As an owner of a big (85 lb) dog that is somewhat dog reactive (he hates the little ones), it’s up to me to walk the dog in such a way to avoid any interactions that can cause him to lunge. He doesn’t bark at other dogs, but he aggressively pulls at them. Doesn’t chase squirrels. Likes the rabbits, though. Odd thing is, we have encountered unleashed strays, and they’ve gotten nose-to-nose together, but nothing ever happens. No barking. At any rate, it’d be absurd for me to yell at the other dog walker to go walk somewhere else because I have a dog that gets excited to see other dogs and pulls hard on my leash.
Same with this person. They shouldn’t be walking their dog in a place where they feel uncomfortable controlling it. I can control my dog if a situation presents itself, but the general training guideline is to walk the other way if you see your dog “locking in.”
That said, I would absolutely not continue running. This person, as described, sounds like someone who could not control their dog. I don’t want to risk her losing control and the dog coming after me. It’s her job to avoid the interaction, yet here we are with the interaction, and the safest thing for me to do is stop to walk, say a few words to her, and go on with my day.
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.
In the UK it’s a criminal offence on behalf of the dog owner, and she’d be subject to a fine and possible destruction of the dog and prison time if severe enough. The dog owner must be in charge of their dog, or keep it muzzled.
Around these parts, I can be charged and fined for beating or abusing my own dog(rightly so). But if my neighboring landowner puts out poison, and your dog ingests it, they absolutely would not arrest the person.
If said person comes on your property and you have it on security camera, you have a trespass case. But the death or illness of your dog will not be mentioned in court. ( They were found guilty and fined $60)
Personally, I would have walked, because I have a small, fairly reactive dog, that I also take for walks. But it is a bit of an unusual request.
When my dog was young, a large dog in a park attacked and scared him, and he still doesn’t like large dogs when he first meets them. We have had him in years of obedience training, but he barks when he is upset. So I stay alert around large dogs when we go for a walk, and I appreciate it when another dog owner sees my dog’s discomfort and doesn’t dawdle. However, I don’t think I have ever made a direct request. Usually I just wait until the situation improves.
I’d just walk, whether it’s to seethe internally, or to help the dog, I can’t really tell. I’m not interested in helping the owner so much.
The reality is that triggering the dog to chase me is definitely not great for the dog, and not great for the owner (they can deal with it), while it is potentially really bad for me, the owner and fatal for the dog.
I have a tendency to be annoyed by people’s dogs. Mostly the dogs barking from the neighbor’s property, whether it’s the annoying little dog that yaps whenever he’s outside, the vaguely stressed out older dog that barks when we’re present on the other side of the fence, or the guy who leaves his dog out for hours to bark at every squirrel and chipmunk. Most people I know who have dogs seem to have, at best, intermittent control over them.
I’d probably be thankful that the lady who can’t control her dog has enough self awareness to ask for help rather than act surprised when her doggo goes nuts over everyday behavior.
