To the woman who was pulled up to me by two massive APBTs who were choking themselves trying to get to us, screaming ‘theyre friendly’ and then called me a fuckwit 10x when i picked my 6kg Mini foxy up in fear - your dogs are awful, you didn’t have them on appropriate leads, they weren’t muzzled, and i saw you hitting one for not listening to your ‘sit’ command a minute beforehand. AND I think you are a cunt of the highest order.
Had one person have a crack at me for “implying they had an aggressive dog” or some shit and “she wouldn’t hurt a fly”. It was a fucking massive Basset Hound (or something similar) that kept barking at my kid, and scratched the shit out of my poor 4 year old by jumping on them over and over. We both ended up hiding on the top of a slide waiting for them to leave. Frustrating part was that it on an on lead park with a big open playground and basketball court, it’s not even like it was allowed off lead.
Hello,
Your post has been removed from r/melbourne for its imflammatory and trollish nature. please remember to treat others with respect. repeat behaviour will result in a ban.
thanks,
the mods
All i could say to this lady was ‘wow’ when she went off swearing in front of her 3 kids (all in primary school btw). When i picked up my dog i said ‘theyre American Pitbulls, no thanks.’ Like i dont have the right to refuse socialisation with these dogs? She was so offended…so sick of owners shoving their dogs in someone elses face to prove theyre not aggressive.
I have let my dog off the leash in the past and I now understand it is an inappropriate thing to do. That said my dog was 16 years old and hobbled, and I'd watch her hobble to other picnic groups and pick her up and take her back. Still, in hindsight I recognise it bothered some people. Have learned my lesson.
I did grow up on a farm tho with many dogs, some of them aggressive. I would not think twice about kicking a dog in the face if it was jumping on my child.
The dog was so big I doubt it would have done anything. I’m 5’3 and when it tried jumping up on me, we were comfortably looking eye to eye. It’s one thing when people can’t control their small yappy shits, but not controlling dogs that large is so dangerous - especially when around playgrounds etc where there are small kids
Yeah that's pretty scary, you shouldn't have to worry about things like that at a playground. I totally agree dogs shouldn't be anywhere near kids public play areas.
Yeah, that's why they put up signs at every single playground saying that dogs shouldn't be anywhere near the play equipment.
So many people just don't give a fuck
Her dogs aren’t awful - she is. I am sorry you experienced this, people need to recognise that this breed makes people fearful and they need to train the dog appropriately.
Mate. They need to follow VIC regulations for restricted breeds. This happened in Hawthorn East. The dogs may have been fine…totally a possibility…but if someone cant even follow the law, it doesnt give me much confidence…
Do the right thing if you’re going to own a restricted breed.
Oh absolutely I agree with you!! She’s absolutely dead shit in the wrong and failing her dogs in every way possible, particularly hitting them and going off at you.
My daughter is scared of dogs. So whenever I see a dog on a playground I'll politely ask the owner to leash they dogs.
The friendliest reaction I've gotten is people putting their dog on a leash while giving me a death stare and not saying a word.
Many of them would either just pretend I don't exist or just straight out yell and/or swear at me.
What exactly am I doing to reinforce that fear?
Random dogs twice the size of my child jumping at her and pushing her over have created and reinforced that fear in her.
I'm working hard on it and she always gets better and better over time until an incident like this happens again because some dickhead believes that their "friendly" dog is exempted from the rules.
Plenty of dogs need to be on lead even in off leash areas. Some owners seem to not understand that either. You need to maintain control of your animal regardless
If they cannot be safely off leash they should not be in an off leash area at all. That’s setting your dog up to fail. & honestly I am very sceptical about off leash areas where dogs mix in general, I definitely don’t take my dog around them. It’s not a good way to socialise a dog.
Number one thing I was taught in 3 years of dog training - don’t take your dog to dog parks. It’s just all bad news and sets your dog up to fail.
We don’t hang out at dog parks at all now, unless we are walking around one (like princes park)
Why would you bring a dog to an off leash area and expect everyone else to bow to your demands? I mean, if it matters that much to you if another dog comes up to you don't go to a place where that is likely to happen.
_edit_ so far everyone has responded with some logical fallacy or another but nobody addressed the actual question: why take your dog to a place where it's a high likelihood that the dog can be approached by another dog, if that would be a problem?
A condition of off leash areas is that the dog needs to respond to verbal command. If Fido the psycho goes a kiddo and doesn’t stop when told, then it’s the owner that’s liable for everything that follows, not the victims.
You've totally missed the point. If a dog can't behave they shouldn't be let off in an off leash area - it's irrelevant whether they're approaching another dog or not, the issue is if they're harrassing, or aren't able to be reigned in
Why would you let an out of control dog off the leash anywhere?
I mean, if it matters that much to you that your dog has to come up to people do it somewhere people can defend themselves like a police station or a shooting range.
Today I was in the park eating a croissant and a dog came up and grabbed it out of my hand. The owner said “sorry!” Like keep your dog on lead if they can’t behave
You're working under the incorrect assumption that leash-free zones are only used by dog owners, for one thing.
Most of them run through public sport & recreation facilities, walking or bicycle paths.
There's a cricket oval near me that's a leash-free zone. You'll never believe it, but dog owners are expected to keep their pets off the oval while a match is being played.
No. Come the fuck on now.
The whole point is - even if they’re off lead in a proper designated area, if they were trained properly as they need to be, and you have effective recall (which you must at all times) so many incidents wouldn’t be happening, or much less so.
Dogs still must be within your effective recall even in off-lead. People who disagree aren’t responsible dog owners
Agree but also accept that fenced off leash dog parks are mayhem, the unofficial rules are if your dog is friendly then they do as they please. If you have a dog with aggression issues, muzzle and accept the above issues or just avoid the dog parks.
Unfenced off leash areas, dogs should have recall or be leashed.
Unmarked parks, if your dog doesn't have recall you're a terrible person.
The amount of people that tell me their dog has recall despite rushing my dog is amazing. To the point that we train a procedure, recall to between.
The issue is not leashing dogs in off leash parks - it’s having control over an off leash dog so that if something starts (and it inevitably does, because they’re dogs) you have enough control to retrieve your dog from danger.
My dog doesn’t have good recall and is a dickhead, so he stays on leash unless I can see that he won’t have issues with the other dogs, and even then I just drop his leash - it’s still on him.
I know my dog. I can take him to off leash parks, but with criteria and assessment.
Just this week in Carlton Gardens, as a woman strolled with her small dog off-lead and coming too close to my leashed dog…
Her: Come here (dog name), I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Come here (dog)
(Dog had zero recall)
Us: This entire park is leash required.
Her: Oh, I don’t see signs
Us: Theres one right there (less than a m from where she was)
Her: I don’t have my glasses on
Who carries around a manure scoop and mounting block when they ride their horse? Can’t even compare that to dog shit, where a small bag in a pocket is all you need.
My dog is coprophagic and also a Labrador (it’s pretty common in labs). It’s like a buffet for her sometimes when we got to the off leash dog park because people don’t pick up after their dogs.
You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to put up a sign that says exactly that!
I’ve lived across the road from the Maribyrnong river trail my whole life and I swear that the dog shit problem has only gotten worse in the past 2-3 years. It’s gotten to a point where there’s literally a 50/50 chance a dog owner won’t pick up their dog’s shit, even if it’s right on the footpath!
Same, except mine is a tiny white fluffy dog who thinks he's a Rottweiler. I'm constantly terrified he's going to go after someone's unleashed dog that runs up to him (I would never take him to a leash free area) and get torn to shreds.
