AIBU to scream and panic when knocked over in the dark suddenly?

Don't worry about words spoken in the heat of the moment.

I was knocked over by a large dog earlier in the year. I spent 5 days in hospital suffering a broken arm and leg. Had plate and pins fitted to broken bone in leg. Not much fun being taken to hospital alone and no visitors due to Covid. I’m having physio at the moment and still in discomfort months later.
I’ve gone from walking my dog for a couple of hours a day to shuffling along for half hour or so feeling frightened when I see other dogs charging about. I feel sad that I may not get back to how I was before.
I love dogs but this incident has really shook me up.
The owners are denying all responsibility as they say their dog is well trained. Apparently I got in their dog’s way. I was on a path in our local woods , their dog was racing about amidst the trees and came onto the path but couldn’t see me.
I would be devastated if my dog had caused an accident. They are totally unconcerned. Just worried their dog may get a bad name. I wonder what the world is coming to.

So, the dog owner helped you up.
I didn’t see that in the original post.

Also, why would he accuse you of taking his dog.
It doesn’t make sense to me either.

RTF thread Luckyoldbeethoven. Support and understanding for the OP was readily offered.

What caused the disruption of this thread was when sympathy for the OP turned nasty with such posts as typical dog owner and more posts of the same vein.

Good advice Petra.

Have a go? Me? How words can be misread. Indeed, it never ends well does it Marydoll. Bullitt seems to have got away with it though, Shane the subject of the thread has been lost.
Someone being frightened by an out of control dog. That's what's important. There have been too many accounts of incidents involving dogs where people have come off worst and that's what needs discussing. Why don't dog owners keep their dogs on lead and why don't they accept that a dog can cause a lot of distress even if it didn't mean to. Big dogs especially can really hurt someone simply by weight and impetus if they're going fast, even if it's unintended.

You are not unreasonable - the dog owner was in the wrong and he knew it, otherwise he wouldn't have blamed you for his dog running off.

Millit64
You made the fatal error by assuming. Next time you have doubts search the OP.

If you chose to report the incident the owner would be in trouble for not having his dog under control. Hence why he tried to lay the blame at your door. You should indeed report him because the next time it happens, the person on the receiving end may not be as generous as you or escape serious injury.

The dog owner is at fault and it is his fault that his dog ran off. If you had not been there his dog would probably have run off anyway. Please don't blame yourself for this man's stupidity. He wants to think himself lucky that he were not badly injured and hospitalised.
Awful man. Please get well soon and try not to let this impact on your life.

It is always difficult on gransnet when the issue of dogs being a nuisance comes up. Quite understandably, those people who train and keep proper control of their dogs feel aggrieved at the depth of feeling that comes from those who have been on the wrong side of an out of control dog, as they would not allow this to happen.

But the sad fact that there are many many dog owners who are totally irresponsible and risk causing injury to people innocently out on a walk. It is a big problem, especially in these lockdown times when getting out for a walk is so important. It is important to me to get out and walk, but I am put off by the loose and uncontrolled dogs that I encounter - I have osteoporosis and a fall could be very serious; I am out walking on my own, so if I fell or was attacked by a dog I have no way of getting help; if I was knocked over by a dog I would be unable to get up myself.

It is very scary when the sound of a dog barking and growling comes ringing through the wood.

Lavazza1st. I do hope you soon feel better.

If I may answer a little pompously as a retired Psychologist and as a dog lover please:

I want to tell you that I think your response - screaming - was
entirely normal and justified.

Of course you screamed! That's what our automatic screaming response is for! To scare off the cause of our injury and to alert others that we need help!

As for the dog's owner.... he is a pillock of the first degree and should not be allowed to have a dog. What a totally nasty man! Of course he should keep his dog under control and on a lead, for his dog's safety as well as for the safety and comfort of others.

I do hope the aches and pains soon ease up and you feel much better. I would not worry too much regarding the dog. With luck it will be found by good people who will take it to a Shelter and it will go to good Owners. More likely it will go back home though.

What an awful experience for you. Its not your fault at all that the dog ran off nor that the dog knocked you over. What a very unreasonable, stupid, uncaring dog owner...not caring for the harm it done you and transferring the blame onto you regarding his lack of supervising his dog whilst out walking it.
I would think about reporting him to the Police...its obviously one of the owners dog walking haunts... he needs to be spoken too and warned about his attitude and to take responsibility for his horrible behaviour towards you and be told how it has affected you. Dont let him away with it...take back control which will help regain your confidence. No way are you to blame for any of this!! I hope you will start to feel better soon. xx

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Luckoldbeethoven
I've read and read the post by icanhandthemback which would be the one above mine but can't see where anyone is saying what you are accusing people of.

Moving the irresponsible dog owner aside, I had a husband who would spin around and blame anyone else for anything that went "wrong" - an example being when he was driving in thick fog with our young teenage son beside him and was hit from behind by another vehicle. As my (and he's now ex) husband got out to examine the damage the car behind backed up, and drove around him, off and away. And my son was blamed for not getting the vehicle registration number ...

The possibility of the blasted dog being lost would have been the least of my worries.
Perhaps not for the owner though.
As Lavazza had her partner there to help her too.

I still can't get over the fact that the dog owner accused you of stealing his dog when you're prone on the floor!!
Where were you supposed to have hidden a large dog?

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Being a dog owner myself I really can't believe how horrible this man was to you. I would of been mortified and offered to get you checked over. I only have a small dog who is always on her lead. Who lets a dog loose especially in the dark, it could get hit by a car. I hope you feel more yourself in a couple of days and it doesn't stop you going for your walks. This man should be totally ashamed of himself. I lost my mum to a fall, a lady rushing past her knocked into her and she tripped, hitting her head, and got a bleed on her brain from it. The woman didn't even stop to check she was ok. Some selfish people about nowadays, no care for others. Take care of yourself.

Regardless of who should have been doing what, it is a good sound self-preservation instinct to scream when something unexpected and possibly dangerous happens. If there was no danger, no one has been harmed by your unnecessary scream. If there was, it might save your life. A dog owner can't really blame someone else for their dog running off. Maybe she should have had it on the lead or maybe she should have trained it not to run up to strangers (you might have been a dog hater with a knife) or maybe train it not to be scared of sudden noises and so on and so forth. Who knows. Anyway glad to hear no serious injuries involved.