I have a huge pet peeve with unleashed animals

gkwatra

I feel you. I hate dogs. I have been scared of them forever. The county road my son's preschool is on has a trailer and this lady just lets her dogs run wild all over the road, fields, people's yards. A farmer actually had to stop plowing last spring as the dogs kept following his tractor and he was afraid he was going to run over them.

It's extremely rude to have dogs off a leash of you are not on your property. It's like when strangers let their kids climb all over your booth at a restaurant.

You may love them but they may cause other people anxiety and fear or maybe even allergies.


On a funny note, my boss no longer walks her street as she was attacked by owls twice last year. One swooped down and tried to take her away by her hair!

That happened to me twice while running. A crow would literally fly at me and smack my head. I think if you get too close to their nest and they have babies, the mothers get fiercely protective.

iLoveMyPitbull1225

I think its irresponsible and rude. I would say most pets are not dangerous but the reality is that SOME ARE! This is more of an issue of having respect for people around you and responsibility for your animals.

What makes me even more upset than this is when people own dogs and keep the poor things chained up in a yard and dont feed it or pay attention to it for the entire life of the animal.. These people must have no soul and no heart. I have seen dogs crying in pain, starving and with collars that are too tight on so long they become inbedded in their necks. It makes me cry to think about it.

MelsAuntie

I was on HORSEBACK once on a dirt road, conditioning for an endurance race, when two dogs at a junky trailer house came out into the road and attacked my horse. He was used to dogs and had never had any fear of them....but this situation turned into predators/prey in an instant. Both dogs were Dobermans. The only thing that saved me and my Arabian gelding from serious injury was that a friend of mine was following in his car to keep track of miles and average speed, carrying water bottles, etc., and he did his best to run the dogs down. They escaped into the ditch and he basically held them there while Jahil and I galloped to the nearest bend in the road and got the hell out of there.

eric_sg61

The problem, if your out in the sticks, is that the dog may be wild. In that case you might be screwed if you don't have a weapon, especially one that doesn't make a loud boom.

eric_sg61

I feel you. I hate dogs. I have been scared of them forever. The county road my son's preschool is on has a trailer and this lady just lets her dogs run wild all over the road, fields, people's yards. A farmer actually had to stop plowing last spring as the dogs kept following his tractor and he was afraid he was going to run over them.

It's extremely rude to have dogs off a leash of you are not on your property. It's like when strangers let their kids climb all over your booth at a restaurant.

You may love them but they may cause other people anxiety and fear or maybe even allergies.


On a funny note, my boss no longer walks her street as she was attacked by owls twice last year. One swooped down and tried to take her away by her hair!

That happened to me twice while running. A crow would literally fly at me and smack my head. I think if you get too close to their nest and they have babies, the mothers get fiercely protective.

Crows are vicious, I have seen them knock other birds out of the air and kill them.

cynthiaj777

I was attacked by a duck once while running. Who knew a duck could be so aggressive? It was sort of funny.

What was not funny, though, was when I was bitten by a dog during a run. I agree: why the hell aren't these dogs on a leash? This dog was NOT merely playing fetch with its otherwise responsible owner in the yard.

Dude, geese! They are freaking terrifying and HUGE! :grumble:

Geese attacked my daugther at the park when she was about 2. Luckily she had a nice big diaper on to absorb the bite before I scared them all off!! My old work used to have professionals come in with dogs to scare off the geese because they would attack us walking in to work!!!

haha..damn geese. They hiss too. Scariest f'in thing ever! haha BIRDS THAT HISS! WTF :huh:

InnerConflict

ctalimenti

I keep my dog off leash, I don't care if you don't like it. I would also have been more worried about the goats, they're shifty, I don't trust em!

Be very very careful. My father was a veterinarian and I can't tell you how many calls we got after hours at the house about poisonings. When you piss off the neighbors, they tend to retaliate.

ctalimenti

Wasp spray. Directed into the face. Works from 20 away. As a 23-year mail carrier I've had to deal with my share of dogs. The worst in my experience were Rottweilers. One of those tried to come in the open car window after me, snarling.

OMG this is awesome!

DalekBrittany

I keep my dog on a leash at all times, even in the backyard, where there is a fence. She is all of 7 pounds and is more afraid of you than you are of her, but I keep her on a leash because a.) she is quick and shifty and could slip under a small hole in the fence if she found one and b.) because if my 7 pound, non-hostile Yorkie barks at someone she comes across and then proceeds to run away like she does with any other human at first, I would apparently have to worry about someone ****ing shooting her.