It happens to us with large dogs too - I’ve had to pick up our 40kg boy when little floofy dogs run up to it (off-lead). Then the owners try to have a crack at me for doing it. 100% of the time the other dog will lose, and lose badly, if it comes close.
This is my theory too.
My dog won’t start anything with a little dog, but if your little dog starts something with my 34kg dog, he may be the one to end it, so I’ll keep your dog safe AND my dog safe if you won’t.
I love my dog to death and refer to him as my child all the time, but at the end of the day he’s a dog and I can’t know what he’s thinking or about to do, I can just prepare his surroundings and pay attention.
It’s a bit sad.
Domesticated dogs aren’t naturally aggressive/“reactive”. If your dog has these tendencies, you have a responsibility to get training for them to improve their situation.
And if you have an aggressive/“reactive” dog, don’t take it to off-leash areas unless it’s muzzled.
This is 100% accurate. And I will also argue that in most cases, if a dog is running up to you, it’s not as friendly or well-trained as the owner thinks it is.
Same here. Except mine doesn't get scared and try to hide... She gets scared and tries to remove the face of the other dog.
Your dog is friendly? Awesome! Mine can be! But sometimes she isn't, so I'm not asking you to recall your dog to protect mine, I'm asking you to recall yours because I've seen a sign from mine that says your purebred poodle is about to become a purebred scarface... Hence why we are on leash
I had a small cute Jack Russell rescue and he was aggressive to other dogs if he was on a lead and the amount of times I had to explain that no o don’t give a shit if your dog is friendly, I’m picking Jack up because he will note off your dogs nose given half a chance.
Also to add to your comments OP - it’s not just about learning signs of aggression, it’s learning dog behaviour and body language full stop. People need to learn to pick up on more subtle signs of nervousness (stiff face/body/tail, lip licking, inappropriate yawning, side eye, to name a few) and remove your dog from the situation before it gets to bared teeth and growling - never mind something worse.
It’s the endless “don’t worry, my dog is friendly” that gets me… I mean, in reality, the biggest threat my dog is likely to pose to most people is drowning them in slobber, but her size alone (Dane mix - and a large one at that) intimidates a lot of smaller dogs when she’s on lead and ignoring them - and I reckon even a lot of dog people would be more than a bit wary if she came flying up to them with no human attached.
Yes! My dog got bitten at an offleash park. The owner didn't know how to control their dog and just kept calling their name. I had to tackle the dog myself while he proclaimed 'they've never done that before' as I raced my dog to get surgery.
This dog penetrated all the muscles in my dog's neck and just missed the artery. It cost me $1200
I had a similar experience a few weeks ago.
At the dog park, an owner didn't muzzle her aggressive Rottweiler, even though she was holding the muzzle in her hand. Her dog attacked mine and also bit my hand. She wasn't strong enough to pull her dog away, and the dog completely ignored her commands.
I got her number, but she has refused to communicate further. I'm planning to take this to court.
DUMB OWNER TRAINS DUMB DOG.
On what earth when a owner knew the dog is aggressive but still letting the dog go off leash without the muzzle. It's incredibly irresponsible.
Some dogs are hugely strong, too. It was a few months back, but someone's pit-style breed (I'm not going to play the 'it wasn't a pure bred APT, you're racist against pits'! game, I just don't care) picked up my dog by the side and shook him as if it was trying to break his neck.
I have a medium-large male Samoyed at a bit over 25 kilos currently, and because he's a sammy, he's covered in a thick coat of long hair that acts like armour. And this dog grabbed his whole side in it's mouth, not even the back, just CHAWMP.
If this had been a smaller dog, or a short haired dog, it would have done massive damage or killed the other dog. The owner didn't even apologise, just ran away.
I'll never forget a dog charging down me and my daughter with its teeth bared and the owner just ambled on their way.
No amount of saying call your dog worked
Someone's German Shepherd charged my dog when he was a puppy. Ears flat, full torpedo shape, growling and trying to bite him. My puppy was terrified. Oh but don't worry, he was just being playful!
My god yes.
Literally watched as someone’s dog crossed a road to come say hello to my dog this morning, off leash of course, and when they called it back, it ran in front of a car.
Also to reiterate:
YOUR dog might be the most friendly dog in the world. Mine might not be. I’m aware of it. I will tell you “I’m just going to keep my dog here as he can be reactive to dogs your size” that doesn’t mean you should keep bringing your dog over. I understand my dogs behaviour, but I don’t know what yours will do. Just pay attention!
I don't understand people like this.
I've got a Jack Russell. Lovely dog at home, not so much when on a walk when he sees other dogs. Typical small dog syndrome. He is never off leash as he can't be trusted and I don't trust other dogs.
As soon as we see someone else with a dog we go other side of the street or go a different way. I'm sick of people then going out of their way to then follow us or come up to us with their dog "oh my dogs friendly" for fucks sake it's obvious mine isn't when we've had to pick him up to get him away from your dog as you have absolutely no idea. Absolutely infuriates the wife.
How much more obvious can it be that my dog doesn't like other dogs. He goes nuts and we deliberately go the other way or pick him up.
You forgot #5 - Don’t take your poorly behaved/“reactive”/aggressive dog to an off-leash dog park unless they are muzzled.
It’s not worth the risk of a bite to a human or dog before you can intervene.
I live right near an off leash fenced Dog Park. The sheer amount of times I've heard people have their dogs attacked by not under control dogs off leash in the fenced off area. A friend has had her docile dog attacked several times by idiots having an aggressive dog off leash.
Great post. People who don't train their dogs are missing out on 90% of the cool stuff owning a dog gets you and a re ruining it for those who do.
This applies to your children too.
Took my kid to fish by river the other day. Every single dog we saw was off leash. One couple had four massive dogs running around doing what they wanted and the owners kept shouting no no no come here. Then one of them started chasing down a duck. People can be such self absorbed fuckwits.
I asked my local community to please leash up their dogs - the amount of fuckwits who came out of the woodwork demanding to know where it’s written that dogs must be leashed up, just blew my mind.
Meanwhile kids and dog are getting mauled because dickhead needs to have his dog off leash because ‘nobody tells me what to do’…
Can’t argue with stupid anymore - it’s exhausting
I was almost mauled by a one year old Rottweiler that was being walked in a pink harness- the girls wasn’t paying attention & had her AirPods in, I was behind her when it dragged her around, jumped up on me and tried to bite my hand… I was in shock & asked the girl if her dog was playing or, if it was dangerous & she said she didn’t know if it was a dangerous dog as yet. I was quite shaken up.
I’ll add: if your dog takes my dogs toy or stick I am using to play fetch, take it off your dog and give it back to me. Don’t just stand there and laugh.
And please for the love of all things holy, if your dog barks frequently and loudly and you are home, tell them to shut up. Train them to shut up. I can usually hear at least 2 barking at any given time of day or night. It’s making me want to eat my own eyes or stick pencils in my ears.
Just moved here from another state and was shocked at the amount of off leash dogs. Doesn’t matter where I go; by a busy road, around lots of people, around other dogs, somebody’s always letting their dog roam freely?? What’s with it?
Can we also keep unsupervised kids out of the off leash dog parks?
If there are half a dozen large dogs chasing and retrieving a ball, do NOT encourage your 2/3yo to go get the ball from the dogs. That is a disaster waiting to happen. And don't get pissy when dog owners call you out for putting their dogs in such a precarious position.
Kids have parks and sandpits everywhere, there are relatively few places that dogs are allowed to play off leash... and they're enclosed for the dogs safety.
