Please call your dog

No need to plead your case Iam it’s common practice among the majority of responsible dog owners that we follow rules like this. If Elgran is being sarcastic (?) then that’s her problem.

However, I’d like to raise the question of swans. Where I walk there is a family with six huge cygnets. Now these do attack and quite viciously. They are unringed and apparently belong to her majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11 so are protected by law.

I’ve heard of ‘swan upping’ and I’m seriously considering ‘upping’ them with my walking stick next time they come at me with wings flapping, necks extended and beaks open and sharp.

Hello Friday . The other thing about dogs is that the evidence is those who share their lives with them live longer, happier lives.
My three are almost dry (they are long curly haired dogs) so will come into the kitchen, windows open whilst I thoroughly clean out their sleeping space. That will include washing three dog beds, several rugs, sweeping and mopping the floors and wiping down every surface. Then, the by now dry dogs will each need brushing through.

So I'll have walked about 5 miles and done two or three hours domestic work by 7pm. And none of my dogs have caused anyone any stress at all (apart from me on the cleaning front but I can listen to the radio as I go)
I don't mean to be flippant about people who are frightened of dogs, or have had bad experiences.

Glad to hear you are so meticulous, Iam and Friday.

X posts Iam ?

Most dog owners make sure their houses don’t smell of dog and yes, we can tell. Ask any dog owners what wet dog or doggy breath smells like. Not only that but most of us are extra fussy about paw wiping, floor washing and so on, just to be sure.

BUT having said that it’s my house and if I want it to smell doggy then that’s entirely my business. So there!

Ok - is it now being suggested that those of us who claim to have houses and dogs that don't smell unpleasant are either so besotted we don't notice these things, or dare we say it - are we being accused of being dishonest?!

My dogs don't smell, neither does my house. I did a long and wet muddy walk with my three this morning. All were showered and dried down on return. They stayed in the Utility on those absorbent towels until they dried. The windows in the Utility are open and their towels in the washer. I'm not obsessive about house or domestic stuff but I spent many a working day in malodorous homes, so have never had the desire to live in one.

I must say here that I am NOT a "dog-hater" - I have a niece-dog I am very fond of - and I have never been attacked or bitten, so I am not afraid of dogs.

However I strongly dislike being licked, particularly my face. I also strongly dislike the smell of doggy halitosis, which even my lovely clean Kara often has. It actually makes me retch, that is an automatic physical reaction not a mental one. If a dog is close to me even a clean and well-cared-for dog which presumably has frequent baths and good oral hygeine I can detect a whiff of dogginess, usually not enough to be offensive, but there, nevertheless, and sometimes overwhelming. Making a dog smell of anything else but dog is in fact an unkindness, other dogs recognise them by their unique smel,l and Chanel number five is not on the dog list.

I don't think the owner of a dog is the person to judge whether their smell is detectable. They don't register it.

Yes, N&G A chance to run around for dogs, as is natural to them, and for it to be somewhere they are not in conflict with humans who feel uncomfortable with them being exuberant around them. That is consideration for all. With a bit of planning and give and take it doesn't have to be confrontational. Same with a lot of the things that cause trouble!

Oh, and back to talking of rabbits. We were once given a beautiful English White rabbit for our DS when he was around five. Named Jane, she lived happily with our DD2’s guinea pig named .... Peter. However, no one could touch her without her drawing blood and I needed a pig board to corner her to clean out their run. In the end I gave her away to a friend who wanted to breed from her. She escaped. Five men from the farm cornered her - but none could touch her. She attacked them. And their dog. She turned wild but no one would go to the copse where she took up residence. They daren’t. I suspect her ghost still haunts the copse.

Honestly stansgran fancy saying my house smells!

In fact I can report the opposite. Lots of people comment on my house always smelling lovely

So now people with dogs are

Not only bad uncaring owners, but also have smelly unclean houses

Beginning to get a bit really.

My evil smelly spawn of Satan is lying next to me as I post this looking at me with one eye.

I fear Luckygirl some dogs are preferable to some humans. Just as some dogs are definitely preferable to some children. Or some cyclists. In a crowded urban environment politeness and consideration for others is necessary and something which seems to have gone out of the window for many these days. Dogs do have a valuable part to play in society, whether as guides or companions, and do deserve a chance to run free and chase balls and just be dogs. Keeping them restricted on leads full time is verging on cruelty. That’s why I advocate dog play grounds (as are provided in other countries) in urban areas in the same way as we have children’s playgrounds where they get to let of steam.

My dog is preferable to some of the posters on here that’s for sure Luckygirl - he’s got better manners for one thing !

