Dogs

My dog loves people running, he's very selfless. Tend to find its people who are selfish.

If by "pestered" you mean that the dog approaches you uninvited, then you have a fair point. If however, as I suspect our friend DH meant, you mean the dog just happens to be in your path (albiet moving towards you) then IMO you don't.

Thinking about it I'd guess I've met a good many dogs over the years when out running, I'm struggling to remember the last time a dog I met showed any interest in me at all. You get the odd juvenile that wants to be friends, and from time to time one shoots off after a squirrel and nearly takes me with it but that's about it.

I can only recall ever having been bitten once. I wasn't terribly happy about it at the time, but I was pragmatic and well balanced enough not to see that as the green light to launch a one man crusade to eliminate them from the face of the planet. It was after all - one dog in almost 50 years of coming across them on a daily basis (man and boy as they say)

Dogs exist - love 'em or loathe 'em they're a fact of life - they're unlikely to be uninvented in the near future.

Fell Running - By pestered, I mean bitten, growled at, snapped at, tripped by, take your pick.

Of course noone wants them uninvented, but I think having them under control is a perfectly reasonable expectation.

Agreed on the biting growling and snapping.

The tripping - well maybe you ought to be a bit more forgiving about that. Its not a deliberate thing after all. Its a dog thing.

Happy to agree to disagree about that point.

Agree about the control bit as well though.

Its not so much the incident that you have with the dog that's annoying.... but the arrogant attitude that some of the dog owners have that really grates.

In, i mean no apologies,but even worse they stand and laugh at you....or hurl abuse at you...not nice.

Anyway im not a big fan of dogs at all...but as long as we stay well away from one another so as to avoid any "incidents" then that's fine... im all for everybody being outside enjoying the fresh air.

Sad.p

DH, your initial post was asking for the response it received and you should consider the things in your life that you enjoy, maybe others may not enjoy them but do they make statements such as yours?

I run in an open forest with lots of dog walkers and have minimal problems, as was said previously most keep (or try to keep) their animals under control, sometimes there is the element of surprise but as long as both parties are sensible all is well, as with most walks of life (scuse pun) there are always going to be the odd idiot / irresponsible / inexperienced / ignorant / oblivious / arrogant persons who cause problems.

To be honest we should all be more concerned with mini motos in the countryside and cyclists on pavements etc, etc.

Love dogs... have had them all my life. Have to agree that I would say owners have a responsibility to keep dogs under control... doesn't necessarily mean on the lead. However, I have seen the damage a dog can do when "surprised"... totally out of character and just a "one off"... but the damage was not nice to see. I am now always very careful when I come across a dog whilst running... and take the "Lou Lou is very gentle, he just wants to play" with a pinch of salt.... As I said, adore dogs... but never fully trust that their "animal instincts" will never suddenly come out "to play".