Dogs off leash....

Lex Luthor

I was walking thro my local park this morning with my 11yr old who is a little nervous aroud big dogs off leashes.

As we entered the park where there is a big sign that all dogs should be on a leash, there was a dog owner with their dog running free. The dog is somewhat of a St Bernard but taller and is very imposing to a small kid.

When I asked the owner would he mind putting a leash on his dog as he had absolutely no control over it, he told me he was ok. I asked again and he just ignored me. The dog then made a bee line for my kid and started barking in his face.

I more or less at that stage lost the plot, went to get myself between the dog and my kid and scream at the owner to get him away and control his dog.

He just took him by the collar, moved him 10ft away and proceeded to let him walk again thro the park with no leash.

My kid was hysterical and wouldnt walk any further but we had to get somewhere and eventually pass the dog & owner. I took a few pictures of the dog and called the gardai and left a voicemail on the dog wardens phone to call me back.

The guards really said it was nothing to do with them which I find surprising to say the least...

any idea what type of dog this is and what I can do to get this irresponsible owner penalised for their lack of responsibility?

are you serious

Without pictures we cant help with the breed.. could have it have just been a tall St Bernard?

If you did call the Gardaí there isnt much a lot of them will do because they will not know the full legislation on dog laws, also each park has its own rules and these should be endorsed by the park ranger and warden.

If a call to the station did you no good, when you have time call in to the station and ask to speak to the Sergeant in charge at the time and ask him can they do something about it for you.

Cherry Blossom

You need contact the relevant authority, ie - whoever owns the park and put those rules in place, at best all you expect is for the person (if found) to be asked to produce a dog licence and get a telling off from the dog warden.

I highly recommend you work on your kids issues with dogs as it will turn into a lifelong phobia otherwise, basicly your/your kids fear of the situation will undoubtedly have unnerved the dog and caused the situation to escalate. Tbh your screaming and reaction to the dog barking will not have done your child any favours either. I appreciate this is not what you are asking but it appears that you have much bigger underlying issue at play here and your kid is not going to be able to go though life without many similar incidents happening. The problem is that the control of dogs act is not enforced properly, to your advantage in this regard the park/local authority rules are probably much better managed.

I'm sorry you had to deal with this person, people like this are the reason why there is a complete ban on dogs in a lot of parks, idiots like this ruin it for the rest of us. Realisticly there is not much that can be done at this stage. Once the person has left the park there isn't really any way to find them, it is still worth making a complaint about the incident though as they may have prior/future reports about the same person.

time lord

Yep ya met a wrong one alright. I know what I'd like to have done in your situation but anyway i'll stick to the thread.
If your local authority has passed by-laws on this park then the Gardaí are meant to help you by dealing with the offender.
I have seen the senario go further where a person has been bitten with broken flesh etc and their experience of contacting the Gardaí is to be informed that it is a civil matter. The injured party or their parent/guardian is usually up to high doe at this stage and very few pursue the civil route to its conclusion. A few irresponsible dog owners can ruin any park for patrons inclusive of responsible dog owners.
An incident like that can cause great upset to a child and parent alike and from your account I would guess this individual will be back without having curbed his ways ie. put the dog on a lead.

Lex Luthor

ok here's the pictures...I tried to attach them last time so here again

are you serious

Yeah that is just a regular St Bernard

loconnor1001

I don't think there is anything you can do unless the dog has actually harmed someone.

Lex Luthor

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

it appears that you have much bigger underlying issue at play here and your kid is not going to be able to go though life without many similar incidents happening

11yr old kid...big dog...no leash

A kid doesnt have to have a problem with dogs to be a little nervous around big dogs off a leash...

As you can see from the picture it is a very big dog and when something this big is 2ft from your face barking at you its scary when you are that age

I dont have an underlying issue with dogs either...I grew up with many dogs, small jack russels to alsatians but they were always under my control

loconnor1001

Did the dog charge your kid?

mattser

Lex Luthor wrote: »

11yr old kid...big dog...no leash

A kid doesnt have to have a problem with dogs to be a little nervous around big dogs off a leash...