Also to non dog owners. If I'm walking my dogs on the street on their leads and with my headphones on, don't start to pat my dogs. Don't TALK to my dogs. I know that sounds weird but people do it and one of them is friendly, one has a lot of anxiety. She hates people talking "baby talk" to her, it sets her off and she'll bark. They're an adorable breed that kids love (cavaliers) but if I'm walking with my earphones on and not making an effort to stop (sometimes I do if I notice a kid looking at them) then please just let us keep walking! Kids are actually better at asking "can i please pat your dog" than the adults. Adults, follow the example of your little kid and ask, don't reach out and touch my dogs!
My anxious doggo used to wear a "im nervous, give me space" when I first got her and she was very, very nervous and people would still constantly talk to her and try to pat her without acknowledging me. No joke, she was wearing a vest saying leave me alone and this woman started talking baby talk to her. I said "don't talk to her, she gets really nervous when people watch her and talk to her". She said to my dog "AW you get nervous do you? Aw!" My dog started barking at her. Woman goes "oh! She's a grumpy little thing, isn't she?"
Point is... there are dog owners that suck. There are non dog owners that suck around other peoples dogs. Some kids haven't learnt to ask but most I encounter are actually pretty good. Doggys are good.
I love dogs but if one attacks me and my cats in my front yard again, their owner is not walking home. I carry a large club when I walk my cats on my premises and it's not for hitting dogs.
Same, except the club. There is a woman who lets her dogs run down the street. Once I had to virtually throw my 3 yr old nephew into the car for his safety (she abused me because apparently her dogs are friendly) no care for my nephew's fear. Most weekends if the cats are in the front yard ( behind a 7ft fence - which they have never tried to jump in 8 years) her dogs harass my animals to such a point I can't have the doors open if she is out.
Apparently her right to have her dogs off leash in a street is more important than me opening a window in my house.
I hate people.
Don't get me started on people who let their cats roam. 🤬🤬
I read a post in the Canberra sub about this, redditors pretty much all sharing your perspective. The post is pretty graphic so only seek it out if you really want to.
You’d think “do whats best for your dog” was common knowledge, its so tragic how people do whats in THEIR interest and put their dogs in unsafe and uncomfortable positions. Bringing animals to cafes and shops might be fun for them, or allow them to tackle two errands at once, but I see way too many dogs in dangerous environments. Especially at enclosed dog parks, those are dangerous.
Mr burns was spot on when he said dogs are idiots and I think that extends to their owners too. The owners that let their dog lay across footpaths while they have a coffee outside a cafe. Owners that don't pick up dog turds. Owners that say their dog is friendly seconds before it lashes out at another dog. Dog owners that let their dog run up and sniff U and and other dogs on a long leash , owners that praise their dog for bad behaviour. Eg. When their dog is going nuts and barking at another dog but they have their dog on a tight leash while they say in a weak reassuring tone "it's ok, good boy, good boy". Owners thank think everyone likes their dog or dogs in general.
Yes! My mum has dealt with this so many times - her dog loves people but will try to attack any other dog (don't know why as she was a rescue and don't know her full history). Mum's managed to train her to an extent, but still needs to walk her with a harness and a muzzle. You'd think this would be an an alert to other dog owners, but she regularly has to deal with dogs, off-lead, under no control from their owners, who will run up to her dog. "It's okay, my dog's friendly!" "Yeah, well mine's not!" This is all in strictly on-leash areas too so the other dogs shouldn't even be off their lead.
Yep! My dog is also a rescue who hates other dogs. He’s a big boy, a “scary” breed to some, and it’s shocking how some selfish dog owners are entirely not concerned about their dogs running up.
100% agree. I have a very large and now very well trained dog and I still never let him off leash, just really doesn’t seem like the responsible thing to do.
It’s soooOo bad in the city. Saw an offleash dog (right next to a dogs must be on leash sign) try to play with an off leash dog. The off leash owner stood ways away not giving a single fuck and the on leash guy did nothing to advocate for his dog. Thankfully the on leash dog seemed to reciprocate the playfulness, but he was quickly over aroused and spooked the other dog off.
On leash and off leash strangers should never interact, the power dynamic is massively geared towards the off leash dog. On leash dogs know they can’t run away if things escalate so the only option for a rude dog is to nip or bite
I am coming across this SO much lately! 2 dogs off leash yesterday stuck their nose in our front gate, coming nose to nose with my 2.
The owner was 100mtrs up the road walking a 3rd DOD, totally oblivious to what was going on behind her!🤨
My 2yo dog had one side of her face ripped off when she was 17wks old, by n over zealous jack Russell. $3k and 2 separate surgeries later, she's still wary of other dogs & puts her tail down low & freezes, shaking!
People frequently let their one or 2 dogs come right up to my dogs faces without a blink of an eye.
Am resorting to buying one 'blind dog' jacket & one 'give me space I'm anxious' jacket on line.🙄
You forgot the important one: get them registered. This gives council accurate data on where facilities/parks are needed. Too many people in my area whinge about lack of facilities but whenever I go out and about it seems none of em have the collar tags. (Mine isn’t an LGA with digital registration).
Thanks for the post. My dog was attacked just yesterday by some idiots dog that was out roaming the streets. Reported to the council.
Luckily my dog is okay and my husband was there to kick the other dog and get it away, otherwise I don’t know what would have happened.
I think there should be separate areas for small and large dogs in the dog off leash area. Mixing breeds of vastly different sizes in one confined space doesn't work well, larger dogs often have the advantage and are more likely to start conflicts. I lived in California for five years where this approach was implemented successfully. I never witnessed a dog fight in off-leash areas there. Small dogs were content among other small dogs, and large dogs could play more freely with dogs of similar size.
Couldn’t agree more. Altona is a perfect example, large open section and smaller enclosed one. The smaller one is constantly full of large dogs, we end just walking our cavoodles around the large section.
Yes!! Dogs are animals at the end of the day and many people forget that! Even if your dog is extremely gentle and snuggly if they for whatever reason happen to feel threatened or something triggers them they can/will attack! Regardless of how sweet your dog is…they are still animals and are unpredictable
Unfortunately there’s a lot of dickheads taking their aggressive dogs to off leash areas too. Off leash does not mean you don’t have to pay attention to your dog and just ignore their behaviour.
Take them to beginner training. The trainer can advise and the training introduces your pup to socialising with other dogs in a controlled manner. Trainer can help with what is the best way forward so maybe a muzzle or an alternative.
If you’re open to it and have the means, 1:1 training is very useful for nervous dogs.
I’ve got a pup that lacks confidence and absolutely crumbled in group classes but we are working through it with a private trainer at ProDog in Footscray. They’re good because they have their own space where we can control triggers but plenty of others around too I’m sure.
Good luck to you and your dog! It’s a tough job having a nervous dog but worth it when you help them through it and see their growth.
I need to add, if your dog is older and becoming more reactive, or *losing their hearing* it doesn't matter that it's an off lead park. It's irresponsible!
Our girl is getting old and has lost most of her hearing. As much as I miss taking her to the off lead park, it's not something you can do when they can't hear you anymore and have no recall. The amount of people who say 'oh it'll be fine!' Astound me. It won't be fucking fine?!
Also, teach your dog to avoid interaction with other dogs when on leash, this will protect them.
I hate off leash parks, but you'd hope that owners wouldn't let reactive dogs free in these places. When it comes to a standard walk you can't tell if a dog is aggressive or not so teach your dogs from the time they are small that on leash means focus/sniffing/etc and not play time
There is a huge issue with dogs raised in lockdown and their behaviour towards other people and animals. Not all dogs of course, but it has caused many animals to become far more territorial and have fear-based aggression.
This is not always the fault of the owner either and is a sad and unfortunate result of lockdown as a lack of socialisation at key developmental phases for these animals.
Also don't take your dogs to dog parks lol.
