# A very unpleasant encounter--off lead dog.



## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

I was walking my 6 mth GSD with my son in a leash park. My son is a veteran who is having some difficulty adjusting. He's in therapy and just started meds. We really try to keep his stress minimal and control his environment--no surprises, no strangers. He and I were talking but I was watching our park and lake. I'm always wary of off lead dogs. I saw a large lab/retriever playing in the water. It seemed very ball focused.

As we got closer, the off lead dog ran up to our pup. There was a pretty nice greeting and my GSD was calm. The lab's owner kept yelling "He's gentle." I was annoyed but willing to leave it alone. The off lead dog left but came bouncing back--my dog is still leashed. At about the third approach the off leash dog managed to knock my GSD down--and he yelped.

My son lost it. He told the lab's owner "You have about three seconds to get your ******* dog under control." The lab owner--an older lady-- called him a name and suggested anger management. This did not go well. My son was furious and he and the lab's owner yelled profanities across the park as I (and pup) hurried away.
My son's behavior was rude, but the incident began because the older lady wasn't obeying the laws and had no control over her dog--who was not "gentle". The dog was an overly energetic dog with no recall. 

I'm a big fan of leash laws. We have plenty of off leash parks here in Seattle and I walk my dogs in leashed areas for a reason. I'm just upset about how quickly this incident happened. BTW, our pup is totally fine.

I dislike confrontation but I think that my son "red zoned" early but he was right. I wish people understood that leash laws exist for reasons.


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## yuricamp (Mar 13, 2011)

Very unfortunate and I feel for all parties involved. I agree that the lab owner should of had her dog under control.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Your son was totally correct. I would have gone off the very first time the other dog approached and probably would have kicked it to keep it away from my dog. At no time do I ever believe anyone stupid enough to be letting their dog run loose and going up to strange dogs when they tell me their dog is friendly. I don't care. My dog comes first and there will be no greetings with out of control strange dogs and what happened to your dog is a good example of it. It doesn't matter if your dog wasn't aggressively hurt, he was still knocked down and mentally hurt when you were all walking along minding your own business.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

I don't know, there are leash laws, and your pup was fine, it was an overly energetic lab, the situation got out of hand. The amount of ANGER that seemed to come from him at such a small thing, not even a dog fight, is kind of interesting. 

I have to say, if there wasn't a fight, I would have kept my cool better, and pulled the lab off till the owner got control of the dog on lead. I'm not very confrontational until my dog's safety is in trouble. Dogs are Dogs, thing happen. We as adults need to control ourselves, not only for ourselves, but you just showed your dog, that when something like that, YOU flipped. You didn't keep your cool, so you very well could instill fear into him if another situation like this occurs again.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I think at the first time, since this was a LEASH park, you would have been perfectly in your right to tell the woman to put her dog on a leash and away from yours. You certainly could phrase it in a way that isn't confrontational such as "my dog is a puppy, I really don't want any bad experiences and since your dog is so much bigger please put him on a leash while we're here as this IS a leashed park."

By being proactive, you can save your puppy a bad experience and your son some stress. I'm sure if you don't make a big deal out of your puppy being knocked down that he will recover nicely and have no after affects. Kind of like when a child falls down. You can laugh and make it not a big deal or you can make it a big deal and they cry every time they fall.

I hope your son heals from his time overseas. I read a series on CNN of one soldiers account and the trouble he had coming home. War is a terrible thing and I wish we had a better system to help our men and women reintegrate into their lives at home. Please thank him for his service. He gave far more of himself than any of us can understand.


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## Furricane (Feb 18, 2010)

I'm glad everyone's okay, and I think your son was right to say what he did. I've snapped at quite a few people when their dog has come flying over towards me and my dogs on a walk. I can't stand it when someone yells that their dog is friendly as it comes rushing over, it's like they think that gives them an excuse for having an uncontrollable off leashed dog! Some people just don't use common sense.


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

I agree with you Elaine. I generally keep well away from off lead dogs. I'm just amazed at this dog owner. My son was enraged and she kept goading him with her suggestion of anger management and yelling at him across the park. It was difficult for me. There were children around who didn't need to hear that.

Even though she was wrong, we think she called the police as we saw cars heading to the park. I hope she enjoys her fines for off-lead dog and dog on the beach.


