In support of Man’s Best Friend

Thanks for that Iam64. Couldn’t agree more.

Bluegal, I went on a two day residential course with a well known trainer with fifty years experience of working with Dogs. He said he sees more Dogs with behavioural problems like aggression, separation activity, reactivity etc than ever.
Some of the contributory factors he thought were Dogs left alone for long periods, multi dog households, Dogs being treated like children, that is having an elevated position in the family.
There’s a good book called In Defence of Dogs which addresses your questions.
You are right about the dogs that wandered during our childhoods. We did have one nasty terrier living near us, he’d run at children barking and snarling, particularly if we were on bikes. It was just part of running the gauntlet past his house. He never bit any of us, but we had we’re always anxious hi might. People weren’t as afraid of Dogs, or as irritated by them. Dogs had less stressful lives than many do now. We can’t retyrn to Dogs (or children) having the freedoms of our childhood because the traffic makes it impossible. Dogs need boundaries, they need a job, which can be walking nicely to heel whilst carrying a ball or favourite toy. The need mental stimulation, it tires them more than galloping around.

Anya.....this might be for another thread altogether BUT was speaking to friends about dogs roaming in our 'young' days (as I mentioned above)

They all agreed that they never remembered ANY dog ever becoming aggressive or attacking anyone walking past. We used to walk to school through a 'common' which was an open space of green. We were recounting just how may dogs were there....big, small, white, black, brown, some were even shagging, (which probably produced the younger ones)........ We ALL agreed not ONE of these dogs ever approached passers by NOBODY was ever attacked as far as we knew.

So my question is: Do you feel the nasty dogs come from inter breeding, specialist breeding or isolation?

I would never want to go back to days where dogs roam free constantly BUT I think we have to look at WHY dogs get aggressive and I firmly believe its because they aren't socialised enough nowadays. " Keep them on leads, stop them running, stop them approaching others" etc etc...

Maybe a whole new 'thought' thread but Anya....think it needs exploring..... "Are Restrictions on Dogs Causing Problems"?

I'm NOT a dog hater ,I had dogs of my own in the past and had no problems with them BUT they were kept on a lead when out because I know how frightened some people are of strange dogs ...I am .I dont know what the problem with walking your dog on a lead is.If you can take them somewhere to run free ,thats fine but it shouldn't be in a public park .I've always hidden my fear from my own kids and my GC,but a few months ago I was out with my 8 year old GD and two big husky type dogs bounded towards us and I was absolutely terrified .So we turned and came back home and I made an excuse that I'd left the cooker on so she wouldn't pick up on my fear .Some thought for others would be welcome from selfish owners

I've seen a couple of programmes where dogs have been used to help severely autistic children; they seem to sense when the child is going to have a meltdown and calm him/her down straight away. It's also been mentioned on a couple of whippet forums I go on; whippets seem to be particularly good with children that might be alarmed by other breeds as they're very gentle dogs. They tried to ban dogs from the beach at Bamburgh a few years ago but thankfully there was such a protest that it never happened. We did point out that there was a problem with people leaving disposable nappies around and also glass bottles that sometimes broke; not to mention the plastic left on the beach. Also, hearing dogs for the deaf are truly amazing, as are, obviously dogs for the blind.

Oh yes, we can always rely on the dog always loving us. I recall a joke which went something like this:

If you really want to know who loves you the most out of your wife and your dog, try locking each one in the boot of your car on their own for a couple of hours and see which one is pleased to see you when you let them out

You are quite right Bathsheba - on the topic in support of man's best friend I know someone who takes her dog to a home for dementia & Alzheimer sufferers - they love to stroke & touch the dog - it's apparently very therapeutic for the patients.
We always had a dog when I was a youngster but in those days family dogs were all mongrels - or maybe it was our working class neighbourhood- the posher ones amongst us would have cross-breeds ?
As a broody gawky teenager it was lovely to take the dog for a long walk & clear my mood - and even if teenage angst meant that "everybody hates me" the dog always loved me - just pick up the lead and she'd go wild with joy. Happy days.

I adore dogs, mine have supported me through dark times, brought love and laughter into the home , they accept me as I am , wonderful to be loved just because you are you and secrets can be shared with them , even training a puppy is a joy, perhaps not when it's raining and have to go into the garden with them ?

Heck, I am guilty of feeling the need to pat dogs and say hello when I see them out. Most have such appealing faces and cute expressions and they always seem to wag their tails if I talk to them. I will heed the 'ask the owners first' bit. Didn't even think about it tbh.

I don't have a dog because I think they need people more and you have to be there for them to walk them and keep them company. I am a cat woman but love all animals and abhor animal cruelty.

dbDB77 I agree that most of the posts are criticising dog owners. However, I do feel that at least for some people their criticism is a thinly veiled hatred of dogs per se. And yes, I know (and actually agree with) the RSPCA rehoming policy, but I was really referring to suggestions that dogs should be kept within the confines of their owner's garden, which I inferred to mean they never go anywhere else.
However, this is in danger of becoming (if it hasn't already become) a thread about a thread...

We don’t have a dog now, not since our last spaniel died 8 years ago. I would like one, DH is not so keen, mostly because of the huge sense of loss when they die. In all my years of dog walking in this area, 23, I never came across any problem dogs. We live in a rural area so as well as woodland walks there is a large area of common land nearby, that is very popular for the dog walkers. There are a few cases of owners not clearing up after their dogs but mostly it is like a doggie haven there. The only thing that has affected us is that one day a friendly Dalmatian pinched DGS’s cake right out of his hand.
We love watching dogs playing, especially on the coast. A few months ago we were watching what we thought was a doodle-type dog having a whale of a time. Turns out he was an Italian Truffle Hound, his name was Uhu, beautiful dog.

