[metal arms]

You wouldn't say "It's an inevitable fact of life that people own dogs some people are bullies and they will be exposed to them (even well behaving ones) at some point in their life."

Yes you would.  School.

Back on track - Get a greyhound.  Loads of the skinny guys need homes.  (Although you should assess your cragging/walk in requirements as ours are too feeble to scramble over rocks but obviously YMMV)

[Baldy]

You wouldn't say "It's an inevitable fact of life that people own dogs some people are bullies and they will be exposed to them (even well behaving ones) at some point in their life."

Why not? I think it is true.

I'm not saying that there is no fault on the part of the owner/dog itself. But living in a dream world where everyone plays happy families doesn't help anyone, you might as well help provide them with the tools to handle potential problems. And if that means helping them become more comfortable around well natured dogs, then it seems like a good thing to do?

My parents always told me that not all dogs are friendly, and that I shouldn't touch other people's dogs without checking first. Seems like a good idea to me...

[petejh]

People with kids terrified of them, is there nothing you can do to rectify this? Surely someone you know has a giant fluffy dog that is softer than mud. It's an inevitable fact of life that people own dogs and they will be exposed to them (even well behaving ones) at some point in their life. Nat's brother was like this and still is to a certain extent.

This is crap. It's not reasonable to expect that at some point during somebody's life they may or may not get harassed by a dog and that really they should just toughen themselves up a bit.

If 'reasonable' is still taken to mean 'in accordance with reason or sound thinking' then a reasonable person would expect that, living in the UK, the probability of getting harassed by PaulB's pack of wolves a dog at some point in their life is very high.

Clipsticks.

[Will Hunt]

When a friend was in Chorro, he and his climbing partner were dossing around town in disused buildings. Chorro is chock full of stray, wild dogs that roam around at night in packs hunting and scavenging for food. On one night my friend's partner went to stay with his girlfriend at the Olive Branch and Dave was left to doss alone. He set up camp outside an abandoned house under the balcony to shelter from any rain there might be, and was just drifting off to sleep when he heard the dog pack snarling and fighting in the distance.

"Fuck this", he thought, and climbed up with his sleeping bag onto the balcony. Minutes later, this pack of savage dogs runs right under the balcony where he'd just been about to fall asleep 

You wouldn't say "It's an inevitable fact of life that people own dogs some people are bullies and they will be exposed to them (even well behaving ones) at some point in their life."

Why not? I think it is true.

I'm not saying that there is no fault on the part of the owner/dog itself. But living in a dream world where everyone plays happy families doesn't help anyone, you might as well help provide them with the tools to handle potential problems. And if that means helping them become more comfortable around well natured dogs, then it seems like a good thing to do?

My parents always told me that not all dogs are friendly, and that I shouldn't touch other people's dogs without checking first. Seems like a good idea to me...

I should have elaborated a bit further. Whilst the world may be full of nasties that it is impossible to shelter from, Paul's post seemed to imply that dogs/owners behaving badly should just be accepted as a fact of life, and started to shift the blame for timid kids towards the parents. The blame should rest entirely with the dog owner; people should simply learn to control their dogs.

If somebody you knew was knocked down by a drunk driver, you wouldn't shrug your shoulders and say "Some people drive under the influence, you could try not going out onto the street after dark", you would lay the blame entirely at the door of the driver and expect them to have more discipline and self control.

[Fiend]

Habrich once again your choice of analogy / metaphor / comparison is utter arse. You do know that smoke particles couldn't be kept on a lead and dragged back to their owners, right?

As is Will's of course.

[Will Hunt]

As is Will's of course.

I don't think so. I'm not saying people shouldn't own dogs, just that they should be properly controlled. My problem with Paul's post was that it started to shift the blame for the emotional harm caused by a badly controlled dog onto the kid who's been frightened for being a little wet softie. Being bitten or jumped on by a dog, especially for a small person, should not have to be an expected part of life in the UK because people should be expected to control their hounds, in exactly the same way that all people are expected to avoid allowing any harm to come to others as a result of negligence.

