Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums banner

I got into a verbal fight with someone

2K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  Toby'shuman 
#1 ·
Chase loves the bank, and the staff there love chase. I have never had a problem with other dogs in there, except today.

Someone was being helped at the teller and their JRT was running loose in the bank. The terrier spotted chase and came over to say hi, and chase at first obliged. The terriers tail got stiff, and was circling chase, and chase didn't like that. He tried to get away from the terrier, but, being on a leash couldn't go very far. So before chase had to bare teeth or let out a growl, I diffused the situation by blocking the terrier with my foot and pushing him away. Eventually the terrier got the idea and went back to his owner.

A bystander saw the whole thing and shouted 'animal abuse!' I turned around and said 'excuse me?' She went on to say why did you viciously kick that dog? If someone did that to your dog how would you like it? She kept repeating herself and I couldn't get a word in. I managed to tell her that the dog was off leash and not leaving my dog alone, I didn't want to use my hands in case the dog didn't like that and bite me. She said 'how would you like it if someone kicked your dog? I replied: if my dog was off leash, pissing someone off and not backing down, I would not mind at all if they had to kick him out of the way. After that she shook her head and sat down.

For the remainder of the 10minutex chase passed out on the floor, while the JRT was being held. No one paid any attention to the terrier, they were all oohing and ahhing at chase phenomenal behaviour in the bank.

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation?
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Ugh gotta love people! I did the same thing at the dog park before when this intact male lab was trying to mount my 10 pound Min Pin. The owner started freaking out on us saying "don't kick my dog he just recovered from having a broken leg!". Obviously there were so many things wrong with that statement that I didn't get into it much, just said I didn't kick him and walked away..........I felt pretty proud of myself considering I wanted to say much more!
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yikes. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. The terrier should have been on a leash from the beginning. She should be happy YOU are a responsible owner and diffused the situation before Chase had himself a nice little terrier stew lol. It's difficult to argue with someone who is uneducated.

There are some people who need muzzles way more than any dog.

On a side-note - How cool that you guys can bring your dogs to the bank!
 
  • Like
Reactions: DogsR4Life
#4 ·
I didn't want to make it a big deal because I love the fact that TD allows dogs into the banks, and I want to keep it that way. So instead of shouting 'whos dog is this?' I quietly ushered the terrier away from my dog. Then this woman had to make a big deal out of it.
 
#6 ·
Wow, on two fronts.

First, that you can take your dog into your bank, (hmmmm, the Dobergang movie just sprang to mind. :lol2:

Second, that this woman reacted in this way.

Okay, kicking a dog is not nice and no one who is a dog lover does it if there is an alternative available.
However, from what I understood from your post you didnt kick at all, but rather you ushered the dog away with your foot (or am I misunderstanding what you meant).

Now whilst the woman was right, you nor I would like it if someone kicked our dogs the difference between ours and the JRT is they are/were on the leash and behaving whereas the JRT was not.
If your Chase had bitten the JRT chances are said JRT would have been injured which would have been far less desirable to him being ushered away from danger.

Personally I would have told the woman to wind her neck in, but then I am going through some crappy moods of late and have decided not to take any crap from anyone no matter what the situation.

Good boy Chase for not eating the JRT, (he might have got stuck in your teeth, :lol2:
 
#7 · (Edited)
Unfortunately, many times it is the other dogs that should be blamed when someone allows their dog to be rude. Where was the owner?

I can understand how you pushed the dog back with your foot. Not saying that is a bad thing, but just don't understand why people allow their to run loose and do this.

This is why I don't like dog parks. It is always the one owner that thinks their dog can run lose and be untrained and rude that ruins it for everyone. Sorry this happened. I'd not take my dog back to the bank because next time they could react........and guess who will be blamed?

Terriers are bred to spare and it is part of temperament. Clearly, the owners fault.
 
#8 ·
I was walking my GSD one night when suddenly an offleash dog ( mastiff) comes running. Noticing the owner on his phone, I shouted (he was far) to call his dog. He ignored me, so I went on to tell him my dog doesn't like other dogs, and to call it. Muzzling the GSD with one hand, I lifted my foot and barely touched the dogs chest, keeping him a legs length away. Seeing this the guy comes RUNNING 'why did you kick my dog what is wrong with you' etc etc etc. I told him my dog could have done more damage to his dog than me touching him with my shoe, and if he would care to look I was wearing steel toes and had I kicked his dog, he would surely know it!

I would never, ever kick a dog. Have I threatened to so the owner would actually call/gather their animal? You betcha... People don't listen when you politely ask. :(
 
#9 ·
Just so it is clear I did NOT kick the JRT. I would never kick or hurt a dog unless it was a last attempt at diffusing a situation. I used my foot to block him.

To anyone suggesting I should never take him into a Bank ever again...what?

Should I just keep Chase locked up for the rest if his life? If I cant take him to a bank, then that means I cant take him to the Beer Store, Pet Store, Canadian Tire, or even on the sidewalks. He was attacked by a small dog on our way back home, it was on a flexi and it just went for his chest.

