Aggressive Dog on our Walk

Posted by Rill on | 0 comments home title

Ugh - it's been one of those days where through no fault of your own you get into something with a complete stranger.

I was taking Farfl on a long walk through the park and alongside Mount Pleasant Cemetery in midtown Toronto this afternoon. As usual, Farfl goes off-leash as soon as we're on the pathway - as do lots of other dogs on that pedestrianized stretch.

On the bridge a woman was approaching me with her miniature pinscher on a leash and a young boy on a tricycle. As we got closer I could hear her shouting "Dog! Dog!". I thought this was a bit weird and as I got closer she yelled at me that her dog bites. I called Farfl who was walking towards the angry, snarling little dog and she hesitated, standing about two feet away wagging her tail. The woman yelled "Great, he's going to bite me, now!" as she tried to restrain her dog who was going nuts. I apologized, but said that that really wasn't my problem and that she should take her dog to a specialist trainer. She then called me an effing a-hole (in front of her kid) and that I should leash my effing dog. When I said that I didn't need to because she was well-behaved, she told me to eff-off and I realized that any further discussion wasn't going to do any good.

It shocked me the way she spoke to me (in front of her kid, yet), and also that she would let such an aggressive dog be near her child. If it's bitten her, it's surely only a matter of time before it bites him.

I share this story with you, not only to get it off my chest, but also to remind all of us that even if our dogs are well-behaved, there are other people and their dogs who aren't. Sheesh!

I think somebody needs to read and watch some !