Bathsheba - you talk of GN "dog-haters" - the posts I've read are criticising the owners for not controlling their dogs - this doesn't make anyone a dog- hater.
And as for the "obsessives ... who think that if you don't have a garden you shouldn't have a dog" - well that's actually the RSPCA who won't rehome a dog to someone without a properly fenced garden.

Dogs have been our companions throughout history, back to the first homo sapians. I can’t see them going away very soon. Neither would i want them to they provide friendship, love and protection besides so much else.

Apologies Anya, I should probably have posted that on the other dog thread ?

Bathsheba, yes all dog owners ought to go to an approved dog training group and not just to the six week puppy class. Each council has a bye law on how many Dogs one handler can walk off lead. It’s six in my area, my view is three or four max and only then if all the dogs are regularly walked together and hav3 100% reliable recall. Also, we increasingly see two people from the same dog walking enterprise so there are twelve Off lead Dogs. Dreadful to negotiate your way through them on woodland footpaths.

Thanks Anya for starting this thread. I was beginning to think that GN had become a centre for dog-haters. I love dogs and don't mind in the least if they approach me in a friendly manner when I'm out.
Of course, I completely understand, and sympathise with, people who have a genuine fear of dogs. I can only imagine how terrifying a walk can become when off lead dogs run up to them, waggy-tailed or not.
What really makes me angry sad, though, are the people who clearly have a hatred of dogs, a hatred sometimes bordering on the obsessive, demanding all dogs to be kept on leads and muzzled. Even worse, suggesting that dogs should be confined to the owner's garden, and if they don't have a garden then they shouldn't have a dog . This attitude is, as you so rightly say, hysterical.
I do agree, though, that there should be more control of dogs in this country, perhaps an obligatory dog training scheme for all new dog owners. There should be designated areas for dogs to run free with their (responsible) owners, and there really should be some sort of restriction on the number of dogs one person can legally exercise off lead. I just can't imagine there will ever be sufficient resources for any of this to be properly enforced, though

I love my dogs but appreciate others do not feel the same way. Most of the posters saying they experienced problems with dogs really were saying the owners were inconsiderate and did not take the time and trouble to train their dogs.
Of course we dog owners should clear up poo and put it in the bin, not allow our dogs to scare or annoy people, sadly its not going to happen.
I agree that there are not enough spaces now for dogs to have a run and play, owners should carefully consider this when choosing the breed they want.
We are lucky here in rural France, lots of open countryside and very little traffic.
Good luck fellow dog lovers ☺

In here not inherent!

I'm just going to creep inherent say Imquite taken aback by what my OP unleashed in terms of anti dog. I'm really not. I've reread and it was meant to be about owners not helping me out. But I can see from others posts that even dog lovers have problems too.
And yes, it's about inconsiderate people and feeling unsafe. Which includes riding bikes on pavements, etc as another poster said. It's just I know how to deal with those...

I posted that I am afraid of dogs due to being attacked as a child - that doesn't mean I hate dogs. I live in the countryside but avoid certain fields and wooded areas because dogs are off lead - I accept that dogs need to be able to run and play so I don't go there. I have a friend who has two rescued Rottweilers - I was terrified of them and wouldn't visit but she trained them so well and introduced them to me slowly that I now feel able to be in the same room with them - although I am still apprehensive. As others have said, it is not the dogs - it is the owners.

Far more litter left in our countryside than dog poo in the parks, unless dogs use plastic water bottles, chip shop trays etc

Thanks Anya, I've posted on the other thread acknowledging there are some owners who aren't responsible. The same goes for parents, drivers, cyclists etc. It's all down to manners and also, living and allowing others to live. Dogs bring such joy to so many people. I'm another whose dogs go into residential care homes to meet and greet residents. Our visits are welcomed and even my rather excitable youngest dog behaves impeccably, sits quietly to be stroked.

When most of us were children, dogs weren't taken for walks in the way they are now. The door opened and off they went for a wander round their own neighbourhood. There were less reactive and troublesome dogs then. I suspect partly because there were more mongrels but also because they had much less stressful lives. They weren't likely to be shut up in a house for 8 or more hours a day. They were part of the family but not at the top of the pecking order.
I acknowledged having a moan on the other thread about so called 'professional dog walkers' but - there is so much moaning about dogs which as this OP suggests, can over ride the joy and simple happiness sharing your life with dogs can bring.

There are loads of dogs round here being taken out on their leads and there are loads of nasty little black bags just dumped and also poo on the pavements. We are not all dog lovers and yet they invade our community making it unsafe for people. The law should be much tougher and this would also protect the poor animals who are mistreated.

I totally agree about not invading dogs' personal space. I wish they'd afford me the same courtesy .

No, I don't dislike dogs. I've never had a dog, mainly because I don't want the work of looking after one properly because it would have to be what I call a proper doggy dog (e.g. collie).

Which leads me to this vaguely connected point: cats. I've thought for a while that most of the domestic cats I see look fat. This morning I saw a report that said 40% of pet cats in the UK are obese because they don't get enough exercise.

My younger daughter and I did a count of my dogs yesterday, over the years there have been fifteen, not one bit, haven't had to let them off the lead in parks, they have run on the mountains and not one has chased a sheep ?