I hate dogs!

Recently moved to a lovely area,lots of woods,bridleways,trails etc,but I'm often loathe to use them at certain times.Why? I HATE DOGS.All types,big and small.If I had a pound everytime someone says to me he's okay,(as he sniffs around or snarls at me)he won't hurt you I'd be a millionaire!!
My spine just goes cold everytime I spot one and its making me take alternative,less enjoyable routes.
Don't say they can detect fear-I know that,but you can't control it-it just happens.Any ideas to rid me of this phobia,please?
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Comments

  • I love dogs - just hate inconsiderate owners! I'm sick to death of dodging dog poo on pavements too - disgusting. Haven't these people ever heard of pooper-scoopers?!! Sorry I haven't got any advice to offer you Terry, but I know how you feel, if that helps at all!
    Michelle x
  • Hi terry, what with me beign a cat I know what you mean, I agree with Michelle, I dont mind dogs at all but, mostly its the owners fault, take this mornings run, nice quiet country road bloke walking towards me with 3 yorkies running about, of course they all ran straight at me I had to vault over the little things (polite or what) or they would have tripped me up, all I got was a dirty look off the owner.
    Last one of many stories, on wednesday a bloke with 3 dogs again on those extended leads on a narrow path, dogs going in all directions I nearly got tangled up it was like an assault course
    Anyway Terry I think like me you will just have to grin and bear it, sorry cant offer you advice just lots of stories.

    Gaz.......

  • Have you tried hypnotherapy or something similar?
    I'm a dog owner whose dogs totally ignore runners and, mostly, walkers as well but I do appreciate that not everyone likes dogs. If I think from someone's appearance/reaction that they don't like dogs I'll call mine away from their path if at all possible.
  • Yes Murf, you seem to be a considerate owner
    Having been attacked by a dog aged 4 Im not keen on them either, but the poor beasts are bound to want to run when you are
    Their ownners should keep them under control, its not the dogs fault
  • I lived in an Inner City for many years and had to give up running due to Dogs. In this case they didn't have owners and were just packs of strays. On dark nights running after work they would run out of dark streets. Thankfully I never got bit. I made protestation to the Council who sent out the Dog Warden - just one for the whole city - and they apparently rounded up 38 strays.
    I now live in a good area but now the problem is dog mess. Why in this day and age do we have this problem?
    What you have is a natural fear. There is nothing wrong with that and after hearing of dog attacks you are just being careful.The only problem is Dog Owners who will not keep their dogs under control and clean up after them so everyone can enjoy their surroundings.
  • I'm an animal lover and agree it's up to the owner but I am reminded of a letter in RW (I think), where a runner in America ended up in hot water for shooting a dog that attacked him. Radical, but the lesson wasn't lost on the owner.
  • There was another post about dogs a little while ago and I brought up the very same point about the owners presuming everyone loves dogs, and saying 'he won't hurt you'. So? I don't want him jumping up at me with his muddy paws and salivating mouth either!!!

    I'm not a big fan of dogs either, but if they trained their ignorant owners in a bit of dog-keeper etiquette then I'd be happier.

    As for dog pooh on the road, another thing I commented on previously - if a child did that then there'd be uproar.
    If dogs can be trained to do tricks and guide the blind, why the hell can't they be trained to use the lavatory and flush the chain??

    :-0 Beth
  • I once had a big argument with a woman who let her dog poo outside my house without picking it up. I went out after her and told her that she either picked it up or I would follow her home and put it through her letterbox! She said 'i haven't got anything to pick it up with' and I told her, 'well that shows just what an inconsiderate dog owner you are - because you should always carry doggy poo bags with you'.. anyway, after a few more strong(!) words from me, and the supply of a doggy poo bag - she took away the offending item. My dog Ben died in December, so I haven't got a dog anymroe, but I never took him out without clearing up his mess, and then, only let him poo in the gutter and I never let him off the lead in public places.. I've lost count of the number of times other dogs ran up to him, and me shouting at the owner, 'Call your dog away', with them saying, 'oh, he won't hurt him' - yeah, famous last words - my poor boy got savaged to within an inch of his life by a 'he won't hurt him' dog and also had his tail practically bitten off by a 'he won't hurt him' yorkshire terrier!!! Grrrr.. rant over...!!
    Michelle x
  • I think I'm correct in saying that owners are subject to a £1000 fine for not clearing up dog poo, if that's correct then you can threaten them with that!!

    I actually like dogs, but even so having one run into my path, and potentially tripping me up is a pain in the bum!

    Iain
  • It is those extended leads that sooooo annoy me. Dog owner very happy on one side of the pavement whilst cunning pooch uses the trip wire to catch out the unwary runner by heading off to the other side of the road ! Grrrrr.
  • If I had apound for every dog post I'd be a rich lady :)

    Seriously, the problem is the owners.

    Iain -- you're quite right it is a £1000 fine for leaving dog muck about. What annoys me is people leave it in the park where I go and there are around 20 bins (including the doggie ones) for them to put it in - really half the problem is laziness, so a threat of fining should help with that. The problem is confronting the owner - last time I did it I was told in no undertain terms that if I didn't quit whining, I'd be made to quit - and I took the threat seriously when the woman pulled a swiss army knife out. I've never walked my dog there since!
  • DustinDustin ✭✭✭
    I use the 'I'll put poo in your letterbox if you don't clear it up' trick - seems to work.

