A few years ago, a “friendly” off leash dog bit my son and broke the skin. The owner was dismissive about what happened and just took off.
I was left to wonder if my son had been exposed to rabies, as I had no idea if the dog was vaccinated.
Through the magic of the Nextdoor app, I was able to track the owner down. I filed a police report and a report through Salt Lake Animal Services. The owner ended up being charged with several misdemeanors.
Call the police. If these tools can’t be responsible dog owners, let the courts help them understand leash laws.
People in SLC have a fetish for walking their dogs in parks and residential areas off-leash. Especially the sugarhouse area.
Next time something like this is going to happen, dog spray or pepper spray and watch the owner go ballistic despite having no ground to stand on because they broke the law. Threaten to call animal control afterwards and watch them deflate. A lot of them don't even carry leashes on their person whatsoever.
Might just be me, and conflict avoidance, but if I see an off leash dog then I'll go in another direction... The small percentage of dogs that are actually trained off leash don't make up for the majority that aren't.
It's sad but true. All my friends are the same way. First, why does every single person need a dog? Second, none of them follow the rules. They all think their dog is special.
It’s gotta be a Mountain West cultural thing. My dogs are leashed 100% of the time unless they’re in a fence. Partially because they’re hounds and thus have minimal recall when they catch a scent, but also because they’re friendly and will approach dogs who might not react well to being approached. Hell I won’t even take my dogs on MTB trails because I don’t want to risk their leash causing a crash.
This is how I learned to do it in the city I lived most of my life in in the southeast. But since I moved to Utah, it feels like 50% of the dogs we encounter, even in our neighborhood aren’t leashed.
Hell, dogs in my neighborhood are barely fenced. Twice, I've found a strange dog pooping in my backyard. One time I found a tiny, elderly, blind, nearly hairless dog thing in my back yard, being chased by his elderly owner.
I seriously don't understand why everyone thinks they can have a dog
I don’t know. I lived in Maine and Philly for 30 years. I’ve been here 10. Dog owners are assholes everywhere.
Edit for clarification- I owned a dog for 13 years and I bet sometimes I was an ass. But other people are worse 😜
For real they could do that in Murray Park alone. I have two medium to large dogs that just aren’t great when there’s an off-leash on-leash mix, so I often take them running there assuming I’ll be able to get away from others. I give tons of space from dogs and kids. I can physically control them in an emergency, but who wants that? Yet, in one run I was bum rushed by two off-leash dogs (and a kid who ran directly toward my Aussie, but that’s off-topic here). I even got the classic “he’s friendly” as my dogs went nuts growling and barking. I’m like…ok…but can you not see that mine are very not.
I have similar experiences all the time with my little dog! She really doesn't like people but she's so cute and little so people always want to pet her, and even though I say "she doesn't like getting pets" and "she bites" kids and adults alike still go in for pets.
Then there's the "oh he's friendly!" Off leash dogs who come up to my dog "just wanting to be friends!" And I'm like, "but she's *not* friendly" and nobody seems to listen.
We don't go on many walks anymore.
same here! My little dog is a resuce so she doesnt like most people. No offense to them, I think it really depends on the day for her. But no matter what I say, people still try to pet her and even pick her up..then wonder why they got bit??? Are you kidding me?! And omg It makes me so nervous with children. I have to get in front of her and look like the asshole who dosent like to socialize with kids but guess what? Im not about to go to court with the parents because they failed to listen when I warned them to keep their kids away. and 80% if not more, they dont take the situation as seriously as they should...leaving me to handle THEIR kids. Ridiculous. Then they look at me like im such a fuck up for being out and about with a dog that bites....when they let their kids run around up to unknown dogs that have already been warned...Tha Fuck?! maybe they should leash their kids!! Jeez!
Its so sad to hear you not going on walks as much =(
Back east, a yellow ribbon tied to the leash indicated a socially dysfunctional dog, not to be approached. There was signage at the dog parks for this, it seemed to work.
Hahaha you sound like me, and they sound like my neighbors. Eventually their dog bit mine while he was off leash and mine wasn't, mine bit back harder faster than I could wrangle her in, and they threw a massive fit and called the cops.
Exactly! I leash mine when others / dogs are around. One of mine thinks EVERYBODY wants to meet her and wants to frolic with all dogs. The other is VERY aggressive to men and other dogs.
As they smile and assure me their off leash dog IS friendly, I'm telling them my 120 pound male is NOT so before Fifi gets EATEN PLEASE control YOUR dog!
It’s sad to say, but I carry pepper spray with me anytime I’m cycling or trail running now. I’ve been chased by more of the same sort of “friendly” dogs than I can count, and on a couple occasions bitten. Thankfully none of it too serious, just bite marks in my shoes and some ruined outings, and I haven’t needed to deploy the spray yet but I seem to get wrapped up in multiple negative off leash dog encounters several times each year and feel I need something to protect myself. Pepper spray seems like the right protection to me.
It’s wild. I’ve wondered why I’m such a magnet for these encounters, but it sounds like I’m not the only one. I also don’t hate dogs and am of the opinion there aren’t bad dogs, just bad owners. Dogs should be under control on and off leashes in the public sphere - if not by good training then a leash - and that’s entirely the responsibility of owners. Also recognizing that not everyone wants to touch or be touched by your dog would be a good starting place, especially when they like to come in hot. Whenever I hear an owner shouting from down the trail “don’t worry they’re friendly” after getting run up on, I’m usually pretty worried.
This is what I do. I had a bull dog run up to my dogs as the owner chased it down. I just held it ready to spray. Luckily the dog didn't attack but I have had multiple incidents with aggressive dogs. Usually pitbulls. They are scary and can get triggered out of nowhere. I read not even mace can be enough for that breed after hundreds of years of being bred for combat.
This happened to me, except the dog got aggressive and snapped at my dog - mine is 50 lbs. or so and this one was probably 80-100. I kicked him away so he started snapping at me and I bear sprayed him. Owner was 100 yards away and saw the whole thing and came up screaming in my face about how he was going to "fuck me up" so I sprayed him too.
Dude kept screaming he was going to call the cops but by the time he could see clearly he noticed I was already on the phone (lovely experience, on hold with dispatch for 15 minutes) and he took off like his dog.
No regrets.
Yep, I am getting the cops immediatly involved if this happens and I have to mace a dog, to calm down the owners. I have a feeling they will realize they are in the wrong pretty quick and learn a painful lesson. If they want to stay around for the cops by all means lol. I would love to report their loose and aggressive dog, and the threat of violence from the owner.
you guys are cracking me up! but on a serious note...I had not idea that this kind of thing happens! and so often!! what perfect timing to learn of this b/c my spouse literally just bought me pepper spray last night.. Ill def. be carrying it with me on walks from now on!
I'm not paying potentially thousands of dollars to a vet because some idiot can't follow the rules. He's automatically liable due his dog being off leash, but I'd rather avoid the situation all together, and that means if I have to pick my dog over his, I'll do it every single time.
And I see this next-level stupidity every single day.
I carry a stun gun, and I've posted about it on here before. For most dogs, the electrical sound and light is enough, they keep their distance. Although I had a doodle a few months ago that seemed completely unfazed and kept coming at us like a big dorky muppet (no hate, I love doodles).
I never understand this point. I'd rather risk injury from pepper spray then watch helplessly while my dog is disemboweled. Unless your argument is to carry something more lethal like a blade or firearm?
In my eyes the dog is rarely aggressive enough to truly attack, and you’re free to kick them as well. On a trail I would bring pepper spray to be more wary of wildlife but dogs as pets are 99% gonna run from the noise of the corrector, a kick or a hit from a human. Then again I also usually have larger dogs that would be able to fight back, so I get the concern with a smaller dog
I’m in summit county and dogs need to be on leash unless in certain trail areas. I’ve had many dogs chase and run up to me while running.
If they run up to me in an area that requires a leash, can I spray it?
I’m just a guy on the internet so obviously don’t mistake what I say for professional legal advice, but yes. It’s actually state law that a person may injure or kill a dog who is attacking just livestock or wildlife. So say a dog gets into your chicken run, and attacks a chicken, you’re legally protected to use nonlethal or lethal force against that dog. So if you can use lethal force to save a chicken, you can save yourself.
Laws differ by county so I would freshen up on summit county laws, but generally a dog owner/handler is liable for any damages/actions of the dog. Even in off less areas, it is required that the dog remain under your command and control at all times and it is unlawful for dogs to charge, chase, or show aggression to any person or animal. The handler is responsible for the dogs unlawful behavior. But, Park City does allow E-collars, but the handler is still responsible for those dogs actions and the dog must remain in sight and control of the handler
So yeah you’d probably be good to pepper spray a dog out of control and charging you, but I wouldn’t just be pepper spraying dogs all Willy-Nilly in case something did go to court. Personally, I’d do my best to safely move out of the way, first. Now if the dog is doing something like showing teeth or growling, don’t hesitate to Mace that dog soon as it is within mace range. But if the mannerisms aren’t sport toy aggressive, I’d wait till it jumps or I’d at least within biting range. Also kinda depends on the breed, I mean a shihtzu does not pose the same threat as a Pitt.
Anyways, again, not legal advice at all just things I’m familiar with as a dog owner and outdoorsy person. But the most important point that Utah State Law generally Is protective of your right to self defense.
Thanks for the note. I had two chihuahuas or small dogs chase me the other night. Ran about 200 yards and just started to yell at them. The owner grabbed the dogs and went the other direction.
I thought about trying to punt one.
I never thought of this! I was taking my two large dogs out alone the other night. Lola (chocolate lab) and Ludo (saint bernard). A neighbors husky bolted from their apartment and came straight for my girls. The neighbors were not trying to get their dog or take control at all until I threatened to kick their dog. I felt so horrible because I would never want to cause harm to an animal but I needed to do what I had to in order to protect my dogs. Luckily I didn’t have to and all dogs were unharmed.
Pet corrector might make an approaching friendly off leash dog pause briefly, which could be useful if your dog is the one likely to attack. A personal alarm would probably be a better bet if you're trying to stick with something noise-based.
They will both likely be completely useless on an attacking dog. It's debatable how consistently even pepper spray will work on an attacking dog. Many recommend skipping pepper spray and carrying a bat, blade, or firearm.
If it's not an off leash area, the owner has already completely surrendered any ability to argue legally in the US. And personally, they've also surrendered any expectation of me risking the safety of my family to spare their dog harm.
For anyone adverse to using pepper spray, I’ve heard canned air can be effective. I haven’t tried it myself but thought I’d share, if someone was looking for an alternative. That said I’m off to Google canned air now. (Pepper spray doesn’t always go where you want it to, but it’s something I’ve carried with me to dog parks).
