Modern Society 1: Dog Owners

[dragon]

My favourite daily walk takes me into the local woods. By far the majority of other walkers are exercising their dogs. The dogs are, often, big bruisers: hefty black labradors; big beefy boxers. I used to live in a hillfarming area where all dogs were kept on a tight leash. They could be summarily shot for sheep worrying. However, the dogs being exercised in my local woods can worry other walkers such as myself with impunity because, in this society, people are considered to be less important than sheep.

A well trained dog should pass other walkers and totally ignore them. Badly trained dogs behave differently. Some approach and sniff me, sometimes covering my clothes in thick strings of filthy drool. Some dogs appraoch and start to bark at me. Sometimes the owner says "I'm sorry" while makintg no attempt whatsoever to restrain the animal. (The owner is clearly not as nice as s/he is pretending to be, for anyone who was geniunely concerned about the dog's behaviour would not let them bark at a passerby in the first place.) Once I was mobbed by four Irish wolfhounds. One was growling at me and had it's hackles up. I tried to fend off the pack with a stick.

We live in a society where people have, basically, rolled over and died. People accept all sorts of abuses from government, from the police, from business and from other citizens without complaint. Often this unwillingness is for fear of the consequences. In fact, political correctness ensures that even our language is being stripped bare of words that indicate anger, complaint or protest. Thus people are loosing the willingness and ability to protest and are being actively deprived of the means to do so. To loose this ability, to accept this abuse, is to loose all self-respect.

My most recent abuse at the hands of an owner of a dangerous dog featured a black labrador. It approached over the brow of a hill with no owner in sight. As usual, I ignored the animal. Actually, i was in a bit of a dwam, thinking about my next piece of writing. My thoughts were most unpleasantly interrupted when this dog began to barking and growling viciously. The owner came into view. She walked past me, her dog snapping at my ankles, growling and barking ferociously, with hackles up, and did absolutely nothing to haul in her dangerous pet. She walked past me without a word. I was not on this ocassion lost for words of protest, for on the spur of the moment I roared at her: Keep your fucking dog under control, why don't you?!!!!!

In the first instance, giving vent to my spleen on being so abused made me feel better. It got rid of toxins that if allowed to build up would make me ill.

Also, I had been practicing ways of dealing with owners and their dangerous dogs. The use of the expletive was pre-meditated. People who are deaf, such as owners of dangerous dogs, need to be shouted at before (in this case literally) before they will pay any attention at all. And this dog owner did hear me - my tone if not my actual words. The next time we had a woodland encounter she saw me approaching, did a quick about turn, and retreated rapidly ahead of me, clutching her dog by the collar.

[Ben Allen]

I quite agree, dogs that let their owners run around willy nilly should be brought to task.
I'd suggest at least an hour of running on the spot and a swift rap on the paw for being so uncaring.
The amount of times that I've seen a Staffy slip the leash of some mindless thug and let him run riot is incredible - I've seen it on the television too, humans rioting while the dogs just stand by and watch……….
I was once attacked by a pack of Syrian hamsters, why they let so many into the country unchecked is beyond me, which brings me neatly onto mink, I think.
I was in Harrods one day and I got attacked by a mink stole, luckily it was drugged by watching the Jeremy Kyle show for three hours straight before going out so I escaped with just a small nip to my finger, I was only trying to stroke the damn thing when it turned on me.
Happily I managed to launch a long string of beans at the female owner before being escorted from the premises by the security guards, damned cheek of it.
I won't go shopping there again, at least not without my dog.

On a more serious note,

The title - Dog Owners - not all dog owners have poorly trained dogs, this title implies dog owners as a whole.
Reading the content you seem to be anti-dog full stop, although I won't make that assumption, it may be that you're just annoyed by badly trained dogs and the annoyance comes across as a dislike of dogs and their owners.
I wonder if you have a dog of your own?
Owners of well trained dogs often have a bone to grind with people who don't control their dogs well, including the removal of mess.

In the first instance, giving vent to my spleen on being so abused made me feel better. It got rid of toxins that if allowed to build up would make me ill.

This just sounds plain worrying.

Pre-meditated expletives?
Does this mean that you are actually waiting for a dog to step out of line before launching an attack of pent up frustration at the owner?

Are all owners of dangerous dogs deaf?
I didn't know that, making the assumption that all deaf people need shouting at may contain dangers in itself, especially if they don't have a dog.

Loose/lose?
I can't help but wonder what a 'dwam' is?
Local dialect perhaps?

Psychologically interesting rant though......

Ben.

[dragon]

In response to Ben:

Thanks for your comments re my essay. I'll try to answer your points as you made them.

I liked your first section. Syrian hamsters are the very devil!

Anyway, my piece intended to rise above being pro-dog or anti-dog. This piece is about human behaviour and in that context, the behaviour of dogs reflects the behaviour of their human owners. My next piece, which I will post today, discusses the consequences to an individual of good/bad behaviour and may go some way to answering your point.

In answer to another question, I do not currently own a dog.

I am sure that owners who train their dogs well - and yes there are some in my local woods! - do get fed up with those who do not.

Pre-meditated expletives: communication with people is very, very difficult. Successful communication means refelcting on one's experiences with other people, what did or did not work with individuals, and how one might communicate better in future. In that sense, my attempts to communicate are sometimes pre-meditated.