    Also I don't subscribe to the 'he/she won't hurt you school' of thought. Personally dogs don't worry me but as a father of two small children you try telling a 2/3 year old that the yapping little f***er 'won't hurt'.

    Also why is it that owners think that when their dog bounds up to you , that you want to be covered in mud and dribble ? Yes I know they won't hurt , but to get the dribble dry cleaned out of my clothes (normally happens when walking home from work in a suit) is a pain in the backside.

    Get a cat.
  • GlennGlenn ✭✭✭
    What gives anyone the right to let their dog bother anyone else? Surely if you choose to keep a pet you must keep it under control. To me this means you NEVER let it near anyone else i.e. it stays on the lead unless there is no-one about - unless you really can make it walk to heel at all times.
  • Glenn -- unfortunately the law only specifies that a dog must be within the owner's control... it doesn't say you have to keep a dog on a lead. For me my furry little bugger would never come back if let off the lead and he's way too friendly, consequently he never has free reign and frankly, that's the way I like it. That way no-one gets mad at me and I don't get attacked by mad women with knives ... you get what I mean :)
  • Worst case I ever came across was in Norwich, on a popular running route. It's a nice path past a canal and through a wood and is full of runners every weekend and most of the week too. Came across this enormous fliiping alsation who started attacking my shoes and my partners (who got bitten when he was a kid and consequently NOT a big fan of dogs already).

    We started having a word with the owner who came out with "oh, he just hates trainers". Then why is he off the lead if you know he attacks people wearing trainers!!

    Definitely need more training of dog owners!
  • Come on Cath cats are lovely and cute,
    look at me.........
  • Reading all your notes makes me very glad I live here in Germany where your problems don't seem to exist as a general rule. But I agree totally the problem is usually the owner not the dog. The 'wolf pack' and I go to dog training club at least twice a week, mine do not attack people nor dogs, neither do they mess on public paths, they know better. But we see time and time again with beginner classes that 9 out of 10 times it takes a whole lot longer to train the owner than the dog, and some of them just never seem to be able to handle their animals properly. Don't blame the dog.
  • Suggest you have a look at an earlier thread "mans best friend" which was on this forum a week or so ago. Not all dog owners are bad 'uns and not all runners are saints either!
  • I am a dog lover but hate my run being interrupted by them- friendly or otherwise. Out running along the canal near Bradford on Avon on Saturday, I was approached by a rather excited dog which was surprise, surprise not on a lead. It jumped on me a bit before the owner called it back under his control, then he PUNCHED it, yes punched it.

    Unbelievable.

    I made a rather angry comment and his answer was that the dog needed to learn! What about a bit of back yard training or even a simple dog lead. The man had his son with him, I wonder if that is how he "teaches" his son too.
  • Pepsi that was a real horror story; i meet
    lots of dogs on my morning run in the local park and beyond running along with me for a while they don't cause me a problem;
    however as a dog owner myself I do feel that some people can be very inconsiderate in letting their pooches run up to people. Some people have a very real fear of dogs and the bigger versions
    can be quite intimidating when they come bounding up to you. Little dogs can sometimes be a trip hazard although I've not had to vault over a yorkie yet
  • I hate dogs too. Being mauled by a Rhodesian Ridgeback didn't help.
  • I generally don't mind dogs, however on a run round my local park the other day a VERY large great dane ran towards me. It gave me quite a fright as it would have been taller than me had it jumped up. Luckily it ran on past me but it really shouldn't have been off a lead.
  • My first time on here my fellow runners but just landing in the UK from my hols in Greece I would just like to say also about the wild dogs that would love to go for my ankles and then having to walk 30-50 yards untill they become bored and trotter off,this is very off putting, just didnt feel safe on those long stretch of roads on me own.
  • Dogs!! Its their owners that need sorting out. Running through the park and being chased by five dogs, all belonging to one person, was not a very pleasant experience. My brother gave me an Ultrasonic device he brought back from the States. It doesnt hurt the dog, just makes things uncomfortable for them. The best thing is the shock on the owners face when they see their precious dog cower for no apparent reason. I believe they also issue these devices to Postman in this country.
  • Where can you get one of those
  • it's always the owners fault, dogs cant help their behaviour, humans have domesticated them whilst neglecting some things such as control off the lead when there's runners!

    i would advise anyone with a dog aversion to look again, though, as most dogs can be really nice if they trust you. i go to the local dog rescue as a volunteer and take some for a walk every week, sometimes i get a greyhound or sheepdog who pulls on the lead so i get an extra run in! i always keep them on the lead, since they dont know me well and i dont know them, but they're always so grateful afterwards since theyre caged up most of the time!

    i think a lot of dog owners who arent runners just dont understand. i'm not afraid of dogs, but if a dog seems nervous or overly playful i'll slow down and offer the palm of my hand and say hello in a non threatening voice. i only go off road on long runs, so slowing down doesnt make much difference.
  • If you put your hand out at some of the dogs round here you'd be in occupational therapy for months.
  • Had to run past a member of our tatooed fraternity with a pit bull monster on a lead, thank god. I gave them a wide bearth by running well into the road, just as I passed slowly the monster lurched at me all teeth saliva and snot, good job the lad had a strong grip or I wouldn't be typing this or would be minus my bits, it took me a mile to calm down, it took two years off my life.
    Why do these tatooed people have monsters like this with thick collars with big brass studs on them, do they think it makes them look hard !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    My heart is pounding at the memory, B******s.
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