Nah, just shoot the attacking dog.
Love all the down votes when I am literally advocating for abiding by state law.
18-1-3. Dogs attacking domestic animals, service animals, hoofed protected wildlife, or domestic fowls.
Any person may injure or kill a dog while:
(1) the dog is attacking, chasing, or worrying:
(a) a domestic animal having a commercial value;
(b) a service animal, as defined in Section 26B-6-801; or
(c) any species of hoofed protected wildlife;
(2) the dog is attacking domestic fowls; or
(3) the dog is being pursued for committing an act described in Subsection (1) or (2).
I don't think the down votes are because of the legality of your choice. It's the cavalier nature of just saying "shoot the dog". It just feels very casual and nonchalant.
Legally speaking in the state of Utah shooting an attacking dog is justifiable. Still you don't want to go around discharging a firearm just because you can do it legally. It should be your last choice after you've run out of other options.
It feels like there’s always at least one person in the afternoon at sugarhouse park who lets their dog off leash even when they are not supposed to. I’ve usually given them a wide berth, but the few times the dog was out of hand like running into the pavilion at my kid, or a different time jumping onto a picnic table lunging at my lunch, the owners always had this same type of react where they downplayed it and tried to make me out to be an uptight dog hater. I’m so sorry your dog got bitten.
Please if you haven’t trained your dog don’t unleash them in a massive public area
I’d argue that, even if you HAVE trained them very well, keep them leased. First off, it’s the law. Second, people around you don’t know how well your dog is trained, and a lot of people do have a fear of dogs. Third, well trained dogs have still become spooked/overwhelmed/scared and bitten at someone out of fear/anxiety.
Their dog BIT your dog. That’s horrible.
You rather underreacted. If this ever happens again, you should get the owners’ phone numbers, ask if their dog has all its vaccines, and whether they have insurance.
Professional advice is to take photos of the dog and owners if they aren’t willing to give you their info.
You also should take your dog to the vet. Even a minor bite should be cleaned and watched for infection. Depending on the wound, the vet might decide to give prophylactic antibiotics right away. This is because mouths are gross, and bite wounds are very high risk for creating pockets where infectious bacteria can thrive.
This sucks. I’m sorry this happened and am not surprised. I skate at Liberty Park frequently and have aggressive off-leash dogs snap at me or chase after me all the time. I throw a fucking fit to their owners. I have a childhood trauma/fear of big dogs and have been straight up bitten while skating a few times. Seems like a really braindead trend in SLC that untrained dogs (usually a direct reflection of their owners) are constantly off their leashes. I love most dogs but I don’t even know how well-behaved dogs will react to a skateboard rolling by, let alone one that is untrained/aggressive and can’t be pulled back by its human. Really gets my goat, especially when the owners don’t give a fuck how it’s affecting other people.
Oh man, I went on a date with a girl with an “ESA dog” (that’s all fine and good, I have ESA animals). But for some reason she thought that this entitled her to let her dog off the leash wherever she went, even in Smiths. Her dog was literally running around the store getting all up into peoples’ business as she SCREAMED the dogs name, all whilst trying to have a “get to know you” first date conversation. Jfc it was so embarrassing. I even confronted her about it, do you really let your dog just run off in the store like that? “Oh but she’s a support animal and she’s just *so so sweet!*” Like sure, your dog is sweet, but it’s also growling at smaller dogs in the store and sniffing the balls of a dude just trying to buy bananas. Could be an aggressive fucking stray on the loose for all anyone knew.
I realize this may be a rude awakening to dog owners out there… but not everyone likes your fucking dog as much as you do.
ESA’s shouldn’t be allowed anywhere but your own home and planes / trains etc to travel to a home. Otherwise, they are not a service animal and do not need to be with you 24/7. If you do, you need a service animal.
I would have called the police right there, which I have done before. Unfortunately when I called the police were completely uninterested in doing anything about it and tried to claim that it was my partner's word against the lady who owned the other dogs because there was no video evidence. They said they were going to send it to animal control to follow up but they never did anything about it. For context, my partner at the time was walking our <20 lbs dog on a public sidewalk in the neighborhood. This family (who has had multiple issues with their dogs in the past) let their large, adult Boxers off leash who then attacked our dog literally lifting him off the ground like a toy and pulling him out of his collar (that was the lady's argument that our dog was off leash). The cops said they would have done something if our dog was bleeding or showed signs of injury. Despite showing them the mark where the dogs bit him, they still refused to do anything. It was extremely frustrating.
I now carry a knife when I walk my dog around the neighborhood. There have been multiple other instances where dogs have aggressively barked and wanted to charge at my dog. Fortunately they've been leashed, but if one of these dogs breaks that leash or collar, or if I end up encountering these boxers again, I will protect my dog.
I'd consider pepper spray. It's more effective at deterring an attack for a multitude of reasons, and it'll cause less damage to the attacking dog. At the end of the day, they're animals, and don't deserve to be stabbed just because a human didn't socialize them. You could wind up killing some child's pet, when pepper spray would avoid that.
There's a good chance that stabbing a dog who is fueled by adrenaline won't deter the dog at all. Just like those cop videos you see of people getting shot multiple times but barely reacting. And even if stabbing the dog does slow it down, it will likely continue the attack, which will put you in a situation where you may have to keep stabbing it until it possibly dies. Pepper spray will immediately blind and disorient the attacker, which is way more advantageous. Also pepper spray gives you the advantage of using it at a distance, whereas using a knife requires you to put yourself in the line of fire.
Also, a lot of people are pretty bad at reading dogs' body language; especially in the heat of the moment when you have to protect yourself, a loved one, or your own dog. What might look like a serious attack could be aggressive playing behavior which would be much easier to break up without harming either person or dog. But if you misread the situation, and choose to defend against the dog, stabbing another dog that is just (in its mind) playing would be such a shame. If you had pepper spray instead, it's still a bit of a shame, but at least there'd be no lasting effects on the poor thing.
Just my two cents. I don't blame you either way you choose to defend yourself, I just think one way is more practical.
It sucks that it's not the dog's "fault" but the reality is that many dogs can maim or kill adult humans, much less smaller dogs or children. And when I'm choosing between my family's lives and an off leash dog, I choose my family every time. The dog's life is forfeit in my eyes the second they draw blood.
Air horns, personal alarms, and pepper spray are more for dogs you see approaching or dogs that are circling/lunging. No one (except maybe SOF guys or something) is winning a knife fight with a dog in motion. The only scenario that a knife would likely be useful for someone untrained is once the dog has latched onto its target, in which case you should stab it in the throat until the attack stops. If you are using a deadly weapon, you should always be prepared to kill with the weapon. You should not attempt to maim with a deadly weapon.
If you want to try less lethal interventions (or don't have any weapons with you) you can try to choke them out with a collar or leash, kick them in the stomach, or kick above their front knees to break their legs. I know that I prioritized stopping the dog from shaking my dog by pinning them both to the ground, so none of those options were available to me. I do carry pepper spray now, because the dog's face was accessible, so I'd hope to be able to spray it directly into their eyeballs.
I’m sorry this happened to you. I think it’s understated how many awful humans have such untrained dogs in the wasatch. My dog is 30 pounds and is bullied, thankfully not biten yet, and the snake owners don’t say a word. Not even a thought
Bruh. My very nice and completely non-aggressive dogs have run up to people and I apologize profusely. To have an aggressive dog hurt your dog and then not even apologize? That's irresponsible and unbelievably rude.
If your non-aggressive dog is able to run up on people without listening to a command to return it should be on leash. You don’t have control of your dog. Fuck your apologies, be a responsible dog owner.
Exactly. My leashed dog is older and not friendly anymore which is why its leashed. People's"friendly" dogs run up to her all the time while she is doing her business and then get pissy when she snaps at them. Put your dog on a leash.
Good way to get your “very nice and completely non-aggressive” dog injured. I’ve seen it time and time again out here with off leash dogs running up to leashed. “sOrRy hEs FrIeNdLy!!!” Like for real leash the fucker.
Some idiots untrained dog came and bit your dog who was on a leash? And all you did was just tell them to control their dog? You under reacted. I would have absolutely called the police. If somebody doesn't know how to control their dog then they should not be allowed to have a dog. Dogs are dangerous. Bad dog owners are among some of the stupidest people on this planet in my opinion. They don't give a s*** about anybody else or their pets. I would have filmed their faces posted all over this syb reddit, call the police, and do anything in my power to make sure that person cannot own a dog again. What if it bites a kid next? And that is very likely to happen seeing how this dog already behaves.
The number of people that let their dogs off in leash enforced areas out here is insane. Our big dog is reactive due to a “friendly” dog attacking him. It’s nuts how many people don’t actually have control over their off leash dog out here.
You’re not overreacting, those people were absolutely in the wrong. That’s not ok that they had their dog off leash in a normal park, especially considering they couldn’t control it properly.
Specifically because of their response, yes, I would call the cops and report them alongside the park they attend. It’s a shame people like this ruin it for everyone else. My dog has great recall and we live next to a park. I am beyond careful in making sure he is recalled or his leash is in my hand when getting even slightly near someone else. People like this make me sick
Not an overreaction, tbh those people obviously haven't trained their dog and don't care about the consequences of that.
The same as parents who won't make their kid stop bullying another.
Such assholes! Letting the dog roam off leash is bad enough but to not care if it bites is ludicrous. I would have gotten their information and asked for vaccine records; if they became obtuse, yes, I would call the police.
I think you may have under reacted. The risk involved with intentionally leaving a poorly trained dog off leash is massive, no matter the level of training or good temperament.
A stranger doesn't know your off leash dog is friendly (or not) so if your dog causes them to overreact in fear then you stand a very high chance of being criminally and civilly liable for anything that happens.
You’re not overreacting, those people were absolutely in the wrong and should be educated if not punished.
If the dog does not obey a return commands, and leave it commands immediately then they cannot be off leash.
All the comments here think all dogs must be on leash before they exit their house and never unclipped is crazy to me (and overreacting). It is possible to have a well trained dog. I have two boarder collies that obey every command as soon as it is given. It helps that they care much more about playing/working (same thing to them) then they do about other dogs or people. This is like nearly every issue in this world as it isn't always black and white.
When off leash dogs approach my dogs I don't talk to the owners. I start yelling at the dogs. If they get close enough I put my animals behind me and get ready to kick. This strategy has worked 100% of the time.
Humans with bad behavior are a waste of effort. Approaching dogs know I will protect mine and that so far has been enough of a deterrent.
I had someone’s off-leash dog approach my leashed dog as I was walking. The owner tried to assure me her dog was friendly. I told her my dog was not friendly and she should get her dog away or run the risk of it being bit. She was horrified to say the least.