It is also true that people do not hear the actual words that are spoken, they hear the tone they are spoken in. (This 'deafness' to words is typical of autism.) So to get one's point across one may, depoending on the person, have to 'shout'. This does not always mean literally shout, but to exaggerate in some way in order to get the message across.

I do not wait for dogowners to jump out. I react on the spur of the moment. Sometimes I say nothing. I choose whether or not to react - intuition tells me how or when to react. This is how it should be for intuition comes from the deeper mind and comes from personal experience.

As for giving vent to one's spleen sounding worrying to you, read Blake's poem The Poison Tree. That explains the dangers to health of bottling up one's wrath. One has to give it expression. My essay gave it expression as did my reaction to the ferocious dog.

Maybe a 'dwam' is a Scottish word. It means a bit like daydreaming: one's thoughts are elsewhere.

Thanks again for your interesting response.

[Lordspudz]

Very good and interesting essay.
I'm a dog owner, a Cavapoo to be exact, which is a cross between a toy poodle and a King Charles Cavalier spaniel, and have been the 'victim' of inconsiderate, don't give a damn dog owners. Recently, whilst walking me dog on the dunes at our local beach, I saw a couple walking their dog by the shoreline. It was a big dog, something like a greyhound but one that had been fed steroids for the past 5 years!!. Everything was calm and, being a nice day, quite pleasant. Then, the dog launched itself up the beach heading our way. Before I had a chance to scoop my dog up into my arms and out of harms way, the other dog, which, being nearer, now resembled an off-spring of the Baskerville hound, ran full pelt into my dog. The owners continued walking, not calling the dog, despite looking at what their dog was doing. It was only when the dog continued to 'attack' mine causing it to yelp/scream and try to get away when one of them sauntered over, grabbed the dog by its collar and walked off again without a word; not a sorry, nothing.
I, like you, gave them a piece of my mind, more out of fright and concern for my dog which was visibly shaken.
No, not all dog owners are the same but, as with every rule, there is an exception.

[Brett]

Is it really worth the energy of a rant?
Yes, most dogs off the lead are well controlled but you are talking about being barked at or a bit of saliva on your pants (not a new experience I hope!.
Your writing has that message that people should rise up more - yes we should, but get things in perspective, sort what is priority. Yu were not savaged, you do not have rabies, seems like you are happy to still walk that same walk.

I think we have that dog to thank if it interrupted your thoughts on your next writing.

Brett

[dragon]

Brett

Thank you for your response, and yes, I do not have rabies and I do still go on that same walk.

However, there is a long way to go before rabies becomes a problem. And my problems may be lesser, but they are still problems. Also, if this type of behaviour is allowed to continue and is condoned, then it is only a matter of time before I am having to take rabies shots before I go out for a walk. I would really like to see the situation put under control before things get as bad as that. As to the walk, my options are that I stay imprisoned in my home or I put up with the unwelcome attentions of the local dogs. I have chosen the lesser of two evils.

[Deborahhambrook]

Please stop threatening dogs and their owners with sticks/ foul language and what-not - you are likely to get bitten (dogs hate that sort of thing). And for goodness sake, get some appropriate walking gear.

Good luck!

Deb x

[dragon]

Thank you for your response, Deborahhambrook, however, I think you have misread my article. It is the dogs who are threatening me, not me them. I am merely trying to defend myself.

This world is for people, not for dogs. I don't know how the law stands now, but not that many years ago, if a dog bit a person it was put down. That is how it should be.

I suspect I know a great deal more than you about what dogs do and do not like. And I certainly know that a spoiled dog is no happier than a spoilt child, and that is essentially what these dogs are. They are coddled and spoiled by their owners. As a result they interact badly with people and other dogs and therefore are unhappy.

Further, it is a misunderstanding to think that children do not like being smacked or otherwise disciplined. Actually, they do when it is necessary. They react very positively to discipline that is administered correctly.

[Sue]

What you probably mean is that dogs (and horses and children) respect boundaries, and if a slightly harsh measure is needed to impress the existence of that boundary, it is understood from then on, and therefore justified.

You have a tendency to be extreme in your statements, which I think is why they are misunderstood.

I will respond to your Shakespeare piece later.

[Deborahhambrook]

Hi Dragon, I wonder why you would think that I know less about dogs than anyone. I did read your article carefully, and believe from what you said, that most of the dogs you mention might have approached you with innocent curiosity. All I am saying is, if you dance around, shouting and waggling sticks, you are likely to get an unfavourable reaction from dog and owner.

my own dogs (rough collies) have all been well behaved and obedient, showing no interest (once adult) in other dogs, or passersby. But I did have a sweet little cocker spaniel who insisted on running up to everyone for a fuss. When I called her back, people would say, 'Oh, she's fine,' and pet her all the more, which made it harder to train her to ignore people. -Until one day, she was rewarded for her gentle, friendly attentions, with a sharp kick. In your case, it would have been a clout with a stick, of course. It didn't put her off though - she just loved people - even stupid ones.

Although most off-lead dogs are friendly, there are ignorant owners, but I find, walking in the woods, these are few and far between.

Good luck,

Deborah Hambrook - dog trainer of 28 years experience, mentored by, Lional Wilson, one time head of The South African Guide Dog Association.

ps. I have also worked with children for many years, and have never found it necessary to hit any of them, but I get the feeling that they wouldn't have liked it if I had done.