Not really. I suppose the next time a dog launches itself at me (and the owner leaps to the dog's defence) I can think "Phew! At least it's not a cow". But I'm not sure it will be much consolation...Originally Posted by JohnK
Not really. I suppose the next time a dog launches itself at me (and the owner leaps to the dog's defence) I can think "Phew! At least it's not a cow". But I'm not sure it will be much consolation...
John, buy a dog and learn to love them. Just not one of those horrible bull terrier things that are always in the news for attacking children.
I Have had dogs all my life and have in fact been bitten by a boxer when I was a kid (my fault not the dog`s).
My dog of choice has always been Border collies and they have always been from rescue homes I have had my current collie now for 15 mths and he came to us as a physical and mental wreck thanks to the ill treatment he had received from the supposedly mentally superior human race, many of his issues we have managed to overcome but he is still work in progress, and his biggest problem now is people throwing stones and balls this stems from him having been chained up by a past owner and being used for target practice.
But one thing is for sure he is a lovely faithful and loyal pet.
I read these types of threads with interest as it is obvious that majority of the post`s made are put there both folk that have no understanding of the cannine mentality
Enjoy your running and be cautious around Cows, Dogs, Geese,Horses People, Cars, Buses, Cycles etc etc as they have all been known to attack runners.
Some of us have little opportunity or desire to understand cannine mentality. We experience dogs in the environment when we have no desire to. We just expect dogs to be kept under reasonable control in the environment? In the same vein dog owners seem to expect that its fine for their dog ro run around freely and any human they come into contact should have a good understanding of cannine mentality!
The other things are not comparable, We can often make a choice between running through a field of cows or not and I have often taken a detour to avoid them, much to the amusement of local farmers and my dad.
I certainly cant remember the last time I was attacked or threatened by a cyclist either!
in case of any confusion or offense, my tongue in cheek comment was directed at John aka "Ilkley Swimmer"
I too have grown up with dogs (not in a mowgli the wolf boy kind of way), mainly snappy cairn terriers and highly strung westies. they'd be no good to run with though. I'd love a dog that can run for miles and is obedient, like Stollie's (Harry?) or Chevinbytorchlight's (the legendary Ralph). I would like to have a dog now but I work full time so it would not be fair. and I can't sign off without giving in to the old bad joke: "I like dogs, but I couldn't eat a full one etc"
anyway, John "Ilkley Swimmer" it's about time you learned to love out of control dogs and their owners and understand their respective mentalities.
Or to put it another way:
Dog owner: "It's OK, he won't bite!"
Runner: "Oh, I'm sorry. I have no understanding of the canine mentality".
Dog owner: "DOWN Tyson!!"
Last edited by Ilkley Swimmer; 13-11-2015 at 09:51 AM. Reason: To clarify
It's not really runners with no understanding of dogs that's the problem. It's the minority's of dog owners that either don't understand their dogs behaviour, or don't care.
Exactly. I've had or been around dogs nearly all my life. Doesn't stop me getting a nip from one every now and again, with all that their saliva can carry, or even tripping over an overly excited one that the owner doesn't seem to understand and thinks runners are just playing a game!
Dogs can be just as daft/friendly/funny/aggressive/indifferent as their owners. At the end of the day though it's the owners responsibility to make sure their dog doesn't cause any harm to itself or to others and not the responsibility of runners have some form of dog whispering skill!
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