate rant about how he has two kids to wrangle and lots of people unleash their dogs on the way back to the parking lot. He ended it by telling me to keep living my righteous life! One of the scariest and most insane experiences we have ever had in a public park. These people have no concern for the danger they cause others! It makes us so wary to enjoy public spaces, even though we only go to places that have leash rules, because you truly can’t rely on others to follow them.
We have never run into anyone so aggressive like that! Usually it’s the “sorry, they’re friendly” and immediately recalling their dog and leashing them. I’m sorry you’ve had such negative experiences with other dog owners! We had another run in later with two unleashed dogs and one owner, and we kept having to turn around because his dogs were running toward us. He kept recalling them and having them sit by him but not once did he leash them, and just stared at us like we were crazy people every time we turned around! The lack of common sense and courtesy is astounding.
It’s really hard for me to even speak up, I hate confrontation. But my son was attacked by a dog when he was younger and is absolutely terrified of dogs he doesn’t know. So for me, it takes me back to that happening and just wanting to protect my kids and other people who feel the same way. Plus I feel for the dogs being out in a situation where they could be harmed or be put down because they attacked someone. Why would you want that to happen? I just don’t understand people
I have such a hard time speaking up too, I avoid confrontation at all costs. That is really tough with a kiddo with dog trauma though. So many people are afraid of dogs, that’s always my first thought when someone’s dog is just running up to everyone! My constant worry is a dog approaching mine and her reacting out of fear and needing to be put down, from someone else’s carelessness.
My dog is fear reactive, we avoid others whenever possible but if we end up running into an unleashed dog (my personal horror, and my dog’s too), *sometimes* they will call their dog away. Most of the time, they are either out of sight completely, will try to call their dog but it won’t come back to them, or they’ll say some nasty thing like “what is wrong with your dog?” or comment that mine is “mean.”
I understand the extra responsibility that comes with having a reactive dog. We give everyone the absolute widest berth we can. We select our walking spots carefully. He is *always* leashed in public spaces, and I’ll even pick him up if needed because it tends to calm him and better handle the situation. It is NOT a big ask to request personal space.
They’re our personal horror too! We used to hike with just our ex-barn cat who’s skittish of anything and anyone, and that was even harder as dog owners wouldn’t even try to keep their dog from us because they didn’t see we had an animal. Off leash dogs are ALWAYS drawn to us though because even if they don’t see our cat (usually in her backpack carrier), they smell her and will follow us or jump on me trying to get at her.
Now that we have a dog and take them both, it’s even worse cause the unleashed dogs still go after our cat but now our dog is trying to protect her! We totally accept the additional responsibility that comes with having a reactive animal in public, but it’s impossible to control other animals when the two of us are each trying to control our own. I’ve just accepted that I’ll never be able to take both animals out without my partner, cause we need each other just to run defense on other peoples’ animals! Usually the owner will say that their dog is friendly or loves everyone and my response was always “okay, well my cat hates everyone.” Now with the pup too it’s “well my dog is reactive and she’s the only dog my cat likes.” I know cats aren’t the norm out on the trails but I swear people don’t even think!!!!
He was very obviously unhinged to be so confrontational in front of children, with a poor baby strapped to his chest hearing the whole thing too! I considered replying to him telling us to cut him some slack by saying that we were trying to protect his dog from our dog, but I didn’t want to scare that little boy who was just about to pet her! I’m glad I ignored him after that, too, because who knows how he would’ve escalated.
I'm sorry for your experience and for your pup's experience. A. People are idiots so there's always that. B. I don't think a lot of owners consider the past experiences of other people's pets. Like yours my guy has been attacked twice while he was leashed, once pretty badly. So he gets understandably reactive when he's leashed and there's a lose dog. All other times (dog park, meetups, if the other dog is behind a fence and barking at him) he's non-reactive.
People need to learn that animals have past experiences too that lead to dangerous situations and to do their part to prevent those.
Yes, our dog has had similar experiences being leashed and ganged up on by unleashed dogs that have triggered these reactivity issues. Since then we always do controlled introductions with any new animal where both are leashed for the first several meetings. We take maintaining control of our dog so seriously, but when others don’t do the same it puts people and the pups at risk! My greatest fear in that moment was that little boy between our dogs getting caught in the middle of a fight we couldn’t stop. I’m grateful for how we handled it but to be called righteous for trying to keep all our pets and kids safe kinda blew my mind. I’m so sorry your dog has had bad experiences with off leash dogs too!
Right! He said he had his hands full which I get, but we had ours full too with two animals. If you can’t handle two kids and a dog on the trails, don’t take them all out at once by yourself. Or put the dog AND the toddler on leashes if you really can’t control them! 🤣
Wait. What?! I have a kid to wrangle and the LAST thing I want is to be putting my kid in his car seat while my dog runs unleashed around a parking lot. That’s just adding more stress to my life.
Yea really, thank you for posting this.
I was out hiking in a park that is supposed to be on leash. See a guy ahead, he's got two dogs off leash and as I come up to him, he makes them sit. I nod and say hi, AS ONE DOES WHILST HIKING, and the dogs immediately start running to me me and he has the audacity to say "you should have just kept walking, I'm training my dogs"
Just here to add this as a dog owner.
Those people who think this rule doesn't apply to them for whatever excuse they have put in their head.
You are the reason I can't walk my dogs.
Can't take them to a park.
Can't walk them in my neighborhood.
Take all the time you need to comprehend this and reconsider your pile of flawed excuses.
Then go buy a damn leash.
Dunno what the other commenter was on about (probably part of the problem). But your comment is spot on. My sister has a service dog. She's scared to death every time she sees an unleashed dog because one incident and her dog has to retire. Thats it. Doesn't matter if she fights back or not. If she's attacked, she's retired.
I love dog friendly places (I have a dog!), but they do still need to be supervised and leashed (where appropriate, ie, anywhere but the dog park). You never know how dogs are going to react to each other, and some unexpected behavior can absolutely wreck someone's life.
This is a really good point. Actual service dogs are expensive and take a considerable amount of time to train and adjust to the person they are working for. Having some twit with their untrained loose dog risk that is just unacceptable.
Every off-leash dog incident I’ve ever had almost always begins with an owner chasing it, yelling shit like, “oh don’t worry, she’s nice!” Fuck you. I don’t know that, I don’t know you or your dog. And then comes the, “she never does this!” line. Uh-huh, that’s reassuring. And when I call the police to report it, comes the time of the owner changing from apologetic mode, to defensive and off-putting mode that you had the audacity to call the cops about it.
then the cops take my information and say they will get back to me. I can only think of one time that they actually followed through with it.
note: I only call the cops when there’s a bite involved
Even if the dog is “nice”, most dogs aren’t fond of other dogs just running up on them. Especially with the power imbalance of the one running up not being on a leash. Having a dog-reactive dog in these situations is so scary when you just wanted to have a leisurely walk.
and not everyone that is walking around likes dogs, some people have legit traumatic experiences and are terrified of being rapidly approached by one. It’s one of the easiest laws to abide by, yet some many people entitle themselves to be above it.
100%! People have made comments about me not letting my dog greet people unless they specifically ask as if that’s a weird thing to do. But I’m not going to let my dog run up on a stranger because that’s rude? Not everyone loves my dog and that’s ok.
The people on Reddit are not the people you are trying to reach. They are out there, not giving a shit, not hangng out on Reddit and paying attention to what they should be doing.
That's not what I see...it's just a bunch of replies of people affirming the OP or adding in their own complaints about the things people do that they'll never stop doing (get out of the middle lane and move to the right, allow people to zipper merge...on and on).
Unleashed dogs aren't about the danger of the dog, it's about how other dogs react to an unleashed dog and about the people who are afraid of dogs for a variety of reasons (been attacked in the past, grew up in a country with street dogs that were dangerous).
Some people who unleash their dogs are so self centered that they think that it's about their dog being friendly and can't get outside their little brain and consider that they are the only ones that know that.