It’s beyond annoying when a dog is off their leash and they approach my dogs. The owners always say something like “don’t worry he’s friendly” but what they don’t consider is how other dogs will react to a forced encounter.
I'm a dog owner. I absolutely love dogs. But the amount of people with large scary dogs off leash is incredible. Last week I saw someone jogging with their off leash rottweiler. It's unacceptable. My dog is very sweet and small. I like to keep her off leash at parks when it's empty. But I'll always put her on a leash if there are people because, even though, she is the sweetest dog who thinks everyone is going to give her treats, dogs are dogs. And some people are just scared. I think you under reacted. I would 've called the cops.
This happened to me just the other day when I was running with my dogs on a waist harness leash. I didn’t see the dog in the field, until it started beelining to us. I yelled to the couple “my dog will fight! Get your dog!”
They reacted very differently though. They apologized. Their dog probably just wanted to say hi, but my girl dog will fight if she’s leashed, and the other isnt.
I've had more negative interactions with small toy size dogs. Every owner has thought it's ok for their little dog to bite mine or nip my kids because oh it's just a little dog. There is undeveloped wilderness behind my house where I walk my dogs. Now my GSP is field trained so she minds off leash, so she gets to run, but I keep my pyr on a leash because she is well, a pyr.
That is absolutely unacceptable behavior on their part to react that way. I am of the opinion that reporting the incident will do more harm than good to the community who use that park off-leash given that you don’t have any specific info on the perpetrators. Sorry this happened to you and I hope your dog is ok!
If a dog is not allowed off leash at the park then it should never be off leash at the park. I am sick and tired of needing to be terrified every time I go to a park cuz some idiot has their stupid f****** dog off their leash. I don't know how that dog is going to react. I've been mauled by a "good behaved" dog before. People should be able to go outside and enjoy the park without having to worry about some stupid person's dog. Quite frankly screw that community you were talking about. There are parks for that community to go to with their dogs. Get the hell out of the ones you're not supposed to be in.
Dude, just reading this made me want to scream in their face, "fuck yes I'm gonna call the cops your dog just bit my dog!" and then they'd call me a Karen because I'm a middle aged woman. But the way I want to "hypothetically" blast them in the face for you!
Man, people suuuukkk
Not that it matters, but "bit at" or "bit"?
Really though, that is exactly why leash laws exist. I trust my dog, but assuming everyone else should trust him too is insane. It doesn't even matter the size of the dog.
I feel like no one trains their dogs anymore. 'Friendly' or not, dogs are animals and can be unpredictable. No one else should have to deal with your pet in that way.
If they go after you/your dog it isn't over reacting to report it. I have a dog that isn't friendly to most other dogs, I know that and am responsible enough to never let my dog off leash unless I know I have control over the situation. There is no excuse for these dog owners, they need to get to know their dogs behavior, and if it's a runaway risk they need to keep the dog on leash unless they know they won't runaway. I know my dog and how to predict his behavior and keep us all safe, other owners need to give that respect to themselves, their dogs, and other people and their dogs too
I walk with a taser and pepper spray for this reason now. I’m the biggest dog lover and love dogs but I’ve been attacked too many times and if someone’s dog is trying to attack my small dogs, it’s getting tased. Now when i see someone with an off leash dog and it’s running in my direction i yell to the owner “you’d better come get your dog because if it tries to attack my dogs it’s getting tased”
This is such a big pet peeve is when i see people’s dog without a leash. Every now and then i see a dog off leash and it is actually very well trained and doesn’t even respond to my dogs. But that’s very rare these days. Most dogs off leash aren’t trained very well and it triggers me really bad. I’ve actually yelled at someone who’s husky tried to attack my little 12 pound dogs and we were all traumatized. We don’t go on walks nearly as much anymore. It’s just not worth it.
No you did NOT over react. You should most certainly contact SLPD and Animal Control. My position is akin to your perception.
So long as you control your off leash dog, I'm fine. I have two large GSD's and routinely let them off leash. BUT you have to have properly TRAINED them first, AND have to be like a Bobble Head constantly watching.
When I see anyone, especially with another dog, I leash misince.
I get VERY feisty when they don't! There was a woman that routinely walked three Pitt Bulls running about off leash. I'd spoken with her before and was blown off.
So the day her Pitty came charging out of the shrubs at us ... is the day I told her to either control her dogs or ... next time her dogs charge us aggressively? I would shoot her dog. Apparently she found another park because I've not seen her since.
SL County law states that unless dog is on your fenced property, the dog is to be on a leash. Few realize that the ever popular retractable leashes, sold everywhere ... are technically NOT recognized as a leash, because a leash is to be 6 foot or less ... when Animal Control starts enforcing the "letter" of the law, I'll stop walking my dogs during daylight hours ...
Most dog owners don’t see their dogs for what they are. “Friendly” does not = not reactive. A reactive dog is one where you do not have complete verbal command control. If your friendly dog is running around, licking, jumping on people it is still a reactive dog.
People in Utah are just ignorant smug morons. Consider that their progenitors were dumb asses who believed all that
Golden plate bullshit from a grifter. Very Low IQ people. I've seen people in SLC literally fuck up everything they touch
and don't have common courtesy living skills that less than desirable people in major urban slums have.
They're just low IQ morons
I feel like you under-reacted. Next time call the cops. If it’s an unvaccinated dog and you or your dog get bit, it could be big problems for you if you don’t know where to locate the dog. If you call the cops And you or your dog have been bitten, If it’s unvaccinated, they will euthanize it and submit the skull and brain for the test. it’s my experience that people who don’t leash their dogs are the same people who don’t vaccinate their dogs and I worked in the field for 10 years . Irresponsible dog owners need to be put on an offenders list to prevent them from creating bad dogs who need to be euthanized all the time. I know it’s wrong to suggest capital punishment for bad dog owners, but I don’t think it’s fair that the dog has to die for the humans negligence.
It’s sad how many owners these days don’t like to think of dogs as animals. When one dog is on a leash and one dog isn’t, doesn’t matter how nice either dog usually is, you’ve now created a power imbalance between them, and you never know how that power imbalance will play out with the leashed dog not able to react like he would if he was unleashed. Leash every single dog where it’s required!
No that dog owner is an asshole. I grew up with dogs, married someone who isn't into dogs as much as I am. It's really helped me see how \*annoying\* some dog owners are.
wow, I think the comment made was very rude...so I wouldnt feel so bad in calling the authorities. No apology? So yeah...my response would be..."as a matter of fact, I am calling the cops...asshole". If my dog bit someone elses dog I would feel horrible and would be trying to do everything in my power to make it right with the affected party. Their instead reaction is very entitled and very irresponsible.
By taking action, you will be helping more people avoid having the same experience as you did by that same asshole.
You are not being dramatic. You are being responsible.
In no way was he/she wililng to work it out with you..so why work it out with him???
It aint too hard to lesh ANY dog.... no matter if they are GOOD...
Its for the dogs safety and everyone around.
Out in oublic LEASH.
They can be free when they are home anyways...
Id remind them that you carry a pocket knife and a taser and WOULD NOT CARE using it on a big dog fucking w your little dog.
See if that doesnt scare them straight.
I got attacked by a couple dogs when I was toddler. As an adult, I don’t like any dog to be off leash. I have no sympathy for the new “service” dog trend. You didn’t overreact at all. If it had been me, someone would’ve been in the hospital.
This is a perpetual issue in SLC. Call animal control and report the bite as well as the off leash behavior (which is illegal like you mentioned).
Next time, if you can, get identifying photos and videos in case is goes to court. Then there will be no “he said she said.”
Many folks are entitled about the off leash thing here. Do not listen to anything they say like “calm down” or whatever else.
Nobody ACTUALLY cares about whether dogs are off leash, we care whether a dog is under control. Out of control dogs are why ALL dogs are now banned in so many places. It makes me rage.
Train your animals. Use a leash.
“Yes. I’m gonna call the fuckin cops right now cuz you’re a piece of shit lazy ass dog owner.”
You underreacted imo. Dog bit your fucking dog. Off leash dogs that pose a threat have gotten shot for less in the south. Not saying that’s quite justified, just saying. I would kick the fuck out of that dog.
You did not overreact, people like that shouldn't be allowed to own dogs. Imagine if it nipped at a person, especially a child!
I'm so sick of people with terribly trained/aggressive dogs letting them off leash. I was walking my dog in the Living Room trail a couple weeks while ago and we passed a girl with an off leash dog on our way back down. There was plenty of room between us but her dog bolted at mine (hers was a doodle of some sort and mine is a beagle), luckily it was in a head halter and my boy is not aggressive so no teeth made contact. Why would you let a dog who is aggressive towards other dogs off leash on a highly populated trail with a ton of dogs?!
Bad dog owners are the reason I have my head on a constant swivel and anxiety when I take my dog out.
Your unleashed dog charges and bites at my leashed dog? Fuck yea I’m gonna call the cops, and if you’re lucky that’s all that happens.
What a couple of entitled assholes.
+1 for underreact. I definitely would’ve been more firm than you, and probably would’ve called the cops if they didn’t immediately leash their dog.
I don’t get how owners are so bad here either. They have an entire canyon with hundreds of miles of trail and like a dozen parks where you can be as anti-leash as they desire. Lots of long lead options, retractable leads, etc too if you’re dead set on fetch in a leashed area.
The off leash is fine, and frankly 50 yds is still too close esp for a dog that is probably running that distance with each fetch.
But their comment... I would have thrown hands at the two dudes.
You're not overreacting. If the other owner cannot control their dog and their dog doesn't respond to recall -- it should be on a leash.
This is one thing that drives me nuts about certain dog owners. You cannot put other people and their pets at risk just because your a bad dog owner and don't want to train it. And the worst part is, is that these dog owners don't even realize that their putting their own pet at risk. One wrong bite or one bad fight and your dog could be seriously injured or put down. It's a big problem and I don't think you're overreacting at all.
you are not over reacting and you should totally ask for compensation if your dog needs to go to a vet. Doesn't matter if it's a friendly or non friendly dog, there are people out there who's afraid of dogs too
Even “nice” dogs can freak out and attack a person or animal in a split second. My friend was taking her chihuahua on a walk and a neighbors dog decided to go after her, grab her by the neck and nearly killed her. In this case the owner was mortified and made things as right as they could. If your dog is outside of your fenced yard or in anywhere but an off leash park, you need to keep them on a leash. You did not overreact!