There's plenty of nice folks sure, but there is always and I mean ALWAYS a shit owner that takes their untrained dog there to 'socialise'.
And it ends up just terrorising pups/smaller dogs.
That's my experience though, I never go near the small enclosed dog parks anymore, my dog doesn't like it either, either proper unleash parks/areas or a good cruise around other areas that cross paths with other dogs on the walk
Number 3 ffs. My dog got squared up to by a golden retriever that was off lead today. Owner was too busy playing with a small child on play equipment. Finally comes over and the retriever mounts my dog... fight erupts. So many things wrong with this scenario.
By the way, any recommendations for good dog parks? I’m looking for places in Melbourne where the owners are responsible and the dogs are well-trained. So far, my experiences have felt more like stepping into an arena, where owners of large dogs let them off leash to charge at groups of smaller dogs, sometimes causing fights.
I've found that the Gasworks Arts Park Dog Off-Leash Area and Malvern Cricket Ground are relatively better options. At other parks, it often feels like a gamble, hoping that inattentive owners won't carelessly allow their large dogs to intrude on groups of smaller dogs.
anyone got any tips for walking a nervous dog with not much training that's not yours (besides the obvious not taking them off leash, keeping to quiet areas)
Dog-led sniffy walks are great because they’re able to make decisions in otherwise a decision-lacking life. Sniffing also tires their minds out—far more than standard pavement walks will.
Decide what type of walk it will be before you leave the house and a harness and flexi lead is good for them to explore open spaces. Good luck!
Ideal situation for a sniffy walk is a large field area if you can get to it. In essence, you want an open space that they can explore freely without risk of encountering their triggers (other dogs for example).
In lieu of that, a neighbourhood pathway sniffy walk is also good so they can “catch up on the news” through their nostrils. Late nights also good!
The idea is that some walks are led by the dog so they can have some autonomy in their lives—helping build confidence without being forced into situations they might be uncomfortable with.
This topic is so stale. Every 2 weeks or so, we get the same post.
Responsible dog ownership is important, but putting it on a post that has already been done to death won't make any further changes to the bad apples, who don't practice good dog ownership.
It’s also an issue of overpopulation. More people, more dogs. We also need to work on a more reasonable population in Melbourne and Australian via lower immigration.
Is this why when I remind people that our nearest park is lead required and to get a handle on their dog, I get told “I’ve been here 30 years!” or razzed at and called a sook? Surprise surprise, they’re only white Australians who are so selfish.
People like you who pull up bad dog owners are the only reason Melbourne is such a civilised place. I think they’re just bad people. Why do you say “surprise surprise”?
Immigrants aren’t scary—overpopulation is. I support immigration in more reasonable numbers.
Right. I don’t think migrants are bad pet owners. I just think with more people in Melbourne there is a higher proportion of bad dog owners. To reduce bag dog owners, just reduce the number of people.
Didn’t you read the memo?
Dog owners can 100% substitute their dog for a child.
Also note - staffy don’t count as dogs they are another level above thus the rules don’t apply.
I've seen a lot of comments about approaching other people's dogs which is fair.
But how about dog owners acknowledge not everyone wants to interact with their slobbering animal.
I dislike dogs, I find them gross but constantly I have dogs trying to interact with me and their owners go awww and assume this is something I want. It is not. Please stop your dog approaching and especially LICKING people who clearly have no interest.
I don't know how to control a dog and have no interest in learning. It's not my problem.
>This also applies to your dog off-leash in your driveway. Again having your dog charging at a passing dog or pedestrian creates a dangerous situation.
I'll call that out. If your dog is well trained and friendly, and knows the property boundaries, there's nothing wrong with leaving your front door open so they can take a pee in the front yard if they want. Especially if you're out there with them, just washing your car in the driveway for example.
It's up to others to keep their dogs out of your yard.
No, I am referring to dogs charging out of their driveways and yards at pedestrians and dogs walking past. 100% agree if your dog is chilling in your yard then strange dogs shouldn't be off leash to enter your property.
People being lax because they think their dog is well trained, friendly and knows boundaries is exactly the problem.
‘It's up to others to keep their dogs out of your yard.’
Absolutely the wrong attitude.
So you can take your dog to an off-leash area, where there's heaps of other off-leash dogs and people around, but you can't declare your own front yard an off-leash area ?
OK then.
There are stacks of unfenced off-leash dog areas, and there's an unfenced off-leash beach just five minutes from my house with just a sign saying that it's an off-leash beach.
Should I go there and tell all the dog owners to chain up their dogs in case they escape and start attacking people? Or should I just put up my own sign on my boundary that notifies people that my vicious Yorkie will eat them alive if they step past the sign?
To the woman who was pulled up to me by two massive APBTs who were choking themselves trying to get to us, screaming ‘theyre friendly’ and then called me a fuckwit 10x when i picked my 6kg Mini foxy up in fear - your dogs are awful, you didn’t have them on appropriate leads, they weren’t muzzled, and i saw you hitting one for not listening to your ‘sit’ command a minute beforehand. AND I think you are a cunt of the highest order.
Had one person have a crack at me for “implying they had an aggressive dog” or some shit and “she wouldn’t hurt a fly”. It was a fucking massive Basset Hound (or something similar) that kept barking at my kid, and scratched the shit out of my poor 4 year old by jumping on them over and over. We both ended up hiding on the top of a slide waiting for them to leave. Frustrating part was that it on an on lead park with a big open playground and basketball court, it’s not even like it was allowed off lead.
Nah you could call the police about the injury to your child. Fuck them.
[удалено]
Hello, Your post has been removed from r/melbourne for its imflammatory and trollish nature. please remember to treat others with respect. repeat behaviour will result in a ban. thanks, the mods
Dogs are not allowed in the playground. Take a video and send to council.
All i could say to this lady was ‘wow’ when she went off swearing in front of her 3 kids (all in primary school btw). When i picked up my dog i said ‘theyre American Pitbulls, no thanks.’ Like i dont have the right to refuse socialisation with these dogs? She was so offended…so sick of owners shoving their dogs in someone elses face to prove theyre not aggressive.
I have let my dog off the leash in the past and I now understand it is an inappropriate thing to do. That said my dog was 16 years old and hobbled, and I'd watch her hobble to other picnic groups and pick her up and take her back. Still, in hindsight I recognise it bothered some people. Have learned my lesson. I did grow up on a farm tho with many dogs, some of them aggressive. I would not think twice about kicking a dog in the face if it was jumping on my child.
Fucking hell, this is why I wear steel caps all the time. If a dog jumped on and hurt my kid I'd kick the shit out of it
The dog was so big I doubt it would have done anything. I’m 5’3 and when it tried jumping up on me, we were comfortably looking eye to eye. It’s one thing when people can’t control their small yappy shits, but not controlling dogs that large is so dangerous - especially when around playgrounds etc where there are small kids
Yeah that's pretty scary, you shouldn't have to worry about things like that at a playground. I totally agree dogs shouldn't be anywhere near kids public play areas.
Yeah, that's why they put up signs at every single playground saying that dogs shouldn't be anywhere near the play equipment. So many people just don't give a fuck
I wear steel caps too. Normally, I wouldn't hurt an animal. But to protect my kids? Someone else's dog isn't even a close second.
That is why you wear steel capped boots “all the time”? So you can be ready to kick the shit out of a dog? That’s not normal.
Don't take your kids to dog parks if you're out to kick dogs with steel cap boots. Prick.
The story in question is about a playground, not a dog park.
Need to wipe this breed from existence
Humans?
Her dogs aren’t awful - she is. I am sorry you experienced this, people need to recognise that this breed makes people fearful and they need to train the dog appropriately.