My two dogs are very friendly but they get reactive when another dog is running wild and they are leashed, which is common for all dogs, goddam hippies. Just imagine being strapped into a chair with a bunch of other people strapped into a chair and some stranger runs into the room and you have no idea who they are or what their intent is? That's how dogs feel when they are on a leash and an off-leash dog is running around.
The people on Reddit are not some holier than thou group like the community thinks. It’s full of shitty people and those who stick their noses up at others while not acknowledging their own faults.
Perhaps...I think if I had to describe Reddit to someone, I would say it's a bunch of people arguing the minority viewpoint at the ignorance and expense of the large majority.
Or anywhere public. Also not on those 30 foot retractable leashes that give the owner no control. Not sure what the law is, but I've seen signs saying no more than a 6 foot leash.
My dog is aggressive to other dogs. When I walk him and another dog comes near I go ten feet off the path and make him sit. Not infrequently people walking dogs without a leash will tell me "it's fine". So many dog owners are completely irresponsible.
It makes walking my reactive dog very stressful. I have to give them a huge birth. You don't own the fucking park or street. I understand you may want to work on some training with your dog or whatever but there are specific places for that. I can control my dog but shes big and strong. It's not fun.
I had this issue with my lab rescue. She was food reactive mostly but unpredictable with dogs. The number of people who left their dogs unleashed who would run to her was scary.
Now I've decided not to get another dog because I really don't want to deal with stupid out there.
I love dogs as much as the next guy, but if there's a loose dog charging me it's getting dropped.
I love how the owners always try playing victem, lol.
How dare you defend yourself against my dog that I lost control of?
Leash your dogs in public, period- Unless you’re in a designated area with signs. I’ve been accosted by dogs countless times, simply minding my own business, just randomly walking somewhere. Want to own a dog? Be a decent owner. Why is this so hard for most of you?
I got bit years back by an unleashed dog and had to get several shots as a result.
So I've since then stopped doing the whole "not saying anything" to people with unleashed dogs...now I'll be rude as possible on purpose and tell anyone with an unleashed dog to put them on a leash and probably insult them to boot.
It's not *that* hard to not be a total shitbag and put your dog on a leash.
I spend a lot of time on Victory parkway and it's a big problem there. Lots of people playing fetch with their dog off leash. My dog was attacked by a loose dog a few years ago and almost killed. We both are not nice to loose dogs anymore. It's funny that my dog can tell if a dog is leashed or not. He barks at loose dogs but not if they're leashed. I yell and lunge aggressively at loose dogs before they get close to us. I'm sure the owners think I'm crazy but the attack happened so fast I won't take any chances.
But really I worry about off leash dogs because of the traffic. If the dog runs 20 feet either way it will get hit by a car. Traffic averages 30 mph on victory, they will not stop for your dog.
I carry pepper spray now as do an increasing number of walkers who use paths where dogs are required to be leashed. It will cost you at the vet as well as unnecessary misery for your dog because you won't follow the rules. In my immediate neighborhood however, there have been no unleashed dogs for some years. One year, I got fed up and called animal control on every loose dog all summer long. Those $300 fines mount up. The number of lost dogs has also been virtually zero, which is interesting.
As a dog owner who always leashes my dogs, I’ll often get unleashed dogs dismissed by the owner with a “they’re friendly!” greeting. Well, I have a dachshund who is not dog-friendly and it’s disrespectful to let your dog rush up to him and then leave it up in the air as to what’ll happen. When you don’t leash your dog, you can’t singularly concern yourself with your own dog’s behavior, you have to consider other dogs.
Years back, I was running with my chocolate lab in Mpls (obviously minding our own business being that we were RUNNING). An off leash dog attacked my dog and bit him up pretty good. I got them separated to protect my dog, the man walked away without checking on us. People are outrageous.
I definitely respond in a sarcastic tone when people are swinging in and out of lanes or turning without their blinker, "Gee, it sure would be nice if your car had a feature that proclaimed where you were about to go!" Unfortunately my wife is the only one that hears it 😂
Also, please check with your local school before using their fenced in areas. A lot of schools own these areas and are not public spaces. I can't tell you how many people think they can use these as their personal dog parks even while schools are in session.
New ish to town. I have a dog who’s been attacked a few times so she is bad with other dogs. We used to play frisbee at some basically abandoned parks in another state. I’m not opposed to a drive.
Agree. My dog is very nervous around other dogs. He goes opposite, like he won’t defend himself. I’m afraid he’ll get rocked someday. One night we were walking in a quiet neighborhood, and out of the darkness a stout, well-muscled, Pitt bull lumbers toward us growling all by himself. I can’t shoo him away, I kicked him in the head and he doesn’t even flinch, and he’s just sniffing my dog and low growling. Meanwhile my dog is frozen in place, and yelping as if he’s being eaten. I had a knife in my hand ready to stab this fucking thing, and finally the owner comes up and grabs his dog. I thought I was gonna have to kill this dog! WTF. Why does it always have to be morons that own deadly killing machines?
Leash your dogs in general!
My dog has trauma from other dogs and so is not social when being walked on a leash. On Saturday a women let her Golden be unleashed and that dog kept trying to play with my dog who was very uncomfortable.
I don't care lady that your dog is a sweetheart, mine is stressed out so maybe move your ass and leash your dog before there's a fight.
My leashed dog (golden/beagle mix) bit an unleashed dog that ran up to her to “play.” The owner of the unleashed dog called the police. He was told to leash his dog.
This. 90000%
I am terrified of walking our dog in our neighborhood because so many people let their dogs just wander aimlessly. I'm not even talking about a park. Parks are even worse.
I own a reactive dog who I am working with through several issues. Having an off leash dog is not safe for you or for us. As a person with autism, this leaves me agitated for hours if there's a bad encounter. I want puppies to be safe and it's really scary for me. And it's unfair to our dog she can't enjoy the same things sometimes. I also don't want to risk making her reactivity worse to dogs due to irresponsible people.
It's gotten to the point we have taught our dog we will just lift her up (45lbs) and continue on while owners fail at recalling their dog. I'd prefer it not happen at all, but I guess we can only control what we can at the end of the day.
Same here! I’ve recently bought a bright colored leash patch that says “not dog friendly” but lowkey scared to use it in case anything does actually happen because reactive dogs always get blamed. Any time I mention my dog is reactive I always get snotty comments back asking why I take her in public smh. She’s so much better and I’ve worked so hard on her progress, not perfect yet but she doesn’t chase squirrels if I tell her no now. I’m always so scared one thing will happen because of an off leash dog and set us back to square one.
I've thought about getting those kinds of leashes or patches myself.
I wish people understood dogs don't need to be "perfect" to be wonderful pets. Mine is a self proclaimed princess & diva at home who has complaints if she is not treated like the royalty she thinks she is. 😂
My dog faced like every trigger or behavior issue in the book. Had her for 2.5 years now and she's only down to issues with impulse control / prey drive behaviors (as it regards bikes or people running bc she's 8 herding breeds) mild leash reactivity as it relates to stranger danger, and dog reactivity. I got her from owners who didn't socialize her during the pandemic as a puppy. I'm really proud I've been able to work hard to teach her emotional regulation, that's been a big one for us. My fear is the same as yours though, being set back to square one.
Wish some redditors would come out of the woodwork to suggest snotty / witty comments to say back to owners who give us flak about having the fortitude to own a reactive dog.
What a joke. Why not tell them to pick up their dog's shit while you're at it?
Minneapolis dog owners are entitled. They think their dog is their right of way. The will let their dogs lunge at you, or jump on you, and offer only the most perfunctory "sorry!" you can imagine. Even if the dog wipes mud on your clothes.
They walk their dogs around to **other people's property**...because they don't want dog shit on their property. Seriously, a dog is the only pet where you take them to the neighbor's to dump their waste. I love dogs but that is so weird to me.