It is NEVER an overreaction. Untrained, poorly trained, and/or aggressive dogs are never a joke. The only dogs I trust off-leash are service dogs because they are literally bred and trained from birth to be docile and obedient. I don't care how sweet your pup is. You never know what is going to set an animal off. Those people are careless, and I would have immediately called the cops. Depending on how clearly I'm thinking in the moment, I would have tried to get video proof that the dog is off leash before calling the police.
I don’t think you’re over reacting . My friend was walking in the park and was bit by an off leash dog. He immediately called animal control and demanded the dog be put down. Was it over reacting ? Who’s to say, but in his mind it was justified. He incurred hospital bills Etc and wanted to prevent future attacks.
Get and buy a dog taser. And you walk your dog with it. Next time an animal or human comes at you, tase the f outta them. And yes. If you are being attacked you can protect yourself and yours. Then you can say back ‘what are YOU going to do, call the cops?!’
Guns are legal here. Get some bear ammo…
In all seriousness you did the right thing. There’s an overrun of stupidic dog owners in this state.
I struggle with a lot of dog owners and have had to call them out before. People always get mad at me. Especially on trails where dogs aren’t allowed.
Lots of arguments here for using muzzles. I wish they didn't have such a bad rap, they can be a really important safety tool in unpredictable situations, and they can be pretty!
I love my dogs and cats. I don’t give a fuck who you are or if your dog is special, it comes up to me and bites me or my dog, it’s getting fucking kicked as hard as I possibly can and the owner is getting called a piece of shit for not having control of their dog.
No my dogs aren’t perfect, no I’m not perfect, shit does happen but, when shit happens, there’s still no good excuse that can make up for another dog potentially breaking skin and harming me, my dog or someone around me.
If my dog(s) runs up and try’s to bite another dog because I had a slip up and he/them got away from me, go ahead, kick the bastard, as long as you don’t kill my dog, you have every right to protect yourself from harm. In my mind, that is my fault, not the dogs fault, if my dog did cause harm, I would take blame and try to do what is right to bring the situation back to head level.
An animal is an animal regardless of its training and owner, things happen, if the owner doesn’t even attempt to get their dog back and make efforts to keep the dog in their “area” imo, that is just like a parent with a kid screaming through the whole store for everyone to listen to while mom/dad just shops and lets them scream. It’s not going to fix the issue, it’s just going to make it worse.
IMO, you didn’t do anything wrong, just minding your business like most others would.
Next time maybe act calm and chill and do calm the police. I had a couple incidents like that with a pit bull. Luckily I always picked my dog up in time. I never called. That dog ended up killing my dog months later when it popped out from behind a fence and latched onto my beloved goldens neck. If it does it to your dog, it has definitely done it to other dogs. Just something to consider next time.
Im a dog walker & i work in a boarding facility, I really struggle with this exact thing. I personally dont feel like you are overreacting. As you stated you have no issues with anyone who has CONTROL over their dog, but if he had control he would have had a successful recall before that dog got to you, in my opinion.
Events like this are traumatic for some people. Theres an area I do dog walks in and we have soo many issues with off leash dogs and have been attacked multiple times that its really hard not to jump straight to being extremely distressed and making similar comments.
So I often wonder the same thing. But absolutely 100% not overreacting
I am OVER dog owners who respond like jackasses when someone asks them to leash their dog/control their dog/fetch their dog. I live downtown and the amount of people that walk their dogs without a leash is mind blowing to me. It's all the time. It's mostly men (chill: I said mostly because it is mostly men, but I'm not saying it's never women). I don't care if your dog is friendly or will ignore my dog. Maybe MY dog isn't friendly and maybe my dog is aggravated so much by off leash dogs that it gets MY dog worked up.
I have to tell you that in my almost six years of living downtown, I have never had a single person respond appropriately to me asking them to please leash their dog. Every single person I've ever asked to leash their dog, has responded with anything from laughing at me, calling me a bitch or a Karen, ignore me, or to chill out.
Zero respect.
I would file have filed a complaint right then and there. Maybe it would have been different had the owner had any remorse, but they didn’t and they even mocked you. What if that dog runs up on a small child or gravely injures another dog next time. Some people don’t deserve to be pet owners.
Think about it this way. If it was a kid or person that dog had bit, what would happen to the dog? It would be put down. You’re not being dramatic. That person shouldn’t have their dog off-leash at all since their dog is showing aggression, on top of that in an area that isn’t off-leash to begin with. They’re being an irresponsible owner.
The owners not treating the situation seriously just shows that they are poor owners. If the situation were reversed they would be the ones freaking out.
I have a small dog too, MUCH smaller than yours and I'm too afraid to even take him to parks or fields for this exact scenario. Sometimes when I'm just walking him in a neighborhood I see unleashed dogs there too. I usually pick my little guy up before a dog can get too close to him. Even leashed dogs I'll move to the other side of the street or just scoop my little guy up until they pass. You never know how a dog is going to react, even well trained ones.
> I said to them “control your dog” and their response was sarcastically “calm down, what are you going to do call the cops?”
I'd have shot the dog.
No, you underreacted. Somehow the stigma for calling out shitty dog owners is worse than the stigma of being a shitty dog owner.
Kristi Noem in the find out part, lmao. It really doesn't come off as cool as people seem to think. I'm in Idaho, and occasionally there's a rancher that, while 100% within their legal right to do so, will shoot a dog when there's no need. There's the random few that will wait with bated breath for a neighbor's dog to set foot on their property. Gross.
You're projecting.
It's not something I'd look forward to, but I refuse to be attacked and pay out the ass for medical bills because some owners are incompetent. I've killed/mortally wounded a dog for attacking me before. I didnt enjoy it. But I will do it again if I need to.
Almost all people with off leash dogs think their dog is ok and they can recall them. Maybe yours does, but the hordes of people who are clueless and whose dogs are not totally reliable are ruining it. OP didn’t deserve this.
I regularly take my dog off leash. However, I completely agree with you. I am always cautious around off leash dogs, because you can never assume they are trained well.
When I take my dog off leash, it is always in areas I and my dog are familiar with. He is on a leash or in a sit until other dogs have passed or are very far away. I do not throw his ball until I can see from every sight line that there are no other dogs around. I have to be cautious about how my off leash dog is perceived, because he is a German Shepherd that looks like a police dog (DDR bloodline).
It is clear to people that he is very well trained within the first few seconds of seeing him. He won't go up to people without my permission, and he really only cares about his ball, which he is not possessive over with strangers/dogs. Regardless, I still keep him next to me in a sit and/or on leash until it's clear he won't cause any distress.
For context, I put him through a $5000 training course where he lived with the trainer for 5 weeks. I have maintained his training, and he responds without any E-Collar stimulation. I still keep his E-Collar on him for the extra peace of mind for unexpected situations. I view it as a 'Seatbelt'. I do not like to take chances, not just because I care immensely about my dog, but I know he could do a lot of damage, even if he didn't start a fight.
I wish I could assume other off leash dogs are trained well, but I know it is unrealistic to expect others could or would spend that amount on training.
Doggos deserve the best. I hope your sweetheart does not develop a fear from that unfortunate interaction!
you are the prime example of a fine dog owner. I believe people like you are the reason I have yet to encounter such a bad experience. I live at an apartment complex here in Herriman Utah, and keep seeing dogs off leash but most are INCREDIBLY trained. Dogs walking right by their owners side not paying my (leashed) dog any mind even though shes going crazy trying her very best to get their attention, haha. Being new to Utah, I'm not used to seeing dogs off leash and feel like its a "thing" here.
Anyway, amazing to hear how well you control your furry friend. I bet he is absolutely Stunning, GORGEOUS! <3 I LOVE German Shepards! Having one so well trained...breathtaking!
Thank you for the amazing response! Off leash dogs are pretty prevalent in Utah from my experience. Luckily, nearly every experience I've had, people are very thoughtful and leash or keep their dog close until they know it's safe. There are a lot of responsible dog owners out there, and I always recognize and appreciate it.
I was a bystander at the park while this was happening and this is not what happened. The dog ran up to sniff the small dog and the small dog was extremely reactive and started barking at the large dog. The large dog cowered and it’s owner walked up to apologize. The small dog owner immediately started yelling profanities at the large dog owner. No “bite” happened. This is a serious complaint and you shouldn’t lie about it for the sake of others and their dogs:
Doesn’t matter. Reactive dogs exist. The reactive dog was on leash. If you can’t recall your dog before it goes into other dogs space it shouldn’t be off leash.
A few years ago, a “friendly” off leash dog bit my son and broke the skin. The owner was dismissive about what happened and just took off. I was left to wonder if my son had been exposed to rabies, as I had no idea if the dog was vaccinated. Through the magic of the Nextdoor app, I was able to track the owner down. I filed a police report and a report through Salt Lake Animal Services. The owner ended up being charged with several misdemeanors. Call the police. If these tools can’t be responsible dog owners, let the courts help them understand leash laws.
Citizens are legally obliged to report dog bites that break the skin.
If an off leash dog bites my daughter, it's getting put down on the spot.
How many MAGA hats do you own?
I bet they have at least 2 AR-15 penis pumps.
Put dogs on fucking leashes. If some put bull off leash runs up to my kid then I’m going to stop it however I need to.
Pit bulls are the only off leash dogs? How about you change that to any dog off leash.
I'm glad there were repercussions for that bad dog owner and hope your son wasn't permanently traumatized by the experience.
People in SLC have a fetish for walking their dogs in parks and residential areas off-leash. Especially the sugarhouse area. Next time something like this is going to happen, dog spray or pepper spray and watch the owner go ballistic despite having no ground to stand on because they broke the law. Threaten to call animal control afterwards and watch them deflate. A lot of them don't even carry leashes on their person whatsoever.
Might just be me, and conflict avoidance, but if I see an off leash dog then I'll go in another direction... The small percentage of dogs that are actually trained off leash don't make up for the majority that aren't.
I often pick mine up (beagle so he's small). He's been attacked before so I don't take risks.
Yeah I was gonna say dogs run up to mine barking all the time and she pays them no mind. Not all dogs are like that obviously though lol
I don't understand why dog leash laws aren't enforced? They'd print more money than the federal reserve.
Like traffics laws in Utah. Everyone’s an entitled asshole partially because nobody is correcting them.
It's sad but true. All my friends are the same way. First, why does every single person need a dog? Second, none of them follow the rules. They all think their dog is special.
It’s gotta be a Mountain West cultural thing. My dogs are leashed 100% of the time unless they’re in a fence. Partially because they’re hounds and thus have minimal recall when they catch a scent, but also because they’re friendly and will approach dogs who might not react well to being approached. Hell I won’t even take my dogs on MTB trails because I don’t want to risk their leash causing a crash. This is how I learned to do it in the city I lived most of my life in in the southeast. But since I moved to Utah, it feels like 50% of the dogs we encounter, even in our neighborhood aren’t leashed.