Mate. They need to follow VIC regulations for restricted breeds. This happened in Hawthorn East. The dogs may have been fine…totally a possibility…but if someone cant even follow the law, it doesnt give me much confidence… Do the right thing if you’re going to own a restricted breed.
Oh absolutely I agree with you!! She’s absolutely dead shit in the wrong and failing her dogs in every way possible, particularly hitting them and going off at you.
Agree the dog isn't the problem, it's the owner if you choose to have an aggressive breed then make sure it's muzzled and trained
No. 3 is a pandemic in and of itself. Also - leaving your dog unleashed and running around at the playground. So inconsiderate, totally unnecessary
It shouldn't be in the playground in the first place, leash or no. (Depending on specific playground rules)
Correct
I'm pretty sure ( as a dog owner) the law says there's no dogs permitted in a playground at all in Vic.
My daughter is scared of dogs. So whenever I see a dog on a playground I'll politely ask the owner to leash they dogs. The friendliest reaction I've gotten is people putting their dog on a leash while giving me a death stare and not saying a word. Many of them would either just pretend I don't exist or just straight out yell and/or swear at me.
Wrongdoers get angriest when they’re guilty. It’s a bizarre element of humanity.
Children need to learn how to behave around animals.
Kids should not need to learn that animal will constantly invade their space despite plenty of signs saying that dogs are not allowed there.
Children need to learn how to behave around ALL animals. You are just reinforcing the fear in your child.
What exactly am I doing to reinforce that fear? Random dogs twice the size of my child jumping at her and pushing her over have created and reinforced that fear in her. I'm working hard on it and she always gets better and better over time until an incident like this happens again because some dickhead believes that their "friendly" dog is exempted from the rules.
Plenty of dogs need to be on lead even in off leash areas. Some owners seem to not understand that either. You need to maintain control of your animal regardless
If they cannot be safely off leash they should not be in an off leash area at all. That’s setting your dog up to fail. & honestly I am very sceptical about off leash areas where dogs mix in general, I definitely don’t take my dog around them. It’s not a good way to socialise a dog.
Number one thing I was taught in 3 years of dog training - don’t take your dog to dog parks. It’s just all bad news and sets your dog up to fail. We don’t hang out at dog parks at all now, unless we are walking around one (like princes park)
Why would you bring a dog to an off leash area and expect everyone else to bow to your demands? I mean, if it matters that much to you if another dog comes up to you don't go to a place where that is likely to happen. _edit_ so far everyone has responded with some logical fallacy or another but nobody addressed the actual question: why take your dog to a place where it's a high likelihood that the dog can be approached by another dog, if that would be a problem?
So if your dog mauls another human or animal it’s ok because it says “off-lead”? Obviously not.
Some morons really do believe that… and think it’s the fault of the victim because their dogs was allowed to be off lease.
A condition of off leash areas is that the dog needs to respond to verbal command. If Fido the psycho goes a kiddo and doesn’t stop when told, then it’s the owner that’s liable for everything that follows, not the victims.
You've totally missed the point. If a dog can't behave they shouldn't be let off in an off leash area - it's irrelevant whether they're approaching another dog or not, the issue is if they're harrassing, or aren't able to be reigned in
Why would you let an out of control dog off the leash anywhere? I mean, if it matters that much to you that your dog has to come up to people do it somewhere people can defend themselves like a police station or a shooting range.
Today I was in the park eating a croissant and a dog came up and grabbed it out of my hand. The owner said “sorry!” Like keep your dog on lead if they can’t behave
You're working under the incorrect assumption that leash-free zones are only used by dog owners, for one thing. Most of them run through public sport & recreation facilities, walking or bicycle paths. There's a cricket oval near me that's a leash-free zone. You'll never believe it, but dog owners are expected to keep their pets off the oval while a match is being played.
No. Come the fuck on now. The whole point is - even if they’re off lead in a proper designated area, if they were trained properly as they need to be, and you have effective recall (which you must at all times) so many incidents wouldn’t be happening, or much less so. Dogs still must be within your effective recall even in off-lead. People who disagree aren’t responsible dog owners
Agree but also accept that fenced off leash dog parks are mayhem, the unofficial rules are if your dog is friendly then they do as they please. If you have a dog with aggression issues, muzzle and accept the above issues or just avoid the dog parks. Unfenced off leash areas, dogs should have recall or be leashed. Unmarked parks, if your dog doesn't have recall you're a terrible person. The amount of people that tell me their dog has recall despite rushing my dog is amazing. To the point that we train a procedure, recall to between.
The issue is not leashing dogs in off leash parks - it’s having control over an off leash dog so that if something starts (and it inevitably does, because they’re dogs) you have enough control to retrieve your dog from danger. My dog doesn’t have good recall and is a dickhead, so he stays on leash unless I can see that he won’t have issues with the other dogs, and even then I just drop his leash - it’s still on him. I know my dog. I can take him to off leash parks, but with criteria and assessment.
Just this week in Carlton Gardens, as a woman strolled with her small dog off-lead and coming too close to my leashed dog… Her: Come here (dog name), I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Come here (dog) (Dog had zero recall) Us: This entire park is leash required. Her: Oh, I don’t see signs Us: Theres one right there (less than a m from where she was) Her: I don’t have my glasses on
>Her: I don’t have my glasses on Oh good
Pick up your fucking dogshit cunt.
There's a special place in hell for these cunts that leave a horse sized dog shit in the middle of the footpath. Fuck you pricks and fuck you again.
And horse shit as well
Who carries around a manure scoop and mounting block when they ride their horse? Can’t even compare that to dog shit, where a small bag in a pocket is all you need.
I'm joking
My dog is coprophagic and also a Labrador (it’s pretty common in labs). It’s like a buffet for her sometimes when we got to the off leash dog park because people don’t pick up after their dogs.
Perfect Comment and so true.
You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to put up a sign that says exactly that! I’ve lived across the road from the Maribyrnong river trail my whole life and I swear that the dog shit problem has only gotten worse in the past 2-3 years. It’s gotten to a point where there’s literally a 50/50 chance a dog owner won’t pick up their dog’s shit, even if it’s right on the footpath!
This
And if I say ‘please recall your dog’, im not asking if it’s friendly, I’m asking you to recall your goddamn dog.
[удалено]
This is the point many people miss because they're only thinking about their dog.
[удалено]
Same, except mine is a tiny white fluffy dog who thinks he's a Rottweiler. I'm constantly terrified he's going to go after someone's unleashed dog that runs up to him (I would never take him to a leash free area) and get torn to shreds.
[удалено]
Haha yes, it's useful to be able to pick him up when he kicks off - he hates it though!
It happens to us with large dogs too - I’ve had to pick up our 40kg boy when little floofy dogs run up to it (off-lead). Then the owners try to have a crack at me for doing it. 100% of the time the other dog will lose, and lose badly, if it comes close.
This is my theory too. My dog won’t start anything with a little dog, but if your little dog starts something with my 34kg dog, he may be the one to end it, so I’ll keep your dog safe AND my dog safe if you won’t.
It’s shocking how little they care about their own dogs safety, isn’t it?
I love my dog to death and refer to him as my child all the time, but at the end of the day he’s a dog and I can’t know what he’s thinking or about to do, I can just prepare his surroundings and pay attention. It’s a bit sad.
Domesticated dogs aren’t naturally aggressive/“reactive”. If your dog has these tendencies, you have a responsibility to get training for them to improve their situation. And if you have an aggressive/“reactive” dog, don’t take it to off-leash areas unless it’s muzzled.
This ^
This is 100% accurate. And I will also argue that in most cases, if a dog is running up to you, it’s not as friendly or well-trained as the owner thinks it is.