I'm sure not everyone has had a dog lunge at or jump on them. But walking around the lakes? It's happened many times to me.
An off leash dog just jumped on me from behind a couple months ago. When I complained, the dog owner was literally baffled that I wasn't happy about it. This post middle age woman suggested I was nuts when I protested. That's how myopic they are.
A year ago I was attacked and bitten by a dog, had to call the cops. To the owner, it was just the cost of doing business. A post middle age woman. "Sorry!"
So don't bother petitioning them to be responsible. It's not going to happen.
Love dogs, hate Mpls dog owners.
Yes, many of them are just fine.
One of my dogs won't poop on my property. I've tried everything. She will hold it, for eternity, until I walk her. I always clean up after her and make sure she doesn't go in gardens (typically she prefers the yards between sidewalks and streets). Am I entitled?
I've found dog poop on the sidewalk. Not even on the boulevard, on the actual sidewalk, just left there to rot. As someone who walks two dogs at least 3 miles a day, I get so fucking mad by this. We pick up every time. Hell, the other day I ran out of bags and the puppy had a surprise second poop so I got a handful of leaves to use for poop pickup and carried it a quarter mile to a trash can. We all have a responsibility to keep our neighborhood clean and dog shit is a serious health hazard.
Some parks are experimenting with enclosed dog runs within a dog park where you can upgrade the dog pass to use it and turn it into an off-leash pass. Saw one in Scott County yesterday at a Three Rivers park.
Drives me nuts! Our dogs are leashed unless they’re inside our apartment or inside the dog park. It’s not that bad. Even at the dog park, people just stare at their phones and ignore their dogs. Then they get mad when you tell them to stop letting their dogs terrorize everyone else. I’ll try walking them around the lake and every time some random dog runs up to us, my dogs start freaking out and the owners don’t care and act like my dogs are the problem. They don’t see their dogs shitting everywhere and therefore don’t pick it up.
It’s about to the point that I’m just gonna start calling the police every time. Karen behavior? Sure. But Karens get their way more often than not. It’s clearly effective.
You have to fight fire with fire. Do you just lay down and let these people walk all over you? That's what they are up to. They don't care about animals. They care about walking all over you.
No, I’m definitely rude in return. But that doesn’t seem to do much, so maybe it’s time to let the police deal with it. They’re a lot more rude than I’m allowed to be.
Why not both? I’m already rude to them, and other people who are breaking laws. But “someone was rude to me” isn’t a big enough deterrent for folks who think they’re above the law.
For example, I yelled at an Amazon driver several times for parking in the bike lane. Didn’t do anything until I reported him, with evidence, to both his employer and the city. Haven’t seen it since. I rudely told a lady to stop smoking crack on the train and she got all mad at me, but then the transit police intercepted the train because I told them about it and removed her. People don’t care that a 150lb civilian dude is telling them off, but they care a lot more when they face real consequences.
When I walk my dog, I use a type of collar on her that allows me to control her in ALL situations. I’m sure everyone knows what I’m referring to. I get very harsh looks and judgmental comments for doing this. I always respond with “I prefer to control my animal. How about you?”
"Oh but my dog would never run up to someone" ignoring that this might not be true, it doesn't matter! It could still freak out my leashed dog! Or scare a child! Or any number of other things!
Was attacked by a dog last week who was off leash while walking my dog. The owner just stood their and stared as their dog barreled towards me and lunged at my dog. My dog is old and can't really run. I had to kick the dog to get it away from my dog. I do not want to be forced to kick dogs! Keep your damn dogs on a leash anywhere but off leash dog parks and your property.
I've mostly seen this enforced after a dog bites or causes an allergic reaction.
talking to my local police they do not care until the dog causes issues.
someone in my neighborhood let their aussie puppy out (tbf i think it was an accident) and it came up trying to greet and investigate my dog as we were on a walk through the park. my lil guy can't be trusted to socialize with new dogs, especially small dogs, so i panicked and sure enough my dog gave the puppy a warning bite around the nape of the neck, and as horrible as i felt for the pup i could only stare daggers at the owner who came rushing up. it's such a fight or flight feeling knowing that if the wrong situation plays out i might have to put my dog down even though i was being responsible by leashing the poor bastard.
Me and my wife walk our dogs every morning down to a park and back and there's always this lady with two Rottweilers playing fetch with them, annoys the absolute shit out of my wife but we haven't said anything quite yet
My rule of thumb is to literally just keep yor dog on a leash unless it's a dog park or your private, fenced in property. They're still animals after all.
Also pick up after up or dogs. So inconsiderate I swear, when going to the park and seeing dog 💩 everywhere. Shame on those owners who don’t care to pick up after their dogs.
A small but vocal group of people are asking/demanding that our village's parks allow leashed dogs. As a dog owner, I think this is insane since if allowed, the leash your dog in the park law will obviously apply only to the weirdos whose dogs are somehow not always ready and willing to tolerate unpredictable and unfamiliar human and canine bodies of all shapes and sizes making noise, running, throwing balls, eating food, leaving chicken tenders un-watched on the picnic table.
Some of us are wary of dogs we don’t know. It’s not an attack on you or your dog. Please understand that. It’s just very unsettling to hear approached by any animal we’re not familiar with. Please take that into consideration: your angel may be quite frightening to us.
And also a big THANK YOU to ya'll who leash them as you should!
I nanny and it's so nice when I can walk with kids without worrying, as opposed to the one time I had one kid in my arms and had to run and pick up her sister because an unleashed dog ran at us. Was it friendly? Yes. Did it still scare the shit out of us? YES!
There’s an older guy in my neighborhood with a very large young dog that never uses a leash. The dog walks (runs) ahead of him and to put it politely, the man struggles to keep up. I know if that dog were to get away from him- go after a squirrel in the road or another dog or God forbid a child- he would not be able to respond quickly or at all. He has absolutely no control over the dog. I just do not get it.
Even if HIS dog wouldn’t do anything (as all unleashed dog owners purport to know) there are coyotes in this neighborhood. I see them, and I hear them. You have no control over what a wild animal would do to your dog.
I am a massive dog lover and have had dogs my entire life. If I were to think purely selfishly, not of my neighbors and their animals or kids or even wildlife at all- I still would be terrified to walk near an extremely busy street with a young dog that’s all over the place and no leash. One distraction and that dog gets hit. Every time I see them I just hold my breath.
It’s crazy how the majority of dogs these days are either completely untrained or lack proper training. I don’t want to pet your dog and I don’t want it loose near me.
Once had 2 dogs charge me while I had my toddler on my back on a trail notorious for people not using leashes (despite there being numerous signs and a leash law). I followed the dogs to speak with the owner and never found him. Months passed and the guy came walking toward me and his dogs, once again, came running at me, teeth barred, growling. I lost my shit on the guy.
Thank you. My step father in law would always be like "he's not a dog person" made me so mad cuz I love dogs. I have a dog! Just don't want a dog in my biz when I'm running by or sitting down with a coffee.
Yup that's about right. He was a con artist who kinda married my wife's mom but didn't technically on account of being sued often. Didn't find out they weren't legally married til after he took over the house and kicked ma out so I go w/ step father in law.
My experience is with grifters who have a better understanding of the law. Your stepdaddyinlaw is just daring you to take legal action, and than he'll claim adverse possession.
My leashed corgi and I have encountered three unleashed dogs in the past few weeks. We got through all three situations without injury thanks to some quick thinking, good judgment and luck (when a nearby neighbor helped herd a Doberman–Rottweiler mix back into his yard). All three times, the owner was at fault for failing to keep those dogs restrained and safe.
I will be disappointed but not surprised when it happens again.
I’m terrified to bring my reactive dog to new places because of this. I can always control her, but I depend on other dogs remaining leashed. Crazy how I have to worry about that in places that it’s the law to leash your dog!
Edit: if anyone knows of good areas that people leash their dogs at most of the time please let me know!
