People Who Are Scared Of Dogs

[huski]

There is a lady who walks around our neighbourhood every day who is terrified of dogs.

She walks with a big metal pole in her hand and raises it if dogs come near her.

I try to avoid her as best I can, but sometimes our paths cross and we have to walk by each other. No matter what I do with Daisy when we walk past, she freaks out.

I walked in between her and Daisy the other day and Daisy crossed in front of me to sniff something. She wasn't pulling on the leash, or moving to be near the lady. I grabbed her and pulled her back knowing that this woman had a big pole but she freaked out and raised it like she was going to hit Daisy. Thankfully I pulled her away in time.

Just a couple of days ago we walked past her again, so this time I thought I would walk part way up a drive way to clear the foot path so we would be as far from this woman as possible. I put Daisy in a sit in heel position to make sure she wouldn't go any where. The woman freaked out and raised the pole, screamed and ran past us as fast as possible.

Now I try to be a responsible dog owner and I don't want my dogs to frighten anyone. But this women's fear of dogs is so extreme that I'm worried she will hit my dog simply for walking past her. I know we need to have our dogs under effective control even when they are leashed, but where do you draw the line? Who would be to blame if she walked past a friendly dog who tried to sniff her or got too close to her (without touching her) and she hit it? Daisy is relatively well behaved and is never too interested in the people we pass, but I know there are lots of friendly dogs walked around our neighbourhood who are more excitable around people.

[pie]

Wow! And I was complaining last night about a kid in the park who would scream like she was being murdered every time a dog entered the (very large) park. You win

Maybe you can contact the Ranger or police and they can have a word with her and let her know her behaviour is not right? this is probably a good thing to do anyway in case she does hit one of your dogs (which I really hope she doesn't).

[Crysti_Lei]

that reaction is going to get her bitten faster then anything.

[huski]

I've thougt about that Amps and I might give the council a call just to see where I stand. I don't know her name or where she lives, so it would be hard to report her.

I should add she doesn't appear to speak English so talking to her would be difficult.

Edited January 13, 2010 by huski

[SparkyTansy]

try and tell her from a distance, if she looks as though she is going to pass you, that you are putting your dog into a sit so that she can walk past... perhaps making it known to her that you are aware of her fear means that she will relax a little when you are near her, cos she knows you will keep Daisy under control...

I'd hate to think of what could happen if she goes past a wary dog giving off those types of vibes..

Edit: bugger just saw your last post... if she doesn't speak english it makes things difficult.

Edited January 13, 2010 by SparkyTansy

[pie]

Yep that's true, but does she walk at the same time every day? If so they might be able to find her easily enough?

[The Spotted Devil]

I've thougt about that Amps and I might give the council a call just to see where I stand. I don't know her name or where she lives, so it would be hard to report her.

I should add she doesn't appear to speak English so talking to her would be difficult.

What a shame - I normally ask people/kids what would make them more comfortable - tends to give them back a sense of control over the situation, particularly when the dog does as asked If it were me, I would step off the path and ask my dog to drop - demonstrate that you have perfect control over the situation. And smile, nod and say hello. Small things......

[Nic oh lah]

Eep! I have a freind that is terrfied of GSD's and it's going to be a slow and lengthy road before he'll go near sophie - talking to her through the screen door is as close as I think he'll ever manage - but to go out onto public property where people have every right to walk their dogs on leash and act as if to smack them with a pole! That's so out of line. I'd probably say something along the lines of "smack my dog and i'll smack you harder" but you must be calmer than me! hehe.

I think people think dogs have no right to be walked? We had a situation at the dog park last week when our girl was running around with a Tibetan Mastiff having big bouncy doggie play-fights and chasies, when a couple came to play at the park with their 3yr old daughter. AND NO DOGS. Just thought they'd bring their 3yr old who was wearing no shoes play on the agility equipment! Luckily i saw her before she saw us and put a lead on sophie, as the kid spotted her and ran at her wanting to "pat the puppy". Soph is fine with older kids but i've not had her round kids younger than about 7, and playing or not, she could really hurt the kid. So i calmly told them to keep their child away from strange dogs, and suggested that maybe they take her to a playground rather than a dog park - to which the guy said - F&%$ off, it's a free country! To which i said, "I understand that but if your daughter doesn't get hurt or eaten by a less controlled dog, then there's as much chance she'll step on a snake or in dog crap and get worms'. Geesh! They left about 5mins later so we could all let our dogs go and play. This is at Kroll Gardens, which has massive fences and signs and poo bins, so very clearly a dog park. Sigh. Some people.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i bet the council workers know of her and will know where she lives. her behaviour is not within the "normal" bounds so i suspect there is more going on than just a fear of dogs