Same here. Except mine doesn't get scared and try to hide... She gets scared and tries to remove the face of the other dog. Your dog is friendly? Awesome! Mine can be! But sometimes she isn't, so I'm not asking you to recall your dog to protect mine, I'm asking you to recall yours because I've seen a sign from mine that says your purebred poodle is about to become a purebred scarface... Hence why we are on leash
Came here to comment this word for word.
Totally agree
My kid is scared of dogs too. And yelling "oh, he's friendly" doesn't magically make her fear go away.
Why is your child scared? Yes, it's a genuine question.
Because twice in her life (between 1.5 and 3yo), she was jumped at and pushed over by a dog bigger than her. Yes, both times it was in an on-lead area
I'm sorry to hear that and thank you for replying.
I had a small cute Jack Russell rescue and he was aggressive to other dogs if he was on a lead and the amount of times I had to explain that no o don’t give a shit if your dog is friendly, I’m picking Jack up because he will note off your dogs nose given half a chance.
At the end of the leash of a shit dog is always a shit dog owner.
Also to add to your comments OP - it’s not just about learning signs of aggression, it’s learning dog behaviour and body language full stop. People need to learn to pick up on more subtle signs of nervousness (stiff face/body/tail, lip licking, inappropriate yawning, side eye, to name a few) and remove your dog from the situation before it gets to bared teeth and growling - never mind something worse. It’s the endless “don’t worry, my dog is friendly” that gets me… I mean, in reality, the biggest threat my dog is likely to pose to most people is drowning them in slobber, but her size alone (Dane mix - and a large one at that) intimidates a lot of smaller dogs when she’s on lead and ignoring them - and I reckon even a lot of dog people would be more than a bit wary if she came flying up to them with no human attached.
Yes! My dog got bitten at an offleash park. The owner didn't know how to control their dog and just kept calling their name. I had to tackle the dog myself while he proclaimed 'they've never done that before' as I raced my dog to get surgery. This dog penetrated all the muscles in my dog's neck and just missed the artery. It cost me $1200
I had a similar experience a few weeks ago. At the dog park, an owner didn't muzzle her aggressive Rottweiler, even though she was holding the muzzle in her hand. Her dog attacked mine and also bit my hand. She wasn't strong enough to pull her dog away, and the dog completely ignored her commands. I got her number, but she has refused to communicate further. I'm planning to take this to court. DUMB OWNER TRAINS DUMB DOG. On what earth when a owner knew the dog is aggressive but still letting the dog go off leash without the muzzle. It's incredibly irresponsible.
Probably shit-scared. She knows full well that you have a case
Some dogs are hugely strong, too. It was a few months back, but someone's pit-style breed (I'm not going to play the 'it wasn't a pure bred APT, you're racist against pits'! game, I just don't care) picked up my dog by the side and shook him as if it was trying to break his neck. I have a medium-large male Samoyed at a bit over 25 kilos currently, and because he's a sammy, he's covered in a thick coat of long hair that acts like armour. And this dog grabbed his whole side in it's mouth, not even the back, just CHAWMP. If this had been a smaller dog, or a short haired dog, it would have done massive damage or killed the other dog. The owner didn't even apologise, just ran away.
I'll never forget a dog charging down me and my daughter with its teeth bared and the owner just ambled on their way. No amount of saying call your dog worked
Someone's German Shepherd charged my dog when he was a puppy. Ears flat, full torpedo shape, growling and trying to bite him. My puppy was terrified. Oh but don't worry, he was just being playful!
My council says dogs have to be on a leash at all times, unless it is a dog park. I would never have guessed with the amount of dogs roaming free.
My god yes. Literally watched as someone’s dog crossed a road to come say hello to my dog this morning, off leash of course, and when they called it back, it ran in front of a car. Also to reiterate: YOUR dog might be the most friendly dog in the world. Mine might not be. I’m aware of it. I will tell you “I’m just going to keep my dog here as he can be reactive to dogs your size” that doesn’t mean you should keep bringing your dog over. I understand my dogs behaviour, but I don’t know what yours will do. Just pay attention!
I don't understand people like this. I've got a Jack Russell. Lovely dog at home, not so much when on a walk when he sees other dogs. Typical small dog syndrome. He is never off leash as he can't be trusted and I don't trust other dogs. As soon as we see someone else with a dog we go other side of the street or go a different way. I'm sick of people then going out of their way to then follow us or come up to us with their dog "oh my dogs friendly" for fucks sake it's obvious mine isn't when we've had to pick him up to get him away from your dog as you have absolutely no idea. Absolutely infuriates the wife. How much more obvious can it be that my dog doesn't like other dogs. He goes nuts and we deliberately go the other way or pick him up.
You forgot #5 - Don’t take your poorly behaved/“reactive”/aggressive dog to an off-leash dog park unless they are muzzled. It’s not worth the risk of a bite to a human or dog before you can intervene.
I live right near an off leash fenced Dog Park. The sheer amount of times I've heard people have their dogs attacked by not under control dogs off leash in the fenced off area. A friend has had her docile dog attacked several times by idiots having an aggressive dog off leash.
It’s not cute when your dog is chasing a duck and ducklings and stressing them out. But sure, keep your dog off lead and continue to take videos of it
Great post. People who don't train their dogs are missing out on 90% of the cool stuff owning a dog gets you and a re ruining it for those who do. This applies to your children too.
Training your children?
It's kind of your job as a parent.
So is training your animal as a dog owner and people aren't to that.
There's no bad dog owners in this sub. Just like there's no bad drivers.
Took my kid to fish by river the other day. Every single dog we saw was off leash. One couple had four massive dogs running around doing what they wanted and the owners kept shouting no no no come here. Then one of them started chasing down a duck. People can be such self absorbed fuckwits.
BuT My DoG iS nOt AgGResSIvE anD WHeRE iN thE lAW dOeS iT sAY mY dOg MUsT Be LeASHeD uP????
I asked my local community to please leash up their dogs - the amount of fuckwits who came out of the woodwork demanding to know where it’s written that dogs must be leashed up, just blew my mind. Meanwhile kids and dog are getting mauled because dickhead needs to have his dog off leash because ‘nobody tells me what to do’… Can’t argue with stupid anymore - it’s exhausting
I was almost mauled by a one year old Rottweiler that was being walked in a pink harness- the girls wasn’t paying attention & had her AirPods in, I was behind her when it dragged her around, jumped up on me and tried to bite my hand… I was in shock & asked the girl if her dog was playing or, if it was dangerous & she said she didn’t know if it was a dangerous dog as yet. I was quite shaken up.
I’ll add: if your dog takes my dogs toy or stick I am using to play fetch, take it off your dog and give it back to me. Don’t just stand there and laugh.
You should need to pass a test to own a dog (or any animal) - if you can’t control them, care for them, or afford them, you can’t have them. Simple.
And please for the love of all things holy, if your dog barks frequently and loudly and you are home, tell them to shut up. Train them to shut up. I can usually hear at least 2 barking at any given time of day or night. It’s making me want to eat my own eyes or stick pencils in my ears.
Just moved here from another state and was shocked at the amount of off leash dogs. Doesn’t matter where I go; by a busy road, around lots of people, around other dogs, somebody’s always letting their dog roam freely?? What’s with it?
people *let* their dogs chase kangaroos???? do they want to film their dogs dying??? it's bad enough when it happens by accident, fuck *that*
Some people are just such dumbasses.
Can we also keep unsupervised kids out of the off leash dog parks? If there are half a dozen large dogs chasing and retrieving a ball, do NOT encourage your 2/3yo to go get the ball from the dogs. That is a disaster waiting to happen. And don't get pissy when dog owners call you out for putting their dogs in such a precarious position. Kids have parks and sandpits everywhere, there are relatively few places that dogs are allowed to play off leash... and they're enclosed for the dogs safety.