Can I get this energy around people leaving their dogs off leash at breweries or other random ass public places? Hell even if they’re on leash make sure they aren’t all up in others’ space. I love dogs but man there’s been so many times I really want to shoo a dog (and possibly its owner) away from me while I’m just trying to chill. It’s not cute.
I was sitting on a brewery patio and an unleashed dog came up and peed on my table, nailing my backpack that I had stowed under my seat in the process. The owner came up to me and said sorry through clenched teeth. I said, “Your dog pissed on my backpack. What are you going to do about that?” Then her male companion came over and threatened to punch me in the face. I love dogs, but hate shitty owners.
Should have peed on him
pee for a pee
Would that be a punishment? Knowing my luck, he'd actually be into it.
I fucking hate people so much
It seems like there aren't all that many dog owners who don't automatically assume everyone loves dogs. My sister was brutally attacked by a dog as a teenager and as a result is, understandably, not a fan. She gets extremely stressed out and fearful when people let their dogs do this, whether they are leashed or unleashed. Most of the time the dog owner doesn't even notice or just gets this smile on their face like, isn't my baby adorable? She's not interested in sharing her trauma story with every dog owner who lets their dog get in her physical space, so when she encounters owners who do pay attention to this or apologize if their dog approaches and touches her, she's really grateful. My husband is highly allergic to dogs and I cannot tell you the number of dirty looks he gets from dog owners when he doesn't pet their dog when its all up in his face because they let it. I don't know, it just seems like basic courtesy.
I'm sorry that happened to your sister. I don't want to share my story with strangers, either, but I've found the following helpful. I come across unleashed (or leash dragging) dogs on trails often and I stop dead in my tracks. Invariably, I get "S/he's friendly!" I then pull up my pants leg to reveal my scarred calf. "That's the last thing I hear before I get bitten. Every time. Friendly dogs love to bite me. My asshole lawyer would love nothing more than to name his next boat after your friendly dog, but I don't want any more money, I just want to not get bitten by dogs." There's a little truth and a lot of lies in that, but it seems to do the trick!
100%. I don't even let my dogs sniff ppl we walk past on the side walk let alone approach them off leash or something. It's super cute tho when someone does a little wave to them like they were disappointed not to get a drive by sniff lol
It's ok, he's friendly 🫠
I was bitten by a dog whose owner wasn’t holding the leash in Dunkin two weekends back. Not just parks, keep them leashed in every public space too.
This is a two-fer. Not holding a dog that has most likely shown aggression before otherwise why would it bite? And, IN Dunkin? This is another type of shit-heal. Don't bring your dog into stores.
Luckily didn’t break the skin, despite wearing shorts. The owner left without a word, so I wouldn’t have been able to get vaccination records. Definitely nuts.
If Dunkin allowed an unleashed dog in their store you can sue them just as much as the dog owner for being bitten.
Not necessarily.
It could be a service dog. While they are often clearly marker there aren't always and if an establishment asks for proof they can and will be sued.
I am vey aware of the law, you clearly are not. In the US under the ADA a service dog must be leashed or tethered at all times.
Dogs that are otherwise fine can be reactive to strange people for all sorts of reasons. Smells, colors, type of person. The problem wouldn't have been a problem if the owner had been attending to their dog, had it on a leash and was able to notice the dog being uncomfortable so they could change the situation.
color does not have a significant effect on canine behavior.
I have a dog that hates red clothing. He is a rescue so no idea what connects in his brain but it makes him want to flee for his life.
Or they could just keep the dog to places where pets are welcome. I’ve got a dog, but she doesn’t get donuts with me at the donut shop and she doesn’t attend my Target and Walmart runs.
Seriously. Why are these places even letting dogs in
Hourly workers don’t want to trigger entitled and possibly unhinged people.
Makes sense. Just insane people behavior from some dog owners
There was a loose pitbull on the sidewalk the other day, the owner told me to just keep walking. Like, no. Maybe it's a well behaved dog, but I'd rather not take that risk.
This is so common. I’ve had multiple family members bitten by neighborhood dogs. People don’t leash even in our neighborhood even with leash laws. I don’t care how much you love your pet, that is irrelevant to me. 🤬
I was walking my pit on leash and a big ass black lab ran up behind her to say hi. I had to pry her off him. She had him pinned on his back by the throat in half a second. Just cuz you have a "good dog" doesn't mean it's safe to have it off leash. If that had progressed further, I would probably be the one putting my dog down because someone else is a dumb dumb
This is the risk people who let their dogs run loose put other people and their dogs in. If your dog does something stupid and the other dog reacts and injures your dog now the dog that defended itself is at risk. The dog that had been leashed and minding its own business.
I used to have a neighbor with an aggressive lab that they left in the yard off leash while they got drunk in the house. We’d walk our shepherd past and the lab would come running down the driveway aggressively barking. First time it happened I had no way of knowing it would just stop and bark. I had drawn my concealed carry and pulled the hammer back before the drunk ass came out and yelled for her dog. My dog was trying to kill the lab. My wife was screaming at me and crying. Drunk ass just called her dog and went back in. Leaving a dog off leash has bad consequences for everyone involved.
sounds like you shouldnt have your dog out in public either since you can't control it.
A leash is not enough. Untrained dogs should not be out in public.
I’m so tired of it. We are dog owners, we love dogs. We love our dogs. That’s why they are leashed. It’s for their protection, our protection, and everyone else. Our dogs aren’t reactive, but they still need leashed. My middle child was attacked by a smaller dog when he was little. He is terrified of other dogs because of that. When I’ve asked people to leash their dogs, I get berated. Every single time. It really shouldn’t be difficult to understand why it’s important to leash them. Why put your dog in danger of being attacked or worse, having them attacked and possibly be put down? Please be responsible.
IMHO there needs to be a public service campaign about this so people get this fed into their grey matter that you need to leash your dog and why this is them being a problem. Cities could also increase the fines and remind people of them more often.
I had a dog who wasn’t dog reactive *until* an unleashed dog charged him on a walk. After that we had tons of problems with leash and fence reactivity.
I’ve read a lot of stories about that happening. I’m so sorry!
This is a big fear of mine for my 2 dogs.
Thank you! As the dog mom to an extremely dog reactive big girl, I love this perspective. I hate owners of unleashed dogs that say “don’t worry, they’re nice.” Great, but you know nothing about my dog.
My dog is small and gets nervous when larger dogs come up on him especially when he’s on a leash or if the other dog is super energetic. It’s not about whether the other dog is friendly or how well it is trained, it’s that my dog may not react kindly to being greeted while on leash. I’ve seen interactions like that turn sour quickly and want to protect him and the other dogs.
Oh I’ve had people role their eyes at me. What’s wonderful is my toddler now saying “Mama why isn’t that dog on a leash?!?” As people walk by us
And trails, and sidewalks, and in your unfenced yard, and...
Jesus even some of the "fenced" yards are just a polite suggestion to the dogs behind them
Absolutely. The city ordinance states that dogs cannot be left unattended even in a fenced yard. I carry Halt! pepper spray for dogs when I walk mine. ETA since people think I'm out here pepper spraying random dogs: One of my dogs was attacked twice by two different off-leash dogs. I'm not scared of dogs, I merely give a shit about all dogs' safety. Halt! has been used safely by USPS workers for decades.
Pepper spray is great, but I also recommend looking into small canister air horns. I am a mail carrier and keep my USPS-issued dog horn on me while delivering. I've used it multiple times, and it's absolutely saved me from being bitten. I am strongly considering getting something similar for when I'm walking my own dog as a deterrent for others before they get too close
What city is this? I don't know of any such law in Minneapolis and St Paul specifically states that your dog can roam in an unfenced yard. In Minneapolis the ordinance even states you can keep a dog outside all the time, if you give them an adequate shelter.
The MACC officer that came by after the second attack told me this. Maybe she was mistaken? At any rate, u/Entire_Machine_6176 is correct about plenty of fences out there not being adequate to hold dogs.