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

Jax, It happened so fast that I didn't have time to tell the stupid woman to leash her dog--she was chasing after the dog from the initial approach. I was focused on my pup-- who has suffered no ill effects. She just kept saying, "He is gentle" as this giant, wet dog is bouncing around us and rushing at us. The lab wasn't aggressive--but he certainly was not "gentle".
I'm glad that my pup is pretty unflappable. Hopefully, my son will learn to control his temper. He could see how upset I was. I told him that his reactions made a bad situation worse and also robbed us of the moral high ground.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I wish your son the best. I doubt he wanted to make anything difficult for your. I hope he is in therapy to help him cope with what he experienced overseas.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I have gotten pretty mad at people with uncontrollable off lead dogs. I don't have the excuse of battle stress either. I hope your son makes progress. It is not an easy road.

A man let three dogs loose on Hogan and I tracking this week. I managed to get Hogan back to the car before they got to us. One of the dogs came up to our car and in no uncertain terms Hogan spoke from his crate. I wonder why people with "he's friendly" dogs want them to meet my not so dog friendly male sometimes?!? 

When I tell people to call their dog, I have had so many say that "it's okay, he is friendly". Then the look the on their face when I say mine is anything but friendly and they realize they have no control over their loose dog bearing down on us.


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

I have learned to be prepared to kick unleashed dogs/or spray before they make contact. People are ignorant!

Hope your son does well in his therapy.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I have a very hard time with people that think because THEIR dog is friendly it's ok to ignore laws and let their run run loose and run up to other dogs.

If I am walking Mauser and a friendly off leash dog rans up to us I have two choices:



Do nothing and watch Mauser attack the other dog (something I'm working very hard on fixing)
Yell, scream, kick - do whatever I have to to the other dog to keep it away ... and SAFE and yet make ME look like the bad guy.
It makes me mad because no matter what happens *MAUSER and I *come off looking like the bad guys when we are actually being RIGHT.

While your son may have reacted a bit too much (which is understandable given his recent past) I still say HE was right and that woman was wrong.


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## LaceyBug (Apr 30, 2011)

I feel your son was also in the right, and I am happy noone got hurt. I have the same problem with unleashed dogs, plus I have my 3 kids that are ALWAYS with me(all under the age of 6). People think that because their dogs are friendly it's okay to let them come barreling down the road towards us. Lacey is not a confident dog(working on that) and it makes it a lot harder to deal with when a loose dog comes running and I have the kids. She wants to protect them and people look at me like I'm some sort of dog fighter. I must say though, people have seemed to be weary since we brought home Oliver(2 y.o St. Bernard). He has also built her confidence up a lot. We were all walking on the cirlce(chains of restuarants and stores) and this lady had 3 UNLEASHED dogs. They were out of control, running in and out of the roads(cars are everywhere). Lacey started barking and the lady looked at me with the nastiest look ever! But I can say at least I know Lacey will do ANYTHING to make sure her family is safe


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Whether it was right or wrong to confront someone about their loose dog, using foul language and threats or anger is not helpful, however understandable.

I think it might be helpful to talk to your son, and discuss the issue, discuss how the other person was in the wrong, and what each person might do differently to avoid angry outbursts. 

There is nothing you or your son can do to modify the behavior of the stranger. But you will encounter other people who are in the wrong too, and maybe with something in your arsenal ready for these circumstances you can avoid the majority of the stress.

I think when the lady first called that her dog is gentle, maybe you should have called to her to get him leashed. 

That COULD have started the confrontation right there, because some people ARE unpredictable. But some people simply are totally clueless that people might not want to be showered with their dog's pond water, slobbered with its tongue, or have it interact with their dog, and you almost have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe if you son said something like, "Please control your dog" she may not have gotten her dander up. Maybe. 

I think that instead of going back and forth, you should have some signal, where you let an idiot be an idiot and walk away as you did. 

You know your son, and are best to know what the situation is and to help him. 

I do not think it is helpful to just condone the behavior because the lady was in the wrong in the first place. I think the way he confronted her was the best method of getting her to react to him. And I think helping your son to realize that and maybe think up some other ways to respond would be helpful.


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## WarrantsWifey (Dec 18, 2010)

selzer said:


> Whether it was right or wrong to confront someone about their loose dog, using foul language and threats or anger is not helpful, however understandable.
> 
> I think it might be helpful to talk to your son, and discuss the issue, discuss how the other person was in the wrong, and what each person might do differently to avoid angry outbursts.
> 
> ...


:thumbup:


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## LaceyBug (Apr 30, 2011)

Selzer, you are always so helpful. I love reading other posts on which you replied to, you have helped me by just reading your thoughts and techniques. You are a very knowledgeable intelligent individual. And your puppy is absolutely adorable!


