I am furious this morning. I just got back from a walk with Luke and Elsa that ended with me shaking my head. Sadly this is a very common occurrence. Because both Luke and Elsa came on the walk this morning; we hit a nice quiet park where there are very few issues that I've run into. Of course there was the one when the Bouvier charged poor Elsa but I know what time those folks frequent the park. It was very nice and quiet this morning as we slowly meandered around the perimeter. Luke loves to lift his leg on pretty much everything, as does Elsa.
Whenever I am out with the dogs I am scanning; constantly scanning out ahead of us. I don't like surprises; they don't give you time to react accordingly. My scanning is up a notch when I have Luke with us. He is unstable on his feet so I am always looking for off leash dogs. I don't care what breed they are; control is what I care about. Does the owner have control? As we made our way back to the car I spotted a regular. I've seen him for years and he always has his dog (a German Shepherd) off leash. That is fine as long as it doesn't come up to us. So with a good distance between him and us I cut across the field towards my car. Nearing my vehicle I spot another off leash dog; a red flag goes up immediately as I see that the owner is bent over inside the vehicle. This clearly means that she is not paying any attention to her very large dog (which is also a German Shepherd) out in front of her car.
I try to pick up our pace; something that is not easy to do with Luke now. Judging the distance between them, us and my suv I quickly head for the back to get the dogs in. I simply do not trust people to know enough about their dog. My dog's safety is my first concern. So as I just get Luke in and close the back the dog starts our way. The owner is very involved in her phone and not paying attention at all. A man walks by and it is very obvious that he is not cool with the big dog being off leash. The dog continues heading in our direction and comes right up to me; sniffing my pants and staring me in the face. Reaching a height clear past my waist and nearing my chest; I am not comfortable with the proximity of the strange dog. The dialogue follows.
Owner - You must have a dog in there.
Me - Your dog should be on a leash.
Owner - (calls dog) Harley. (No response)
Me - Your dog should be on a leash.
Owner - He's fine on the path.
Me - what?
Owner - (calls dog again) Harley (nothing)
Me - What if my dogs aren't friendly? I don't want your dog just coming up to us.
Owner - (calls dog again) Harley (nothing)
Then as I am getting into my car the dog approaches the open driver door and puts a foot up onto my running bar. I wish I would have thought of my cell phone to take a picture but I was in the heat of the moment. The owner doesn't even realize that her dog is now practically in my car. She still has her head in her phone.
Owner - (calls dog again) Harley (dog moves around to the back of my suv)
The dog is clearly looking for Luke and Elsa and goes around to the back again.
Owner - (calls dog again) HARLEY!!!!!
Me - NOT EVERYONE wants a huge dog approaching them.
She is oblivious; as she walks away, still with her head in her phone the dog saunters off slowly. NO, THIS IS NOT OKAY. What if I was terrified of dogs? What if I just didn't want a huge dog coming up to me like this? What if Luke had been out of the car and done one of his "hey stay away" barks? What would the big dog done then? Stupid, stupid people, honestly.
If you do not have control of your dog; keep it on a leash. It is as simple as that; have respect for other people and their dogs. Why should I have to try to hurry Luke back to the car because you want your dog off leash? She had no control of her dog; she could not keep him with her and away from me.
This is just becoming way too common; not cool, not cool at all.