Rant: To Dog Owners

[MarkLT1]

People in this thread really acting like there aren't yards with fences where the aggressive dog can poke into the sidewalk space that is right up against the fence?

If it is a situation where an angry/vicious dog is actually invading the sidewalk space, it ABSOLUTELY should be addressed. In no way should a person's dog be physically invading a public walkway. On the other hand, if the dog is fully contained, and is simply running along the inside of the fence, barking/growling as people go by, I don't see how that can (or should) be policed. Is it polite? No. do I enjoy walking by a fence where a dog is acting like Jerky McJerkface? No. Do I want to open a can of worms where people who get offended/scared by a dog barking/growling behind a fence (but were in no way actually in danger), can take action against a home/dog owner? Heck no!

 

[lovin'fl]

Fence, check...no issue.

This. It's the off leash dogs that worry me. And they are all the rage these days.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

Yeah, I don't really sign off on people making light of other people's fears, so. Enjoy, I guess.

Then don't run by that house. Why should someone else adjust how they do things because someone was barked at.

 

[gary1955]

Well this is a perfect opportunity to explain to the small children why they shouldn't go in people's yards!

sidewalks are not peoples front yards

 

[fsjking]

sidewalks are not peoples front yards

And the dog wasn't on the sidewalk.

 

[skyblue17]

If it is a situation where an angry/vicious dog is actually invading the sidewalk space, it ABSOLUTELY should be addressed. In no way should a person's dog be physically invading a public walkway. On the other hand, if the dog is fully contained, and is simply running along the inside of the fence, barking/growling as people go by, I don't see how that can (or should) be policed. Is it polite? No. do I enjoy walking by a fence where a dog is acting like Jerky McJerkface? No. Do I want to open a can of worms where people who get offended/scared by a dog barking/growling behind a fence (but were in no way actually in danger), can take action against a home/dog owner? Heck no!

I saw the post as more of a "consider that more people are going to be walking in front of your house before putting your dogs in the FRONT yard." Like a, consider something you might not have before, now that we are all home and using the neighborhood more type thing? Not a "I'm going to force you to never let your dogs outside."

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Sounds to me like the dogs were well contained, and no danger to anyone. I'm not a huge fan of dogs loudly barking or acting mad when I walk by a fence either, but shrug.. there isn't much you can do about it.

Being a dog owner myself, what really gets under my skin-

Fellow dog owners who are at the local park that requires dogs to be on leash.. I am sure your dog is very well trained (though him jumping on me makes me suspicious), but those leash rules are for YOU AND YOUR DOGS too. I've got two birding dogs who are incredibly well trained off lead. I'd LOVE to take them to the local nature park and let them run through the woods. But I don't see any exception to the "ALL DOGS MUST BE ON A LEASH" rule for my dogs, nor do I see an exception for your dogs. So get over yourself, leash up your dogs at the park, or find somewhere else for them to run.

YES!!!!! I can't tell you how many times I've been in the park with my 65lb border collie mix and had someone's off leash dog run right up to him while the owner is yelling from the other side of the park "don't worry, he's friendly." They usually move real fast when I yell back "that's nice, but mine isn't." I've actually had to stop taking him. He's a sweet boy but gets very nervous and defensive about other dogs and people he doesn't know.

I also loved when I would be walking the 100lb lab mix in our neighborhood and some little foofball would run out of someone's yard and proceed to attack her ankles while the owners just laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. They were lucky that Daphne was the sweetest dog that ever lived and would just look at me like "he can't be serious?!?!?" instead of biting back. All she'd have to do is step on the little dog and it would be toast.

Our current neighborhood has a ton of dogs that just run loose, the other homeowners seem to think there's some implicit agreement that this is OK. That's fine, but if your dog comes into my yard where my dogs are contained (wireless fence, they are horrified of it) and starts a fight, no I'm not responsible.

 

[RamblingMad]

Order a treadmill. It’s too dangerous outside.

 

[skyblue17]

Then don't run by that house. Why should someone else adjust how they do things because someone was barked at.

Now they know! But dog owners can also consider that people are affected by their dogs and decide if they care or not. Seems like most would not care, that's fine, but maybe someone will consider something they didn't before, who knows!

 

[Eeyore daily]

I have two dogs. There are lots of dogs in my neighborhood, no sidewalks, and yet dogs will bark at mine as we walk by. That's what dogs do, they bark. Now one morning as I was walking my dogs this massive dog was tied onto a metal frame on the house in the front yard that tried to get loose to chase after my dogs. There was no fence, so in that instance I could understand being upset with the owners. However if you heard the dogs barking and you were afraid, why couldn't you simply walk away from the fence?