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

ok first I admit I haven't read all the replies just scanned quicky over most of them and really had to respond. Did her son react in what we would consider the "best" or most "appropriate" manner no BUT!!!!!!!! She mentioned he is a veteran trying to readjust to the civilian world. This is a ridiculously hard adjustment for some to make. All soldiers when they come back have a re-adjustment period some are much more noticeable then others and unless you've dealt with it first hand you really don't know what its like and this type of reaction (from her son) is actually super common. These soldiers are over there with people whos sole purpose in life is to kill them by any means necessary so when they say move back and the person doesn't comply they don't ask a second time and certainly never in a pleasant "civilian friendly" manner. Depending on the area they are stationed when you first see someone they are told to clear the area if the person doesn't there are no second chances you shoot! These people stand in the middle of the road and just blow themselves up when the soldiers get close so yes after a few times of dealing with this dog I completely understand her son snapping violently like he did. Is it appropriate in the civilian world? no. But the fact is he's not a civilian hes a soldier and any soldier knows you are a soldier at all times and when coming back from a war its hard to co-exhist in the civilian world. I hope your son decompresses and re-adjusts it's one of the biggest fears anyone in the military worries about is then coming home safe and then their mental well being once coming home. 

For the OP best thing I can recommend for these situations is to handle it quicker and unfortunately you have to step up and be a bit more "confrontational" in order to help your pup and your son. If something like that happens again let the lady know you don't want your pup to socialize off leash yet if it happens the second time ask your son to hold the pups leash and take the dog back to the owner or personally go to the owner and have her remove her dog right then and there. You described it best your son hit his red zone and it's a matter of helping keep him behind that line just like an aggressive dog its all in YOUR management of the situation.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

No, the women was not in the right, of course not. However I do not believe your son was either. While its understandable why he would act that way, it should not be used as an excuse. The people with the lab did not know about your son.

An extremely close person to us has PTSD and is also on medications and seeing someone. He has the same issues as your son does and I can tell you that it will get better giving the right combo meds/therapy. It will just take some time to get there, but stay strong and look at it as a learning experience and a place to work from.


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

whenever there is a dog running towards me and i can see the owner i try to SCREAM that my dog isn't friendly (she's actually a teddy baer lol). i always hope it's a wake up call to them.

that sucks what happened. my 5 month puppy is at a very critical time where he's trying to learn how to approach strange dogs in a mannerly way so something like this would really piss me off


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

You all make good points. Let me just clarify that I'm aware of my son's issues and do my best to protect him from triggers. We actually walk in this park to discuss things in private and get away from every one else. This is not a particularly dog friendly park as dogs are not allowed on the beach or athletic field. They are restricted to a narrow path. It is also ringed with retirement homes and many of the regular users are old and infirm. It is not a place for off leash out of control dogs. There is no place where you can assume that your dog isn't bothering anyone and Animal Control regularly patrols it. The fines can be several hundred dollars. 
Secondly, this all happened very quickly. I assumed that the dog was ball focused but I was not that close to it when it noticed us. It came over and the owner was chasing it. I was waiting for her to catch the dog before I said any thing. After our dog was knocked over and cried was when my son lost it

My impression is that this dog's owner didn't think that the leash law applied to her because her dog was "gentle". I had never seen her or her dog before which is par for the course. The residents of the retirement homes have AC on speed dial and leash law violators get busted within a couple of days. While my son was over reacting, the dog's owner gleefully "engaged the crazy" and continued cursing him as we walked away.

All of this could have been avoided had she been in compliance with the law. I've been walking in this park twice a day for 10 years and this is maybe the third time that an off lead dog has bothered us. Oh well, I guess the good thing is that I saw the severity of my son's issues and he saw the negative impact of his temper. He is very fond of the pup and I'm glad that the pup wasn't scared by his outburst--which kind of surprises me. My other dogs would of been cowering but Havers just seemed interested.


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## GermanShepherds6800 (Apr 24, 2011)

I wish your son a speedy recovery. 

I go to leash ruled areas because I do not want someone's untrained pet jumping all over my dogs and or possibly starting an issue. By the third time of the dog's visiting I would not have yelled explitives but would have gave her a piece of my mind though from her reaction yelling back at a young and I am assuming from military background very fit built man, she was a lunatic and anything said to her would not have worked. I have one dog that will not attack however will jump on another dog snarling foam flying and growling without biting rolling the dog into a quivering mass unhurt. I think if I did not have that dog with me I would have gone home and got him so that when her dog visited she perhaps could learn fear that her dog may not attack but leash distance also keeps her dog from being attacked.