[Red Fox]

It's going to be hard if she doesn't speak English. You would think that after walking past the same dog a few times or seeing that the owner is mindful of keeping out of her way that she would relax a little Her behaviour is only going to make things much, much worse - especially if she ever does come across a particularly aggressive, reactive or fearful dog.

What i don't understand is if she is that fearful of dogs why does she not move away, cross the road etc??

Though if it was me I could only be patient for so long. Then I think I would end up screaming at her like a banshee if she raised that pole one too many times

Maybe you need to make her see you as the scary one Huski

eta: We have Muslim neighbours and the teenage girl used to be terrified of Kei. I walked past her almost every day on the way to pick up my son from school and eventually she came to realise that he was on a leash and I would not let him near her. She now looks quite relaxed when we pass, even smiles and says hello ;)

Edited January 13, 2010 by SecretKei

[Snout Girl]

wow what is with all these weapon wielding psychos prowling around our neighbourhoods?

it would not even occur to me to take a pole/plank of wood/machette/army canon etc on a dog walk

what is the world coming to

[poodlefan]

I wa

lked in between her and Daisy the other day and Daisy crossed in front of me to sniff something. She wasn't pulling on the leash, or moving to be near the lady. I grabbed her and pulled her back knowing that this woman had a big pole but she freaked out and raised it like she was going to hit Daisy. Thankfully I pulled her away in time.

Cross the road. She can't hit a dog she can't reach.

Edited January 13, 2010 by poodlefan

[poodlefan]

wow what is with all these weapon wielding psychos prowling around our neighbourhoods?

it would not even occur to me to take a pole/plank of wood/machette/army canon etc on a dog walk

what is the world coming to

Ever been attacked by a dog B&S? Or had your dog attacked by one?

[huski]

What a shame - I normally ask people/kids what would make them more comfortable - tends to give them back a sense of control over the situation, particularly when the dog does as asked If it were me, I would step off the path and ask my dog to drop - demonstrate that you have perfect control over the situation. And smile, nod and say hello. Small things......

Thanks TSD. I hadn't thought of putting Daisy in a down. I will try this next time

Cross the road. She can't hit a dog she can't reach.

Unfortunately, I tend to run into her on a fairly busy road which means I can't easily get across it. If it was a quiet street, I definitely would!

ETA: I would walk a different way but going down this street is unavoidable if I want to get to my local park where I train Daisy.

I understand that she's terrified and that she's probably been attacked by dogs before. However, I want to know where I stand in terms of what happens if she hits my dog for doing nothing but walking past her, sniffing or showing a fleeting interest in her.

Edited January 13, 2010 by huski

[poodlefan]

What a shame - I normally ask people/kids what would make them more comfortable - tends to give them back a sense of control over the situation, particularly when the dog does as asked If it were me, I would step off the path and ask my dog to drop - demonstrate that you have perfect control over the situation. And smile, nod and say hello. Small things......

Thanks TSD. I hadn't thought of putting Daisy in a down. I will try this next time

Cross the road. She can't hit a dog she can't reach.

Unfortunately, the tend to run into her on a fairly busy road which means I can't easily get across it. If it was a quiet street, I definitely would!

ETA: I would walk a different way but going down this street is unavoidable if I want to get to my local park where I train Daisy.

I'd change direction if necessary.