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

the fences are right up along the sidewalk. so when the dog charges the fence they are right at your feet.

the reason I posted this is because there are a lot of families with small children at home now that need to get out for a walk.

so I do think it is a problem with dogs that are not properly trained.

I'm not a fan of fence chargers. How tall is the fence? How big is the dog and could they, if they got frustrated enough with all these people walking past their house, jump over it? I've seen a german shepherd scale a 6ft fence like it was nothing. Unfortunately, there's probably no real solution here since the dog is contained and on the owners property.

 

[MarkLT1]

I saw the post as more of a "consider that more people are going to be walking in front of your house before putting your dogs in the FRONT yard." Like a, consider something you might not have before we were all home a lot less than we are now kind of thing? Not a "I'm going to force you to never let your dogs outside."

I can definitely see that perspective, however, it seems to me that most people who have an angry dog running around in their fenced in front yard (as a deterrent?), really don't care much about what people walking on the sidewalk think. As mentioned before, I am definitely not a fan of angry dogs barking at me (and my dogs) while on a walk. But I really don't think there is a whole lot that can be done, other than identifying where those houses are, and altering your walk a bit to avoid the hassle. (preaching to the choir and all that jazz) .

 

[mjkacmom]

That’s not a training issue. Those dogs are protecting their owner/property.

Fences are not allowed in front yards here, but the back of our property backs up to a narrow street, and our dog runs to the fence and barks every time someone walks by, it’s so annoying. She also protects us from the mailman every day. She’s 18 pounds but you’d never know it by her bark.

She‘s inside most of the day.

 

[CdnCarrie]

We had a neighbour yell at us twice because our small dog barks at his big dog when they walk by.

1. That’s what dogs do - protect their property.
2. It’s not excessive barking. not against city Bylaw.
3. It’s middle of the day - not too early or too late.

 

[fla4fun]

I'm not a fan of fence chargers. How tall is the fence? How big is the dog and could they, if they got frustrated enough with all these people walking past their house, jump over it? I've seen a german shepherd scale a 6ft fence like it was nothing. Unfortunately, there's probably no real solution here since the dog is contained and on the owners property.

The people diagonally behind us used to have a fence about five feet tall, and their dog would jump it regularly (the lot behind them, and next to us, is vacant). They were responsible enough to install a taller fence with a smooth surface, and the dog no longer jumps the fence.

I use a white noise machine at night because those dogs, and the two dogs at the house directly behind ours are outside all night and do bark at anything. But I would like to think those growls and barks serve as a deterrent and deal with the noise in other ways.

 

[LSUmiss]

Fences are not allowed in front yards here, but the back of our property backs up to a narrow street, and our dog runs to the fence and barks every time someone walks by, it’s so annoying. She also protects us from the mailman every day. She’s 18 pounds but you’d never know it by her bark.

She‘s inside most of the day.

Yeah we don’t have any fences in the front yards in my neighborhood either. I actually don’t let my dogs outside if I’m not out there. They can’t be trusted!

 

[L&Lfan]

Much ado about nothing.

 

[Skywalker]

No sorry you don't get to tell people where to keep their dogs on their own fenced property? Geez cross the street if you don't like it. The dogs are on their own property. Fenced in.

I used to like dogs. Really the dogs aren't the problem, it is the owners. One neighbor left a dog tied to a tree all day for 7 years. It barked A LOT. They went away for a week vacation and left it tied there. Apparently our township has no noise ordinance so there was nothing to be done about it.

Neighbors across the street leave their dogs outside frequently in fenced yard. They bark at anything moving in the street. It's worst in the summer when our windows are open. Constant barking.

I walk frequently in the neighborhood, and some people leave their dogs loose in the yard to run up to you barking. I pass one guy who carries a large stick while he walks.

And this is ridiculous. There was a neglected dog and your concern was your town's noise ordinances? What the actual heck? Get off the phone with the bylaw officer and call the freaking humane society ! Wow.

 

[Tink9721]

We had a neighbour yell at us twice because our small dog barks at his big dog when they walk by.

1. That’s what dogs do - protect their property.
2. It’s not excessive barking. not against city Bylaw.
3. It’s middle of the day - not too early or too late.

Someone called the police on us last summer because our Golden was outside barking on and off for maybe 10 minutes, at 7:00 pm You could tell even the cop who came to our house thought it was stupid. There are much louder dogs in our neighborhood who are outside barking a lot longer than ours. And a lot of those dogs are out barking at 6:00 am.

 

[billlaurie]

The dog may not even be "aggressive." My dogs seem to think it is their "job" to bark at anyone walking by our house. They stand at the fence and bark, look out the window and bark. Fortunately our house sits about 200 feet back from the road, we have 2 acres, so it really only annoys me. Come into the house though and they will be all over you, with sloppy dog kisses. The dog in question is just doing its job and if it is restrained, there is no issue, IMO.