Having given it some thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that no, I do not like dog owners.
I should add that I am only referring to ones I’ve encountered. I have no opinion on all of the others–yet.
But of those I have met, yep, I don’t like most of them. They are irresponsible and selfish, they often have poorly-trained dogs and show little regard for the safety or comfort of others.
Dogs can be dangerous, even tiny toy dogs can bite hard and if they’re not healthy, they can spread infection or worse. A dog that is off-leash is not under the owner’s control, no matter what the owner may think. “Oh, he always comes when I call!” may seem ironclad because that’s always what has happened before, but if the dog decides to ignore you, your ability to control it lies in how long it will take you to get to it and grab it by the collar–assuming it doesn’t turn on you.
Tonight I went for a short walk through Hume Park and back. I follow the usual route I take when running, going down the stairs to Lower Hume Park. Just past the bend on the trail is a large dog sniffing about. It’s off-leash. There is no way to physically get past the dog without getting within range of its mouth, which is presumably full of sharp doggie teeth. The dog hasn’t noticed me and may very well be as friendly as all get-out. I have no idea, as I’ve never seen it before. Its owner is not within view. I back off and decide to wait thirty seconds or so, thinking by then the owner will have caught up and both dog and owner will move on.
That doesn’t happen. Instead the dog is still there. I wait again. After the third strategic retreat the dog has moved over to the parking lot and is standing next to the open door of a truck, which presumably belongs to the owner, unless the dog has the amazing ability to drive motor vehicles. I am then able to proceed forward on the path without facing imminent potential mauling.
I’ve been attacked and bitten by dogs before, having done nothing to provoke them. I’ve just unluckily been within proximity when they decided to flip out for whatever reason. My childhood was a series of tetanus shots. I don’t wish to repeat this as an adult.
This could have been avoided by the owner simply leashing the dog, as required by law. But the majority of dog owners I see don’t do this (I should add that a lot of them do and are nice people and usually the leashed dogs seem pretty nice, too).
I walk up the hill past the off-leash dog park. This is a fenced-in area that nonetheless has signs warning people that they must still keep their dogs under control at all times. As I walk by–keeping well away from the fence–a large dog with the coloring of a doberman runs up to the fence and starts following along, growling at me and taking on body language that says something to the effect of, “I would like to snack on you.” This does not amuse me.
The dog’s owner is oblivious.
I mutter obscenities and finally offer the dog advise of a carnal nature, while continuing to walk along. The dog either listens to my request (doubtful but not entirely impossible) or more likely reaches the end of the imaginary territory it needs to defend and backs off. The owner continues to remain oblivious.
A responsible dog owner would not have a dog that would follow and growl at a stranger when in public for no reason. An irresponsible one would.
I do not like dog owners.
Also, here’s a sign that’s posted on the same path I was walking along. If only all dogs were this cute and cartoony.
I’m not sure if the fine is for having your dog unleashed, not cleaning up its poop or a combination of both. What I do know is $2,000 is a heck of a lot of money to risk for the sake of letting Spot walk around unleashed.
Also, that cartoony dog is apparently owned by the invisible man.