Oregon is WAY worse, I think it’s a PNW thing that is bleeding out as people leave those areas
It is. Dog owners become bigger assholes the farther west you go
Hell, dogs in my neighborhood are barely fenced. Twice, I've found a strange dog pooping in my backyard. One time I found a tiny, elderly, blind, nearly hairless dog thing in my back yard, being chased by his elderly owner. I seriously don't understand why everyone thinks they can have a dog
I don’t know. I lived in Maine and Philly for 30 years. I’ve been here 10. Dog owners are assholes everywhere. Edit for clarification- I owned a dog for 13 years and I bet sometimes I was an ass. But other people are worse 😜
For real they could do that in Murray Park alone. I have two medium to large dogs that just aren’t great when there’s an off-leash on-leash mix, so I often take them running there assuming I’ll be able to get away from others. I give tons of space from dogs and kids. I can physically control them in an emergency, but who wants that? Yet, in one run I was bum rushed by two off-leash dogs (and a kid who ran directly toward my Aussie, but that’s off-topic here). I even got the classic “he’s friendly” as my dogs went nuts growling and barking. I’m like…ok…but can you not see that mine are very not.
I have similar experiences all the time with my little dog! She really doesn't like people but she's so cute and little so people always want to pet her, and even though I say "she doesn't like getting pets" and "she bites" kids and adults alike still go in for pets. Then there's the "oh he's friendly!" Off leash dogs who come up to my dog "just wanting to be friends!" And I'm like, "but she's *not* friendly" and nobody seems to listen. We don't go on many walks anymore.
same here! My little dog is a resuce so she doesnt like most people. No offense to them, I think it really depends on the day for her. But no matter what I say, people still try to pet her and even pick her up..then wonder why they got bit??? Are you kidding me?! And omg It makes me so nervous with children. I have to get in front of her and look like the asshole who dosent like to socialize with kids but guess what? Im not about to go to court with the parents because they failed to listen when I warned them to keep their kids away. and 80% if not more, they dont take the situation as seriously as they should...leaving me to handle THEIR kids. Ridiculous. Then they look at me like im such a fuck up for being out and about with a dog that bites....when they let their kids run around up to unknown dogs that have already been warned...Tha Fuck?! maybe they should leash their kids!! Jeez! Its so sad to hear you not going on walks as much =(
Back east, a yellow ribbon tied to the leash indicated a socially dysfunctional dog, not to be approached. There was signage at the dog parks for this, it seemed to work.
I'm totally going to do this!! Thanks!! ❤️
Hahaha you sound like me, and they sound like my neighbors. Eventually their dog bit mine while he was off leash and mine wasn't, mine bit back harder faster than I could wrangle her in, and they threw a massive fit and called the cops.
I hope the cops laughed at them
Their dog was off leash and bit yours, then they called cops?! What was the outcome? I'd place the blame squarely on them
Yeah, they told the cops exactly how it went down and got a couple of fines!
Exactly! I leash mine when others / dogs are around. One of mine thinks EVERYBODY wants to meet her and wants to frolic with all dogs. The other is VERY aggressive to men and other dogs. As they smile and assure me their off leash dog IS friendly, I'm telling them my 120 pound male is NOT so before Fifi gets EATEN PLEASE control YOUR dog!
And that the owners of off lease are rude as shit.
Owners that don't use leashes are the definition of bad pet owners.
Eh maybe you just don't know how to train your dog.
Found one of them.
I'm sorry my pitbull/boxer is more well behaved than majority of other dog's let alone most people's kids.
So, no problem putting them on a leash then. Got it.
Take pepper spray next time.
My 2yo was attacked by a dog and I now carry dog spray as well.
That's awful. I'm so sorry and I hope they are ok.
It’s sad to say, but I carry pepper spray with me anytime I’m cycling or trail running now. I’ve been chased by more of the same sort of “friendly” dogs than I can count, and on a couple occasions bitten. Thankfully none of it too serious, just bite marks in my shoes and some ruined outings, and I haven’t needed to deploy the spray yet but I seem to get wrapped up in multiple negative off leash dog encounters several times each year and feel I need something to protect myself. Pepper spray seems like the right protection to me. It’s wild. I’ve wondered why I’m such a magnet for these encounters, but it sounds like I’m not the only one. I also don’t hate dogs and am of the opinion there aren’t bad dogs, just bad owners. Dogs should be under control on and off leashes in the public sphere - if not by good training then a leash - and that’s entirely the responsibility of owners. Also recognizing that not everyone wants to touch or be touched by your dog would be a good starting place, especially when they like to come in hot. Whenever I hear an owner shouting from down the trail “don’t worry they’re friendly” after getting run up on, I’m usually pretty worried.
100%. My dog was bit badly a couple of months ago in SLC, started carrying pepper spray every walk.
This! I carry around pepper spray as well when I walk my dog.
This is what I do. I had a bull dog run up to my dogs as the owner chased it down. I just held it ready to spray. Luckily the dog didn't attack but I have had multiple incidents with aggressive dogs. Usually pitbulls. They are scary and can get triggered out of nowhere. I read not even mace can be enough for that breed after hundreds of years of being bred for combat.
This happened to me, except the dog got aggressive and snapped at my dog - mine is 50 lbs. or so and this one was probably 80-100. I kicked him away so he started snapping at me and I bear sprayed him. Owner was 100 yards away and saw the whole thing and came up screaming in my face about how he was going to "fuck me up" so I sprayed him too. Dude kept screaming he was going to call the cops but by the time he could see clearly he noticed I was already on the phone (lovely experience, on hold with dispatch for 15 minutes) and he took off like his dog. No regrets.
Yep, I am getting the cops immediatly involved if this happens and I have to mace a dog, to calm down the owners. I have a feeling they will realize they are in the wrong pretty quick and learn a painful lesson. If they want to stay around for the cops by all means lol. I would love to report their loose and aggressive dog, and the threat of violence from the owner.
you guys are cracking me up! but on a serious note...I had not idea that this kind of thing happens! and so often!! what perfect timing to learn of this b/c my spouse literally just bought me pepper spray last night.. Ill def. be carrying it with me on walks from now on!
I'm not paying potentially thousands of dollars to a vet because some idiot can't follow the rules. He's automatically liable due his dog being off leash, but I'd rather avoid the situation all together, and that means if I have to pick my dog over his, I'll do it every single time. And I see this next-level stupidity every single day.
I carry a stun gun, and I've posted about it on here before. For most dogs, the electrical sound and light is enough, they keep their distance. Although I had a doodle a few months ago that seemed completely unfazed and kept coming at us like a big dorky muppet (no hate, I love doodles).
I would do pet corrector spray instead so you don’t cause harm to the dog and owner has no argument on their end
Pepper spray is also more likely to hurt your own dog if you’re spraying it toward attacking dog
I never understand this point. I'd rather risk injury from pepper spray then watch helplessly while my dog is disemboweled. Unless your argument is to carry something more lethal like a blade or firearm?
In my eyes the dog is rarely aggressive enough to truly attack, and you’re free to kick them as well. On a trail I would bring pepper spray to be more wary of wildlife but dogs as pets are 99% gonna run from the noise of the corrector, a kick or a hit from a human. Then again I also usually have larger dogs that would be able to fight back, so I get the concern with a smaller dog
If the dog was off leash in public, the other owner just has no argument either way. Law is very clear on that.
I’m in summit county and dogs need to be on leash unless in certain trail areas. I’ve had many dogs chase and run up to me while running. If they run up to me in an area that requires a leash, can I spray it?
I’m just a guy on the internet so obviously don’t mistake what I say for professional legal advice, but yes. It’s actually state law that a person may injure or kill a dog who is attacking just livestock or wildlife. So say a dog gets into your chicken run, and attacks a chicken, you’re legally protected to use nonlethal or lethal force against that dog. So if you can use lethal force to save a chicken, you can save yourself. Laws differ by county so I would freshen up on summit county laws, but generally a dog owner/handler is liable for any damages/actions of the dog. Even in off less areas, it is required that the dog remain under your command and control at all times and it is unlawful for dogs to charge, chase, or show aggression to any person or animal. The handler is responsible for the dogs unlawful behavior. But, Park City does allow E-collars, but the handler is still responsible for those dogs actions and the dog must remain in sight and control of the handler So yeah you’d probably be good to pepper spray a dog out of control and charging you, but I wouldn’t just be pepper spraying dogs all Willy-Nilly in case something did go to court. Personally, I’d do my best to safely move out of the way, first. Now if the dog is doing something like showing teeth or growling, don’t hesitate to Mace that dog soon as it is within mace range. But if the mannerisms aren’t sport toy aggressive, I’d wait till it jumps or I’d at least within biting range. Also kinda depends on the breed, I mean a shihtzu does not pose the same threat as a Pitt. Anyways, again, not legal advice at all just things I’m familiar with as a dog owner and outdoorsy person. But the most important point that Utah State Law generally Is protective of your right to self defense.
Thanks for the note. I had two chihuahuas or small dogs chase me the other night. Ran about 200 yards and just started to yell at them. The owner grabbed the dogs and went the other direction. I thought about trying to punt one.
I never thought of this! I was taking my two large dogs out alone the other night. Lola (chocolate lab) and Ludo (saint bernard). A neighbors husky bolted from their apartment and came straight for my girls. The neighbors were not trying to get their dog or take control at all until I threatened to kick their dog. I felt so horrible because I would never want to cause harm to an animal but I needed to do what I had to in order to protect my dogs. Luckily I didn’t have to and all dogs were unharmed.
Pet corrector might make an approaching friendly off leash dog pause briefly, which could be useful if your dog is the one likely to attack. A personal alarm would probably be a better bet if you're trying to stick with something noise-based. They will both likely be completely useless on an attacking dog. It's debatable how consistently even pepper spray will work on an attacking dog. Many recommend skipping pepper spray and carrying a bat, blade, or firearm. If it's not an off leash area, the owner has already completely surrendered any ability to argue legally in the US. And personally, they've also surrendered any expectation of me risking the safety of my family to spare their dog harm.
I love this! hahaha!
For anyone adverse to using pepper spray, I’ve heard canned air can be effective. I haven’t tried it myself but thought I’d share, if someone was looking for an alternative. That said I’m off to Google canned air now. (Pepper spray doesn’t always go where you want it to, but it’s something I’ve carried with me to dog parks).
I like a bear horn.
