I think we may need a section for Human behaviour - Humans behaving badly. This is not a serious matter and I'm over reacting more because I wish I felt I had the upper hand. Homer and I get to the start of our usual walk where there are two paths, one to the common and one along the river. This is all one big off lead area. If I take a ball we go to the common, if I don't we go along the river. So I unclip Homer make him do his usual wait until I call him to go along the river path, no ball today. As I release Homer round the corner comes tall blond lady with her young male Vizla off lead. (Nothing against tall blond ladies or Vizlas) Vizla bounds up to Homer who's doing his first pee. Vizla goes all cocky and stiff with his hackles up, Homer responds with a gentle Grrr. I reach to get him but just miss as he moves away, Vizla blocks Homers way so Homer gives another GRRR and moves away, moving away further from me. Stupid Vizla follows Homer looking for trouble. By this point I'm further from Homer than I'd like to be and tall blond lady is closer to her dog. So she says to me, "put your dog on his lead" as she puts her dog on lead. "OK, lady, that's my intention if is wasn't for your stupid dog" I say in my head. So I call Homer, but he's having another pee off to the side of the path so doesn't respond immediately as he's half way through flow. So then tall blond lady says, "Call your dog" (now this bit got to me) "High pitched voice, Pip, Pip, Pip!", she says. "Yes, tall blond lady, I KNOW how to call MY dog!" I say in my head clipping on Homer lead. Tall blond lady says, "Entire males!". "Yes, I know my dog is entire and so is yours, my dog doesn't have a problem with other entire males, just yours" I say in my head, as we move of along our way. I then realise that she intends to follow us, meaning that I now can't let Homer off lead so we turn past the lady to go to the common without a ball, which confused poor Homer. As I turned I remembered that Hubby said that a young Vizla had run up and attacked Homer out if the blue, for no reason last weekend, and described the lady. No wonder he didn't want anything to do with the dog. Then I met another dog walker friend and I explained why Homer was wanting a ball I didn't have and she said, "Oh, yes, that Vizla has no manners and has jumped on other dogs!" I wish I'd pointed this out clearly to full of herself tall blond lady and that its her dog that needs to learn some doggy manners. I'm so annoyed that her excuse for her badly behaved dog is that he's entire and that I didn't stand up for Homer but felt I had to go the other way and apologise for Homer's behaviour. "High pitched voice, Pip, pip, pip" has stuck in my head and is making me so annoyed.
They walk amongst us ! This is so true , unfortunately ! Deep breath , but I know, its so annoying to think , after the event, of what we should have said , that alone makes us more cross than the actual incident ! I regularly get people remarking that Nelly isn't as obedient as Sam , of course they don't realise that she cant hear me , but its still rankles like mad !
Oooh you were very restrained! I'm quite polite in normal life but in anything related to Jess I am definitely a crazy dog lady. I would have told where to shove her "pip pip pip" and how to stop her dog annoying mine. And then gone home and felt terrible about it all afternoon
I was...but then I remembered I don't become gobby or high & mighty, I almost prostrate myself in grovelling apologies when my unruly dog misbehaves.
I have a very intelligent and well thought out response for these sort of people.. It starts with eff and ends in off
Oh I’m so glad it’s not just me! Normally on walks I have very little trouble with people, in fact I can’t remember the last time there was any problem. But recently I’ve been training on the local rec and I seem there to have met nothing but numpties with their dogs. Yesterday after a rather tense encounter between her dog who ran up and got into the space of mine this lady came over afterwards to tell me that the problem was me and I should not be so stressed. While she was talking to me my dogs were sitting on their respective Vet bed off lead and calm. Her dog was lunging and growling on the end of her lead and struggling to get the dogmatic halter off its head. Yet I’m the one with the problem!! I do try to give people the benefit of the doubt and am always polite. Generally whatever is going on I consider it an opportunity to proof my dogs behaviour but zooming across two football fields to get all up in my young dogs face is just not on.
You have my sympathy - ruddy annoying woman with vizla and her pip pip nonsense grrrrrrr. There was a time I would have responded by rushing away as if guilty or my dog was in the wrong but as I get older - and consequently crabbier - I'm beginning to say my piece. Amazing how many time stroppy idiots like that instantly back down and fall spectacularly off their high horses - and a good job too Continue to enjoy your times out to the common or riverside with Homer and forget silly sorts.