Dog Owners...

[DGS49]

Do you give any thought to the "price" that others have to pay for YOUR DOG?

Every time I walk into my back yard or onto my back porch, I have this neighborhood dog who goes crazy barking at me. It's not a huge thing, but it is an irritation that I really should not have to put up with. It is, from all accounts, a "nice doggie," and it wouldn't bite anyone and only wants to play, but why should I have to hear it while I'm trying to relax on my own property?

I also walk my neighborhood for fun and exercise, and am similarly assaulted as I walk past a dozen or so properties on my route. Although I must say that those electric dog "fences" do work quite well, at least in my experience. The dogs run and bark right up to the electric line, then they stop.

But why do people own these big, vicious, loud dogs? I don't get it.

I really don't like it when I visit someone and their dog jumps all over me, and tries to get at my crotch. I'm not comforted by the owner yelling "Don't do that, Bowzer!" because the dog is untrained (very few are), and Bowzer has already "done it." Am I the asshole for not wanting to be assaulted by an animal?

I know that most people go through the social ritual of following after their dogs and picking up the shit, but there are just enough people who ignore that mandate (or who only do it when people are watching) to make me have to clean it up from my sidewalk a couple times a month.

I do understand why people have dogs - lots of reasons, actually. But dog owners ought to train their dogs and try to keep them from being an aggravation to other people.

 

[WillowTree]

Of all the things in the world to worry about this has got to be in the top five.

I feel so badly for you.

 

[Fueri]

Some dog that barks at you as you're walking past its property is not assaulting you.

People have dogs, in part, to let them know when people that shouldn't be on the property are on the property. Those dogs are doing their jobs. A dog wouldn't be much good as a warning if it wagged its tail at everyone that happened along.

I've got 2 labs and a black shepherd. They bark at every single person that walks past the house and I do nothing whatsoever to stop them or discourage them in any way for exactly this reason. We do have them trained not to bark at the neighbors and not to jump up on people or beg for food from dinner guests. When I give the OK they leave people alone on our property. Basically, I hate unruly dogs as much as you apparently do, but it's usually the owner's fault for that, really.

A lot of people simply haven't bothered to do their homework on how to train and control their animals, and that can be problem. A lot of folks in my neighborhood let their dogs run off leash, which isn't actually legal but they do it anyway. One of them, a little hot dog, got into our yard through the fence, acted aggressively towards our son, charging and barking and snapping and promptly had its ass kicked by the shepherd, which literally threw it around a few times like an orca with a seal, and that was somehow our fault in the eyes of the owner. I managed to pull it out of the jaws of the shepherd before any real damage was done, but the owners lost their shit. Again, it's the people, not the dogs, that are ignorant in the vast majority of circumstances.

ETA: And, if you're walking a regular route, talk to the dogs. Some will get to know you after a time and be less aggressive. I know it may seem stupid if you don't speak dog, but learning to communicate with them will help. Same same with that neighbor dog....

 

[Mr Natural]

There's something wrong with people who don't like dogs.

 

[Hossfly]

Reminds me of the Them People Poems by Mason Williams.

 

[Billy_Kinetta]

Do you give any thought to the "price" that others have to pay for YOUR DOG?

Every time I walk into my back yard or onto my back porch, I have this neighborhood dog who goes crazy barking at me. It's not a huge thing, but it is an irritation that I really should not have to put up with. It is, from all accounts, a "nice doggie," and it wouldn't bite anyone and only wants to play, but why should I have to hear it while I'm trying to relax on my own property?

I also walk my neighborhood for fun and exercise, and am similarly assaulted as I walk past a dozen or so properties on my route. Although I must say that those electric dog "fences" do work quite well, at least in my experience. The dogs run and bark right up to the electric line, then they stop.

But why do people own these big, vicious, loud dogs? I don't get it.

I dunno either. Well-trained puppies are vewwy vewwy qwiet, and are trained to attach to and hang from the buttocks of an uninvited guest until the Master arrives with his trusty blunderbuss.

Quite useful, that.

 

[Compost]

Do you give any thought to the "price" that others have to pay for YOUR DOG?

Every time I walk into my back yard or onto my back porch, I have this neighborhood dog who goes crazy barking at me. It's not a huge thing, but it is an irritation that I really should not have to put up with. It is, from all accounts, a "nice doggie," and it wouldn't bite anyone and only wants to play, but why should I have to hear it while I'm trying to relax on my own property?

I also walk my neighborhood for fun and exercise, and am similarly assaulted as I walk past a dozen or so properties on my route. Although I must say that those electric dog "fences" do work quite well, at least in my experience. The dogs run and bark right up to the electric line, then they stop.

But why do people own these big, vicious, loud dogs? I don't get it.

