To expect some sign of concern

She should definitely have apologised. I posted on here some time ago about when I was walking up our road and passed a lady with a labrador (which was on a lead). As I walked past it leapt up at me. Its muddy front paws were on my chest and it nearly knocked me over. The owner was trying to pull it off but it was too strong. I managed to move away from it. I was left with muddy paw marks and a small rip in my (white) jacket and felt rather shaken up. The lady offered no apology and just smiled and said to the dog 'oh you are naughty' and walked off! I was too shocked to say anything. I didn't know the lady concerned but if I saw her again I would say something.

That is appalling behaviour from both the dog owners mentioned in the 2 posts above. Just not on.

No you are not being unreasonable sunseeker that poor little Scottie, I hope it is okay and is not permanently frightened now. I don't like to see dogs off lead on built up areas and don't like situations like this at all.

Don't know whether I would be brave enough to 'make waves' but perhaps a 'you'll be relieved to know my BIL's Scottie is okay' comment may be appropriate.

Check this out

One of my dogs was set on but a pack of three dogs, two black Labradors and a German Shepherd. I had to wade in an drag him out. Again the same lack if concern. But it amounts to dogs being out of control in a public place which can be reported.

I'd suggest to speak to her and tell her how you feel and how the law stands on it, and if it happens again you'll take it further.

Not a great dog lover myself so wondered if I was being unreasonable, perhaps I will wait until I see her walking the dogs again and have a word.

As a dog lover, I would be ashamed if my dog behaved towards yours like that sunseeker. There should have been an apology and a check as to whether your brother in law's dog had been harmed.

I wouldn't expect a sign of concern from the kind of dog owner who leaves their dogs' shit in someone else's garden. Sadly.

Not unreasonable at all. I was put off dogs and their owners after two similar incidents. Mine were always kept under control and on leads. In light of recent awful events with dogs mauling children I think more care should be taken but of course everyone things their dog couldn't possibly...

Perhaps, to play devil's advocate, this woman was a) a bit embarrassed and b) thought it best to get the dogs away before they could cause any more trouble. Hopefully she'll knock on the door and apologise later...

They (the dogs) probably mistook the little dog for a rat or rabbit. I remember my sister's dog racing across a large open space and then almost screeching to a halt like a dog in a cartoon in front of a tiny Yorkie that she quite clearly had originally thought was legitimate prey.

I think you were both very restrained not to have chased after her at the time to ask for an apology. It might be a bit late now. Her dogs are obviously not under control which is an offense. Hope you are not too shaken up. I have several dogs and always keep them on a lead unless in a very open area, it just isn't worth taking a risk.

Dog owner in the wrong. Absolutely. No question. I have a couple of playful, boisterous dogs and one is likely to jump up people so they are always on a lead in built up areas and even when 'up the field' I put them on a lead if I see anyone. I'm not proud they are not better trained, both rescue dogs but still - should be better trained. I do take steps to make sure they are not a nuisance to anyone. That includes running with them every morning using a waist belt, long lead and a splitter. People think I'm mad but I quite like that!.

Too many dogs are allowed to run free these days. Not so long ago, lead training was part and parcel of owning a dog. Laziness? Ignorance?

Absent my little yorkie was killed by a pair of lurchers. The owner and the dogs thought he was a rabbit, our garden had post and rail fences so they got in to the garden. The owner, a teenager, was distraught though.

YANBU, this woman should take responsibility for her dogs and should have returned to apologise. I would not hold your breath, it is looking unlikely. A woman walks her two dogs up our street every day, one day they went for a cat and mauled it to death, she pulled the dogs off and legged it

Always a worry when there are two dogs together I think; pack mentality is more likely to take over. The woman should at least have offered an apology and definately should have asked if the little dog was ok. jane; I'm so sorry to hear about your little Yorkie; they're dear little dogs. Must have been awful.

If my dog or dogs had behaved in that way I would have been absolutely mortified and would have been unable to apologise enough.

Sadly I've had experiences of out of control attacks on my present greyhound and previous greyhound. Recently a woman let her 2 dogs out of her car, they bounded into the field and one spotted ours (who was on the lead) charged across and went for her (this was a lab cross). The owner apologised and, presumably by way of excuse, said they were rescue dogs. To which OH replied so was ours and that was no excuse!

I cannot understand why people cannot keep their dogs on leads if (a) they are prone to be unpredictable and (b) dump on other people's gardens. It really isn't difficult anyway to put dump bags in your pockets.

It is against the law to have dogs off their leads on a public path round here. Isn't it everywhere?

Kitty the link I pasted earlier is to a guide by the Kennel Club. It's very well written and it does confirm (on page 9) that it is illegal and names the law. Useful to be able to say 'under the Road Traffic Act of 1988'.

Sorry, I meant to confirm that it's illegal to have a dog off the lead on a public road (and pavement) I think that's what you meant.

There are sometimes bylaws about public paths, if you mean footpaths.

There was a man round here who used to walk his dog with the lead attached but the dog was carrying it in his mouth. He boasted he was inside the law until he was fined after it dashed into the road and knocked a cyclist off her bike. In law the dog has to be 'held on a lead'

Our fairly large Yorkshire terrier (long gone sadly) was the one we had to constantly haul back from attacking other male dogs. He never attacked a female dog but if we were out and he was not on a lead he could scent a male dog from far away and would take on big dogs such as Alsatians, Dobermanns, labradors. Very embarrassing and I always apologised profusely. The dogs he 'attacked' usually looked at him disdainfully as he hung onto their fur.
However, my point is that, were he any larger I would have kept him on a lead at all times and muzzled him when out with him.
Very sad to hear about the little Yorkie above. They are spunky little dogs but generally nice natured.

Last sentence came out wrong janerowena, it sounds as if I meant yours was not nice-natured but I didn't mean that at all.
Ours was lovely except for the problem he had with male dogs larger than him; he also loathed cats but they always got the better of him.

We have had dogs for years, big ones and small ones and never had any trouble, thank goodness. However, we have noticed that nowadays there seem to be more dogs about and that control of them can sometimes be very lax, even non-existent. Big or aggressive dogs can be found in the custody of children, older people or others who simply cannot or will not control them, and nasty incidents can easily arise. These are always avoidable if people will only take proper charge of their dogs and keep them on the lead in public places. If only...

Ours went through a teenage stage when he would take on quite a few but not all male dogs (if a male dog attacks a female dog then there is something radically wrong with the dog) now that he has matured and we have somehow trained him out of that phase he is totally laid back and almost all dogs he meets now he greets with enthusiasm or totally ignores them.

We inherited ours when he was 4 so he was somewhat set in his ways regarding cats, and we could never stop him trying to take on much larger male dogs, although funnily enough he was fine with male dogs his own size, and loved the females. I think he had spent some weeks with a lot of other dogs before we got him so had had to 'stick up for himself'. Always lovely with DC although I know you can never completely trust any dog however sweet or small.
He used to chase cats out of the garden, and they would sit on the fence and taunt him.