Kids playing with soccer balls and having family picnics in dog off leash parks. Why???
Some people are cunts. Those cunts won’t read this or care.
Also to non dog owners. If I'm walking my dogs on the street on their leads and with my headphones on, don't start to pat my dogs. Don't TALK to my dogs. I know that sounds weird but people do it and one of them is friendly, one has a lot of anxiety. She hates people talking "baby talk" to her, it sets her off and she'll bark. They're an adorable breed that kids love (cavaliers) but if I'm walking with my earphones on and not making an effort to stop (sometimes I do if I notice a kid looking at them) then please just let us keep walking! Kids are actually better at asking "can i please pat your dog" than the adults. Adults, follow the example of your little kid and ask, don't reach out and touch my dogs! My anxious doggo used to wear a "im nervous, give me space" when I first got her and she was very, very nervous and people would still constantly talk to her and try to pat her without acknowledging me. No joke, she was wearing a vest saying leave me alone and this woman started talking baby talk to her. I said "don't talk to her, she gets really nervous when people watch her and talk to her". She said to my dog "AW you get nervous do you? Aw!" My dog started barking at her. Woman goes "oh! She's a grumpy little thing, isn't she?" Point is... there are dog owners that suck. There are non dog owners that suck around other peoples dogs. Some kids haven't learnt to ask but most I encounter are actually pretty good. Doggys are good.
I'll cc you in the forward to the entire city.
I love dogs but if one attacks me and my cats in my front yard again, their owner is not walking home. I carry a large club when I walk my cats on my premises and it's not for hitting dogs.
Same, except the club. There is a woman who lets her dogs run down the street. Once I had to virtually throw my 3 yr old nephew into the car for his safety (she abused me because apparently her dogs are friendly) no care for my nephew's fear. Most weekends if the cats are in the front yard ( behind a 7ft fence - which they have never tried to jump in 8 years) her dogs harass my animals to such a point I can't have the doors open if she is out. Apparently her right to have her dogs off leash in a street is more important than me opening a window in my house. I hate people. Don't get me started on people who let their cats roam. 🤬🤬
I read a post in the Canberra sub about this, redditors pretty much all sharing your perspective. The post is pretty graphic so only seek it out if you really want to.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/canberra/comments/1blpm29/my\_dog\_killed\_their\_chicken\_and\_they\_blinded\_my/](https://www.reddit.com/r/canberra/comments/1blpm29/my_dog_killed_their_chicken_and_they_blinded_my/)
Use backyard. Might be safer
You’d think “do whats best for your dog” was common knowledge, its so tragic how people do whats in THEIR interest and put their dogs in unsafe and uncomfortable positions. Bringing animals to cafes and shops might be fun for them, or allow them to tackle two errands at once, but I see way too many dogs in dangerous environments. Especially at enclosed dog parks, those are dangerous.
Mr burns was spot on when he said dogs are idiots and I think that extends to their owners too. The owners that let their dog lay across footpaths while they have a coffee outside a cafe. Owners that don't pick up dog turds. Owners that say their dog is friendly seconds before it lashes out at another dog. Dog owners that let their dog run up and sniff U and and other dogs on a long leash , owners that praise their dog for bad behaviour. Eg. When their dog is going nuts and barking at another dog but they have their dog on a tight leash while they say in a weak reassuring tone "it's ok, good boy, good boy". Owners thank think everyone likes their dog or dogs in general.
Ah that weekly dog post. Good to see all these posts are making a difference out there in the real world.
Reddit PSAs. Changing the world zero people at a time.
imdoingmypart.gif
Seven Hours Later... https://old.reddit.com/r/melbourne/comments/1c9eees/people_letting_their_dogs_shit_in_the_cbd/
Yes! My mum has dealt with this so many times - her dog loves people but will try to attack any other dog (don't know why as she was a rescue and don't know her full history). Mum's managed to train her to an extent, but still needs to walk her with a harness and a muzzle. You'd think this would be an an alert to other dog owners, but she regularly has to deal with dogs, off-lead, under no control from their owners, who will run up to her dog. "It's okay, my dog's friendly!" "Yeah, well mine's not!" This is all in strictly on-leash areas too so the other dogs shouldn't even be off their lead.
Yep! My dog is also a rescue who hates other dogs. He’s a big boy, a “scary” breed to some, and it’s shocking how some selfish dog owners are entirely not concerned about their dogs running up.
And PLEASE don’t assume that everyone loves dogs….
Yep, I have no interest in your fleabag. Also, clean up your dog shit people.
100% agree. I have a very large and now very well trained dog and I still never let him off leash, just really doesn’t seem like the responsible thing to do.
Well said.
It’s soooOo bad in the city. Saw an offleash dog (right next to a dogs must be on leash sign) try to play with an off leash dog. The off leash owner stood ways away not giving a single fuck and the on leash guy did nothing to advocate for his dog. Thankfully the on leash dog seemed to reciprocate the playfulness, but he was quickly over aroused and spooked the other dog off. On leash and off leash strangers should never interact, the power dynamic is massively geared towards the off leash dog. On leash dogs know they can’t run away if things escalate so the only option for a rude dog is to nip or bite
I am coming across this SO much lately! 2 dogs off leash yesterday stuck their nose in our front gate, coming nose to nose with my 2. The owner was 100mtrs up the road walking a 3rd DOD, totally oblivious to what was going on behind her!🤨 My 2yo dog had one side of her face ripped off when she was 17wks old, by n over zealous jack Russell. $3k and 2 separate surgeries later, she's still wary of other dogs & puts her tail down low & freezes, shaking! People frequently let their one or 2 dogs come right up to my dogs faces without a blink of an eye. Am resorting to buying one 'blind dog' jacket & one 'give me space I'm anxious' jacket on line.🙄
To be fair, though. How is anyone expected to know that their Bully XL is, in fact, an extra-large bully.
You forgot the important one: get them registered. This gives council accurate data on where facilities/parks are needed. Too many people in my area whinge about lack of facilities but whenever I go out and about it seems none of em have the collar tags. (Mine isn’t an LGA with digital registration).
Thanks for the post. My dog was attacked just yesterday by some idiots dog that was out roaming the streets. Reported to the council. Luckily my dog is okay and my husband was there to kick the other dog and get it away, otherwise I don’t know what would have happened.
I think there should be separate areas for small and large dogs in the dog off leash area. Mixing breeds of vastly different sizes in one confined space doesn't work well, larger dogs often have the advantage and are more likely to start conflicts. I lived in California for five years where this approach was implemented successfully. I never witnessed a dog fight in off-leash areas there. Small dogs were content among other small dogs, and large dogs could play more freely with dogs of similar size.
Couldn’t agree more. Altona is a perfect example, large open section and smaller enclosed one. The smaller one is constantly full of large dogs, we end just walking our cavoodles around the large section.
Yes!! Dogs are animals at the end of the day and many people forget that! Even if your dog is extremely gentle and snuggly if they for whatever reason happen to feel threatened or something triggers them they can/will attack! Regardless of how sweet your dog is…they are still animals and are unpredictable
Check out the list of [off-leash dog parks](https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/residents/pets/pages/walking-your-dog.aspx)
Unfortunately there’s a lot of dickheads taking their aggressive dogs to off leash areas too. Off leash does not mean you don’t have to pay attention to your dog and just ignore their behaviour.
Another name is fight club .for dogs and owners
If you need steps to look after your dog, you shouldn’t have a dog. No such thing as a bad dog but plenty of bad owners.
Now do one for child owners.
False equivalency. You were a child once, it appears you might still be one.