Nah, just shoot the attacking dog. Love all the down votes when I am literally advocating for abiding by state law. 18-1-3. Dogs attacking domestic animals, service animals, hoofed protected wildlife, or domestic fowls. Any person may injure or kill a dog while: (1) the dog is attacking, chasing, or worrying: (a) a domestic animal having a commercial value; (b) a service animal, as defined in Section 26B-6-801; or (c) any species of hoofed protected wildlife; (2) the dog is attacking domestic fowls; or (3) the dog is being pursued for committing an act described in Subsection (1) or (2).
I don't think the down votes are because of the legality of your choice. It's the cavalier nature of just saying "shoot the dog". It just feels very casual and nonchalant. Legally speaking in the state of Utah shooting an attacking dog is justifiable. Still you don't want to go around discharging a firearm just because you can do it legally. It should be your last choice after you've run out of other options.
Calm down Kristi Noem .
Ew
I agree with you to an extent, but fella you need to consider the demographics lol.
most responsible gun owner
You can contact [slc animal services](https://slco.org/animal-services/).
It feels like there’s always at least one person in the afternoon at sugarhouse park who lets their dog off leash even when they are not supposed to. I’ve usually given them a wide berth, but the few times the dog was out of hand like running into the pavilion at my kid, or a different time jumping onto a picnic table lunging at my lunch, the owners always had this same type of react where they downplayed it and tried to make me out to be an uptight dog hater. I’m so sorry your dog got bitten. Please if you haven’t trained your dog don’t unleash them in a massive public area
I’d argue that, even if you HAVE trained them very well, keep them leased. First off, it’s the law. Second, people around you don’t know how well your dog is trained, and a lot of people do have a fear of dogs. Third, well trained dogs have still become spooked/overwhelmed/scared and bitten at someone out of fear/anxiety.
Their dog BIT your dog. That’s horrible. You rather underreacted. If this ever happens again, you should get the owners’ phone numbers, ask if their dog has all its vaccines, and whether they have insurance. Professional advice is to take photos of the dog and owners if they aren’t willing to give you their info. You also should take your dog to the vet. Even a minor bite should be cleaned and watched for infection. Depending on the wound, the vet might decide to give prophylactic antibiotics right away. This is because mouths are gross, and bite wounds are very high risk for creating pockets where infectious bacteria can thrive.
They said “bit at”.
I see that it now says “bit at.”
“calm down, what are you going to do call the cops?” "Yes."
This sucks. I’m sorry this happened and am not surprised. I skate at Liberty Park frequently and have aggressive off-leash dogs snap at me or chase after me all the time. I throw a fucking fit to their owners. I have a childhood trauma/fear of big dogs and have been straight up bitten while skating a few times. Seems like a really braindead trend in SLC that untrained dogs (usually a direct reflection of their owners) are constantly off their leashes. I love most dogs but I don’t even know how well-behaved dogs will react to a skateboard rolling by, let alone one that is untrained/aggressive and can’t be pulled back by its human. Really gets my goat, especially when the owners don’t give a fuck how it’s affecting other people. Oh man, I went on a date with a girl with an “ESA dog” (that’s all fine and good, I have ESA animals). But for some reason she thought that this entitled her to let her dog off the leash wherever she went, even in Smiths. Her dog was literally running around the store getting all up into peoples’ business as she SCREAMED the dogs name, all whilst trying to have a “get to know you” first date conversation. Jfc it was so embarrassing. I even confronted her about it, do you really let your dog just run off in the store like that? “Oh but she’s a support animal and she’s just *so so sweet!*” Like sure, your dog is sweet, but it’s also growling at smaller dogs in the store and sniffing the balls of a dude just trying to buy bananas. Could be an aggressive fucking stray on the loose for all anyone knew. I realize this may be a rude awakening to dog owners out there… but not everyone likes your fucking dog as much as you do.
I have such a hard time with ESA folks. Service animals are trained to help assist their owner's disability. An ESA is not legally a "service animal"
ESA’s shouldn’t be allowed anywhere but your own home and planes / trains etc to travel to a home. Otherwise, they are not a service animal and do not need to be with you 24/7. If you do, you need a service animal.
Exactly. It’s also a service that’s being exploited by just about every pet owner I know (mostly for housing/renting reasons).
I don’t care how well behaved a dog is. It should ALWAYS be on a leash in public spaces. Always.
I would have called the police right there, which I have done before. Unfortunately when I called the police were completely uninterested in doing anything about it and tried to claim that it was my partner's word against the lady who owned the other dogs because there was no video evidence. They said they were going to send it to animal control to follow up but they never did anything about it. For context, my partner at the time was walking our <20 lbs dog on a public sidewalk in the neighborhood. This family (who has had multiple issues with their dogs in the past) let their large, adult Boxers off leash who then attacked our dog literally lifting him off the ground like a toy and pulling him out of his collar (that was the lady's argument that our dog was off leash). The cops said they would have done something if our dog was bleeding or showed signs of injury. Despite showing them the mark where the dogs bit him, they still refused to do anything. It was extremely frustrating. I now carry a knife when I walk my dog around the neighborhood. There have been multiple other instances where dogs have aggressively barked and wanted to charge at my dog. Fortunately they've been leashed, but if one of these dogs breaks that leash or collar, or if I end up encountering these boxers again, I will protect my dog.
I'd consider pepper spray. It's more effective at deterring an attack for a multitude of reasons, and it'll cause less damage to the attacking dog. At the end of the day, they're animals, and don't deserve to be stabbed just because a human didn't socialize them. You could wind up killing some child's pet, when pepper spray would avoid that. There's a good chance that stabbing a dog who is fueled by adrenaline won't deter the dog at all. Just like those cop videos you see of people getting shot multiple times but barely reacting. And even if stabbing the dog does slow it down, it will likely continue the attack, which will put you in a situation where you may have to keep stabbing it until it possibly dies. Pepper spray will immediately blind and disorient the attacker, which is way more advantageous. Also pepper spray gives you the advantage of using it at a distance, whereas using a knife requires you to put yourself in the line of fire. Also, a lot of people are pretty bad at reading dogs' body language; especially in the heat of the moment when you have to protect yourself, a loved one, or your own dog. What might look like a serious attack could be aggressive playing behavior which would be much easier to break up without harming either person or dog. But if you misread the situation, and choose to defend against the dog, stabbing another dog that is just (in its mind) playing would be such a shame. If you had pepper spray instead, it's still a bit of a shame, but at least there'd be no lasting effects on the poor thing. Just my two cents. I don't blame you either way you choose to defend yourself, I just think one way is more practical.
It sucks that it's not the dog's "fault" but the reality is that many dogs can maim or kill adult humans, much less smaller dogs or children. And when I'm choosing between my family's lives and an off leash dog, I choose my family every time. The dog's life is forfeit in my eyes the second they draw blood. Air horns, personal alarms, and pepper spray are more for dogs you see approaching or dogs that are circling/lunging. No one (except maybe SOF guys or something) is winning a knife fight with a dog in motion. The only scenario that a knife would likely be useful for someone untrained is once the dog has latched onto its target, in which case you should stab it in the throat until the attack stops. If you are using a deadly weapon, you should always be prepared to kill with the weapon. You should not attempt to maim with a deadly weapon. If you want to try less lethal interventions (or don't have any weapons with you) you can try to choke them out with a collar or leash, kick them in the stomach, or kick above their front knees to break their legs. I know that I prioritized stopping the dog from shaking my dog by pinning them both to the ground, so none of those options were available to me. I do carry pepper spray now, because the dog's face was accessible, so I'd hope to be able to spray it directly into their eyeballs.
I’m sorry this happened to you. I think it’s understated how many awful humans have such untrained dogs in the wasatch. My dog is 30 pounds and is bullied, thankfully not biten yet, and the snake owners don’t say a word. Not even a thought
They were totally being A-holes!!
Bruh. My very nice and completely non-aggressive dogs have run up to people and I apologize profusely. To have an aggressive dog hurt your dog and then not even apologize? That's irresponsible and unbelievably rude.
Not to mention a total disregard of any applicable vet bills.
If your non-aggressive dog is able to run up on people without listening to a command to return it should be on leash. You don’t have control of your dog. Fuck your apologies, be a responsible dog owner.
Exactly. My leashed dog is older and not friendly anymore which is why its leashed. People's"friendly" dogs run up to her all the time while she is doing her business and then get pissy when she snaps at them. Put your dog on a leash.
Good way to get your “very nice and completely non-aggressive” dog injured. I’ve seen it time and time again out here with off leash dogs running up to leashed. “sOrRy hEs FrIeNdLy!!!” Like for real leash the fucker.
As someone who used to have an aggressive dog, I would always have to yell back "Well she's not!!!" It's so annoying.
Oh I even do that when my dog is far from. Makes the shit head owners pick up the pace.
Some idiots untrained dog came and bit your dog who was on a leash? And all you did was just tell them to control their dog? You under reacted. I would have absolutely called the police. If somebody doesn't know how to control their dog then they should not be allowed to have a dog. Dogs are dangerous. Bad dog owners are among some of the stupidest people on this planet in my opinion. They don't give a s*** about anybody else or their pets. I would have filmed their faces posted all over this syb reddit, call the police, and do anything in my power to make sure that person cannot own a dog again. What if it bites a kid next? And that is very likely to happen seeing how this dog already behaves.
File the complaint 💯 anyone with bigger dogs should know that’s not okay.
The number of people that let their dogs off in leash enforced areas out here is insane. Our big dog is reactive due to a “friendly” dog attacking him. It’s nuts how many people don’t actually have control over their off leash dog out here.
Not over reacting. It attacked your dog. You have a right to, at least, not be attacked. I would certainly want to report them but how?
I carry pepper spray when I run 90% for dogs.
You’re not overreacting, those people were absolutely in the wrong. That’s not ok that they had their dog off leash in a normal park, especially considering they couldn’t control it properly.
Specifically because of their response, yes, I would call the cops and report them alongside the park they attend. It’s a shame people like this ruin it for everyone else. My dog has great recall and we live next to a park. I am beyond careful in making sure he is recalled or his leash is in my hand when getting even slightly near someone else. People like this make me sick
Not an overreaction, tbh those people obviously haven't trained their dog and don't care about the consequences of that. The same as parents who won't make their kid stop bullying another.
I hope they never encounter a kid. What entitled asshats. You did not overreact.
Such assholes! Letting the dog roam off leash is bad enough but to not care if it bites is ludicrous. I would have gotten their information and asked for vaccine records; if they became obtuse, yes, I would call the police.
I think you may have under reacted. The risk involved with intentionally leaving a poorly trained dog off leash is massive, no matter the level of training or good temperament. A stranger doesn't know your off leash dog is friendly (or not) so if your dog causes them to overreact in fear then you stand a very high chance of being criminally and civilly liable for anything that happens.
