Why can't people follow rules?

[HenryDog]

Hey guys, recently I've been encountering a problem that I need a little help with.

Nearby my house, there's a very large community park. It's almost 20 acres and forested with a creek bed and lots of running trails. Now imagine this scenario: You're walking along, enjoying the fall weather, when suddenly you hear something running through the forest getting closer and closer. A dog crashes out of the trees and onto the path. You can hear someone shouting behind them, "Buddy, come back here!" and this person appears in the path as well. They see your dog and immediately run up and shout "Oh my god! Buddy, Oh my god! Is your dog nice?! Is he nice?!"

I am home for the weekend and this exact scene happened today and has happened more times than I can count in the past. Now, unless designated as a "dog park," all parks in my area have clearly marked signs that say dogs must be leashed. What I don't understand, is why an owner (who is worried about other dogs being aggressive) would not have ANY control over their own dogs, potentially putting them in harm's way?! Another issue: sometimes I bring my 4 year old cousin to the park and play. He is deathly afraid of dogs and the same scene often happens with him. An over zealous dog will run up to him, even jump on him. Both of these situations make me extremely nervous, which I know can only heighten each dog's excitement.

So now that my rant is over, here is the real question: What should I do when this happens? Henry is not dog- aggressive but I'm sure he feels threatened when these dogs come barreling into his personal space, ears and tail up, barking like mad. Henry usually tenses up and stares at the on-coming dog. There is a moment of tension while they sniff and Henry's hackles are always raised. That never happens in usual dog greeting situations. He can be dominant and I'm worried that one day he will be aggressive. I don't want to have to stop going to this beautiful park just because people can't follow rules, but its become so frustrating. Any ideas?

[Oliver & Henry's Mum]

That is a tough one. Short of personally expressing your feelings to each and every dog owner upon meeting, I'm not sure what you can do. Perhaps you can report this to the municipality and ask that they "police" the area better for dogs off leash.

If you know that this scenario is likely to occur every time you go there, then perhaps that is no longer a place to take your young cousin, or dog for that matter. I agree that it is very frustrating when others think the rules don't apply to them.

Good luck, and keep us posted. Your Henry is lovely

[Phyrie]

I'd go one further. I would put my body between "Buddy" and my dog, and SCREAM at the owner, "My dog will KILL your dog! He's a KILLER!!! Get him the hell out of here!!" And as they flee in terror, suggest to the twit that keeping their dog on a leash in public might save his life one day. Either that, or expect "Buddy" to die.

None of this has to be true, of course, and even if it were, the twit would still be at fault for allowing their dog, with no sense of dog manners at all, and no leash, to approach a strange dog. A dog on a leash will feel even more threatened by an unleashed dog, as they are incapable of defending themselves. Even a normally good tempered dog can be forced to a violent reaction by an idiot romping up into his grill, all barky and stupid.

Phyrie

[HenryDog]

Thanks for your replies!

O&H's mum- I have not yet talked to the so-called "park authorities" yet. I'm not sure if they even exist, at least I've never seen them in this park. The problem is that since the park is so large and the majority of it is woods, no one really patrols it.The area is kind of known as the hang out spot for delinquent teenagers because they can pretty much get away with anything in there undetected My complaint/call may not do much good, but I can try anyway.

Phyrie- I laughed out loud when I read your post. It certainly is morbid telling "buddy's" owner his dog's gonna die, but it is a very real possibility he could get attacked someday, maybe fatally, if he keeps it up... Your suggestion about getting between my dog and the offender makes a lot of sense though. I guess typically I just sort of stand there shocked and stunned. My other thought was to turn in the opposite direction and walk away quickly. That might serve to decrease Henry's anxiety and redirect his focus but I'm afraid a meeting is almost always inevitable. Especially since dogs are a lot quicker than the idiots chasing them.

[Phyrie]

Henry needs to know that you are there to protect him, or he may feel the need to protect you. Then you WILL run into problems. Using your body, and body language, will assure Henry that you have it under control. Turning away is a good idea too, but still try to keep yourself between the other dog and yours. I do that even if I know an approaching dog is friendly and leashed. It's my JOB to keep Kiba safe, and until I'm positive he's relaxed and the other dog poses no threat, I stand between him and the new dog. I will allow smelling and crotch sniffing if I feel comfortable, but I keep a close eye on both dog's body language. Keep in mind that a wagging tail is NOT necessarily a happy tail...

Phyrie

[Faolan]

You know, I don't know why people would put their supposed beloved pet at risk like that when they let them off leash in a leashed area. They could bite someone, get attacked by another dog, eat something toxic, the list just goes on and on! When I walk in the park, and there is a dog off leash, most of the time it will give Ailchu a wide berth. Ailchu must be giving off some serious "I'm gonna eat you if you come near me vibes!" And yet, at a proper off leash park, he'll run around and play with the other dogs.

A lady once told me that she allows her goldens off leash and a man once whacked her dog on the nose with his cane because her dog got too close to his dog. Do you think she learned from that experience? No! She still walks her dogs without a leash. Some people.