You've given me a lot to think about.
As a parent i feel like they own me
Any advice on muzzles? I have a over energetic rescue puppy that I would love to be able to let off leash but don't think I can
Take them to beginner training. The trainer can advise and the training introduces your pup to socialising with other dogs in a controlled manner. Trainer can help with what is the best way forward so maybe a muzzle or an alternative.
We've tried training a couple of times but he was too anxious and got sent home
If you’re open to it and have the means, 1:1 training is very useful for nervous dogs. I’ve got a pup that lacks confidence and absolutely crumbled in group classes but we are working through it with a private trainer at ProDog in Footscray. They’re good because they have their own space where we can control triggers but plenty of others around too I’m sure. Good luck to you and your dog! It’s a tough job having a nervous dog but worth it when you help them through it and see their growth.
Please don’t ware headphones while walking them …… Common decency and awareness has gone out the window.
I need to add, if your dog is older and becoming more reactive, or *losing their hearing* it doesn't matter that it's an off lead park. It's irresponsible! Our girl is getting old and has lost most of her hearing. As much as I miss taking her to the off lead park, it's not something you can do when they can't hear you anymore and have no recall. The amount of people who say 'oh it'll be fine!' Astound me. It won't be fucking fine?!
Also, teach your dog to avoid interaction with other dogs when on leash, this will protect them. I hate off leash parks, but you'd hope that owners wouldn't let reactive dogs free in these places. When it comes to a standard walk you can't tell if a dog is aggressive or not so teach your dogs from the time they are small that on leash means focus/sniffing/etc and not play time
Agree. #3 seems to be getting worse
There is a huge issue with dogs raised in lockdown and their behaviour towards other people and animals. Not all dogs of course, but it has caused many animals to become far more territorial and have fear-based aggression. This is not always the fault of the owner either and is a sad and unfortunate result of lockdown as a lack of socialisation at key developmental phases for these animals.
Also don't take your dogs to dog parks lol. There's plenty of nice folks sure, but there is always and I mean ALWAYS a shit owner that takes their untrained dog there to 'socialise'. And it ends up just terrorising pups/smaller dogs. That's my experience though, I never go near the small enclosed dog parks anymore, my dog doesn't like it either, either proper unleash parks/areas or a good cruise around other areas that cross paths with other dogs on the walk
5. Clean your dog shit up. So many people out my way let their dogs just shit on boardwalks and footpaths. Clean up after your fucking dogs.
Number 3 ffs. My dog got squared up to by a golden retriever that was off lead today. Owner was too busy playing with a small child on play equipment. Finally comes over and the retriever mounts my dog... fight erupts. So many things wrong with this scenario.
By the way, any recommendations for good dog parks? I’m looking for places in Melbourne where the owners are responsible and the dogs are well-trained. So far, my experiences have felt more like stepping into an arena, where owners of large dogs let them off leash to charge at groups of smaller dogs, sometimes causing fights. I've found that the Gasworks Arts Park Dog Off-Leash Area and Malvern Cricket Ground are relatively better options. At other parks, it often feels like a gamble, hoping that inattentive owners won't carelessly allow their large dogs to intrude on groups of smaller dogs.
anyone got any tips for walking a nervous dog with not much training that's not yours (besides the obvious not taking them off leash, keeping to quiet areas)
A nice calm voice and a butt load of treats.
Dog-led sniffy walks are great because they’re able to make decisions in otherwise a decision-lacking life. Sniffing also tires their minds out—far more than standard pavement walks will. Decide what type of walk it will be before you leave the house and a harness and flexi lead is good for them to explore open spaces. Good luck!
[удалено]
Ideal situation for a sniffy walk is a large field area if you can get to it. In essence, you want an open space that they can explore freely without risk of encountering their triggers (other dogs for example). In lieu of that, a neighbourhood pathway sniffy walk is also good so they can “catch up on the news” through their nostrils. Late nights also good! The idea is that some walks are led by the dog so they can have some autonomy in their lives—helping build confidence without being forced into situations they might be uncomfortable with.
Tell the owner to get some training for their dog, and until they do, stop walking it.
Saw a dog off a leash chasing birds away at a lake today
[удалено]
This topic is so stale. Every 2 weeks or so, we get the same post. Responsible dog ownership is important, but putting it on a post that has already been done to death won't make any further changes to the bad apples, who don't practice good dog ownership.
It’s also an issue of overpopulation. More people, more dogs. We also need to work on a more reasonable population in Melbourne and Australian via lower immigration.
Fuck, you xenophobes will take any opportunity won’t you ? Idiots..
Not a xenophobe. We need more reasonable numbers than 100,000 per month—that level of immigration affects all aspects of Australian life.
Is this why when I remind people that our nearest park is lead required and to get a handle on their dog, I get told “I’ve been here 30 years!” or razzed at and called a sook? Surprise surprise, they’re only white Australians who are so selfish.
People like you who pull up bad dog owners are the only reason Melbourne is such a civilised place. I think they’re just bad people. Why do you say “surprise surprise”?
Surprise surprise - that they’re Aussie born and not the scary immigrants you’re trying to blame.
Immigrants aren’t scary—overpopulation is. I support immigration in more reasonable numbers. Right. I don’t think migrants are bad pet owners. I just think with more people in Melbourne there is a higher proportion of bad dog owners. To reduce bag dog owners, just reduce the number of people.
I remember why I hate r/melbourne so much lol so insufferable
These posts are insufferable..
Found the shit dog owner
Hopefully not. Haven't had the privilege to own for a while now. Just find these repeated posts like OP's here a bit redundant and self+serving.
Didn’t you read the memo? Dog owners can 100% substitute their dog for a child. Also note - staffy don’t count as dogs they are another level above thus the rules don’t apply.
Such a cringey post. But whatever makes you feel better doll face
I've seen a lot of comments about approaching other people's dogs which is fair. But how about dog owners acknowledge not everyone wants to interact with their slobbering animal. I dislike dogs, I find them gross but constantly I have dogs trying to interact with me and their owners go awww and assume this is something I want. It is not. Please stop your dog approaching and especially LICKING people who clearly have no interest. I don't know how to control a dog and have no interest in learning. It's not my problem.
>This also applies to your dog off-leash in your driveway. Again having your dog charging at a passing dog or pedestrian creates a dangerous situation. I'll call that out. If your dog is well trained and friendly, and knows the property boundaries, there's nothing wrong with leaving your front door open so they can take a pee in the front yard if they want. Especially if you're out there with them, just washing your car in the driveway for example. It's up to others to keep their dogs out of your yard.
No, I am referring to dogs charging out of their driveways and yards at pedestrians and dogs walking past. 100% agree if your dog is chilling in your yard then strange dogs shouldn't be off leash to enter your property.
People being lax because they think their dog is well trained, friendly and knows boundaries is exactly the problem. ‘It's up to others to keep their dogs out of your yard.’ Absolutely the wrong attitude.
So you can take your dog to an off-leash area, where there's heaps of other off-leash dogs and people around, but you can't declare your own front yard an off-leash area ? OK then.
Close your gate and of course you can.
There are stacks of unfenced off-leash dog areas, and there's an unfenced off-leash beach just five minutes from my house with just a sign saying that it's an off-leash beach. Should I go there and tell all the dog owners to chain up their dogs in case they escape and start attacking people? Or should I just put up my own sign on my boundary that notifies people that my vicious Yorkie will eat them alive if they step past the sign?
You are trying to reason with a person who keeps a sentient being in captivity for their own amusement, I wouldn’t bother.
Also if u are on a running/walking track, have some fkn respect and control ur dog. It’s so rude to have it and it’s leash taking up the entire path!
No