As you can see from the picture it is a very big dog and when something this big is 2ft from your face barking at you its scary when you are that age

I dont have an underlying issue with dogs either...I grew up with many dogs, small jack russels to alsatians but they were always under my control

Pay ABSOLUTELY NO ATTENTION to those on here who believe this is a learning curve for your child. You are completely in the right to be concerned about this incident. Dogs in public are supposed to be under EFFECTIVE control, not barking into your face.

mathepac

loconnor1001 wrote: »

I don't think there is anything you can do unless the dog has actually harmed someone.

loconnor1001 wrote: »

Did the dog charge your kid?

All nonsense. There is a park bye-law clearly displayed, stating that dogs must be on a lead according to OP, and whatever penalty applies for breaching the bye-laws applies here.

kelly0

mattser wrote: »

Pay ABSOLUTELY NO ATTENTION to those on here who believe this is a learning curve for your child. You are completely in the right to be concerned about this incident. Dogs in public are supposed to be under EFFECTIVE control, not barking into your face.

Well said, couldn't agree more. It's due to dog owners like that man with the St. Bernard that Dun Laoghaire Council are banning all dogs from beaches etc and us responsible owners are suffering.

OP, follow this through with the park operator or the guards. This guy needs to be reminded of the responsibilities of owning a large breed dog.

Cherry Blossom

Lex Luthor wrote: »

11yr old kid...big dog...no leash

A kid doesnt have to have a problem with dogs to be a little nervous around big dogs off a leash...

As you can see from the picture it is a very big dog and when something this big is 2ft from your face barking at you its scary when you are that age

I dont have an underlying issue with dogs either...I grew up with many dogs, small jack russels to alsatians but they were always under my control

I regularly walk my dog with four kids in tow - all under the age of seven, kids and dogs attract other dogs so the incident you describe is just a normal part of my weekend, so how you dealt with it seemed rather extreme to me - hence my assumption that there was possibly something more to it. Thanks for your clarification that this is not the case.

loconnor1001

mathepac wrote: »

All nonsense. There is a park bye-law clearly displayed, stating that dogs must be on a lead according to OP, and whatever penalty applies for breaching the bye-laws applies here.

It wasn't a statement, it was a question.

are you serious

kelly0 wrote: »

Well said, couldn't agree more. It's due to dog owners like that man with the St. Bernard that Dun Laoghaire Council are banning all dogs from beaches etc and us responsible owners are suffering.

OP, follow this through with the park operator or the guards. This guy needs to be reminded of the responsibilities of owning a large breed dog.

Why just a large breed dog? Surely you cant blame only large breed dog owners on what is happening in DL?

You have the pictures, you have contacted the Gardaí and Warden, if you see this guy again just go through the same steps...

kelly0

garkane wrote: »

Why just a large breed dog? Surely you cant blame only large breed dog owners on what is happening in DL?...

Hi Garkane, I definately don't blame large breed dog owners for the DL issue. I have two GSD's myself. But as the owner of a larger breed and a dog on the RB list I do think we have a greater responsibilty. Larger dogs misbehaving are literally more visible and are more likely to be commented on than a misbehaving westie for instance. I can't dpeak for the OP but I doubt the incident would have occured if the he had an off leash yorkie!

Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I was walking thro my local park this morning with my 11yr old who is a little nervous aroud big dogs off leashes.

As we entered the park where there is a big sign that all dogs should be on a leash, there was a dog owner with their dog running free. The dog is somewhat of a St Bernard but taller and is very imposing to a small kid.

When I asked the owner would he mind putting a leash on his dog as he had absolutely no control over it, he told me he was ok. I asked again and he just ignored me. The dog then made a bee line for my kid and started barking in his face.

from reading your post op, it appears your child is nervous of big dogs? there doesnt seem to have been a problem until you approached this guy and asked him to put a leash on the dog?
maybe, just maybe the way you spoke caused the dog to bark?

the guy took his dog away, no problem? he obviously could control the dog then?

and i wouldnt expect the gardai to deal with the fact that a dog barked at your son, they really have more important things to deal with.

Lex Luthor

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I regularly walk my dog with four kids in tow - all under the age of seven, kids and dogs attract other dogs so the incident you describe is just a normal part of my weekend, so how you dealt with it seemed rather extreme to me - hence my assumption that there was possibly something more to it. Thanks for your clarification that this is not the case.

My extreme reaction was probably borne out of seeing the fear in my kids face and his hysterical actions

TooManyDogs

With our archaic dog laws there's nothing you can do to about this a-hole and his dog unfortunately and while I agree that working on a kid with dog phobias is an excellent idea in general I really don't think any kid would have been ok with an enormous dog barking right into their face. It'd have been scary as hell, you have to put it into perspective, the dog must have been most of the child's height and certainly several times his weight. Kids who adore dogs would have been rattled at that I'd have thought.