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## Kris10 (Aug 26, 2010)

Sorry any of that had to happen. Some people believe that rules don't apply to them  Her actions, or lack thereof, caused all of the unpleasantness that followed.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

I can't imagine why a puppy would suffer any ill effects from playing with another dog and getting knocked down once. 

Not that the other person should have had her dog off leash, but dogs play like that all the time. As long as the dog wasn't aggressive, the puppy should be fine.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yeah but when someone's dog comes across with free access to your puppy, you have no idea that the dog is "friendly" except by the biased opinion of an irresponsible dog owner. The person would quickly blurt out, "gee, he has never done anything like that before," if the dog were to pick up your pup and shake it. And also, why in the world do we want our puppies being slobbered by strange dogs. Just because they may have been vaccinated, does not mean they cannot catch something there are no vaccinations for. Puppies and older dogs are more susceptible to such diseases, because their immune system might not be fully developed.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Please tell you son how much I appreciate how much of himself he has given to our country. 

I can certainly understand your son hitting his red zone so quickly after a seemingly harmless encounter, and don't fault him at all. 

In terms of who's behavior is right or wrong, the woman with the dog off leash is strictly in the wrong and has no grounds to defend her behavior or her dogs.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I do not think it is good to give a free pass to people because of an action of one person, causes an over-reaction from a person who is returned from the war. 

I know that sounds harsh, but I was just watching on the news yesterday and a young woman back from the war is having a difficult time finding a job. She has a cane, and she has been diagnosed with PTSD after helping to find bodies from the WTC. That did not stop her from being deployed to Iraq, but it _is _making it difficult for her to find work. 

So while it _is_ understandable, that he went off, verbally on the lady, it is _not_ ok, and it _will _be hard to maintain a job if he cannot get that under control. So the emphasis should be on what we could have done differently. 

I know a lot of people on here talk big about how they carry guns, would shoot dogs, would give people a piece of their minds, but still not ok. It is not ok to threaten people and shout obscenities at them -- even if they are doing so -- you get out of those situations, call the cops. That is not how we live here. We do not yell obscenities back and fourth at people. 12 - 16 year old punks do, but grown adults should have more to go on.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

it's not giving him a free pass exactly she knows he has a problem and they are working on it but as of now no he can not help it it is something they work on and need help in maintaining the situations around them until they can be fully integrated into the "civilian" world. It's not a free ride it's a training process and I'm sorry but I fail to see the issue with this. The son knows he has a problem.. the mother knows he has a problem and they are trying to fix it but it's a process. If it was an aggressive dog where they took it on leash with a muzzle to a place where it wasnt populated and another dog ran off leash up to the dog and the dog sounded off like crazy people would understand better that they are trying to work on the issues but for some reason with it being a person people don't get it because he's supposed to have control of himself. Quite honestly he let it go 3 times that shows great progress IMO. I think some people should sit down with a soldier whos been to war and willing to talk and talk to them about what they go through and it may make sense. I'm not condoning the behavior or dismissing it because no in the civilian world it's not acceptable but it is understandable and a work in progress.

BTW to go back on original topic so long as your pup has relatively decent nerves he will be just fine from one tumble just make sure to introduce him to a good dog so he can brush the bad experience off.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

What "bad experience" did the puppy have? Good gosh - it is a dog and he was knocked over once playing with a bigger older dog!

The guy I can see, it might have been a bad experience, but for the puppy...............?


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Knowing a person witn PTSD, it can be very debilitating. Unfortunately, the issues are not always physical. There are problems with emotional control.. Yes, holding a job can be very difficult and this adds to the pain. It is not about what is okay behavior or not. Truly it is part of the syndrome. I don't have judgement for my friend when he is less than appropriate in response. It is unfortunately part of the disability.