I really don't like it when I visit someone and their dog jumps all over me, and tries to get at my crotch. I'm not comforted by the owner yelling "Don't do that, Bowzer!" because the dog is untrained (very few are), and Bowzer has already "done it." Am I the asshole for not wanting to be assaulted by an animal?

I know that most people go through the social ritual of following after their dogs and picking up the shit, but there are just enough people who ignore that mandate (or who only do it when people are watching) to make me have to clean it up from my sidewalk a couple times a month.

I do understand why people have dogs - lots of reasons, actually. But dog owners ought to train their dogs and try to keep them from being an aggravation to other people.

Well. Speaking as a competent, courteous multiple dog owner, I sincerely hope your little dog rant was cathartic.

 

[Shusha]

I think your problem is not so much with the dogs as with people. Has it occurred to you to speak to the owners of these dogs to see if you can work out some sort of solution? There are all sorts of solutions to these little irritations -- especially with the neighbor and the friends you visit who own dogs. Just talk to them about it.

I have two large dogs -- a Rottweiler and a Pitbull/Mastiff X.

 

[flacaltenn]

Do you give any thought to the "price" that others have to pay for YOUR DOG?

Every time I walk into my back yard or onto my back porch, I have this neighborhood dog who goes crazy barking at me. It's not a huge thing, but it is an irritation that I really should not have to put up with. It is, from all accounts, a "nice doggie," and it wouldn't bite anyone and only wants to play, but why should I have to hear it while I'm trying to relax on my own property?

I also walk my neighborhood for fun and exercise, and am similarly assaulted as I walk past a dozen or so properties on my route. Although I must say that those electric dog "fences" do work quite well, at least in my experience. The dogs run and bark right up to the electric line, then they stop.

But why do people own these big, vicious, loud dogs? I don't get it.

I really don't like it when I visit someone and their dog jumps all over me, and tries to get at my crotch. I'm not comforted by the owner yelling "Don't do that, Bowzer!" because the dog is untrained (very few are), and Bowzer has already "done it." Am I the asshole for not wanting to be assaulted by an animal?

I know that most people go through the social ritual of following after their dogs and picking up the shit, but there are just enough people who ignore that mandate (or who only do it when people are watching) to make me have to clean it up from my sidewalk a couple times a month.

I do understand why people have dogs - lots of reasons, actually. But dog owners ought to train their dogs and try to keep them from being an aggravation to other people.

My neighbor dog was the same way. A tame Golden that only tears up squeak toys. It ENDED when the neighbor started to ask us to "walk him" while they were away. They are away a lot. Try to get your neighbor to invite you into the yard. Bring a cookie or two. Do that a couple times --- problem USUALLY goes away. Dogs KNOW neighbors... They remember your scent and your presence..

It bothers the owners too in a lot of cases. But REASONABLE alerting is a feature of having one. I ALWAYS look to see what they are barking at. TWICE in Cali -- my dog alerted me to deviants trying to boost my RX-7 out of my driveway. ONCE -- they had already screwed up the locks on the car before I ran them off.

In Tenn -- if the dog is barking -- chances are there is a dog or COYOTE or bobcat or deer or some other varmint close to the house. Nice to know actually. Most of the time I praise and treat them for that. Because I LOVE to count turkeys and deer that come in..

 

[flacaltenn]

While you're at it -- get to know your neighbors. Stops them from barking at you so often also...

 

[Unkotare]

Do you give any thought to the "price" that others have to pay for YOUR DOG?

Every time I walk into my back yard or onto my back porch, I have this neighborhood dog who goes crazy barking at me. It's not a huge thing, but it is an irritation that I really should not have to put up with. It is, from all accounts, a "nice doggie," and it wouldn't bite anyone and only wants to play, but why should I have to hear it while I'm trying to relax on my own property?

I also walk my neighborhood for fun and exercise, and am similarly assaulted as I walk past a dozen or so properties on my route. Although I must say that those electric dog "fences" do work quite well, at least in my experience. The dogs run and bark right up to the electric line, then they stop.

But why do people own these big, vicious, loud dogs? I don't get it.

I really don't like it when I visit someone and their dog jumps all over me, and tries to get at my crotch. I'm not comforted by the owner yelling "Don't do that, Bowzer!" because the dog is untrained (very few are), and Bowzer has already "done it." Am I the asshole for not wanting to be assaulted by an animal?

I know that most people go through the social ritual of following after their dogs and picking up the shit, but there are just enough people who ignore that mandate (or who only do it when people are watching) to make me have to clean it up from my sidewalk a couple times a month.

I do understand why people have dogs - lots of reasons, actually. But dog owners ought to train their dogs and try to keep them from being an aggravation to other people.

You should be shopping for a nice little house on the moon. Until you move there, you live among other humans and had better get the fuck over yourself.