# A woman told me to stop running because of her dog **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2026, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796 "2026-10-12T22:56:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/61 "2026-10-13T19:39:58Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > And how is he to know her dog-walking schedule? I like asking when I’m looking for that kind of information. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/62 "2026-10-13T19:48:22Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > The _third_ side of the street. You mean, like upside down on the undersurface of the pavement, plowing through packed soil and gravel? Dodging buried utilities? Bold strategy, Cotton. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/63 "2026-10-13T20:21:12Z")
> [@oligArchie](#): > > I am saddened by the animosity I think animosity might be too strong a word, but I find it disconcerting that no one thinks it’s worth having a conversation with the dog owner (which wasn’t even an option in the poll), and more than half would ignore her or tell her off. I’m glad none of you (to the best of my knowledge) live in my neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/64 "2026-10-13T20:24:23Z")
> [@Eric1](#): > > I think there’s no reasoning with a person like the dog walker. What do you know about her that we don’t know? > [@Thumper668](#): > > I find it disconcerting that no one thinks it’s worth having a conversation with the dog owner Ahem, post 7. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/65 "2026-10-13T20:26:07Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Ahem, post 7. I missed that. So it’s 2 of us. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/66 "2026-10-13T20:31:05Z")
The moment this event happened was **NOT** the time to stop and have a quiet convo with the lady. Maybe go by her house in a day or two, say hi and asked would it help if you made friends with dog. It’s still a roll of the dice but you’re on more even ground and not hitting your running stride. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/67 "2026-10-13T20:35:48Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > **NOT** the time to stop and have a quiet convo Perhaps not, but it is certainly not unreasonable to politely gather enough information to do that as you are walking by. (e.g. “can we meet at the coffee shop on the corner in half an hour to talk about how to keep us all safe going forward?”) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/68 "2026-10-13T20:35:51Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > In the U.S., every part of your scenario is immaterial except for “the dog bites the runner.” If that happens, nothing else is important and the person is 100% getting paid if they take that route. I had occasion a few years ago to sit in on a couple of sessions of our county dog court, which operates under the aegis of the county animal control, and bite cases were not treated very seriously for “just a bite” as distinct from a serious injury. This leniency seems (in our case) to depend on the attitude of the head of animal control, which at the time was a person who owned a dog-care facility, and so (in my opinion) was prejudiced in favor of pets and their owners. I’m also not sure if decisions of this “court” could be appealed. Probably they could, most people didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/69 "2026-10-13T20:37:18Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > (e.g. “can we meet at the coffee shop on the corner in half an hour to talk about how to keep us all safe going forward?”) I can readily understand why a reasonable person might make the effort and spec the time to do this. Might you understand why a reasonable person might not? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/70 "2026-10-13T20:37:24Z")
It’s a completely unreasonable request, but if it’s already happening and there is a risk she might lose control of the dog and it might chase and possibly bite you, I would say it’s sensible to walk and tell her it’s an unreasonable request. If her dog gets agitated around giraffes and you’re out riding your giraffe, it’s fair to say she might not have been able to anticipate it, but runners are not uncommon in residential areas. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/71 "2026-10-13T20:38:00Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > I missed that. So it’s 2 of us. Try post #2. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/72 "2026-10-13T20:39:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Try post #2. Ok 3. Out of the 151 people who voted in the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/73 "2026-10-13T20:45:08Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Might you understand why a reasonable person might not? Not from the information given in the OP. I would assume that most reasonable people wouldn’t want to risk harm coming to either of the humans involved or to the dog. There is nothing in the OP to indicate that this is a repeat occurrence and not a one-off based on the situation both people found themselves in. > [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s a completely unreasonable request, If it’s a repeat occurrence it’s an unreasonable request. If the incident in the OP is the first time it happened it is not unreasonable to ask someone to avoid a situation that might cause them harm in the moment. Neither of those things can be determined without talking to the dog walker about it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/74 "2026-10-13T21:00:14Z")
The fact that the woman shouted “my dog tries to chase anything running”, plus the ubiquity of urban runners, IMO pretty much guarantees this is a repeat occurrence. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/75 "2026-10-13T21:17:32Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I had occasion a few years ago to sit in on a couple of sessions of our county dog court, which operates under the aegis of the county animal control, and bite cases were not treated very seriously for “just a bite” as distinct from a serious injury. If the question were “could the dog owner be cited,” then I agree it’s more of an open question. But a civil suit is different, and if a person gets bitten and sues, they are getting paid. > [@Thumper668](#): > > it is certainly not unreasonable to politely gather enough information to do that as you are walking by. (e.g. “can we meet at the coffee shop on the corner in half an hour to talk about how to keep us all safe going forward?”) If I regularly saw this woman, then maybe? But I was a couple miles away from my house and I run different routes all the time, so I don’t expect this will be a regular encounter. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/76 "2026-10-13T21:25:03Z")
> [@oligArchie](#): > > I am saddened by the animosity in this thread. Not surprised, but saddened. I don’t see much animosity here, with the exception of one or two internet tough guys. But I’m a little surprised that over half the respondents say they would keep running. Is that really what you’d do, or is that just what you feel is your right to do? I certainly feel like I shouldn’t have to stop, but the reality is that the best options – control your dog, train your dog, don’t walk your dog here – are not on the table. Like @Stanislaus said above, are you really going to keep running and end up with an upset woman, an upset dog, and a potential injury? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/77 "2026-10-13T23:58:36Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > keep running. Is that really what you’d do I initially didn’t know but in reality probably yeah. At first I thought - be nice. Not mainly because I think the woman is unreasonable but because she is being irrational. My “running” is not something that is going to set off any animal’s prey drive, even a very poorly trained reactive dog’s, especially from 50 feet away. A stranger yelling at me to do something that I consider irrational? I’m going to ignore just like I’d ignore a person shouting on a street corner. Despite some thread interactions here to the contrary, I try to avoid dealing with irrational people when possible! Reality is that if my “running” is enough to trigger the dog and she is incapable of controlling it, then that dog would have long ago run off. Too many rabbits, squirrels, feral cats, raccoons, bicyclists, cars, and much faster runners than me about the place. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/78 "2026-10-14T00:28:41Z")
> [@Eric1](#): > > It’s too bad a random pedestrian can’t tell another, “You could get sedatives for your dog at the ‘In Kahoots pet store.’ They work well ma’am; I tried one myself.” Wadya mean ‘can’t tell another’? I think we should be REQUIRED to advise & confuse our fellow travelers whenever possible. To say nothing of the dog. ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/79 "2026-10-14T00:31:59Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Oh, boy, did she ever get pissed. Started yelling at me. Good thing you didn’t have to ask her for proof of her own rabies booster… ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/80 "2026-10-14T03:03:40Z")
Here’s what my dog has to say: I’m anxious, so my my person watches me closely and makes sure to keep me at a distance from anything/body who might spook me. He also makes me wear a harness when we run, which I reluctantly agree to. As long as you give this dog a few feet of space you’re doing your part. I agree with Jack. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796.md?page=5)