OP have you considered carrying a can of Pet Corrector? It's a completely safe product, only compressed air but when you release it it makes a hissing noise and shoots air at the dog, most cases it stops the behaviour instantly. Might give your kid a bit of security knowing there's something he can do.
http://www.petshoponline.ie/pet-corrector-training-spray

Lex Luthor

bubblypop wrote: »

from reading your post op, it appears your child is nervous of big dogs? there doesnt seem to have been a problem until you approached this guy and asked him to put a leash on the dog?
maybe, just maybe the way you spoke caused the dog to bark?

the guy took his dog away, no problem? he obviously could control the dog then?

and i wouldnt expect the gardai to deal with the fact that a dog barked at your son, they really have more important things to deal with.

When he saw the dog without a leash when we entered the park and ten feet away he said he didnt want to walk past which is when i approached the owner to put it on a leash

The problem was not the way i spoke to the dog owner, it was because they had their dog roaming free.
Ya he took his dog away but look at the pictures .... he just let it loose again

kelly0

garkane wrote: »

Why just a large breed dog? Surely you cant blame only large breed dog owners on what is happening in DL?...

Hi Garkane. I definately don't blame large breed owners for the DL issue. I'm the proud owner of a GSD and a boxer X. But as an owner of a large breed and a dog on the RB list I believe we have extra resposibility. Larger breeds misbehaving are literally more visible than a misbehaving westie for instance. I can't speak for the OP but I doubt this incident in the park would have happened if it was an off leash yorkie! Its just unfortunate and gives large breeds and their owners a bad name

mickmcl09

A bit of a mountain being made out of a mole hill by the OP IMO.
NOTE: I did say it was at least a mole hill and I'll get to that.

Dog did not make contact with the child.
Who as it happens was accompanied by an adult.
An adult that knows what an alsation and a JRT are, but not a St.Bernard (I find that a little unusual, but possible I suppose).
As a parent, I would have thought that calming the child would be far more effective in dealing with this in the first instance.

In the OPs defence, no harm at all in letting the owner know that the dog should be on a leash, but you'd probably have got a much better reaction off him, if you had prioritised your child first and tried to deal with it calmly.

I have 2 Samoyeds. They get one of 2 reactions from people.
Oh look at the cuddly dogs or Christ look at the White wolves.
1 has great recall, the other will do his own thing when it suits.
It's like defensive driving of a car, you look further up the road for issues. I like to let them off the leash at every opportunity, but the minute I see a potential distraction, the mad fella goes on the leash, with a little reward I might add. The point I'm making is, in the OPs situation, given that the child was terrified, if the owner was half decent he'd have been sprinting down to the dog, putting on the leash and apologising.

As it happens, I always offer parents and kids an opportunity to rub my fellas, especially if I sense they have a little fear of dogs. A fear of dogs is not a healthy disposition to be in!

Yes these dog owners ruin it for the rest of us, but I can't help thinking that there's other forces at play here.
Side note: Correct me if I'm wrong but the pictures look more like a green area beside a housing development or within in one and not a park area as described by the OP and if so, I'd find it strange that there are signs telling owners to keep dogs on leashes in situ. Just seems strange, that's all.

Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor wrote: »

When he saw the dog without a leash when we entered the park and ten feet away he said he didnt want to walk past which is when i approached the owner to put it on a leash

The problem was not the way i spoke to the dog owner, it was because they had their dog roaming free.
Ya he took his dog away but look at the pictures .... he just let it loose again

maybe your making your son more anxious?
why not try and walk by, at a safe distance, maybe the dog wouldnt have came anywhere near you or your son?

are you sure the way you spoke didnt have anything to do with it?

obviously he should have put the dog on the lead but he did hold onto him and move him.

tk123

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I was walking thro my local park this morning

Is there a chance you were walking during off lead times? Our park has 'dogs must be kept on leash' stamped on the ground at all the gates but actually allows them off before 11:00am and last hour before closing?

mathepac

loconnor1001 wrote: »

It wasn't a statement, it was a question.

One of the contributions I quoted was a statement, a stupid uninformed statement that indicated to me that you hadn't read the OP properly.