Yes, a sound puppy should be able to shake off a rumpusing about. If any help is needed with those running amuck, Hogan is willing to take them on one paw tied behind his back.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

Samba said:


> Knowing a person witn PTSD, it can be very debilitating. Unfortunately, the issues are not always physical. There are problems with emotional control.. Yes, holding a job can be very difficult and this adds to the pain. It is not about what is okay behavior or not. Truly it is part of the syndrome. I don't have judgement for my friend when he is less than appropriate in response. It is unfortunately part of the disability.
> 
> Yes, a sound puppy should be able to shake off a rumpusing about. *If any help is needed with those running amuck, Hogan is willing to take them on one paw tied behind his back.*


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Ahh that made my night thanks. Good way to de-escalate the thread 

Also thanks for how you explained PTSD it's a disability and really a hard thing for them to cope with some better then others if you have ever seen ANY soldier when they first come home they jump when a car passes by even after months of being gone they all watch cars super intense as they pass by. In restaurants they sit with their back against the wall making sure they are facing the entrance to the building etc... Just something you don't understand unless you live with it. It is good however to see those that are understanding of it. Sorry I get my hackles up over soldiers especially when people are less then understanding/sympathetic to them and issues that are caused because they are serving our country.

As far as the "bad experience" I wouldn't really say it was BAD just an unpleasant one if the puppy yiped it was either startled which isn't pleasant or it got hurt which isn't pleasant either but really shouldn't be negative for a period of time. Bad experience is a harsher term for it but easiest to use in this case I think.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

GSDolch said:


> No, the women was not in the right, of course not. However I do not believe your son was either. While its understandable why he would act that way, it should not be used as an excuse.


 It was kinda hard to apologize to the older lady for the son's behavior when that lady was screaming expletives and f-words back. Maybe, we don't know something about the "lady" either (recent stroke, etc) so I would not sweat over the entire situation and just focus on my son. Family comes first.


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

The pup is just fine. He's used to playing and, like many shepherds, is a drama queen. We went back to the park twice today and he was same as he ever was. I was a bit concerned that he might be a little leash reactive after this but he remains unflappable. 

He and my son helped me garden today. Havoc, the pup, follows my son everywhere. My son is in college ( currently has a 4.0!!) and spends weekends with us for internet access, food and Game of Thrones. This was the first instance of out of control behavior that I have witnessed although he's told me that he has anger issues. I'm very glad that he has access to therapy and meds.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

I have to scream at other people's dogs all the time, who are running loose and run up to my dogs while I am taking them on a leashed walk. I have never had to kick one, probably because my big mouth scares the unruly dogs into a halt, but the owners always show up saying, he is friendly, but guess what my Lab isn't and my GS feeds off my labs dog aggression so it wouldn't be a pretty picture if their dog had come any closer.
I don't blame your son for being angry, this woman who is breaking the law is in the wrong...where does she get off yelling anyhow? She should have apologized and that is it.


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## nhaitz (May 29, 2011)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> I have to scream at other people's dogs all the time, who are running loose and run up to my dogs while I am taking them on a leashed walk.


I am new here (don't even have my GS pup yet) but regularly scream at these morons. Although it never sinks in.

I recently had to have Sam, my 14 year old Great Dane/Dalmation mix, with creaky hips, put down because his liver was failing. Back at Christmas, we were loading the car to go to my sister's, when this dog came running across the street. (we live next to a small park) Sam was quietly minding his own business, relieving himself on some shrubs in our yard. He was on leash. The approaching dog was barking, growling and acting nasty by the time it reached us. I positioned myself between Sam and the attacking dog. I kicked the attacking dod three times. The first and third time I kicked it hard enough to knock it off it's feet and roll it over. 

The owner's comments were along the lines of "Sorry. My dog is usually really friendly."

My favorite person screaming "my dog is NOT friendly" is several years old. Sam and I were returning home, and just about to step onto our porch when this lady calls out from OUR side yard "my dog is not friendly." My response was "Then stop letting your dog s--t in our yard." She was a good 50 feet inside the property line. I realize dogs don't know a thing about property lines, but people know when they have walked that far into someone's yard. She didn't even popper-scooper. If it had not been so dark, and I could have found the poop, I would have rubbed her nose in it.

Nancy


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

Personally, I've had some interesting experiences with off leash dogs that do not have any respect for humans nor do their humans have any control over them.
Not having walked in your son's shoes...but, just reading how the other dog's owner behaved...I don't blame him.

Maybe I need anger management; but I would have kicked the dog away.
I would have yelled back..."My DOG IS NOT!" whether she is or not. 
Something to make the owner think about her responsibility. Or, if I got hurt trying to keep her dog away; she's financially responsible for my medical bills. Leash Laws...not an optional thing. Kinda like drinking and driving, speeding through school zones, etc. What if her dog jumped up on an elderly person and broke his/her hip...is it just being friendly and an "accident" No, as she fragrantly ignored the leash laws because her dog is "friendly" that is negligent. 



> I dislike confrontation but I think that my son "red zoned" early but he was right. I wish people understood that leash laws exist for reasons.


