# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/81 "2026-10-14T03:20:14Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > > [@needscoffee](#): > > > > Try post #2. > > Ok 3. Out of the 151 people who voted in the poll. So posts 2, 7. Oh and 6, because even if it’s a bit dismissive, @LSLGuy allowed for consideration and _concern_ for the dog-walker depending on the circumstances. Or #8, where they agreed they’d talk to the owner and explain that the request is unreasonable. Or #9 where they’d run by and suggest it’s a good opportunity to train the dog. Or #15 where they’d talk answer and even oblige depending on the tone and need of the asking party. Or # 20 where I was willing to talk and find out circumstances. And of course, your own. And several that tried to make friends with the dog. So… > [@Thumper668](#): > > > [@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. Really quite far from “nobody”, as several other posters have mentioned individually. And lots of people participate in polls but never comment, so we have no idea their personal circumstances. Maybe they were mauled as kids (I know of one growing up!) or had friends/family chased/bitten (like me). ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/82 "2026-10-14T04:20:26Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > 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? To be honest, I might slow down out of sheer confusion with regards to the request. But living in a big city, I have ample experience in ignoring random people shouting about their grievances. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/83 "2026-10-14T06:26:26Z")
> [@RAWDuke](#): > > I’d stop and try to make friends with the dog I was going to suggest similar: offer to take the dog for a run. Win-win situation. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/84 "2026-10-14T06:33:48Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > When I stopped, a little panicked, she yelled “please walk until you are well past us, my dog tries to chase anything running.” A lot of what I would do would really depend on how it’s being asked. As others have said, the person walking the dog had the responsibility to control the dog. I would be much more likely to respond positively to a request, “Would you mind walking until you are past us?” with an explanation. If it sounded like entitlement, I would be less charitable. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/85 "2026-10-14T08:37:31Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > 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. Not in the scenario presented: > [@TroutMan](#): > > I was out for a run this weekend, running down a residential street in late morning with no traffic and few pedestrians. As I approached, a woman walking a dog on the opposite sidewalk shouted “STOP! STOP!” at me. When I stopped, a little panicked, she yelled “please walk until you are well past us, my dog tries to chase anything running.” There’s hardly anyone else around, you are the only runner, there’s no reason to think there have been faster runners about the place, nor wildlife, nor other cyclists etc. The woman, who knows the dog and might be expected to know what sets off its prey drive, has identified you as the kind of runner that it does chase. She’s certainly confident enough in this assessment, and worried enough about the likelihood of its chasing you, to shout at you from across the street. You are confident that the fact that this dog you don’t know hasn’t yet run off means it never will, because you have imagined the presence of other prey stimuli at some earlier point in their walk on this quiet residential street, even though you have no idea at all how long they have been outdoors. Of the two of you, how sure are you exactly that it is _her_ confidence that is misplaced? ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/86 "2026-10-14T08:39:14Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > If it sounded like entitlement, I would be less charitable. IME, dog owners as a class tend to be pretty entitled about expecting others to accommodate them and their pooch. ---
**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 14, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/87 "2026-10-14T12:10:07Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > how sure are you exactly that it is _her_ confidence that is misplaced? Very sure. I’ve lived and walked dogs in residential areas so I am highly confident that squirrels and rabbits running about quickly are unavoidable. A car or delivery vehicle (Amazon UPS regular mail …) or so is pretty much guaranteed over the course of a walk late morning even if there is no traffic that minute. It is described as residential not isolated. Not post apocalyptic. Maybe not a cyclist or another runner. Or kids in a yard if it is a school day. But could be. And very sure of the other part: my typical speed on a run is not so fast. The Flash I am not. A rabbit I am not. My morning run pace is simply not a prey drive trigger from over fifty feet away. Thinking more though - if I imagine my running pace from fifty feet away _is_ a trigger, she is actually rationally worried, and there is real risk that she cannot control her dog when it is triggered that way, my confidence is totally misplaced? Then better it chases after _me_ than the kid running to the family car, or chasing the UPS truck getting killed under its wheels. Because there are two scenarios with such a dog: friendly excitable enthusiastic wants to greet and jump: I can greet grab its leash and return to the woman stating clearly that if I was child the kid could have been hurt, that trucks and prey are unavoidable, and being able to control her dog in public is not negotiable for the safety of others and of her dog; or it is an aggressive dog, in which case yes better my leg or forearm than a child’s face or causing a cyclist to crash. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/88 "2026-10-14T12:23:06Z")
I would completely ignore her. If it happened again, I would completely ignore her. Etc. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/89 "2026-10-14T12:28:22Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Uh huh. Sure you will. Just for that, I’m going to zap you right between those foreboding eyebrows of yours! 😈 ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/90 "2026-10-14T13:01:43Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I can greet grab its leash and return to the woman stating clearly that if I was child the kid could have been hurt, that trucks and prey are unavoidable, and being able to control her dog in public is not negotiable for the safety of others and of her dog; or it is an aggressive dog, in which case yes better my leg or forearm than a child’s face or causing a cyclist to crash. Better still for it to be not a cyclist nor a child’s face nor yet your limbs - if you want to have the conversation (and I agree you should) about non-negotiable control of the dog, you can have that without tossing the coin on whether it will chase you or with what intention. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I would completely ignore her. > > If it happened again, I would completely ignore her. > > Etc. > > mmm Would you be able to ignore the dog? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/91 "2026-10-14T13:13:12Z")
He was across the street and on a leash, so yes, I could ignore him. Unless he broke loose; that would be another discussion. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/92 "2026-10-14T13:17:53Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Unless he broke loose; that would be another discussion. I mean, it’s a panicky woman yelling “STOP STOP” across a street and telling you her dog will try to chase you. The risk of the dog breaking loose is not exactly unforeseeable in this scenario. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/93 "2026-10-14T13:19:40Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I would completely ignore her. > > If it happened again, I would completely ignore her. > > Etc.. > > mmm I concur. I might slow down a bit just because of the sudden utterance. Depending on the size/breed of dog I might even turn around and take a different route. I have been chased and bitten by dogs years ago and experience a fair amount of PTSD around them. I do not want to talk to, pet or otherwise engage with anyone’s dog unless I am forced to. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/94 "2026-10-14T13:47:13Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > 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? The woman sounds like she is either disconnected from reality or has a really bad dog. I would just want to get away from her as soon as possible. What exactly is she afraid of, that the dog would pull so hard that she’d let go of the leash? Even if that happened I’d rather just get out of there. ---
**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 14, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/95 "2026-10-14T14:28:08Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > if you want to have the conversation I don’t. Not only because I am on my run, and because I do not think it really is a risk, but because she seems > [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > disconnected from reality I do not think that conversation would go well or be helpful. ---
**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 14, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/96 "2026-10-14T14:29:41Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > IME, dog owners as a class tend to be pretty entitled about expecting others to accommodate them and their pooch. Not my experience at all. This woman is not normal for dog owners. ---
**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 14, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/97 "2026-10-14T14:29:56Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > The woman sounds like she is either disconnected from reality or has a really bad dog. Not sure where you’re getting “disconnected from reality”. I live in Portland, and I previously lived in San Francisco. I am very used to mentally ill people on the streets. This was a normal woman, not some loon ranting on a corner. > [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > What exactly is she afraid of, that the dog would pull so hard that she’d let go of the leash? Even if that happened I’d rather just get out of there. Yes, I would guess she’s either worried she won’t be able to hold on, or she’s trying to keep the dog calm for its own sake, or she’s trying to avoid extra stressors while she’s training the dog. If the risk is that the dog will escape, “getting out of there” isn’t a realistic option. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/98 "2026-10-14T14:41:28Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Not sure where you’re getting “disconnected from reality”. I live in Portland, and I previously lived in San Francisco. I am very used to mentally ill people on the streets. This was a normal woman, not some loon ranting on a corner. She seems to not comprehend that she will inevitably encounter runners and other variables on a dog walk, or she wants everyone to care about her dog as much as she does. She seems to be in her own weird bubble. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/99 "2026-10-14T14:53:59Z")
That’s my surmise. Which led me to conclude there’s a bunch of entitlement and that’s what drove my comments waay upthread. My usual approach to unexpected encounters is start friendly & humble then escalate quickly if dealing with entitlement to things they should have no expectation of. Like their dog having priority over any human in general and me in particular. Acceding to demands like that isn’t being courteous; it’s being a doormat and an enabler of further bad behavior. My motto: Just Say No. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796/100 "2026-10-14T15:01:02Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Now I have a new dog friend who wants to chase me if I run. How does this help my goal, which was to go for a run? You now have a dog that you can take running - and the other bitch can walk where she wants. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-woman-told-me-to-stop-running-because-of-her-dog/1033796.md?page=6)