I get it, your dog is friendly, I don’t care! If your dog is off leash it better be under control which means NOT leaving your side or coming anywhere near my dog or kids. If your dog begins following us we are not stopping to help you get your dog back. Yup, I’m an asshole. My dog is ON leash (except maybe in the backcountry where you see no one) and I’m not responsible for your poor decisions.
Now, if your dog is on a leash and you can not control it we have even more issues. If your dog is going to pull toward the giant pregnant lady and her dog running on the trail, maybe you should not be on the trail! How about being a little more particular on where you walk your dog? Not only is it dangerous to my dog (I really don’t need my dog bitten because your dog is stronger then you) but if I end up falling because your dog trips me I promise you that won’t go well for you.
Just move! Step off the trail when people are passing. Move your dog away and keep everyone safe. If your dog sucks (which really just means you suck) it is your responsibility to move, no matter what trail etiquette says at that point.
I was crushing (ha!) a downhill the other day and had to stop dead in my tracks as a woman and her daughter grabbed there dog to put it on leash (frantically I may add). Ok, fine, you made a poor choice having your poorly behaved dog off leash. Now why OH WHY did you need to stand in the middle of the trail to get your dog on the leash? Why could you not scoot off the trail and handle your business. Why did my dog and I have to wait while you handled your stupidity? Even better was you then decided to continue walking (not just letting me pass politely) and allowed your dog to pull toward mine repeating “oh you just want to say hi don’t you”. NO! I am RUNNING. See, RUNNING HERE! My dog is doing work and does not stop to “say hi” while we are running. My dog will bite your dog though if she feels I am threaten, good plan there.
Look, I get mistakes, but there are way too many terrible dog owners. It’s not cute or funny that your dog doesn’t listen, it’s being a terrible owner. I refuse to be polite to these people, I mostly just ignore and go about my run. When my children are involved there is a chance I will be downright rude if your dog comes running toward us. Deal with it. My children are taught to lie to people when they are walking/running with Piper and I’m not around (I let them lie to adults!?!?). No our dog is not friendly, don’t come near me she will bite you, and ALWAYS over react when Piper becomes interested in someone like she really wants to kill them. Will she bite someone? Maybe. Early in my pregnancy she began growling at men she didn’t like on the trail. She is a wonderful dog, but part of her job is protecting. She doesn’t need random people petting her as she works and the kids need to feel like she is there to care for them, not make other people happy.
In conclusion, just stay out of the pregnant angry lady’s way with your crappy dog, but maybe you should just stop sucking as an owner.
And now my adorable well behaved Piper! (well mostly well behaved…)
Seven Wild And Free 
I agree 100%!! Just last night, an asshole dog owner at the park next to Aunt Chilada had his very large dog off-leash and yelled “he’s fine,” as the very off-leash dog approached me and my well-behaved on-leash dog. NOT FINE. HIs dog then proceeded to attack my dog, growling, snarling and biting him on the neck. I told the guy his dog is NOT FINE and he should never, ever say that again and he should ALWAYS keep his dog on a leash. He was a total asshole to me and did not put his dog on the leash he held in his hand even after that. Here is a link to the Phoenix City Code that very clearly requires all dogs be kept on leash when they are not in an enclosed yard or at a designated dog park. The police and animal control officers have the authority to impound any dog off-leash and to cite the owner with a misdemeanor charge. http://www.codepublishing.com/AZ/Phoenix/frameless/index.pl?path=../html/Phoenix08/Phoenix0814.html
Seriously?!?1 What in the world is wrong with people! Ugh… Someone people just don’t deserve to be pet owners!
Good post thank you…I had some issues with several people and their dogs on the AT this fall had my aussie with me she is extremely well mannered she was jumped twice by other dog and she was on a leash at the time at least they didn’t complain when I took a hiking pole to their dogs to keep them off mine.
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Some people shouldn’t own dogs. Today my dog (a small dog on leash) was attacked by a larger staffie that was off lead and we couldn’t get away in time. Owner proceeded to yell obscenities like it was my fault (I pulled the dog off him, luckily no one hurt because I acted quickly), and continued walking with his aggressive dog off lead near a kids playpark.
Ugh… I wish there was a way to publicly shame terrible dog owners and make them see the error in their ways. But they wont… *sigh..
the fuck your the asshole dog owner……its called be a dog you losers
exactly.
ALL dog owners are asshole dog owners…and your six “littles” (barf) are just more carbon feet making carbon footprints. Apocalypse NOW!
Thanks Norman! I hadn’t thought of it that way, ill get rid of them as soon as possible!
where i live dog owners think they can bring their mutts into shops… pharmacies and grocers even. letting their pet slobber all over the merchandise and oh if you dare say a thing… all hell breaks loose.
then the abuse, many dog owners should not even consider being one. i got a holocaust list of stories over the last 30 yrs at my current abode the reasons why.
it’s atrocious.
poor barking little fur horkers. 😦 i’m not much about the dog but i’m definitely not much to do at all ever w/their owners.
one word….
IRRESPONSIBLE.
thank you for this article!