I would have "redzoned" too.
JMO.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

kicking and spraying an unleashed dog
might be an over reaction. 



ponyfarm said:


> I have learned to be prepared to kick unleashed dogs/or spray before they make contact. People are ignorant!
> 
> Hope your son does well in his therapy.


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## CassandGunnar (Jan 3, 2011)

I've gotten to the point now that every time I see an off lead dog running towards us and the owner is yelling "it's ok, he/she's friendly" I translate that to mean "I have no control or recall on my dog". 
Friendly or not doesn't enter into the picture, but I'm prepared either way. We rarely, if ever, go to our off leash dog park any longer just because of the owners. Most of the time, the dogs sort everything out for themselves and would do much better if some of the owners would just shut up and walk away.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I'm with the "old lady at fault" crew.

I was walking just this morning, both boys on leash. We were walking past one of the resorts and this dog came charging out into the middle of the road. The dog was hackles up, head down, teeth bared, advancing stiffed-legged. I yelled at the dog and stamped my foot while stepping towards us. The dog started to run off, but circled around to come at the boys from a different angle.
I picked up a big stick and connected a good one upside his head. The dog ran around and tried to come in again from another angle. I was yelling "get. go home" and finally a guy comes out and starts calling me several names and screaming "leave my dog alone. He's not going to hurt anything" needless to say I went off and said a lot of very choice words about what he needed to do with his dog.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

My county has a leash law and a dog must be under control law.

If on a walk an unknown dog comes up to mine in a neutral manner I will do whatever to keep dog away from mine from stepping between the dogs or yelling go home. 
If the dog approaches in an aggressive manner I will do whatever to keep dog away from mine .... 



> kicking and spraying an unleashed dog
> might be an over reaction


Maybe / maybe not. It is the owner's responsibility to keep their unleashed loose dog safe from other people's reactions.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Dainerra said:


> I'm with the "old lady at fault" crew.
> 
> I was walking just this morning, both boys on leash. We were walking past one of the resorts and this dog came charging out into the middle of the road. The dog was hackles up, head down, teeth bared, advancing stiffed-legged. I yelled at the dog and stamped my foot while stepping towards us. The dog started to run off, but circled around to come at the boys from a different angle.
> I picked up a big stick and connected a good one upside his head. The dog ran around and tried to come in again from another angle. I was yelling "get. go home" and finally a guy comes out and starts calling me several names and screaming "leave my dog alone. He's not going to hurt anything" needless to say I went off and said a lot of very choice words about what he needed to do with his dog.


Sounds like you acted just right!


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## MrBeast (Jun 1, 2011)

I don't fault your son at all. He is a soldier, a solider has been trained to protect that which he loves to the death. His biggest challenge will be dealing with the PTSD and the Civilians. 

When my GSD was about 3 months old I was walking him in down town Livingston Montana, had a big dog that I think was a chow chow attack him, no owner in site, kicked the dog away and it attacked again, wound up shooting it. (Mind you I hold a CCW licence and was carrying legally) As it turned out the dog had no tags, but they had been looking for it, it had killed a Pomeranian the week before about 5 blocks from where I shot it.

I don't know if they ever heard anything from the owners, I gave the police a statement and that was the last I heard of it.

I also had a similar incident with a pittbull in Dallas, it attacked my then 6 week old German Shepherd at a dog park off leash. I was working with my dog practicing on basic commands when the pitt came charging in, I grabbed the pit by the scruff of the neck and pulled him off basically handing him back to the dogs owner some thug looking mexican who got really mad at me for touching his dog. 

The man left, with his dog, I went back to working with mine, not 2 minutes later, same pittbull attacking my dog. I grab him again, this time the dogs owner and his buddy are having a big laugh about it. 

The 3rd and final time I saw them turn the dog loose on mine as it was about to reach my dog again I planted a steel toe boot in its so hard it flew about 15 feet landed hard and didn't get back up. 

The two little gangster thugs started to come towards me in a threatening manner, I wound up having to produce my pistol to make them reconsider their decision. Luckily they saw the error of their ways and decided to leave, didn't even take the dog with them, I wound up calling the ASPCA to come get him, I don't know what they did with him but when they picked him up he wasn't doing very good. 

Again the dog had no tags, no way to find the owners. I gathered from other people that saw it go down that the guys had been up there before with the dog letting him attack other dogs. That they thought it was funny. 

I would hope my actions prevent them from doing it again, but they probably aren't that bright.


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