I understand the dog parks, it is dangerous. All dogs are off leash and in pack mentality, it can turn into something nasty. I don't go to them. Instead I set up play dates and go to unused fields. But in this thread we are talking about a public area, where the by-law is every dog should be leashed with a max of 6ft.
 
#12 ·
To anyone suggesting I should never take him into a Bank ever again...what?

Should I just keep Chase locked up for the rest if his life? If I cant take him to a bank, then that means I cant take him to the Beer Store, Pet Store, Canadian Tire, or even on the sidewalks. He was attacked by a small dog on our way back home, it was on a flexi and it just went for his chest.
I'm in the same position- most of the shops around my walking area including big/government companies allow dogs IF they are calm and under control. You may have a couple who won't allow bully or molosser types, but even still most folks comment about "it's all how you raise them" and are more drawn to these types while inside buildings. Only difference is that dogs MUST!!! be leashed in these places, to the point where people have been forcefully ejected for having one offleash, unless of course it's a service dog. Basically if the place doesn't sell food, you can bring a calm dog.

Working with reactive dogs (Baby/Buster/Skoll), I'm always on the lookout for offleash dogs and if it's a problem that repeats more than once, I stop bringing the dogs. Otherwise, the dogs enjoy being with me on my errands and it provides me with a lot of training and desensitizing so that I can attend larger events and still expect a well-behaved individual at the end of the leash. It also exposes them to things I think a lot of people don't think about- elevators, construction equipment, sliding/revolving doors, general business noise and stress...



I HAVE gotten into verbal fights with folks regarding the dogs, mostly around Baby the pit, but a few people have gotten snarky with me when I defend Mocha (sweet naive chow x) from a charging dog. The labs and GSD that were repeat offenders, well I carried a big stick if I had to walk through those areas, and once when the owner of the two labs did nothing while I kept them from beating on her I warned him that if he did not get his dogs under control, I would, and he wouldn't like the way I'd do it. He leashed his dogs after that and gave me the stink eye :rolleyesww:

Though, one person had a little dog that I was able to deterr with a "GIT DOWN" when it went for Mocha. She asked if I trained dogs since her dog hit the floor as soon as I growled at it. I told her just my own, her dog just knew better than to pick a fight with a person rather than my dog :lol2:
 
#10 ·
Unfortunately, we as the Doberman owners are the ones who get blamed when some idiot doesn't leash their dog and their dog provokes ours. We have an issue where I live with people who walk around with their dogs off the leash all the time even though we have a leash law. Elke has a friend who is a black lab who just loves her and the two of them play together sometimes. The lab's owner walks around with him, plays with him, etc. off leash a lot and the dog generally follows the owner. However, he knows the sound of my car and comes running when we get home. He has jumped on my car door, chased us up my front steps, and hyped Elke up when all I am trying to do is get her safely out of the car (fully leashed of course), let her do her business, and get inside after work to change. We have had a few conversations about it and they were getting better about putting him on a leash for awhile, but I've noticed recently they've been getting lax again. At least he is a big dog rather than a little, but whether your dog is friendly or not, noone wants to be surprised or chased down.

And I think you did the responsible thing in the bank. There is absolutely no reason a dog (anyone's dog) should be off leash in a business, even a pet friendly business.
 
#11 ·
Wow, I'm jealous! The only place dogs are allowed into here is the local pet store.

I agree 100%, people who's dog is safely and properly leashed should not have to worry about someone else's out of control dog.

We had a similar incident on the street. We were walking the dogs on leash. We were on the other side of the street when this small dog comes racing over barking like crazy and baring it's teeth. It started to come at Coco so I stepped forward and stomped my foot hard and yelled "GET" at it. The owner finally decides to come out of his house, yes, he was inside, door closed and the dog was left loose and unattended in the unfenced yard :rolleyesww: he yells across the street at me "you better not hurt my dog! I saw you try to kick him!"

Seriously?!?! You should be thanking me for saving your dogs life! Coco was a fraction away from eating it.

We just walked away as I was too mad to say anything even remotely constructive. The next day we lodged a complaint with the bylaw department.

What's wrong with people :screama:
 
#14 ·
I took my dobermans brother Izzy to the vet and he was the only one in the office we were sitting nicely ...He was on the leash and I had my hands free no purse, my cell phone was in my pocket ...and in walked a cocker spaniel...she came right up to Izzy he weight about 90 lbs. He started to growl and go after the cocker spaniel which surprised me because he always loved other dogs............ I took Izzy in one motion and moved him into the empty office, I closed the door...........the dog's owner started to yell at me............I said your dog came to my dog's face he normally loves dogs ....your dog needs to be on a leash....back off!! Normally I'm a quite,sweet person but don't mess with my doberman family!! The staff thanked me for stepping in and putting Izzy in the office.... I'm sorry to say that he's gone now ..........I miss him and his kisses he gave us when we stopped to potty him when my friend was working.....
 