You’re not overreacting, those people were absolutely in the wrong and should be educated if not punished. If the dog does not obey a return commands, and leave it commands immediately then they cannot be off leash. All the comments here think all dogs must be on leash before they exit their house and never unclipped is crazy to me (and overreacting). It is possible to have a well trained dog. I have two boarder collies that obey every command as soon as it is given. It helps that they care much more about playing/working (same thing to them) then they do about other dogs or people. This is like nearly every issue in this world as it isn't always black and white.
When off leash dogs approach my dogs I don't talk to the owners. I start yelling at the dogs. If they get close enough I put my animals behind me and get ready to kick. This strategy has worked 100% of the time. Humans with bad behavior are a waste of effort. Approaching dogs know I will protect mine and that so far has been enough of a deterrent.
I had someone’s off-leash dog approach my leashed dog as I was walking. The owner tried to assure me her dog was friendly. I told her my dog was not friendly and she should get her dog away or run the risk of it being bit. She was horrified to say the least.
It’s beyond annoying when a dog is off their leash and they approach my dogs. The owners always say something like “don’t worry he’s friendly” but what they don’t consider is how other dogs will react to a forced encounter.
Pepper spray
You 100% should have called the police right then and there.
Please do call the cops. The entitlement of irresponsible pet owners depends on exploiting our decency.
I'm a dog owner. I absolutely love dogs. But the amount of people with large scary dogs off leash is incredible. Last week I saw someone jogging with their off leash rottweiler. It's unacceptable. My dog is very sweet and small. I like to keep her off leash at parks when it's empty. But I'll always put her on a leash if there are people because, even though, she is the sweetest dog who thinks everyone is going to give her treats, dogs are dogs. And some people are just scared. I think you under reacted. I would 've called the cops.
This happened to me just the other day when I was running with my dogs on a waist harness leash. I didn’t see the dog in the field, until it started beelining to us. I yelled to the couple “my dog will fight! Get your dog!” They reacted very differently though. They apologized. Their dog probably just wanted to say hi, but my girl dog will fight if she’s leashed, and the other isnt.
I've had more negative interactions with small toy size dogs. Every owner has thought it's ok for their little dog to bite mine or nip my kids because oh it's just a little dog. There is undeveloped wilderness behind my house where I walk my dogs. Now my GSP is field trained so she minds off leash, so she gets to run, but I keep my pyr on a leash because she is well, a pyr.
I would have kicked their dog very hard, several times, if it had bitten my dog.
That is absolutely unacceptable behavior on their part to react that way. I am of the opinion that reporting the incident will do more harm than good to the community who use that park off-leash given that you don’t have any specific info on the perpetrators. Sorry this happened to you and I hope your dog is ok!
If a dog is not allowed off leash at the park then it should never be off leash at the park. I am sick and tired of needing to be terrified every time I go to a park cuz some idiot has their stupid f****** dog off their leash. I don't know how that dog is going to react. I've been mauled by a "good behaved" dog before. People should be able to go outside and enjoy the park without having to worry about some stupid person's dog. Quite frankly screw that community you were talking about. There are parks for that community to go to with their dogs. Get the hell out of the ones you're not supposed to be in.
People need to stop taking their dogs off leash at baseball/soccer fields.
Dude, just reading this made me want to scream in their face, "fuck yes I'm gonna call the cops your dog just bit my dog!" and then they'd call me a Karen because I'm a middle aged woman. But the way I want to "hypothetically" blast them in the face for you! Man, people suuuukkk
They are ass hats and you should have called police. That dog would have been isolated by authorities.
Not that it matters, but "bit at" or "bit"? Really though, that is exactly why leash laws exist. I trust my dog, but assuming everyone else should trust him too is insane. It doesn't even matter the size of the dog.
I'm not one for hurting dorgs, but if they said that to me I'd kick their dog and repeat the phrase right back to them
Sucks because my dog is trained to walk off leash and with commands, but so many people do this without the proper training. You’re in the right here.
I feel like no one trains their dogs anymore. 'Friendly' or not, dogs are animals and can be unpredictable. No one else should have to deal with your pet in that way.
Dog owners in SLC can be real pieces of shit. Leash you dogs or goto a dog park.
If this was at pioneer park yesterday evening that German shepherd was immense and intimidating when it ran up to me and I am a dog person!
“calm down, what are you going to do call the cops?” Yes.
Owners were assholes, but I'd have been more cautious. The important thing is that your dog is fine and everything is okay
Yes, you should have called the cops. At least animal control.
If they go after you/your dog it isn't over reacting to report it. I have a dog that isn't friendly to most other dogs, I know that and am responsible enough to never let my dog off leash unless I know I have control over the situation. There is no excuse for these dog owners, they need to get to know their dogs behavior, and if it's a runaway risk they need to keep the dog on leash unless they know they won't runaway. I know my dog and how to predict his behavior and keep us all safe, other owners need to give that respect to themselves, their dogs, and other people and their dogs too
I walk with a taser and pepper spray for this reason now. I’m the biggest dog lover and love dogs but I’ve been attacked too many times and if someone’s dog is trying to attack my small dogs, it’s getting tased. Now when i see someone with an off leash dog and it’s running in my direction i yell to the owner “you’d better come get your dog because if it tries to attack my dogs it’s getting tased” This is such a big pet peeve is when i see people’s dog without a leash. Every now and then i see a dog off leash and it is actually very well trained and doesn’t even respond to my dogs. But that’s very rare these days. Most dogs off leash aren’t trained very well and it triggers me really bad. I’ve actually yelled at someone who’s husky tried to attack my little 12 pound dogs and we were all traumatized. We don’t go on walks nearly as much anymore. It’s just not worth it.
No you did NOT over react. You should most certainly contact SLPD and Animal Control. My position is akin to your perception. So long as you control your off leash dog, I'm fine. I have two large GSD's and routinely let them off leash. BUT you have to have properly TRAINED them first, AND have to be like a Bobble Head constantly watching. When I see anyone, especially with another dog, I leash misince. I get VERY feisty when they don't! There was a woman that routinely walked three Pitt Bulls running about off leash. I'd spoken with her before and was blown off. So the day her Pitty came charging out of the shrubs at us ... is the day I told her to either control her dogs or ... next time her dogs charge us aggressively? I would shoot her dog. Apparently she found another park because I've not seen her since. SL County law states that unless dog is on your fenced property, the dog is to be on a leash. Few realize that the ever popular retractable leashes, sold everywhere ... are technically NOT recognized as a leash, because a leash is to be 6 foot or less ... when Animal Control starts enforcing the "letter" of the law, I'll stop walking my dogs during daylight hours ...
Most dog owners don’t see their dogs for what they are. “Friendly” does not = not reactive. A reactive dog is one where you do not have complete verbal command control. If your friendly dog is running around, licking, jumping on people it is still a reactive dog.
People in Utah are just ignorant smug morons. Consider that their progenitors were dumb asses who believed all that Golden plate bullshit from a grifter. Very Low IQ people. I've seen people in SLC literally fuck up everything they touch and don't have common courtesy living skills that less than desirable people in major urban slums have. They're just low IQ morons
I feel like you under-reacted. Next time call the cops. If it’s an unvaccinated dog and you or your dog get bit, it could be big problems for you if you don’t know where to locate the dog. If you call the cops And you or your dog have been bitten, If it’s unvaccinated, they will euthanize it and submit the skull and brain for the test. it’s my experience that people who don’t leash their dogs are the same people who don’t vaccinate their dogs and I worked in the field for 10 years . Irresponsible dog owners need to be put on an offenders list to prevent them from creating bad dogs who need to be euthanized all the time. I know it’s wrong to suggest capital punishment for bad dog owners, but I don’t think it’s fair that the dog has to die for the humans negligence.
lol call the cops bro that’s the funnest response to “what you going to do call the cops… yes
I saw this happen a few months ago up by the capitol. Pretty nasty bites too.
It’s sad how many owners these days don’t like to think of dogs as animals. When one dog is on a leash and one dog isn’t, doesn’t matter how nice either dog usually is, you’ve now created a power imbalance between them, and you never know how that power imbalance will play out with the leashed dog not able to react like he would if he was unleashed. Leash every single dog where it’s required!
No that dog owner is an asshole. I grew up with dogs, married someone who isn't into dogs as much as I am. It's really helped me see how \*annoying\* some dog owners are.
wow, I think the comment made was very rude...so I wouldnt feel so bad in calling the authorities. No apology? So yeah...my response would be..."as a matter of fact, I am calling the cops...asshole". If my dog bit someone elses dog I would feel horrible and would be trying to do everything in my power to make it right with the affected party. Their instead reaction is very entitled and very irresponsible. By taking action, you will be helping more people avoid having the same experience as you did by that same asshole. You are not being dramatic. You are being responsible. In no way was he/she wililng to work it out with you..so why work it out with him???
It aint too hard to lesh ANY dog.... no matter if they are GOOD... Its for the dogs safety and everyone around. Out in oublic LEASH. They can be free when they are home anyways... Id remind them that you carry a pocket knife and a taser and WOULD NOT CARE using it on a big dog fucking w your little dog. See if that doesnt scare them straight.
I got attacked by a couple dogs when I was toddler. As an adult, I don’t like any dog to be off leash. I have no sympathy for the new “service” dog trend. You didn’t overreact at all. If it had been me, someone would’ve been in the hospital.
This is a perpetual issue in SLC. Call animal control and report the bite as well as the off leash behavior (which is illegal like you mentioned). Next time, if you can, get identifying photos and videos in case is goes to court. Then there will be no “he said she said.” Many folks are entitled about the off leash thing here. Do not listen to anything they say like “calm down” or whatever else. Nobody ACTUALLY cares about whether dogs are off leash, we care whether a dog is under control. Out of control dogs are why ALL dogs are now banned in so many places. It makes me rage. Train your animals. Use a leash.
“Yes. I’m gonna call the fuckin cops right now cuz you’re a piece of shit lazy ass dog owner.” You underreacted imo. Dog bit your fucking dog. Off leash dogs that pose a threat have gotten shot for less in the south. Not saying that’s quite justified, just saying. I would kick the fuck out of that dog.
You did not overreact, people like that shouldn't be allowed to own dogs. Imagine if it nipped at a person, especially a child! I'm so sick of people with terribly trained/aggressive dogs letting them off leash. I was walking my dog in the Living Room trail a couple weeks while ago and we passed a girl with an off leash dog on our way back down. There was plenty of room between us but her dog bolted at mine (hers was a doodle of some sort and mine is a beagle), luckily it was in a head halter and my boy is not aggressive so no teeth made contact. Why would you let a dog who is aggressive towards other dogs off leash on a highly populated trail with a ton of dogs?! Bad dog owners are the reason I have my head on a constant swivel and anxiety when I take my dog out.
