Stupid People With Dogs

Stupid people down the dog park yet again. We took Buddy and Floyd (he's staying for a few weeks). A couple turned up with a sandy coloured mutt and, maybe what was, an Italian Greyhound. I was doing perimeters of the park for exercise, when I saw both the mutt and the greyhound looking as though they were trying to bite Buddy. I changed the direction I was walking and headed over there. The two dogs seemed to bite at Buddy again, as I approached. I grabbed Buddy and checked the sides of his face, more for a show of strength than any real belief Buddy had been bitten. I checked where Floyd was, he was okay. I let Buddy go and the mutt and the greyhound had a go at him again.

Okay, that is enough. “Excuse me," I said to the couple, "but could you stop your dogs biting mine.”

“I’m sorry,” said the porridge-faced guy. Not sorry for what his dog’s had done, I got the impression that he was begging my pardon for questioning him.

“You dogs are attacking mine,” I said. “Either stop them doing it, or take them home.”

The bitch wife quickly put their dogs on leads. I don't really remember her, some rat-faced nonsense I suspect.

“I think you are being a bit precious,” said Dough-Face.

Precious? Really? “Either they stop biting my dog, or you take them home" I said. "They don’t belong here if they bite other dogs.”

“I don’t think you have any right to say what dogs can come here…”

“I do if your dogs are continually attacking mine.”

“They’ll sort it out,” the dough-faced guy said. He sighed, as though I was bugging him.

“They’ll sort it out. Of course dogs work it out,” I said. “However, there is a big difference between a growl and antisocial behaviour.

“All dogs…”

“My dogs don’t bite other dogs.”

The bitch wife let muttley and sharky off their leads again.

Now let’s just stop for a minute and think about the mentality of a woman who let’s her dogs free, as they are being accused of biting other dogs.

His greyhound circled again and looked as though it was going to bite again. The dough-faced owner kind of did the same, walked towards me, chest puffed out, adopting the tone of a silent killer.

“Listen mate, I don’t think you have any right…”

“I do when it is one of the criteria of using this park,” I said. “Your dog can only be in this park if it doesn’t bite other dogs. It is a requirement. That gives me the right.”

“My dog never bites other dogs.”

“Fantastic,” said Sam. He’d been listening to all of this, biting his lip. The greyhound circle again and looked as though it was going to bite Buddy again. “If it does it again,” said Sam. “I am whipping it with this.” Sam had Floyd’s silver chain lead in his hands.

I wanted to wait it out and make them leave, but Sam wanted to go. So we took Buddy and Floyd and left.

Ah, dog owners.

In another incident, we were walking passed outside tables at a pub, at which there was a couple with two small dogs. As we approached with Buddy and Floyd, the two small dogs went apoplectic, barking and growling, so we took a wide berth around them. Out of the corner of my eye, when the male owner couldn't get his dogs to shut up, he grabbed one of them by the snout with both hands and squeezed as tight as he could. Yep, that's the kind of training mate that has lead to your dogs being who they are today, I thought.

It's funny, or not, that people who try to intimidate end up with dogs that intimidate and aggressive owners end up with aggressive dogs.