[Snout Girl]

wow what is with all these weapon wielding psychos prowling around our neighbourhoods?

it would not even occur to me to take a pole/plank of wood/machette/army canon etc on a dog walk

what is the world coming to

Ever been attacked by a dog B&S? Or had your dog attacked by one?

fortuntely no and no.

i can understand possibly carrying a stick for protection but large poles and planks of wood? that get waved around at every opportunity? its madness

[poodlefan]

wow what is with all these weapon wielding psychos prowling around our neighbourhoods?

it would not even occur to me to take a pole/plank of wood/machette/army canon etc on a dog walk

what is the world coming to

Ever been attacked by a dog B&S? Or had your dog attacked by one?

fortuntely no and no.

i can understand possibly carrying a stick for protection but large poles and planks of wood? that get waved around at every opportunity? its madness

My guess is that people had long sticks or poles. I can think of a few times I'd have liked to have had one.. or a Taser.

[huski]

I'd change direction if necessary.

Yeah but she's walking in the direction I just came from. If I changed direction, I'd just be walking back the way I came, only ahead of her - how would I get to the park then? There's no side street I can walk down, which is why last time I walked up a drive way to be as far away as possible but it didn't work and she still freaked out.

Edited January 13, 2010 by huski

[Nannas]

There is a lady who walks around our neighbourhood every day who is terrified of dogs.

She walks with a big metal pole in her hand and raises it if dogs come near her.

I try to avoid her as best I can, but sometimes our paths cross and we have to walk by each other. No matter what I do with Daisy when we walk past, she freaks out.

I walked in between her and Daisy the other day and Daisy crossed in front of me to sniff something. She wasn't pulling on the leash, or moving to be near the lady. I grabbed her and pulled her back knowing that this woman had a big pole but she freaked out and raised it like she was going to hit Daisy. Thankfully I pulled her away in time.

Just a couple of days ago we walked past her again, so this time I thought I would walk part way up a drive way to clear the foot path so we would be as far from this woman as possible. I put Daisy in a sit in heel position to make sure she wouldn't go any where. The woman freaked out and raised the pole, screamed and ran past us as fast as possible.

Now I try to be a responsible dog owner and I don't want my dogs to frighten anyone. But this women's fear of dogs is so extreme that I'm worried she will hit my dog simply for walking past her. I know we need to have our dogs under effective control even when they are leashed, but where do you draw the line? Who would be to blame if she walked past a friendly dog who tried to sniff her or got too close to her (without touching her) and she hit it? Daisy is relatively well behaved and is never too interested in the people we pass, but I know there are lots of friendly dogs walked around our neighbourhood who are more excitable around people.

In regards to this darkened line..IF a dog got too close and sniffed at her and she hit it,,,it would be the dog owners fault..

The idea behind "effective control" is that a dog does NOT enter another persons personal space...not matter what reason.

People may know their dogs are freindly and safe BUT passersby don't know that, and people who are scared of dogs do NOT have to put up with dogs in their personal space no matter how "weird" others think they are.

I agree that just walking passed her and her raising the pole is a bit extreme, especially if you are moving out the way to give her space but gawd knows what her problem is. Maybe she has a mental illness, maybe she has been bitten before, maybe she is fed up with other people letting their dogs harrass her on her walks. (we all KNOW that happens as there are long threads of complaints about it)

When I walk I don't allow other peoples strange dogs within a stick length of me. I can speak english to tell them I will kick/hit their dog if it gets too close. This lady you say cannot speak english so maybe the pole raising is her warning.

I don't care how safe/freindly people tell me their dog is. If I do not know the dog and it gets too close I will warn the owners.

I am a dog lover and have dogs but I'll be stuffed if I am going to have every strangers dog coming up to me on the street. I don't allow my dogs to do it to others and don't expect to put up with other peoples dogs doing it to me.

There is really no reason for a dog to go up to sniff strangers walking by.

I'd stay away from her or cross the road or something. I doubt the council or police could do anything as many people carry sticks etc to keep dogs away. They might be able to have someone talk to her but I don't know what they would be able to tell her.

[Snout Girl]

I'd change direction if necessary.

Yeah but she's walking in the direction I just came from. If I changed direction, I'd just be walking back the way I came, only ahead of her - how would I get to the park then? There's no side street I can walk down, which is why last time I walked up a drive way to be as far away as possible but it didn't work and she still freaked out.

i know of someone she could walk with....however this woman favours a large plank of wood