[dottiebroon]

This may sound too simple. but why don't you just confront the other dog's owner with what you just told us here. Tell them if they are so concerned about their dog's safety why do they let them off leash? You might also add the other suggestions others made about their dog eating something toxic, being bitten by some kind of bug etc.( in Texas the bugs are big!) Then you could point out the leash laws in the park. I am sure that won't always go down too well but it might you feel better that at least you've addressed the issues that really infuriate you! Now here's some psychology, always use 'I' messages and not the accusatory 'you' messages. When you use the I messages it is less threatening to the other person and they are much more likely to listen to you. So something like " I am really confused as to why you let your dog off the leash in this park if you are so worried about their safety," might work. Good luck with it. I get upset when people assume because I have a big dog, he's aggressive and will bite them! Like most goldens all mine wants is to be loved on and he often just lies down for a belly rub right there on the path!

[CollieMom]

I'm sort of with dottiebroon. I think I would turn the tables on them a bit. Ask them "Is YOUR dog friendly?". Afterall, "Buddy" is the one off leash, doing the charging. Stress that he gave you quite a scare, coming out of nowhere like that. And that, yes, your dog is friendly but you can't vouch for his actions if he feels he is being attacked. Tell them that just might be the reason for the rule about dogs being on leash - which yours is, but theirs is not.

I honestly don't understand people who feel that rules are really just guidelines that don't apply to them.

[4 the Dogs]

I walk my 3 dogs all together at the same time. Let me tell you, controlling 3 dogs when a loose dog is charging is challenging. I had 2 smaller dogs charge us recently, with the owner running after them talking on a cell phone! I got in front of my dogs and yelled...I'll kick them! You should have seen the look on that ladys face! I felt bad at the time, but Charlie got bit once by a charging, out of control Yorkie. That was not going to happen again. I have started carrying a whistle with me...my thought is the loud noise may surprise the dog long enough for the owner to get it or if nothing else, attract more attention for help.

[Muzzlenuzzles]

CollieMom, I love your idea of turning the tables on them. They're the ones who should be answering the questions, not HenryDog!

[HenryDog]

Hey everybody! Thanks so much for all your advice.

I have some good news to report. Today I took Henry to the park again. As we were walking along, I saw a golden retriever, off- leash of course. The dog started toward us and I did an about- face and huffing and stomping off in the opposite direction. Well, I guess the owner must have noticed my rather dramatic act and he called after me. He said, "Hey, its okay. You can walk this way, I'll put the leash on." The dog was about halfway toward us (he wasn't charging like the others have), and luckily had a great recall. The dog was so well behaved that I probably would not have minded him coming to greet Henry, it was just the principle of the thing So the owner leashed his dog and we walked by without incident. Later on, I walked past the same pair and the dog was still leashed. I can't be sure how much the owner will stick to it, but hopefully I made him think about his manners. Either way, it was a small but important victory for me

I'm going to try to upload some photos I took of Henry at the park today too.

[Phyrie]

Well done, and keep up the good work!

Phyrie

[LexiThePup]

This is really a problem. I live about a mile from the local dog park, and there have been many problems there:
The neighbors are complaining about cars parking in front of their houses. There are now "No parking" signs ALL around the park
The dog owners are "forgetting" to pick up their dog's poop
The dogs are off-leash in strict on-leash areas.

Now here's why that’s a problem. Where I live-- it isn't too dog-friendly. That's the only park around and authorities want to close it! Parks are great ways for people to socialize with other dog lovers and for the dogs to socialize with other dogs. It really would be a pity if it closed, considering it is close to my house and it's only a couple people's faults.

But on the other hand, off-leash dogs can be pretty scary, especially to three-year-olds trying to enjoy a walk with their families.
There is also very dirty water (with bacteria and viruses lurking in it) that many off-leash dogs have found. The owners are complaining about their dogs playing in it, but all I want to tell them is "if you followed the rules and kept your dogs on-leash, that wouldn't be a problem!"

Anyways, if the dog park closes, let’s hope the owners learned their lessons!

[LexiThePup]

This is really a problem. I live about a mile from the local dog park, and there have been many problems there:
The neighbors are complaining about cars parking in front of their houses. There are now "No parking" signs ALL around the park
The dog owners are "forgetting" to pick up their dog's poop
The dogs are off-leash in strict on-leash areas.

Now here's why that’s a problem. Where I live-- it isn't too dog-friendly. That's the only park around and authorities want to close it! Parks are great ways for people to socialize with other dog lovers and for the dogs to socialize with other dogs. It really would be a pity if it closed, considering it is close to my house and it's only a couple people's faults.

But on the other hand, off-leash dogs can be pretty scary, especially to three-year-olds trying to enjoy a walk with their families.
There is also very dirty water (with bacteria and viruses lurking in it) that many off-leash dogs have found. The owners are complaining about their dogs playing in it, but all I want to tell them is "if you followed the rules and kept your dogs on-leash, that wouldn't be a problem!"

Anyways, if the dog park closes, let’s hope the owners learned their lessons!