The other contribution I quoted was a stupid irrelevant question that showed little if any empathy for the plight of the terrified child and the upset parent.

loconnor1001

mathepac wrote: »

One of the contributions I quoted was a statement, a stupid uninformed statement that indicated to me that you hadn't read the OP properly.

The other contribution I quoted was a stupid irrelevant question that showed little if any empathy for the plight of the terrified child and the upset parent.

Not stupid or irrelevant given the OPs original post. I think asking whether or not the dog charged the kid was quite relevant.

the_syco

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I highly recommend you work on your kids issues with dogs as it will turn into a lifelong phobia otherwise, basicly your/your kids fear of the situation will undoubtedly have unnerved the dog and caused the situation to escalate. Tbh your screaming and reaction to the dog barking will not have done your child any favours either. I appreciate this is not what you are asking but it appears that you have much bigger underlying issue at play here and your kid is not going to be able to go though life without many similar incidents happening.

Coming from someone who used to fear dogs, I agree. I used to fear the large dogs, and this became a fear of all dogs.

OP: unless you plan to transport your kids to school for the rest of their lives, I'd advise you to get your kid used to dogs. I overcame my fear when my family got a small westie, and now I don't fear dogs as much as I used to.

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I more or less at that stage lost the plot, went to get myself between the dog and my kid and scream at the owner to get him away and control his dog.

Are you a man or a woman? If a man and this were to happen again, I'd advise you to get in front of your kid, stamp your foot, and shout sternly "home" and/or "go away". If you're a woman, scream abuse at the dog. Dogs generally accept commands from people with a masculine tone, but sometimes ignore women, IME.

Cherry Blossom

Lex Luthor wrote: »

My extreme reaction was probably borne out of seeing the fear in my kids face and his hysterical actions

Lex Luthor wrote: »

When he saw the dog without a leash when we entered the park and ten feet away he said he didn't want to walk past which is when i approached the owner to put it on a leash

Sorry OP, but both of these posts would indicate to me that your son definitely has issues with dogs. If it were me I'd be approaching as many people as I could with bigger dogs that are calm to introduce him to as his fear will only worsen after this incident, you screaming at the dogs owner has only reinforced that fear. There is no way a person can go through life without crossing the path of dogs off-lead. Public streets don't have a rule that dogs have to on a lead and he isn't going to care or know the difference between dogs under effective control and untrained dogs. It doesn't excuse the person you met in the park at all, but there are a lot of these people out there. You should see what I have to deal with 10 feet outside my own gate.

Hellrazer

mathepac wrote: »

One of the contributions I quoted was a statement, a stupid uninformed statement that indicated to me that you hadn't read the OP properly.

The other contribution I quoted was a stupid irrelevant question that showed little if any empathy for the plight of the terrified child and the upset parent.

So far Ive had 2 reports about this post.Now calm it down.

Meteoric

TooManyDogs wrote: »

OP have you considered carrying a can of Pet Corrector? It's a completely safe product, only compressed air but when you release it it makes a hissing noise and shoots air at the dog, most cases it stops the behaviour instantly. Might give your kid a bit of security knowing there's something he can do.
http://www.petshoponline.ie/pet-corrector-training-spray

Only my own experience and I don't know the product, but I've had two dogs who if air is shot at them they react to it by trying to bite the stream of air and/or just getting manic and running around like loons then trying to stop the source, so I'm not sure that would work, not that my dogs ever approached a nervous child but if they did it would have made the situation far worse, it might just be my dogs though.

Zapperzy

Meteoric wrote: »

Only my own experience and I don't know the product, but I've had two dogs who if air is shot at them they react to it by trying to bite the stream of air and/or just getting manic and running around like loons then trying to stop the source, so I'm not sure that would work, not that my dogs ever approached a nervous child but if they did it would have made the situation far worse, it might just be my dogs though.

Would also be a bit weary of an 11 year old having one of these, if he isin't able to read a curious dog's body language that just comes over for a sniff (obviously said dog shouldn't be approaching children) and starts spraying it in the face with something like this it could push a dog over the edge and cause it to snap.

Nuisance off lead out of control dogs are an absolute pain in the arse for both dog owners and non-dog owners but for the forseeable future they are still going to exist so best thing is is to help your son overcome his fear. Apart from asking these owners to put their dogs back on leads and possibly contacting dog/park warden there is not much else you can do for a once off situation like this.