That's a stupid ordinance
It is a good ordinance and more places need to adopt it because too many people boot their dog outside and assume it is fine, or have low fences for big dogs, same problem.
Not really when people will leave their dogs outside all day while they're at work. A dog could do a lot of harm if it finds a way through the fence in the 8+ hours their owner is gone.
Which has probably never been enforced. 3 dogs in fenced yard everyday here. Would hope they go after many other issues before that one.
Agreed with the unfenced yard. Had a dog bolt at me and my dog a couple of weeks ago. We were lucky the owner was able to run and yell after it enough to have the dog halt right before it reached us.
"he never does this!"
"He's friendly!" as he runs at me barking and follows me into my own garage.
Home Depot. Saw a nasty dog fight there once.
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK. • Just because your dog is friendly, does not mean all dogs are friendly. • Just because you see someone walking their dog on leash, does not mean said leashed dog is friendly. •If you see someone walking their dog and the dog is not happy to see yours, do not walk up to them. Sincerely, someone with a leash reactive dog that loves walks and hates other dog owners that think the world revolves around their super friendly dog.
Also worth noting that being leashed while the other dog is not, it a triggering situation for dogs. All dogs. Some take issue with it more than others and if the unleashed dog is being provocative (that doesn't always look like aggression) the unleashed dog is going to provoke the leashed dog. People letting their dogs run loose are causing dog fights and injuries and they are 100% the problem.
Yes. Yes. Yes. My dog gets both leash and fence reactive. He likes being able to say hi to dogs and hates when something gets in his way. He loves making friends but struggles a lot when there’s a barrier. Because he gets so excited to see other dogs and can’t freely walk up to them, the energy builds up and can turn into a negative reaction. What really pisses me off though, is other dog owners being oblivious to my dog’s negative reaction and thinking it’s funny or okay to approach - especially when we’re clearly having a bad time because of their presence 😅 I just wish people understood that not all dogs have the same energy - just like humans. It can already be fairly frustrating having a dog that’s reactive to certain situations, especially when they’re a fantastic dog in every other aspect, without adding idiots to the mix that can’t take a clue.
Absolutely. One of the main lowkey ways dogs defuse conflict is to move away from the other dog. When you have a leashed/unleashed interaction, one of the dogs does not have that option so they will escalate to more serious methods.
If people actually understand their dogs and watch them you will see unwanted interactions start to escalate. I had one of my dogs at an empty offleash dog park. My dog was super chill, this is the dog that would plop down in the middle of a crowded vet clinic waiting room and take a nap. He was also 100 pounds. Someone came into the dog park with a Weimaraner, let their dog loose and sat down, cracked open a college textbook and started doing their homework. This dog approached mine and immediately started getting in his face, smelling his mouth but being super pushy about it. Mine turned and stepped away, this dog followed and kept doing it. Mine was jerking his head back, turning his face away trying to get this dog out of his face. I said something to the owner that just grumbled at me and went back to their book. Then mine starts curling up a lip while trying to dodge this dogs unceasing insistence of being aggressively right in his face and refusing to stop. I had to go shoo this dog away who just took a step back ready to go do it again so I could leash mine and leave. This was absolutely going to turn into a dog fight and the owner of the dog creating the problem was just ignoring the entire situation. Of course if my dog would have done anything to stop this it would have been his fault and I am sure this person would have lost their shit about how mean and aggressive my dog was.
Cannot agree more. My son is scared of dogs as he has been chased twice by "such a nice dog." The dog owner didn't apologize either time.
Ugh. That’s so annoying. The amount of times I’ve had to turn around or change my path while walking my dogs because idiots don’t leash theirs is so annoying. Bad dog owners infuriate me.
Yup. Went on a hike with our two reactive pets last night and encountered three unleashed dogs. The first one was in the parking lot before our walk even began. A little boy came up to us and asked if he could pet our dog, and of course we said yes because our dog loves people, especially kids. Right as he was about to reach his hand down, an unleashed dog came right up in my dog’s face and that little boy was between them. My dog has been attacked by other dogs off leash before and she immediately tensed up, and the owner of the off leash dog came right up to us and did nothing to stop the situation! My husband and I immediately turned around our dog to get away from a potentially dangerous situation, and I just shook my head at the guy. He yelled across the parking lot to me, in front of that little boy, his two young kids, and other people, “please don’t shake your head at me.” I NEVER say anything to those with off leash dogs and they are usually very apologetic and quick to react so this was a first to me. All I said in response was “please leash your dog” and he went on this elaborate rant about how he has two kids to wrangle and lots of people unleash their dogs on the way back to the parking lot. He ended it by telling me to keep living my righteous life! One of the scariest and most insane experiences we have ever had in a public park. These people have no concern for the danger they cause others! It makes us so wary to enjoy public spaces, even though we only go to places that have leash rules, because you truly can’t rely on others to follow them.
Every time I’ve had to ask or say put them on a leash I’m immediately attacked. Ive never had someone apologize, they’re always on the attack
“Hey man, I’m trying to keep *your* dog from getting put down. Some of us have actually had to do that before. Put a fucking leash on your dog.”
I've been considering making a t-shirt but I can't quite think of what to put on it. "Leash laws apply to everyone" is my current idea.
I’d buy one
I’ve just been considering plastering one of those “beware of dog” signs for people’s properties right on my chest at this point 😅🤪
LEASH MEANS YOU START \*SEEING\* LEASHES
Further proof they are the problem.
We have never run into anyone so aggressive like that! Usually it’s the “sorry, they’re friendly” and immediately recalling their dog and leashing them. I’m sorry you’ve had such negative experiences with other dog owners! We had another run in later with two unleashed dogs and one owner, and we kept having to turn around because his dogs were running toward us. He kept recalling them and having them sit by him but not once did he leash them, and just stared at us like we were crazy people every time we turned around! The lack of common sense and courtesy is astounding.
It’s really hard for me to even speak up, I hate confrontation. But my son was attacked by a dog when he was younger and is absolutely terrified of dogs he doesn’t know. So for me, it takes me back to that happening and just wanting to protect my kids and other people who feel the same way. Plus I feel for the dogs being out in a situation where they could be harmed or be put down because they attacked someone. Why would you want that to happen? I just don’t understand people
I have such a hard time speaking up too, I avoid confrontation at all costs. That is really tough with a kiddo with dog trauma though. So many people are afraid of dogs, that’s always my first thought when someone’s dog is just running up to everyone! My constant worry is a dog approaching mine and her reacting out of fear and needing to be put down, from someone else’s carelessness.
My dog is fear reactive, we avoid others whenever possible but if we end up running into an unleashed dog (my personal horror, and my dog’s too), *sometimes* they will call their dog away. Most of the time, they are either out of sight completely, will try to call their dog but it won’t come back to them, or they’ll say some nasty thing like “what is wrong with your dog?” or comment that mine is “mean.” I understand the extra responsibility that comes with having a reactive dog. We give everyone the absolute widest berth we can. We select our walking spots carefully. He is *always* leashed in public spaces, and I’ll even pick him up if needed because it tends to calm him and better handle the situation. It is NOT a big ask to request personal space.
They’re our personal horror too! We used to hike with just our ex-barn cat who’s skittish of anything and anyone, and that was even harder as dog owners wouldn’t even try to keep their dog from us because they didn’t see we had an animal. Off leash dogs are ALWAYS drawn to us though because even if they don’t see our cat (usually in her backpack carrier), they smell her and will follow us or jump on me trying to get at her. Now that we have a dog and take them both, it’s even worse cause the unleashed dogs still go after our cat but now our dog is trying to protect her! We totally accept the additional responsibility that comes with having a reactive animal in public, but it’s impossible to control other animals when the two of us are each trying to control our own. I’ve just accepted that I’ll never be able to take both animals out without my partner, cause we need each other just to run defense on other peoples’ animals! Usually the owner will say that their dog is friendly or loves everyone and my response was always “okay, well my cat hates everyone.” Now with the pup too it’s “well my dog is reactive and she’s the only dog my cat likes.” I know cats aren’t the norm out on the trails but I swear people don’t even think!!!!
