My Turn To Whine About Idiot Dog Owners

[spottychick]

Just needed a little vent. I have just moved to a new town and I'm really liking it so far. I've met other dog owners who have all been very responsible and my two neighbours are animal rescuers (one of them rescues EVERYTHING! Even Llamas).

Anyway, I went down to the PO and tied my two dallies up outside. When I came out they were being very good as usual and a tall man with an Eastern European accent asked if they were mine. I said yes and he pointed out his dog that was sitting in his minibus. I told him he looked like a beautiful dog and we chatted about how no-one can work out what breed he is (he was large and hairy, black and white - possible a border collie x bull terrier or something).

Anyway, the bloke starts heading towards the bus door while rabbiting on about his dog and I say "Don't let him out". Of course bloke totally ignores me and lets his dog out - on a lead. Okay I think - at least he's under control - WRONG.

Pepper is off-lead and Tango is still tied to the post behaving very nicely. Big dog is clearly untrained and totally hyper. He hurls himself enthusiastically at Pepper who goes into a play bow and darts away. Then the bloke smiles and starts to lead him toward Tango. I stand between his dog and Tango and say "Don't bring him over here". Bloke ignores me, keeps coming at me. Big dog pushes past me and immediately lunges at Tango and jumps with his front body over Tangos head and his front legs on Tangos back. I don't think he was being aggressive, more dominant, but his approach to another male dog was totally inappropriate and Tango is stuck to a pole with very little chance of moving away. The big dog is at least twice the weight of Tango and is an in tact male. My fella looks so fragile and weak in comparison! ;) Tango doesn't react but stays still and looks at me for help. I immediately rush in and get back between big dog and Tango, at the same time pushing big dog away and pulling Tango in the other direction (having quickly released him from the pole - thank goodness I had him on the handy lead that clips around posts!!!) and well out of reach of the other dog. At this point I also call Pepper to me and grab her collar and asked bloke to please move his dog away.

Idiot bloke, however, obviously interprets my words as "PLease bring your out-of-control big dog over here where he can possibly start a fight with my male dog and I can get caught in the middle of it and end up injured too!!" so he keeps coming toward us with this stupid look on his face.

SO I YELL at bloke to get his dog away from Tango and try to explain to him why it was a stupid thing to do - but he can't hear me because his dog is barking it's fool head off and leaping about like a maniac. Bloke gets all offended and acts as tho I've done something wrong. Eventually he says all huffily - "Well we'll leave then" and I nod enthusiastically and say "Yep. Good. Go!" and his dog then suddenly yanks him over toward the car park and frantically drags him around the area for the next couple of minutes. It's patently obvious the bloke has no control over this dog. Meanwhile we can't move because they're in the way so we stand there waiting for him to get his dog back to the minibus and inside. Bloke decides to act like a 5 year old and takes his time, puts big dog in the bus but leaves the door open with big dog off the lead while he stuffs about picking up some paper off the floor, stretching and looking around. I'm standing just a couple of feet away with my dogs keeping my eye on his dog and taking note of where I could escape to with my dogs if anything happened.

FINALLY idiot bloke shuts the door, glares at me, gets in the other side and flies out of the carpark with much screeching and carrying on as if he's really annoyed.

HE'S ANNOYED!!!!???????

Man - people are so F#*@*ing stupid!!!!

We all take a moment to regroup and recover from this scarey moron moment and then went on our merry way. That could SO easily have ended up in a disaster. I really wish we could stop brain-dead people owning dogs.

Kudos to my two tho - Tango was as good as gold!

BTW - just an aside but Tango licked my hand today - something he almost NEVER does - he just doesn't lick people. But he actually did it twice, for no apparent reason. I was gob-smacked

[Aidan3]

You gotta watch those locals! Your guys did well though, that's something to be happy about. I went for a walk in the bush at 6:00am on Sunday morning, everything white with frost, must be the time the locals let their out of control dogs off the leash. One dog kept having a go at us for about 20 minutes, I found the owners back at the car park. Talk about lazy! Why walk your dog when you can just let it off at the car park to chase wallabies and harass other dogs?

[spottychick]

You gotta watch those locals! Your guys did well though, that's something to be happy about. I went for a walk in the bush at 6:00am on Sunday morning, everything white with frost, must be the time the locals let their out of control dogs off the leash. One dog kept having a go at us for about 20 minutes, I found the owners back at the car park. Talk about lazy! Why walk your dog when you can just let it off at the car park to chase wallabies and harass other dogs?

Good lord! I suppose they were sitting in the warm car sipping lattes or something LOL What a bunch of thickheads!

Yes, my two were great. Pepper always is - she really is a treasure. But Tango is coming along brilliantly. He's still a bit inclinded to have a go at Pepper but otherwise he seems to be dealing with everything really well. There's a gorgeous ram in a yard near the PO that has got to be the friendliest ram in the world. He jumps up with his front feet on the fence to say hi and get a head scratch - and beg for chips if you've got them. Tango sticks his head through the gate and they touch noses and smooch or he jumps up on the fence and rubs heads with the ram over the fence. It's really quite remarkable for a dog who has had no experience with .... well.... anything! in his past.

I'm hoping the idiot bloke was just passing through and NOT a local.

When did you become Aiden the second?

[Aidan3]

I suppose they were sitting in the warm car sipping lattes or something LOL What a bunch of thickheads!

Yes, errmmm, "thickheads", that's what I thought of them too. They weren't even doing something comfortable, I think they were about to mess about with trailbikes (illegally, but seeing as the cops didn't respond when I caught two blokes about to torch a car up there I doubt they'll worry about trailbikes either).

When did you become Aiden the second?

When did I become Aidan the first? Different computer, different email, password dyslexia.

[tdierikx]

Well done Tango!!!

I think the licks you got were his way of saying thanks for keeping him safe today...

T.

[spottychick]

Well done Tango!!!

I think the licks you got were his way of saying thanks for keeping him safe today...

T.

Could be! One thing's for sure, he's learning how to communicate his feelings - other than by snarling and snapping of course ;)

He also barks a lot these days - a talking bark when he wants something - usually food or a walk. It's hilarious because when I start talking back to him telling him "shush tango! That's enough" his bark sort of fades into a mouthed squeak sound and then disappears altogether - even tho he's still moving his mouth hee hee hee

Hard to describe but I hope you get the picture - it's caused much hilarity round here hee hee

[Kajtek]

Oh the wonderful, the glorious Tango (and Pepper of course).

I know that the experience was a tad s***, but just look at your babes! So very, very well behaved.

I think you owe yourself some major congrats and a big glass of :D

(BTW, when reading your post I got the impression that the idiot's focus was on you, not the dogs hehe)

[spottychick]

Oh the wonderful, the glorious Tango (and Pepper of course).

I know that the experience was a tad s***, but just look at your babes! So very, very well behaved.

I think you owe yourself some major congrats and a big glass of :D

(BTW, when reading your post I got the impression that the idiot's focus was on you, not the dogs hehe)

Ohhhh that's a disturbing thought - might explain a couple of things tho LOL

As it happens, I have some champers from a local winery, thoughtfully provided by the real estate agent who sold me this house - as part of a wonderful "house-warming" package! They also gave me a beautiful tea towel, some fruit cake and lots of other goodies including a $20 voucher for a bakery in Scottsdale.

But yes... champers .....