Tuesday, June 30, 2009

It's because he's on a leash...

God some people irritate the hell out of me.

Scenario: Me and my dog at the off leash dog park. I have left the leash on my dog as he plays, because if I don't I cannot catch him when we need to leave. I'm using it as a training tool.

A pitbull begins playing really rough with my dog. I understand the "establishing dominance" theory, and that some dog play is pretty rough. I watch and it gets too rough. The Pitbull's owner says it's okay, the dog won't hurt my dog, but I see the pitbull hanging onto and pulling at my dog's lips and soft areas of his skin. I intervene. The owner gets huffy.

After a short time out I release my dog again, this time the pitbull and two other big dogs gang up on him. This sometimes happens when too many dogs get too rambunctious together (sort of frenzied behaviour).

My dog is tired and I see the play is getting out of control. I step in again and pull my dog up and out of the frenzy. I hold my dog close to me in a heeling position, but the dogs continue to attack and now even more aggressively than before. None of the owners pull their dogs off.

The pitbull's owner yells at me: It's the leash. They are attacking because the dog is on a leash. Remove the leash!

WTF? I don't give a shit if that is true (that dogs attack dogs on a leash). As an owner, even in an off leash park, it is your responsibility to control your dog and ensure it does not hurt another dog or person.

The idiocy and of the owner continuously reprimanding me for having a leash on my dog, and then having the gall to suggest I was responsible for her dog's viciousness because of the leash, irritates me so much I can't stop thinking about it.

...I fucking hate people sometimes. It seems too many people have, lost their ability to be neighbourly, thoughtful and responsible.

Why does it keep playing through my mind and making me more and more and more irritable? I was irritable all day today and yesterday and the day before. Every little thing is angering me and setting me off. I have that sense of heartburn in my chest because the anger has become a very physical symptom...I feel on edge, easily annoyed, overly sensitive to even small injustices. I hate this feeling

4 comments:

Harriet said...

I used to take my dog to a dog park and I saw some gruesome behavior. And some dangerous behavior. It's not the dogs' fault, but the owners'. I feel your pain.

mysadalterego said...

Ick. I just got a kitty and all the sudden I realize how much I love him and worry about him and care about animal issues like this too - how to keep him safe, how people keep their animals...

And I think I'm going to start "prescribing" pets for mental health. I cannot describe how good he has been for me.

Aqua said...

Harriet: I agree...it is the owners. I was not concerned about the dog being a pitbull until he grabbed on hard and wouldn't let go and the owner did nothing.

mysadalterego: Pets are definately good for people. My dogs have literally saved me...the responsibility of feeding and walking them has made me back away from suicide.

However...they(dogs)are also sometimes overwhelming in that they require constant care, especially when young and being trained. I am finding my 1 year old dog to be very challenging and I need to figure out a way to give myself a break periodically.

mysadalterego said...

Heh that's why I went cat. Dogs are just too energetic for me, all that jumping around makes me nervous.