[Mumra]

[Fiend]

Dogs + owners != bullies
Being in the same society as dogs + owners != being bullied

Also you missed Paul's point, he wasn't implying that being attacked should be an expected part of life, he was asking that in the unfortunate event that someone was attacked, is there anything practical they can do to make being in the presence of dogs more tolerable (because we all bloody know what dogs and owners can do - people are expected to control their hounds).



And some of us dog fans are clearly taking into account the safety of society with out suggestions, hence SAUSAGE DOG being the obvious choice.

[Will Hunt]

Bah. You know that's not what I'm saying.

I would have thought a bigger dog was the safer option. Small yappy type dogs know that they're small and shit and thus exhibit all the signs of "short man syndrome", including accusing all the other dogs who are better dogs than they are of being lanky.

[Paul B]

I should have elaborated a bit further. Whilst the world may be full of nasties that it is impossible to shelter from, Paul's post seemed to imply that dogs/owners behaving badly should just be accepted as a fact of life, and started to shift the blame for timid kids towards the parents. The blame should rest entirely with the dog owner; people should simply learn to control their dogs.

Apologies Will but I think you should re read that post with the blinkers off - it said exposed to dogs, i.e. chances are one will walk past you at some point (perhaps even attached to a blind man, a police officer etc.) in a perfectly calm manner and at that point being comfortable can vastly help (/is a pragmatic approach).

If you're walking past a perfectly calm animal (lets take a horse for example unless Toby wants to ban horses from smoking in a public area too?) you must be aware that the way you behave can influence the situation hugely? If it's on a rural road you'd slow down, you wouldn't expect the animal to able to cope with your chosen choice of rust box backfiring next to it. People who've had 'a bad experience' can react poorly in every day situations which cause issues. That's all I was implying along with the fact that you will not go through life without ever being near a dog (poorly behaved or not).

If somebody you knew was knocked down by a drunk driver, you wouldn't shrug your shoulders and say "Some people drive under the influence, you could try not going out onto the street after dark", you would lay the blame entirely at the door of the driver and expect them to have more discipline and self control.

and yet I'd imagine you don't leave your mobile phone in full view in your car? Lock your doors and windows etc.? Generally consider which route you may or may not walk through a city at night, especially when drunk? Otherwise we'd all be living on the surface happy and dumb not expecting to be dragged beneath the earth at some point.

...and talking about dogs living stray in Chorro is as relevant as Boswell wrestling a shark (or was it Shark? or perhaps a bear?) i.e. rather darn irrelevant.

Toby - a paradigm shift in public opinions and actions toward a cancer causing practice is somewhat different to a well behaved dog and owner, of which there are many.

Anyway this all getting a bit heavy...

[petejh]

Small yappy type dogs know that they're small and shit and thus exhibit all the signs of "short man syndrome", including accusing all the other dogs who are better dogs than they are of being lanky.

You don't the same grade for mauling the postman if you're a Japanese fighting dog though.

[tomtom]

Who's not voted Labradoodle then?

[Paul B]

People with kids terrified of them, is there nothing you can do to rectify this? Surely someone you know has a giant fluffy dog that is softer than mud. It's an inevitable fact of life that people own dogs and they will be exposed to them (even well behaving ones) at some point in their life.

What you mean is adjust to other people's selfishness.

Unless you think owning any animal and behaving responsibly with said animal is in itself selfish then no, that's obviously not what I meant.

My folks' have two French Bulldogs and they get on my nerves no end with how unbothered they are at how the dogs interrupt other people daily - this from two people who owned much larger dogs that were trained amazingly well. The new dogs have none of this.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Two for Paul, although this one is probably a little small for the lead  :



Everyone knows that this one doesn't bite  :



..one that even Paul could manage :-P

[shark]

[Paul B]

Sandy little b*tch that one Dave!

/meltdown day.

