# People objecting to your dog just being near them **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132 "2011-02-21T17:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/81 "2011-02-23T14:04:13Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > My mum wouldn’t have said anything to a dog owner, just looked unhappy, but my sister might say something - no swearing, though! Why would she be out in a place where dogs are allowed to run free? Why put herself in that situation? ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/82 "2011-02-23T14:19:09Z")
I’m in the UK; dogs are often off the leash. They both love/loved the outdoors and weren’t about to be put off appreciating it by old age or poor health and the odd dog. My sister picks her walks and times to minimise the number of people likely to be about and she’s determined to continue as long as she can. ---
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/83 "2011-02-23T14:21:11Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > “Rude” changes by location. Having a well-trained, responsive to verbal commands dog off-leash in a place not called “dog park” is rude where you are, but not in the UK, or even everywhere in the US (I’d like to see y’all convincing a Montana shepherd to leash the dogs). There are countries where what’s called a “dog park” in the US doesn’t even exist. This is true. It only just dawned on me that where I live (Eastern Europe), more than half the dogs are unleashed when taken out for a walk. “Dog parks” don’t exist. In fact, people would find the very concept hilarious. It’s a cultural thing. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/84 "2011-02-23T14:28:56Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > I’m in the UK; dogs are often off the leash. That makes it even stranger. If dogs are often off leash why would your sister have something to say about it? Why would your mother be unhappy? Shouldn’t they expect to encounter dogs? ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/85 "2011-02-23T14:48:18Z")
They may often be unleashed but you can walk in the country for miles without meeting any, on or off a leash. My sister would only be concerned if the dog came right up to her, and she picks her walks quite carefully to minimise the likelyhood of meeting many people, with or without dogs. But it happens. MY late mother was latterly quite frail and worried a lot about falling. Stepping back awkwardly because a dog ran up to her could have meant her losing her balance. Neither of them could ever have been described as ‘dog people’. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/86 "2011-02-23T14:50:22Z")
**Contrapuntal** , the mother and sister don’t have a problem with dogs in general and wouldn’t have had a problem with yours. They know when and where are they likely to encounter dogs and, being conscious that they have a problem with certain dogs (and, in the case of the sister, with any possible source of “bugs”) avoid those times and places. But if the choice is between surrounding their homes with saran wrap and never leaving, or leaving and running the risk of encountering dogs / cats / people who get too close, they prefer to run the risk. Again, they don’t have a problem with off-leash, controlled dogs, but you don’t need to be sickly to have a problem with too-friendly, uncontrolled St Bernards! (I had a problem with one who liked me too much - solved it by agreeing with its owner on a timeline so we wouldn’t run into each other) ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/87 "2011-02-23T15:18:37Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > **Contrapuntal** , the mother and sister don’t have a problem with dogs in general and wouldn’t have had a problem with yours. They know when and where are they likely to encounter dogs and, being conscious that they have a problem with certain dogs (and, in the case of the sister, with any possible source of “bugs”) avoid those times and places. But if the choice is between surrounding their homes with saran wrap and never leaving, or leaving and running the risk of encountering dogs / cats / people who get too close, they prefer to run the risk. > > Again, they don’t have a problem with off-leash, controlled dogs, but you don’t need to be sickly to have a problem with too-friendly, uncontrolled St Bernards! (I had a problem with one who liked me too much - solved it by agreeing with its owner on a timeline so we wouldn’t run into each other) If we are not talking about the situation described in the OP, where an unleashed dog passed within 5 feet of someone who was walking in an area where such dogs are allowed, what are we talking about? And if we are talking about that situation, why would the mother be unhappy? Why would the sister have words for the dog owner? If there was a previous reference to uncontrolled St. Bernards I must have missed it. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/88 "2011-02-23T15:25:37Z")
No, there hadn’t been any specific mention of overly-friendly Bernies. But like every thread, this one started about this \> \< wide and by post number 10 was already about this \>xxxxxxxxxxx\< big. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/89 "2011-02-23T15:28:21Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > “Rude” changes by location. Having a well-trained, responsive to verbal commands dog off-leash in a place not called “dog park” is rude where you are, but not in the UK, or even everywhere in the US (I’d like to see y’all convincing a Montana shepherd to leash the dogs). There are countries where what’s called a “dog park” in the US doesn’t even exist. Well, not to put to fine a point on it, but Montana is one of several places where a loose dog that is harassing livestock can be shot on sight. So, yes, I imagine they do take quite a lot of care to control their dog’s behavior, in a way that is appropriate to their location to the point where an uncontrolled dog is virtually unknown (the bad apples having been destroyed by law). That doesn’t mean a leash. But leashes are the appropriate form of control in non-rural areas. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/90 "2011-02-23T15:33:42Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > But leashes are the appropriate form of control in non-rural areas. In _some_ non-rural areas. As has been mentioned a few times before, it’s quite acceptable in some places. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/91 "2011-02-23T15:59:43Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > In _some_ non-rural areas. As has been mentioned a few times before, it’s quite acceptable in some places. Sorry, I should have said “…in the United States.” ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/92 "2011-02-23T16:10:54Z")
I have a coworker who is so afraid of dogs that when somebody has a SERVICE DOG in here she hides in the back until the dog is gone. And I mean, once a lady sat at one of our computers for five hours with the dog asleep under the table and she just didn’t get any work done that day. My mind is still blown and this was years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/93 "2011-02-23T16:15:04Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > In _some_ non-rural areas. As has been mentioned a few times before, it’s quite acceptable in some places. Hey, bro, don’t include a line like this: > [@](#): > > So, what do you think? I’m trying to present it without comment, just the facts, and not to distort it with my opinion. Should I have put my dog on said leash at his demand? Was he being reasonable in his reaction? if all you want to hear is unananimous agreement with your position. Thanks for understanding. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/94 "2011-02-23T16:36:32Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > This is the reason that I love dogs but despise dog owners- they are the cruelest people on the planet. Dogs are not meant to live in apartments and only walk on concrete. If you don’t have enough room for the dog to be a dog, don’t buy a dog. What is the point of owning a dog in that situation, selfishness? self gratification? Buy a hamster for goodness sake! The dog owners then take their dog outside and the lazy twits haven’t trained the dog to leave people alone and to heel and to obey commands. > > I wouldn’t have sworn at you, rather stated my [right](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-defence_in_English_law) to defend myself from your dog the next time it happens. > > Yes, you’ve hit a strong nerve in me on this one so for your own sake. Oh, please. I’ve had my older dog for 14 years next month. We lived with my parents and always had a yard until 6 years ago, and when you let her out into it alone she would go sniff around for 2 minutes, do her business, and then sit on the doorstep and cry pathetically until we let her back in. Of course she was always happy to follow us into the yard and play/hang out for as long as we stayed there, and she loved walks and going new places, but she gets much more stimulation now that we live in a tiny apartment and I’ve made getting her and my other dog out for at least an hour a day a priority - both leashed walks, and off-leash romping in parks. Every day we pass many lonely, bored dogs yapping from the yards they never leave. Dogs care mostly about being with their people. Many can live happily in a single room as long as they get plenty of attention and things to chew, and some time out of that room to exercise and explore each day. I feel much sorrier for indoor cats… ---
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/95 "2011-02-23T17:30:48Z")
My dog has a leash but has never been on it. She has been trained and socialized since she was 8 weeks old. Leash laws are made because people dont take the time to train their animals. If a cop wants to give me a ticket, go ahead. I walk by them all the time with my dog, and so far its never happened. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/96 "2011-02-23T18:17:37Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > If we are not talking about the situation described in the OP, where an unleashed dog passed within 5 feet of someone who was walking in an area where such dogs are allowed, what are we talking about? And if we are talking about that situation, why would the mother be unhappy? Why would the sister have words for the dog owner? > > If there was a previous reference to uncontrolled St. Bernards I must have missed it. The conversation had moved on a bit, as they tend to do. Thing is, if your dog can’t be off the lead without jumping up at strangers, then it shouldn’t be off the lead - or should only be off the lead in parks where there ar e lots of other dogs, not on the streets. It wouldn’t be rude for Meurglys’ mother or sister to ask - politely - for the dog’s owners to make sure it doesn’t jump up at them. Just because leads aren’t essential doesn’t mean good behaviour isn’t essential either. Dogs harassing livestock can be shot on sight ere, too. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/97 "2011-02-23T18:25:43Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Thing is, if your dog can’t be off the lead without jumping up at strangers, then it shouldn’t be off the lead - or should only be off the lead in parks where there ar e lots of other dogs, not on the streets. It wouldn’t be rude for Meurglys’ mother or sister to ask - politely - for the dog’s owners to make sure it doesn’t jump up at them. I agree. Can you show me where \*\*Meurglys \*\*said anything about dogs jumping up at strangers? ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/98 "2011-02-23T18:39:48Z")
If anyone trained their dogs to obey voice commands having a lot of dogs around would not be a problem. I have been harassed by dogs virtually any time I have ever been in a park. As I try to back away / shoo the dog away I am always treated to the spectacle of its owner screaming, shouting, jumping up and down, and gesticulating wildly while the dog ignores them completely and continues causing problems. I am not afraid of dogs. I, in fact, get along quite well with them. But that does not mean that I want your 50 pound, wet, smelly, muddy, brute jumping all over me or trying to tongue kiss me every time I walk through the park. Everywhere I have lived there ave been idiots that let their dogs run loose in the neighborhood. (There are at least two dogs within a block of my house right now who are allowed outside in unfenced yards unsupervised.) Many have been killed in traffic. Many have killed wildlife or other people’s pets. Over the years several within blocks of my house have attacked people. (There was one guy within a couple of block of me who had home mail delivery stopped because he wouldn’t control his beast.) A few have attacked and killed children. None of which could have happened if the owner had a lick of sense. There is no way to mandate that dog owners have a shred of intelligence. In fact there is a whole class of dog owner for whom it is a requirement to be dumber than a box of rocks. This is the group that feels it is a sign of manhood to have the largest, most vicious dog in town. Again, this is from personal experience. I have heard more than one idiot brag about how vicious he has made his dog. Since we can’t regulate the dog’s behavior we must regulate their owners behavior. I am sorry for the .001% of dog owners who don’t let their dogs run loose without supervision and can control their animal when they are with it and it is off the leash but because of the other 99.999% all dogs should be required to be restrained when unsupervised and on the leash any time they are off private property. I am somewhat open to the existence of “dog parks” if they are fenced in and it is well posted that dogs will be roaming freely. In any town that I have ever lived in a such a park would be the result of any number of lawsuits as the owners of the losers sued the city and the owners of the winners of the dozen or so dog fights that would result from the first week of operation. Things may be different in the big city but that is the way things go in mid-sized cities and small towns in the good old US of A. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/99 "2011-02-23T18:49:51Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > I agree. Can you show me where \*\*Meurglys \*\*said anything about dogs jumping up at strangers? Yes: > [@Meurglys](#): > > As she got older my mother had a couple of bad experiences with larger dogs jumping up on her while she was out walking, and as she became frailer, the size of dog she was worried about got smaller. And as she grew unsteady on her feet, even if a little dog came up and yapped at her, or ran about at her feet, that would result in her standing still until it went away. > And my sister now has serious immune problems so she doesn’t like any dogs, or cats, or people getting too close… > My mum wouldn’t have said anything to a dog owner, just looked unhappy, but my sister might say something - no swearing, though! ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132/100 "2011-02-23T19:30:10Z")
> [@Snake\_Plissken](#): > > My dog has a leash but has never been on it. She has been trained and socialized since she was 8 weeks old. Leash laws are made because people dont take the time to train their animals. If a cop wants to give me a ticket, go ahead. I walk by them all the time with my dog, and so far its never happened. Well, _people_ show bad judgment and fail to listen fairly often; are you arguing that dogs are infallible? Leashes prevent chasing a squirrel into traffic, among other things. Accidents happen even with well-trained dogs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-objecting-to-your-dog-just-being-near-them/572132.md?page=6)