#15 · (Edited)
I got into a verbal, while puppy walking/training our former girl (Amy at 4.5 months old) off-leash along low traffic city streets (at night).
Lady told me "put a leash on that dog, what I was doing was illegal", my reply "you mind your own business, and I'll mind mine"...LOL
- we weren't even on the same sidewalk, a block and a half away from each other
Turns out she was a dog trainer with 15 years of "useless" class experience.

This lady walks/rushes home, drops off her old dog and now tracks me down with her car...so I could hear the errors of my ways.
We actually had a very cordial talk (for 10 minutes), and I went on to continue do my thing.

DogsR4Life - I think you and Chase handled the situation, very well...could of quickly esculated, out of control.
- the bystander, needed to mind her own darn business
I never thought of taking a dog into an Ontario bank...kind of a neat idea.
 
#17 ·
Sorry what happened to you with an annoying lady.
In this case, that lady and JRT owner are wrong. What you did to the JRT is absolutely understandable and I'd do the same way.

You wrote "Chase loves the bank, and the staff there love chase." That's the great advantage! Maybe you can talk to the manager to put the notice at the entrance, "Dogs must be leashed (or put him in the purse!)"?
 
#18 ·
In my opinion, if your dog is well behaved you have as much right if not more to go into places such as your bank with your boy because you are a responsible dog owner, the JRT's owner wasnt.


The only place I can take Toby that is close to a public area is the 'Vets'. Now the vets office has one waiting area and that is it. (small affair) which means dogs of all shapes and sizes come into contact with each other. Usually I try and stand out of the way, mainly because of the stupidity of other dog owners and their badly behaved mutts as it just isnt worth the hassle of Toby reacting to some little Pom or Yorkie trying to hang off his muzzle

Anyhow, not long ago I came out of the vets examination room to a crowded waiting room, there must have been 6 or 7 dogs (that is a mega crowd for so small a waiting area, 12'x6') all jammed packed in the seating area with a couple more standing right in front of the exit.

Seeing the crowd my vet moved towards them and asked them to step aside. Of course they immediately started to complain about it all especially when they saw they were moving aside for a Doberman as they shouldnt be allowed out in public places etc, etc. .

Well long story short, as I walked past the crowd, muttering to Toby that he should simply ignore the ignorant fools when all of a sudden two of the dogs sat with their owners in the seating area suddenly launched towards us and tried to attack Toby with me in the middle.

Now I am pretty light on my feet for a big girl :lol2: but fact was I couldnt get Toby out of their way thanks to another dog on the other side starting up. Which meant we were basically a Dober sandwich with nasty dogs either side with the exit being still blocked by a woman and her little boy whom she was clutching to her legs (in front and in harms way) as if she was protecting the child when she was doing nothing of the sort.

Well, as the dogs lunged forward it didnt take a rocket scientist to work out that only one of them was leashed, (in our vets office there is a big sign requesting all dogs be kept on a leash/under control at all times) whilst the other wasn't. However, the one that was leashed wasnt actually being held onto so in effect they were both able to come at Toby with no holds barred. (apparently the owners didnt think it applied to their dogs as they were not big dogs but cutey wutey furry little gits)
Anyhow both owners (two women) started to scream as if their darling dogs were being murdered whilst all the while they made no attempt to intervene and save my dog from the onslaught.

Now I just want to remind you guys that Toby is leashed and muzzled in public so he had no way of defending himself. So I did it for him.
Now I wear steel toe capped work shoes pretty much all the time, so of course my kicks were going to hurt and whilst I am not happy to have to kick out at a dog in the abscence of the owner actually doing something about their dog I will do so and make each kick count. Sod the pushing the dog away with my foot, they were attacking my boy. I had to protect him as he was going mental as you would expect.
With the aid of my Vet we managed to create some space and thankfully two other customers came in to help, grabbing one dog by the leash and the other by the scruff of its neck, (it wriggled and bit the guy who had grabbed him, but he held on)
So that I could go into the corner and try and calm Toby down who was reacting in a none too friendly way, snapping and barking as if he really wanted to fight them both and to hell with the fact that he was muzzled.

As we stood there my Vet asked me was Toby okay and I said at that moment I couldnt take time out to look so he asked me to take him back into his examination room so he could do so in a quieter environ.
Thing was, we couldnt get past the two women who had by now gotten off their fat backsides and were complaining about the vicious Doberman and the even nastier woman who had kicked their cutey wutey fluffy gits smack in the chops. You should have heard them saying how it was all Toby's fault that he started it when he did nothing of the sort. It got so heated, that one of them threatened to call the police.

So my Vet told them to do so, however, they had best be prepared for one of the dogs to be impounded whilst the other would like as not be shot by the police for having bitten someone.

For some reason the shut up at that point, sat down and never said another word. Even when we left the office, Toby luckily was unhurt and by the time we left calm as a cucumber again.

So I do understand how infuriating it is when someone doesnt control their dogs and you do and whats more how you become the bad guy for doing what you think is right.

It is a case of 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' when you own a Doberman.

But hey, you know what, had that been my Terrier, neither of those cutey wutey fluffy little gits would still be drawing breath today. He is not muzzled out in public and he would have gone rental on both and torn them a new one.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top