[andyd]

Steinbeck had a French poodle. He reckoned it was amazingly intelligent and intuitive.

I'd look at your lifestyle and available space to choose a dog. I wouldn't shortlist the ones you like the idea of but the ones that will be happy to fit in with working hours and walk potential.
Can we split the thread so people can vent about dogs on DDFDs rather than on a advice topic?

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Last week I went to a zoo. I walked round for hours and only found one animal in it - a dog. It was a shitzu

 

[mrconners]

Get a Springer Spaniel from a working line. Fantastic dog. Need plenty of exercise though.

[SA Chris]

Who's not voted Labradoodle then?

Who has voted for a pug?? Poor inbred creatures with horrific respiratory and dental problems.

[SA Chris]

I used to love dogs as a child, but when i was about 12 years old one randomly bit me on the arm puncturing my skin through several layers of clothing (about 1 minute into being patted no barking, just a waggly tail by way of warning). I'm still not alright with dogs as a result and i doubt anything my parents had done following that would have changed anything, becuase me not being alright with dogs is not without merit. some dogs will bite, some won't and you can't tell the difference when one is bounding around (or at) you

I was knocked down by a Labrador on the beach when I was about 5. It came charging up to me, jumped on me and knocked me over backwards into shallow water and stood on me. I was put off them for years, but got used to them again, although I still get scared if one runs towards me as you never know what it's intent is.

[Fiend]

Generally slobber at you. Labs are daft as fuck, lovely dogs tho.

[petejh]

Who's not voted Labradoodle then?

Who has voted for a pug?? Poor inbred creatures with horrific respiratory and dental problems.

That's a bit harsh, they were only voting about a dog.

[Oldmanmatt]

I used to love dogs as a child, but when i was about 12 years old one randomly bit me on the arm puncturing my skin through several layers of clothing (about 1 minute into being patted no barking, just a waggly tail by way of warning). I'm still not alright with dogs as a result and i doubt anything my parents had done following that would have changed anything, becuase me not being alright with dogs is not without merit. some dogs will bite, some won't and you can't tell the difference when one is bounding around (or at) you

I was knocked down by a Labrador on the beach when I was about 5. It came charging up to me, jumped on me and knocked me over backwards into shallow water and stood on me. I was put off them for years, but got used to them again, although I still get scared if one runs towards me as you never know what it's intent is.

Chances are, it's intent on loving you half to death as Retriever/Labs generally seem to operate on the "I've never met you, but you are my bestest friend ever and I love you" system of social interaction.

Unlike the fuck-stain Staffie I wrestled off my sister-in-law's Yorkie last weekend which very nearly ripped it apart (and would have if I hadn't made it realise I was going to break it's neck if it didn't release).
Oddly, my Goldie leapt on the Staffie and grabbed a hind leg and I'd have expected her to cower and whine.
She wouldn't leave the Yorkie alone after, kept nudging and nuzzling him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SA Chris]

I used to love dogs as a child, but when i was about 12 years old one randomly bit me on the arm puncturing my skin through several layers of clothing (about 1 minute into being patted no barking, just a waggly tail by way of warning). I'm still not alright with dogs as a result and i doubt anything my parents had done following that would have changed anything, becuase me not being alright with dogs is not without merit. some dogs will bite, some won't and you can't tell the difference when one is bounding around (or at) you

I was knocked down by a Labrador on the beach when I was about 5. It came charging up to me, jumped on me and knocked me over backwards into shallow water and stood on me. I was put off them for years, but got used to them again, although I still get scared if one runs towards me as you never know what it's intent is.

Chances are, it's intent on loving you half to death as Retriever/Labs generally seem to operate on the "I've never met you, but you are my bestest friend ever and I love you" system of social interaction.

No doubt, but if the dog is taller than you and outweighs you it can still do harm whether it intended to or not. I can remember my mum insisting I get a tetanus shot for the scratches its claws put into my chest. Thanks a fucking lot you lovable crazy mutt.