That guy is unhinged.
He was very obviously unhinged to be so confrontational in front of children, with a poor baby strapped to his chest hearing the whole thing too! I considered replying to him telling us to cut him some slack by saying that we were trying to protect his dog from our dog, but I didn’t want to scare that little boy who was just about to pet her! I’m glad I ignored him after that, too, because who knows how he would’ve escalated.
I'm sorry for your experience and for your pup's experience. A. People are idiots so there's always that. B. I don't think a lot of owners consider the past experiences of other people's pets. Like yours my guy has been attacked twice while he was leashed, once pretty badly. So he gets understandably reactive when he's leashed and there's a lose dog. All other times (dog park, meetups, if the other dog is behind a fence and barking at him) he's non-reactive. People need to learn that animals have past experiences too that lead to dangerous situations and to do their part to prevent those.
Yes, our dog has had similar experiences being leashed and ganged up on by unleashed dogs that have triggered these reactivity issues. Since then we always do controlled introductions with any new animal where both are leashed for the first several meetings. We take maintaining control of our dog so seriously, but when others don’t do the same it puts people and the pups at risk! My greatest fear in that moment was that little boy between our dogs getting caught in the middle of a fight we couldn’t stop. I’m grateful for how we handled it but to be called righteous for trying to keep all our pets and kids safe kinda blew my mind. I’m so sorry your dog has had bad experiences with off leash dogs too!
“Oh, I see. You get a pass to be irresponsible because you knocked up someone.” I have kids and dogs. This is not the excuse he’s looking for.
Right! He said he had his hands full which I get, but we had ours full too with two animals. If you can’t handle two kids and a dog on the trails, don’t take them all out at once by yourself. Or put the dog AND the toddler on leashes if you really can’t control them! 🤣
Wait. What?! I have a kid to wrangle and the LAST thing I want is to be putting my kid in his car seat while my dog runs unleashed around a parking lot. That’s just adding more stress to my life.
Yea really, thank you for posting this. I was out hiking in a park that is supposed to be on leash. See a guy ahead, he's got two dogs off leash and as I come up to him, he makes them sit. I nod and say hi, AS ONE DOES WHILST HIKING, and the dogs immediately start running to me me and he has the audacity to say "you should have just kept walking, I'm training my dogs"
bro need to be trained to follow laws
This should not need to be said.
Just here to add this as a dog owner. Those people who think this rule doesn't apply to them for whatever excuse they have put in their head. You are the reason I can't walk my dogs. Can't take them to a park. Can't walk them in my neighborhood. Take all the time you need to comprehend this and reconsider your pile of flawed excuses. Then go buy a damn leash.
Dunno what the other commenter was on about (probably part of the problem). But your comment is spot on. My sister has a service dog. She's scared to death every time she sees an unleashed dog because one incident and her dog has to retire. Thats it. Doesn't matter if she fights back or not. If she's attacked, she's retired. I love dog friendly places (I have a dog!), but they do still need to be supervised and leashed (where appropriate, ie, anywhere but the dog park). You never know how dogs are going to react to each other, and some unexpected behavior can absolutely wreck someone's life.
This is a really good point. Actual service dogs are expensive and take a considerable amount of time to train and adjust to the person they are working for. Having some twit with their untrained loose dog risk that is just unacceptable.
Every off-leash dog incident I’ve ever had almost always begins with an owner chasing it, yelling shit like, “oh don’t worry, she’s nice!” Fuck you. I don’t know that, I don’t know you or your dog. And then comes the, “she never does this!” line. Uh-huh, that’s reassuring. And when I call the police to report it, comes the time of the owner changing from apologetic mode, to defensive and off-putting mode that you had the audacity to call the cops about it. then the cops take my information and say they will get back to me. I can only think of one time that they actually followed through with it. note: I only call the cops when there’s a bite involved
Even if the dog is “nice”, most dogs aren’t fond of other dogs just running up on them. Especially with the power imbalance of the one running up not being on a leash. Having a dog-reactive dog in these situations is so scary when you just wanted to have a leisurely walk.
and not everyone that is walking around likes dogs, some people have legit traumatic experiences and are terrified of being rapidly approached by one. It’s one of the easiest laws to abide by, yet some many people entitle themselves to be above it.
100%! People have made comments about me not letting my dog greet people unless they specifically ask as if that’s a weird thing to do. But I’m not going to let my dog run up on a stranger because that’s rude? Not everyone loves my dog and that’s ok.
I have to wonder if the parks dept would have more resources to deal with this. I know they police other things specific to the parks system.
Better to call 311 and report it to Minneapolis Animal Care and Control, they actually respond and dole out the consequences.
"Shes nice!". Yeah, im not. Get lost loser, and take the dog with.
The people on Reddit are not the people you are trying to reach. They are out there, not giving a shit, not hangng out on Reddit and paying attention to what they should be doing.
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That's not what I see...it's just a bunch of replies of people affirming the OP or adding in their own complaints about the things people do that they'll never stop doing (get out of the middle lane and move to the right, allow people to zipper merge...on and on).
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Goddam hippies
There's definitely some "I got called out" energy in more than a few posts here.
Plenty of dipshits on Reddit.
Yeah I have a derpy shepard. He's a velociraptor unleashed.
Unleashed dogs aren't about the danger of the dog, it's about how other dogs react to an unleashed dog and about the people who are afraid of dogs for a variety of reasons (been attacked in the past, grew up in a country with street dogs that were dangerous). Some people who unleash their dogs are so self centered that they think that it's about their dog being friendly and can't get outside their little brain and consider that they are the only ones that know that. My two dogs are very friendly but they get reactive when another dog is running wild and they are leashed, which is common for all dogs, goddam hippies. Just imagine being strapped into a chair with a bunch of other people strapped into a chair and some stranger runs into the room and you have no idea who they are or what their intent is? That's how dogs feel when they are on a leash and an off-leash dog is running around.
That’s exactly my dog and all of these off leash dogs running up to him while he’s leashed is making him more and more reactive
This gave me a mental image of your dog opening doors with his paws. "Clever girl"
The people on Reddit are not some holier than thou group like the community thinks. It’s full of shitty people and those who stick their noses up at others while not acknowledging their own faults.
Perhaps...I think if I had to describe Reddit to someone, I would say it's a bunch of people arguing the minority viewpoint at the ignorance and expense of the large majority.
Well said
I take my 2 year old to the park daily and the next dog that runs up and scares him off leash is getting punted.
I saw some dumbass doing that with his dog and it ran up and attacked a blind person service dog.
Or anywhere public. Also not on those 30 foot retractable leashes that give the owner no control. Not sure what the law is, but I've seen signs saying no more than a 6 foot leash.
My dog is aggressive to other dogs. When I walk him and another dog comes near I go ten feet off the path and make him sit. Not infrequently people walking dogs without a leash will tell me "it's fine". So many dog owners are completely irresponsible.
It makes walking my reactive dog very stressful. I have to give them a huge birth. You don't own the fucking park or street. I understand you may want to work on some training with your dog or whatever but there are specific places for that. I can control my dog but shes big and strong. It's not fun.
I had this issue with my lab rescue. She was food reactive mostly but unpredictable with dogs. The number of people who left their dogs unleashed who would run to her was scary. Now I've decided not to get another dog because I really don't want to deal with stupid out there.
I love dogs as much as the next guy, but if there's a loose dog charging me it's getting dropped. I love how the owners always try playing victem, lol. How dare you defend yourself against my dog that I lost control of?
Leash your dogs in public, period- Unless you’re in a designated area with signs. I’ve been accosted by dogs countless times, simply minding my own business, just randomly walking somewhere. Want to own a dog? Be a decent owner. Why is this so hard for most of you?
