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Dogs in public spaces - Karina (7th Mar 2013 - 14:15:07) As I am recently retired, I have embarked on a fitness programme involving a quick walk around Radford Park. Of course I meet many dog owners walking their pets. Although the majority of the dogs are well behaved and their owners are courteous, I also regularly come across dogs who will run at me and jump up placing their often muddy paws on my clothes, leaving these soiled. As a young child I had a traumatic experience with a large dog regularly chasing me and knocking me to the ground by jumping up and placing its paws on my shoulders. This left me nervous of dogs; especially a dog pounding toward me makes me feel very scared. Whenever this happens in the park I say politely to the owner that I do not like their dog jumping up on me. Sometimes they apologize and get their dog under control, but I have come cross aggressive owners, who some will somehow blame me for the lack of discipline on their dog's part. Today I was accused by a woman of following her and her dog down the path after her dog pestered me, making my jacket very muddy. Could all dog owners please teach their pets to not pester passers by and accept that open spaces are for all to enjoy safely and that not everybody enjoys close encounters with unruly dogs. If you cannot keep your dog under control, then you need to keep it on a leash. Thank you.

Re: Dogs in public spaces - Andy (7th Mar 2013 - 14:28:10) You have a valid point, although things are very often not that simple. Very often, a bouncy "unruly" dog is simply playfull and energetic although it is very much the owner's responsibility to be aware of situations where their dogs are encountered by others who are wary or even frightened by dogs. Some friendly advice though - if a dog is bounding towards you and you are worried that it will jump at you you should turn your back to the dog, keeping your hands by your sides, and ignore it completely. I'm not saying this will work in all cases but it will do most of the time and dogs will mostly not jump at you if you act in this way. Hope this helps.

Re: Dogs in public spaces - Hal (7th Mar 2013 - 20:14:14) You know those hand buzzers you used to be able to get from joke shops that give people a small electric shock when you shake their hands? Keep one of those in your hand and if a dog jumps up at you just give it a pat on the side and I\'m sure it wouldn\'t do it again!! Of course if you meet someone you know in the park and shake their hand without remembering to remove it you might not be too popular!

Re: Dogs in public spaces - Anne (8th Mar 2013 - 09:03:22) Hal I'm not sure the hand buzzer is the best idea because as much as I agree that it will give the dog a light shock and could encourage the dog to run off, it could have the adverse effect of making the dog bite you as it is suddenly frightened.

Re: Dogs in public spaces - H (8th Mar 2013 - 15:07:39) My dog has been taught that people are friendly to her and usually they make a fuss of her because she starts to wag her tail and be instinctively moving forward to the person to be made a fuss of. If a person is scared of a dog the dog will pick up on that fear and become perhaps fearful themselves, so perhaps just turn away, as the lady said before, turn around, ignore them, they will know you are not wanting to pet them at all. Just because a dog is bouncy and running around does not mean it is out of control, just excited. A dog which is not wagging its tail and stands growling at you could be considered a threat to you.

Re: Dogs in public spaces - Ian (8th Mar 2013 - 15:47:36) Just a short guide to how the law perceives dogs whose owners let their dogs confront people/other dogs. Controlling your dog in public, a guide from GOV.UK Part 1: Overview It’s against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control: in a public place in a private place where the dog isn’t allowed to be (eg a neighbour’s house or garden without permission) The law applies to all dogs. Some types of dogs are banned (www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/banned-dogs). Out of control Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it: injures someone makes someone worried that it might injure them A court could also decide that your dog is dangerously out of control if: it injures someone’s animal the owner of the animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal Penalties You can be fined up to £5,000 and/or sent to prison for up to 6 months if your dog is out of control. You may also not be allowed to own a dog in the future. If you let your dog injure someone, you can be sent to prison for up to 2 years and/or fined. If you deliberately use your dog to injure someone you could be charged with ‘malicious wounding’. The maximum penalty is 5 years in prison.

Re: Dogs in public spaces - Karina (8th Mar 2013 - 16:27:07) Thank you all for the words of advice and information which I find very useful. I will definitely try the tactic of turning away. So far I have kept my arms down, hands in pockets and stood frozen hoping the dog will just go away. I have also asked the owner to not allow their dog to jump at me. I am sorry, but the fact that they might be playful or boisterous does not help me. Once I had small children, who were also boisterous and playful, but it was unthinkable that they would pester others and say throw mud at them. I have on occasions returned home with soiled clothes from muddy dogs\\\' paws. And you are right, I feel that they sense my fear and that makes them even more excited. I just do not want to be put off using the park and other open spaces and would ask the dog owners to accept that not everybody finds their pets irresistible and try and train their dogs early not to worry anybody unless they get a clear invite to come and play/be made fuss of. I must also say that I meet many dog owners whose dogs are well trained and who themselves are sympathetic and friendly. Somehow I feel the two go together.

Re: Dogs in public spaces - H (9th Mar 2013 - 09:34:29) I think any jury would be able to decide that a normal happy friendly bouncy pet who is just a bit over friendly is not dangerously out of control- The law was designed to stop people getting bitten by dangerous dogs There is no point in having a dog which needs exercise if you cannot let it off the lead. Dogs on leads become more defensive when they meet other dogs, as they feel they cannot protect themselves properly against attack.

Re: Dogs in public spaces - tony (11th Mar 2013 - 19:38:42) I've never seen it in Liphook thankfully but on Wimbledon Common every morning theres a about a dozen 'professional' dog walkers who turn up with vans and walk up to 10 dogs each in one go. Gog knows how much the owners are paying (it's either not enough or far too much depending on your perspective) but from what I can tell it involves the 'walker' being dragged along the path screaming and shouting while the dogs make a racket, then spending 10 minutes trying to round them up again before loading them back in the van or estate car and driving off. Meanwhile it's best to stay well clear. Hope it doesn't catch on here!

Re: Dogs in public spaces - Jay W (12th Mar 2013 - 13:59:47) I'd just like to add that there are some extremely professional dog walkers in our area - in particular a gentleman from Liss who has a group of around 9 dogs who behave impeccably and are clearly enjoying their walk around Weavers Down with their pack leader. A regular Cesar Millan. We also have a dog sitter who is a dog walker and she too is extremely professional and experienced. I don't doubt that my dog behaves better with her than he does with me! Having noticed that since the opening of Bramshott Place, Radford Park is overrun with elderly walkers and often their yappy miniature dogs, meaning I have to keep putting my mutt on his lead (just in case), I am giving the area a miss. Maybe Karina would feel safer walking round the rec where dogs must now be kept on a lead? Just the kids to worry about there - and I've yet to meet one of those who can be completely 100% tamed and trained!

Re: Dogs in public spaces - Karina (13th Mar 2013 - 23:35:06) Thanks for the advice, but I really enjoy Radford Park. You surely would agree that its loveliness does not compare with the Rec. I like the river, the trees, the ponds and the tranquillity. A brisk walk round it twice (about 2 miles I reckon) sets me up for the day. Surely you are not suggesting that one should not walk in the park without a dog. And as I said before: majority of dog owners are friendly and sympathetic as well as able to keep their dogs under control. By the way, I found the earlier advice of staying put and turning my back on he dog helpful: it worked a couple of times. Thank you. If I can give a dog a wide berth, I will.

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