TeachTheGirl

The goats I could give a pass to, but the dogs?

We have a lot of dogs in our neighborhood and one is a seemingly nice black lab. He does not obey commands. He chased me and my infant daughter down the street, growling, while his owner called after him and yelled out 'He's a good dog!' as his dog circled me, teeth bared. Just praying he stays in his yard from now on.

jagh09

I also have a real issue with people bringing their dogs/animals into shopping centers and stores with them (with the exception of PetSmart or similar stores, of course). I love animals and grew up with pets, but I sadly developed allergies in my 20's. Now dogs and cats can send me into fits of sneezing and wheezing or even get me covered in hives. When did it become OK to take your dog grocery shopping?

jagh09

Never underestimate a goat! They are nasty. :-)

It might be worth carrying pepper spray or something, huh? That's really scary.

The goats I could give a pass to, but the dogs?

We have a lot of dogs in our neighborhood and one is a seemingly nice black lab. He does not obey commands. He chased me and my infant daughter down the street, growling, while his owner called after him and yelled out 'He's a good dog!' as his dog circled me, teeth bared. Just praying he stays in his yard from now on.

momasox

I don't mind dogs off leash if they are well behaved, but don't think they should be running out of their property unsupervised. There is a guy in our neigborhood who lets his little dog out front to potty (even though he has a huge fenced backyard). It always poops in my yard. That I hate.

I have 3 dogs and they do not go out of the back yard off leash because they are runners.They are big (but very friendly) and I wouldn't want them to scare anyone. A 65lb German Shepherd running at you is scary looking no matter what their intent is. But I live in the supburbs.... not sure how it is in the country.

dwhitmoyer

I just keep my dog in my purse. She's 4 pounds.

edack72

I have similar issues where I live I am actually getting my gun permit so I can carry at least pepper spray on walks and can carry if I go out into the woods ....goats !! They can be wicked mean I would have been terrified too!!

jenniferrusso7393

I used to live in a neighborhood where everyone let their dogs run free... I kicked a chihuahua nipping at my heels, and used to carry rocks. I told my daughter to kick any animal that came near her... Sorry folks, but my actions hurt the pooches a lot less than their teeth sinking into my leg...

momasox

I also have a real issue with people bringing their dogs/animals into shopping centers and stores with them (with the exception of PetSmart or similar stores, of course). I love animals and grew up with pets, but I sadly developed allergies in my 20's. Now dogs and cats can send me into fits of sneezing and wheezing or even get me covered in hives. When did it become OK to take your dog grocery shopping?

Thank you!! I love animals and my pets are some of the most spoiled animals ever. But why on earth do people think it is okay to put their dog in grocery carts or take them to grocery store. It's gross. Even wiping down the cart first doesn't feel like enough. Plus... yes people with pet allergies have to suffer.

IrishChik

The goats may be chasing you because the are curious... I used to walk on a dirt road and there were several pastures with goats... they'd always come running to the fence and follow me down... Goats are usually pretty friendly unless its a billy..... ;/

As far as the dogs... Get a small airsoft pistol and shoot them or pepper spray them... Usually that only takes once and they quit their ****... If you live in town you can call the police about it also

I do not recommend an airsoft pistol or pepper spray. My husband is the captain of one of the largest airsoft teams in the state. I have seen firsthand the type of damage these pellets can do. For someone with no experience you could actually do some damage to a pet. Not only that, you face a lawsuit from the pet owners.

If you live in the country, most country spaces are outside the jurisdiction of city limits and therefor they don't have to follow leash laws unless they are walking their dog in city limits. I live in the country. 1 mile from the city. My 2 acres is not fenced. I let my dogs out to potty, then they come back in.

Since you don't know the situation - perhaps the owner doesn't even know the dog is out of the yard - it might be better to find an alternate route if you are worried about the dog chasing you.

More often than not the dog is just chasing you because you are running and it wants to run too. Not all dogs are out to get you. It could also be that you are scaring them. Also, dogs can sense your fear.

What I do when trying out a new trail is take dog treats with me. When I pass a dog, I drop a treat. Then, they know I am friendly and they don't have to fear me.

Maybe you could find out where the dog lives and ask the owners why its running free, or let them know its running free, because like I said, they may not even know.

If you feel pepper spray is your only option, buy the kind meant for dogs. The kind for humans can burn the dogs eyes and esophagus. Better yet, try an all natural ingredient, Citronella Spray, which is used as a training spray for dogs. Much easier on them.

BflSaberfan

I do have pepper spray I could carry.