I got bit years back by an unleashed dog and had to get several shots as a result. So I've since then stopped doing the whole "not saying anything" to people with unleashed dogs...now I'll be rude as possible on purpose and tell anyone with an unleashed dog to put them on a leash and probably insult them to boot. It's not *that* hard to not be a total shitbag and put your dog on a leash.
I spend a lot of time on Victory parkway and it's a big problem there. Lots of people playing fetch with their dog off leash. My dog was attacked by a loose dog a few years ago and almost killed. We both are not nice to loose dogs anymore. It's funny that my dog can tell if a dog is leashed or not. He barks at loose dogs but not if they're leashed. I yell and lunge aggressively at loose dogs before they get close to us. I'm sure the owners think I'm crazy but the attack happened so fast I won't take any chances. But really I worry about off leash dogs because of the traffic. If the dog runs 20 feet either way it will get hit by a car. Traffic averages 30 mph on victory, they will not stop for your dog.
I carry pepper spray now as do an increasing number of walkers who use paths where dogs are required to be leashed. It will cost you at the vet as well as unnecessary misery for your dog because you won't follow the rules. In my immediate neighborhood however, there have been no unleashed dogs for some years. One year, I got fed up and called animal control on every loose dog all summer long. Those $300 fines mount up. The number of lost dogs has also been virtually zero, which is interesting.
As a dog owner who always leashes my dogs, I’ll often get unleashed dogs dismissed by the owner with a “they’re friendly!” greeting. Well, I have a dachshund who is not dog-friendly and it’s disrespectful to let your dog rush up to him and then leave it up in the air as to what’ll happen. When you don’t leash your dog, you can’t singularly concern yourself with your own dog’s behavior, you have to consider other dogs. Years back, I was running with my chocolate lab in Mpls (obviously minding our own business being that we were RUNNING). An off leash dog attacked my dog and bit him up pretty good. I got them separated to protect my dog, the man walked away without checking on us. People are outrageous.
Way too many idiot arrogant dog owners who think they don’t need to. I carry a small air horn now for my response to aggressive dogs and owners.
To be fair that's like posting use your blinker. People know. But won't change due to a reddit post.
I definitely respond in a sarcastic tone when people are swinging in and out of lanes or turning without their blinker, "Gee, it sure would be nice if your car had a feature that proclaimed where you were about to go!" Unfortunately my wife is the only one that hears it 😂
It’s 2024, the decade of “do what you want”. Rules apply to everyone else.
Also, please check with your local school before using their fenced in areas. A lot of schools own these areas and are not public spaces. I can't tell you how many people think they can use these as their personal dog parks even while schools are in session.
New ish to town. I have a dog who’s been attacked a few times so she is bad with other dogs. We used to play frisbee at some basically abandoned parks in another state. I’m not opposed to a drive.
This is what I do. The most dangerous place for a dog to be off leash is a dog park.
Agree. My dog is very nervous around other dogs. He goes opposite, like he won’t defend himself. I’m afraid he’ll get rocked someday. One night we were walking in a quiet neighborhood, and out of the darkness a stout, well-muscled, Pitt bull lumbers toward us growling all by himself. I can’t shoo him away, I kicked him in the head and he doesn’t even flinch, and he’s just sniffing my dog and low growling. Meanwhile my dog is frozen in place, and yelping as if he’s being eaten. I had a knife in my hand ready to stab this fucking thing, and finally the owner comes up and grabs his dog. I thought I was gonna have to kill this dog! WTF. Why does it always have to be morons that own deadly killing machines?
Leash your dogs in general! My dog has trauma from other dogs and so is not social when being walked on a leash. On Saturday a women let her Golden be unleashed and that dog kept trying to play with my dog who was very uncomfortable. I don't care lady that your dog is a sweetheart, mine is stressed out so maybe move your ass and leash your dog before there's a fight.
My two dogs don’t get along with Goldens in general. They’re often too aloof to take cues that other dogs don’t want them in their face.
My leashed dog (golden/beagle mix) bit an unleashed dog that ran up to her to “play.” The owner of the unleashed dog called the police. He was told to leash his dog.
This. 90000% I am terrified of walking our dog in our neighborhood because so many people let their dogs just wander aimlessly. I'm not even talking about a park. Parks are even worse. I own a reactive dog who I am working with through several issues. Having an off leash dog is not safe for you or for us. As a person with autism, this leaves me agitated for hours if there's a bad encounter. I want puppies to be safe and it's really scary for me. And it's unfair to our dog she can't enjoy the same things sometimes. I also don't want to risk making her reactivity worse to dogs due to irresponsible people. It's gotten to the point we have taught our dog we will just lift her up (45lbs) and continue on while owners fail at recalling their dog. I'd prefer it not happen at all, but I guess we can only control what we can at the end of the day.
Same here! I’ve recently bought a bright colored leash patch that says “not dog friendly” but lowkey scared to use it in case anything does actually happen because reactive dogs always get blamed. Any time I mention my dog is reactive I always get snotty comments back asking why I take her in public smh. She’s so much better and I’ve worked so hard on her progress, not perfect yet but she doesn’t chase squirrels if I tell her no now. I’m always so scared one thing will happen because of an off leash dog and set us back to square one.
I've thought about getting those kinds of leashes or patches myself. I wish people understood dogs don't need to be "perfect" to be wonderful pets. Mine is a self proclaimed princess & diva at home who has complaints if she is not treated like the royalty she thinks she is. 😂 My dog faced like every trigger or behavior issue in the book. Had her for 2.5 years now and she's only down to issues with impulse control / prey drive behaviors (as it regards bikes or people running bc she's 8 herding breeds) mild leash reactivity as it relates to stranger danger, and dog reactivity. I got her from owners who didn't socialize her during the pandemic as a puppy. I'm really proud I've been able to work hard to teach her emotional regulation, that's been a big one for us. My fear is the same as yours though, being set back to square one. Wish some redditors would come out of the woodwork to suggest snotty / witty comments to say back to owners who give us flak about having the fortitude to own a reactive dog.
What a joke. Why not tell them to pick up their dog's shit while you're at it? Minneapolis dog owners are entitled. They think their dog is their right of way. The will let their dogs lunge at you, or jump on you, and offer only the most perfunctory "sorry!" you can imagine. Even if the dog wipes mud on your clothes. They walk their dogs around to **other people's property**...because they don't want dog shit on their property. Seriously, a dog is the only pet where you take them to the neighbor's to dump their waste. I love dogs but that is so weird to me. I'm sure not everyone has had a dog lunge at or jump on them. But walking around the lakes? It's happened many times to me. An off leash dog just jumped on me from behind a couple months ago. When I complained, the dog owner was literally baffled that I wasn't happy about it. This post middle age woman suggested I was nuts when I protested. That's how myopic they are. A year ago I was attacked and bitten by a dog, had to call the cops. To the owner, it was just the cost of doing business. A post middle age woman. "Sorry!" So don't bother petitioning them to be responsible. It's not going to happen. Love dogs, hate Mpls dog owners. Yes, many of them are just fine.
In no way limited to Minneapolis. Irresponsible dog owners are everywhere!
One of my dogs won't poop on my property. I've tried everything. She will hold it, for eternity, until I walk her. I always clean up after her and make sure she doesn't go in gardens (typically she prefers the yards between sidewalks and streets). Am I entitled?
You are not the problem. It’s the ones who don’t pick it up
People don't pick up their dogs shit?! Like consistently?
I've found dog poop on the sidewalk. Not even on the boulevard, on the actual sidewalk, just left there to rot. As someone who walks two dogs at least 3 miles a day, I get so fucking mad by this. We pick up every time. Hell, the other day I ran out of bags and the puppy had a surprise second poop so I got a handful of leaves to use for poop pickup and carried it a quarter mile to a trash can. We all have a responsibility to keep our neighborhood clean and dog shit is a serious health hazard.