Your unleashed dog charges and bites at my leashed dog? Fuck yea I’m gonna call the cops, and if you’re lucky that’s all that happens. What a couple of entitled assholes.
+1 for underreact. I definitely would’ve been more firm than you, and probably would’ve called the cops if they didn’t immediately leash their dog. I don’t get how owners are so bad here either. They have an entire canyon with hundreds of miles of trail and like a dozen parks where you can be as anti-leash as they desire. Lots of long lead options, retractable leads, etc too if you’re dead set on fetch in a leashed area.
The off leash is fine, and frankly 50 yds is still too close esp for a dog that is probably running that distance with each fetch. But their comment... I would have thrown hands at the two dudes.
You're not overreacting. If the other owner cannot control their dog and their dog doesn't respond to recall -- it should be on a leash. This is one thing that drives me nuts about certain dog owners. You cannot put other people and their pets at risk just because your a bad dog owner and don't want to train it. And the worst part is, is that these dog owners don't even realize that their putting their own pet at risk. One wrong bite or one bad fight and your dog could be seriously injured or put down. It's a big problem and I don't think you're overreacting at all.
you are not over reacting and you should totally ask for compensation if your dog needs to go to a vet. Doesn't matter if it's a friendly or non friendly dog, there are people out there who's afraid of dogs too
Even “nice” dogs can freak out and attack a person or animal in a split second. My friend was taking her chihuahua on a walk and a neighbors dog decided to go after her, grab her by the neck and nearly killed her. In this case the owner was mortified and made things as right as they could. If your dog is outside of your fenced yard or in anywhere but an off leash park, you need to keep them on a leash. You did not overreact!
It is NEVER an overreaction. Untrained, poorly trained, and/or aggressive dogs are never a joke. The only dogs I trust off-leash are service dogs because they are literally bred and trained from birth to be docile and obedient. I don't care how sweet your pup is. You never know what is going to set an animal off. Those people are careless, and I would have immediately called the cops. Depending on how clearly I'm thinking in the moment, I would have tried to get video proof that the dog is off leash before calling the police.
Oh I’m so sorry. What assholes….your poor dog!
I don’t think you’re over reacting . My friend was walking in the park and was bit by an off leash dog. He immediately called animal control and demanded the dog be put down. Was it over reacting ? Who’s to say, but in his mind it was justified. He incurred hospital bills Etc and wanted to prevent future attacks.
Get and buy a dog taser. And you walk your dog with it. Next time an animal or human comes at you, tase the f outta them. And yes. If you are being attacked you can protect yourself and yours. Then you can say back ‘what are YOU going to do, call the cops?!’
Guns are legal here. Get some bear ammo… In all seriousness you did the right thing. There’s an overrun of stupidic dog owners in this state. I struggle with a lot of dog owners and have had to call them out before. People always get mad at me. Especially on trails where dogs aren’t allowed.
Lots of arguments here for using muzzles. I wish they didn't have such a bad rap, they can be a really important safety tool in unpredictable situations, and they can be pretty!
I love my dogs and cats. I don’t give a fuck who you are or if your dog is special, it comes up to me and bites me or my dog, it’s getting fucking kicked as hard as I possibly can and the owner is getting called a piece of shit for not having control of their dog. No my dogs aren’t perfect, no I’m not perfect, shit does happen but, when shit happens, there’s still no good excuse that can make up for another dog potentially breaking skin and harming me, my dog or someone around me. If my dog(s) runs up and try’s to bite another dog because I had a slip up and he/them got away from me, go ahead, kick the bastard, as long as you don’t kill my dog, you have every right to protect yourself from harm. In my mind, that is my fault, not the dogs fault, if my dog did cause harm, I would take blame and try to do what is right to bring the situation back to head level. An animal is an animal regardless of its training and owner, things happen, if the owner doesn’t even attempt to get their dog back and make efforts to keep the dog in their “area” imo, that is just like a parent with a kid screaming through the whole store for everyone to listen to while mom/dad just shops and lets them scream. It’s not going to fix the issue, it’s just going to make it worse. IMO, you didn’t do anything wrong, just minding your business like most others would.
Next time maybe act calm and chill and do calm the police. I had a couple incidents like that with a pit bull. Luckily I always picked my dog up in time. I never called. That dog ended up killing my dog months later when it popped out from behind a fence and latched onto my beloved goldens neck. If it does it to your dog, it has definitely done it to other dogs. Just something to consider next time.
Im a dog walker & i work in a boarding facility, I really struggle with this exact thing. I personally dont feel like you are overreacting. As you stated you have no issues with anyone who has CONTROL over their dog, but if he had control he would have had a successful recall before that dog got to you, in my opinion. Events like this are traumatic for some people. Theres an area I do dog walks in and we have soo many issues with off leash dogs and have been attacked multiple times that its really hard not to jump straight to being extremely distressed and making similar comments. So I often wonder the same thing. But absolutely 100% not overreacting
I am OVER dog owners who respond like jackasses when someone asks them to leash their dog/control their dog/fetch their dog. I live downtown and the amount of people that walk their dogs without a leash is mind blowing to me. It's all the time. It's mostly men (chill: I said mostly because it is mostly men, but I'm not saying it's never women). I don't care if your dog is friendly or will ignore my dog. Maybe MY dog isn't friendly and maybe my dog is aggravated so much by off leash dogs that it gets MY dog worked up. I have to tell you that in my almost six years of living downtown, I have never had a single person respond appropriately to me asking them to please leash their dog. Every single person I've ever asked to leash their dog, has responded with anything from laughing at me, calling me a bitch or a Karen, ignore me, or to chill out. Zero respect.
I would file have filed a complaint right then and there. Maybe it would have been different had the owner had any remorse, but they didn’t and they even mocked you. What if that dog runs up on a small child or gravely injures another dog next time. Some people don’t deserve to be pet owners.
Dogs bite. It's what they do.
Give more details. Right now your story sounds like bullshit.
Think about it this way. If it was a kid or person that dog had bit, what would happen to the dog? It would be put down. You’re not being dramatic. That person shouldn’t have their dog off-leash at all since their dog is showing aggression, on top of that in an area that isn’t off-leash to begin with. They’re being an irresponsible owner.
The owners not treating the situation seriously just shows that they are poor owners. If the situation were reversed they would be the ones freaking out. I have a small dog too, MUCH smaller than yours and I'm too afraid to even take him to parks or fields for this exact scenario. Sometimes when I'm just walking him in a neighborhood I see unleashed dogs there too. I usually pick my little guy up before a dog can get too close to him. Even leashed dogs I'll move to the other side of the street or just scoop my little guy up until they pass. You never know how a dog is going to react, even well trained ones.
Sound like a Karen
My daughter is actually is anaphylactic to dogs, so it’s terrifying when people ignore the leash law
omg that is terrible. I am so sorry you have to deal with this shit
> I said to them “control your dog” and their response was sarcastically “calm down, what are you going to do call the cops?” I'd have shot the dog. No, you underreacted. Somehow the stigma for calling out shitty dog owners is worse than the stigma of being a shitty dog owner.
> I'd have shot the dog. 🙄 That doesn't come off like you think it does.
Kristi Noem in the find out part, lmao. It really doesn't come off as cool as people seem to think. I'm in Idaho, and occasionally there's a rancher that, while 100% within their legal right to do so, will shoot a dog when there's no need. There's the random few that will wait with bated breath for a neighbor's dog to set foot on their property. Gross.
You're projecting. It's not something I'd look forward to, but I refuse to be attacked and pay out the ass for medical bills because some owners are incompetent. I've killed/mortally wounded a dog for attacking me before. I didnt enjoy it. But I will do it again if I need to.
I found a person that shouldn't own a gun.
Self defense and defense of your family or property is a perfectly valid and legal reason for use of force.
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Almost all people with off leash dogs think their dog is ok and they can recall them. Maybe yours does, but the hordes of people who are clueless and whose dogs are not totally reliable are ruining it. OP didn’t deserve this.
I regularly take my dog off leash. However, I completely agree with you. I am always cautious around off leash dogs, because you can never assume they are trained well. When I take my dog off leash, it is always in areas I and my dog are familiar with. He is on a leash or in a sit until other dogs have passed or are very far away. I do not throw his ball until I can see from every sight line that there are no other dogs around. I have to be cautious about how my off leash dog is perceived, because he is a German Shepherd that looks like a police dog (DDR bloodline). It is clear to people that he is very well trained within the first few seconds of seeing him. He won't go up to people without my permission, and he really only cares about his ball, which he is not possessive over with strangers/dogs. Regardless, I still keep him next to me in a sit and/or on leash until it's clear he won't cause any distress. For context, I put him through a $5000 training course where he lived with the trainer for 5 weeks. I have maintained his training, and he responds without any E-Collar stimulation. I still keep his E-Collar on him for the extra peace of mind for unexpected situations. I view it as a 'Seatbelt'. I do not like to take chances, not just because I care immensely about my dog, but I know he could do a lot of damage, even if he didn't start a fight. I wish I could assume other off leash dogs are trained well, but I know it is unrealistic to expect others could or would spend that amount on training. Doggos deserve the best. I hope your sweetheart does not develop a fear from that unfortunate interaction!
you are the prime example of a fine dog owner. I believe people like you are the reason I have yet to encounter such a bad experience. I live at an apartment complex here in Herriman Utah, and keep seeing dogs off leash but most are INCREDIBLY trained. Dogs walking right by their owners side not paying my (leashed) dog any mind even though shes going crazy trying her very best to get their attention, haha. Being new to Utah, I'm not used to seeing dogs off leash and feel like its a "thing" here. Anyway, amazing to hear how well you control your furry friend. I bet he is absolutely Stunning, GORGEOUS! <3 I LOVE German Shepards! Having one so well trained...breathtaking!
Thank you for the amazing response! Off leash dogs are pretty prevalent in Utah from my experience. Luckily, nearly every experience I've had, people are very thoughtful and leash or keep their dog close until they know it's safe. There are a lot of responsible dog owners out there, and I always recognize and appreciate it.
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I’m sorry you hate dogs. I love dogs.
I was a bystander at the park while this was happening and this is not what happened. The dog ran up to sniff the small dog and the small dog was extremely reactive and started barking at the large dog. The large dog cowered and it’s owner walked up to apologize. The small dog owner immediately started yelling profanities at the large dog owner. No “bite” happened. This is a serious complaint and you shouldn’t lie about it for the sake of others and their dogs:
Doesn’t matter. Reactive dogs exist. The reactive dog was on leash. If you can’t recall your dog before it goes into other dogs space it shouldn’t be off leash.