I too have suffered from biting gerbils Elegran ... now they can be vicious !!

One thing I can state categorically Stansgran , I do not smell, my house does not smell (and I ask often ) and Sam only smells on a day he’s been swimming. Once bathed after that and sprayed he smells like baby powder !!

Whew! I am saddened to hear all the injuries that people have suffered at the hands (or rather teeth) of dogs; but heartened to know that I am not alone in my wish to see dogs under proper control.

I am aware of how dogs can be valued companions to those who like them, and have no problem with that.

I am simply asking that the people who own these animals should stop them interfering with others - even in ways that the owners see as cute and harmless.

I think that is the crux of the problem - dog owners (however irresponsible they are) can see that their dog biting someone is a bad thing; but some dog owners (even responsible ones) think that licking, jumping up etc are cute (he's being friendly) and assume that others see it that way. I think it is clear that many people don't.

It cannot be said that dogs do not smell - they have a doggy smell, which is what attracts other dogs. There would be something wrong with them if they did not smell of dog.

Just treat people around you with good manners and assume that they do not want doggy attention unless they state otherwise. I know that many dog owners on here do exactly that. How to alter the minds of those who simply do not care? Legal changes that make it illegal to have dogs off the lead in public places? - the dog lobby would be up in arms about the violation of a dog's "right" to run free.

I can see that if you own a dog you want to be responsible and do your best by it, which probably includes giving it chances to run free; but I believe that the rights of humans come first. I will now be barraged with posts telling me that dogs are far preferable to humans!! . Let me just say, I do not agree.

My house, my dogs and I, do not smell. Fact.

I don't think Maryliza needs to calm down . I think dog lovers believe that dogs are not animals but fur babies, that dogs don't smell ,that the houses with dogs in don't smell,that dog owners clean up after their dogs,that their right to have a large dog penned into a small house /flat is their right because they need to have someone adoring them or they need to control something .
If you don't own a dog then you know ( not believe) that dogs smell, their owners smell and their houses smell etc etc.
Dog owners who are responsible on line here may well be perfection personified but sadly the majority are not.
I'm a dog lover btw which is why I don't own one.

I was cross at the way you dog lovers dismissed our fears and concerns - and you did, don’t deny that. Yes the dog who bit my daughter was destroyed the next day - well that’s all right then - at least he didn’t kill her. All I am really saying is keep your dogs on leads where other people are around and if your dog needs a good run, find somewhere they can do that without spoiling things for people - you know humans who have the right to walk along pavements, , paths in their local parks, sit on a bench without being slobbered in,sniffed, jumped on, knocked over or injured. All dogs should be chipped, insured and licensed. The money from the licence should go a well staffed dog warden service who patrol streets and parks rounding up any dogs not on leads. Not being on a lead in such places should lead to immediate destruction.

P.s. I adore rabbits, as a child I holidayed with an aunt whose neighbour had a huge buck rabbit in the back garden - no fences in those days. He was vicious and would actually bite.

The only time I have ever seen a dog bite a child, the owner had the dog destroyed

mary you need to calm down a bit. No one is taking anything away from your unpleasant experiences of dogs, and I do sympathise how frightened you must have been. but being so very cross at us isn’t going to solve what is clearly a problem to your particular part of the country. It certainly isn’t an issue in my bit.
personally I find humans far more scary.

You havent told us what happened about your ankle and clothing. How on earth did the dog owner react. I assume the police were involved?

Only once have I been bitten by a dog. I went to look at a pony for a friend. The owner's dogs were loose in the field and one rushed to the gate barking. I stood still and waited for the owner to join me. She called out all the usual stuff about it being friendly etc., and then, 'I wouldn't have expected you to be scared of dogs.'

I should have gone with my instincts and ignored the taunt but I didn't and as soon as I entered the field it had me by the back of my leg. Ripped my jeans and left a nasty bite on my calf.

Needless to say the pony was not inspected and I never set foot there again.

Thankfully, we still had a local military hospital in those days with an excellent A&E so I was soon sorted!

House rabbits have form for chewing through electric cables too. Dangerous beasts, rabbits.

A friend used to have a house rabbit. A little lop eared thing which sat in front of the fire. He had a dog cage in the kitchen under the table with a box in it for a bedroom and a litter tray. He always returned there for his toilet. A bit like having an undemanding cat. I thought he was rather boring.

I've been bitten to the bone by a gerbil. But that was my own fault, I picked it up clumsily and it was scared.

Oh don’t be ridiculous ww or is being injured and having clothes ruined as a result of a badly behaved dog amusing? And your dd’s face and head being bitten - was that funny? This thread has opened my eyes

I've been attacked by more cats than I have dogs.