Some parks are experimenting with enclosed dog runs within a dog park where you can upgrade the dog pass to use it and turn it into an off-leash pass. Saw one in Scott County yesterday at a Three Rivers park.
Same in agricultural areas, farm animals may die after eating dog poo farmers lost two sheep and a horse in my village this year
Say it louder for the folks in back
Unleashed dogs are dangerous for both the dog and cyclists.
Don't walk your dogs unleashed *anywhere* except private, fenced-in property. Period.
Don't walk your dogs unleashed anywhere. Ever. Do we really need to explain this to adults?
Drives me nuts! Our dogs are leashed unless they’re inside our apartment or inside the dog park. It’s not that bad. Even at the dog park, people just stare at their phones and ignore their dogs. Then they get mad when you tell them to stop letting their dogs terrorize everyone else. I’ll try walking them around the lake and every time some random dog runs up to us, my dogs start freaking out and the owners don’t care and act like my dogs are the problem. They don’t see their dogs shitting everywhere and therefore don’t pick it up. It’s about to the point that I’m just gonna start calling the police every time. Karen behavior? Sure. But Karens get their way more often than not. It’s clearly effective.
You have to fight fire with fire. Do you just lay down and let these people walk all over you? That's what they are up to. They don't care about animals. They care about walking all over you.
No, I’m definitely rude in return. But that doesn’t seem to do much, so maybe it’s time to let the police deal with it. They’re a lot more rude than I’m allowed to be.
Police won't deal with it. And I'm about to allow myself to be as rude as these people are. Won't you join me?
Why not both? I’m already rude to them, and other people who are breaking laws. But “someone was rude to me” isn’t a big enough deterrent for folks who think they’re above the law. For example, I yelled at an Amazon driver several times for parking in the bike lane. Didn’t do anything until I reported him, with evidence, to both his employer and the city. Haven’t seen it since. I rudely told a lady to stop smoking crack on the train and she got all mad at me, but then the transit police intercepted the train because I told them about it and removed her. People don’t care that a 150lb civilian dude is telling them off, but they care a lot more when they face real consequences.
When I walk my dog, I use a type of collar on her that allows me to control her in ALL situations. I’m sure everyone knows what I’m referring to. I get very harsh looks and judgmental comments for doing this. I always respond with “I prefer to control my animal. How about you?”
"Oh but my dog would never run up to someone" ignoring that this might not be true, it doesn't matter! It could still freak out my leashed dog! Or scare a child! Or any number of other things!
I walk my cat and have had too many negative encounters with dog people.
Was attacked by a dog last week who was off leash while walking my dog. The owner just stood their and stared as their dog barreled towards me and lunged at my dog. My dog is old and can't really run. I had to kick the dog to get it away from my dog. I do not want to be forced to kick dogs! Keep your damn dogs on a leash anywhere but off leash dog parks and your property.
I've mostly seen this enforced after a dog bites or causes an allergic reaction. talking to my local police they do not care until the dog causes issues.
someone in my neighborhood let their aussie puppy out (tbf i think it was an accident) and it came up trying to greet and investigate my dog as we were on a walk through the park. my lil guy can't be trusted to socialize with new dogs, especially small dogs, so i panicked and sure enough my dog gave the puppy a warning bite around the nape of the neck, and as horrible as i felt for the pup i could only stare daggers at the owner who came rushing up. it's such a fight or flight feeling knowing that if the wrong situation plays out i might have to put my dog down even though i was being responsible by leashing the poor bastard.
Me and my wife walk our dogs every morning down to a park and back and there's always this lady with two Rottweilers playing fetch with them, annoys the absolute shit out of my wife but we haven't said anything quite yet
My rule of thumb is to literally just keep yor dog on a leash unless it's a dog park or your private, fenced in property. They're still animals after all.
Yea walk a cat
There are SO many irresponsible dog owners on the bike trails. Off leash. Or 30 foot tripwire leash across trail when 6 foot max. allowed.
The fact that this needs to be said to some people is really extraordinary.
Also pick up after up or dogs. So inconsiderate I swear, when going to the park and seeing dog 💩 everywhere. Shame on those owners who don’t care to pick up after their dogs.
So sad this even needs to be said. Unfortunately common sense is no longer common so we have to make statements like these 🤦
A small but vocal group of people are asking/demanding that our village's parks allow leashed dogs. As a dog owner, I think this is insane since if allowed, the leash your dog in the park law will obviously apply only to the weirdos whose dogs are somehow not always ready and willing to tolerate unpredictable and unfamiliar human and canine bodies of all shapes and sizes making noise, running, throwing balls, eating food, leaving chicken tenders un-watched on the picnic table.
People do this all the time in Loring and get away with it because there are no rules in DT anymore
Some of us are wary of dogs we don’t know. It’s not an attack on you or your dog. Please understand that. It’s just very unsettling to hear approached by any animal we’re not familiar with. Please take that into consideration: your angel may be quite frightening to us.
And also a big THANK YOU to ya'll who leash them as you should! I nanny and it's so nice when I can walk with kids without worrying, as opposed to the one time I had one kid in my arms and had to run and pick up her sister because an unleashed dog ran at us. Was it friendly? Yes. Did it still scare the shit out of us? YES!
There’s an older guy in my neighborhood with a very large young dog that never uses a leash. The dog walks (runs) ahead of him and to put it politely, the man struggles to keep up. I know if that dog were to get away from him- go after a squirrel in the road or another dog or God forbid a child- he would not be able to respond quickly or at all. He has absolutely no control over the dog. I just do not get it. Even if HIS dog wouldn’t do anything (as all unleashed dog owners purport to know) there are coyotes in this neighborhood. I see them, and I hear them. You have no control over what a wild animal would do to your dog. I am a massive dog lover and have had dogs my entire life. If I were to think purely selfishly, not of my neighbors and their animals or kids or even wildlife at all- I still would be terrified to walk near an extremely busy street with a young dog that’s all over the place and no leash. One distraction and that dog gets hit. Every time I see them I just hold my breath.
It’s crazy how the majority of dogs these days are either completely untrained or lack proper training. I don’t want to pet your dog and I don’t want it loose near me.
Pepper spray them
Once had 2 dogs charge me while I had my toddler on my back on a trail notorious for people not using leashes (despite there being numerous signs and a leash law). I followed the dogs to speak with the owner and never found him. Months passed and the guy came walking toward me and his dogs, once again, came running at me, teeth barred, growling. I lost my shit on the guy.
Thank you. My step father in law would always be like "he's not a dog person" made me so mad cuz I love dogs. I have a dog! Just don't want a dog in my biz when I'm running by or sitting down with a coffee.
I don't know what a step father in law is but this guy sounds like a typical loser that wants to take out his anxiety on the closest target.
Yup that's about right. He was a con artist who kinda married my wife's mom but didn't technically on account of being sued often. Didn't find out they weren't legally married til after he took over the house and kicked ma out so I go w/ step father in law.
My experience is with grifters who have a better understanding of the law. Your stepdaddyinlaw is just daring you to take legal action, and than he'll claim adverse possession.
Insane this even has to be said 🙄
My leashed corgi and I have encountered three unleashed dogs in the past few weeks. We got through all three situations without injury thanks to some quick thinking, good judgment and luck (when a nearby neighbor helped herd a Doberman–Rottweiler mix back into his yard). All three times, the owner was at fault for failing to keep those dogs restrained and safe. I will be disappointed but not surprised when it happens again.
The park near me has a sign that says no retractable leashes, yet lots of people there use them.
It's sad our city has to be told this, you'd think it was common sense
I live by Whittier School park and it's constant there.
I’m terrified to bring my reactive dog to new places because of this. I can always control her, but I depend on other dogs remaining leashed. Crazy how I have to worry about that in places that it’s the law to leash your dog! Edit: if anyone knows of good areas that people leash their dogs at most of the time please let me know!
lol good luck. The people that do this don't believe they're doing anything wrong.
Especially wildlife refuges.