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I had an unfortunate encounter with a dog off a lead this afternoon, how should I have responded?

ComputerGeek1337

Hello,

I was out for a walk in the park this afternoon. I do a walk almost every day in this park, to try and loose weight. I suffer from anxiety and depression, and so am feeling on edge most of the time, but this afternoon was feeling more on edge than usual.

A dog which wasn't on a lead came up to me barking. I was fearful it might bite me. I screamed at the dog 'down' out of fear whilst walking backwards. This happened before at it hasn't usually bothered me. But this time the distance between the owner and where the dog was, was much larger than usual as this is what caught me by surprise. This further agitated my anxiety.

I then screamed at the owner: 'you really should keep it on a lead, it's not hard'. I then walked away with my back faced to the owner to avoid further confrontation.

How should I have reacted?

Parents

  • As a dog owner myself I would not be happy if anyone shouted at my dog or had a go at me. I understand that it was very anxious for you but if it happens again try to walk away and kindly say to the owner I am afraid of dogs can you try to keep it under control please. My dog walks up to people she not aggressive won’t bark but I would not appreciate anyone screaming at her. I do keep her under control and respect anyone who doesn’t like dogs as long as they are polite to me.  I hope this helps 

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  • As a dog owner myself I would not be happy if anyone shouted at my dog or had a go at me. I understand that it was very anxious for you but if it happens again try to walk away and kindly say to the owner I am afraid of dogs can you try to keep it under control please. My dog walks up to people she not aggressive won’t bark but I would not appreciate anyone screaming at her. I do keep her under control and respect anyone who doesn’t like dogs as long as they are polite to me.  I hope this helps 

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