Does He Bite?

[Cincy'sMom]

Last night we took all three of the dogs to the park for a walk and they were all pretty good. This particular park is always packed full of people of all ages and tons of dogs.

At one point we were walking up some stairs, leading out of the woods. I had Cincy and Ralph was further behind with Sadie and Spot. this guy soming down the stairs, sees Cincy and freezes. "Does he bite?",he asks. I said no. He quickly hurried past. I heard him as he got to Ralph ask, "Are they friendly?"

I have a few thoughts on this...first, am I the only one who thinks it seems nicer if someone asks is your dog friendly, instead of does he bite?

Second, would it have been rude to respond..."Yes, horribly and uncontrolably. That why I take HER, out to a busy park at a very busy time of day!"
Or maybe, "Only people who ask silly questions!"

I understand that everyone has the right to enjoy the park, but this one has to be the busiest in town, esp. for dog people. This guy was obviously scared of dogs, so why would you chose this park to go to?


Thanks for letting me rant :)

[GoldenRetrLuver]

I totally agree with you!:) That guy must have been scared of dogs! I dont see how anyone could though!;) :D

[4 Dog Mother]

Now honey, you have to learn to be more tolerant. Remember there was a time your younger brother and sister were afraid of dogs and that is why we got Oreo. After that it was confirmed, they would always be afraid of dogs! LOL

Some people have never been around dogs and just generally are afraid of dogs and some people have been bitten by a dog and have a right to be afraid of dogs. Although I would admit that anyone walking a dog in a park where there were lots of people and other dogs certainly shouldn't be walking an aggressive dog.

Did you have a bad day, honey , is that why you feel so intolerant of this poor fellow?

[Cinder & Smoke]

Originally posted by 4 Dog Mother
Now honey, you have to learn to be more tolerant...

Did you have a bad day, honey...?

<snikker> <snikker> :D

Amy ~
Kinda *tuff* havin to share the site wiff relatives! :rolleyes:

:D

[mugsy]

WOW!!! Was that a mom response or what?? lol

Amy, I had the same thought that maybe the guy had been bitten, but geez c'mon what kind of moron would take an aggressive dog to a busy park? I usually have some smart answer back when they ask something like that...sorry Mom!!! hehehe

[KYS]

posted by Cinder & Smoke> Kinda *tuff* havin to share the site wiff relatives![/size] :rolleyes:>>>>

LOL! I was laughing so hard.
I think I am going to enjoy this. :D

[Cheshirekatt]

I usually say something smart-a$$ed like, "She only bites on the third Sunday of months that end in 'er'!" I know it's not exactly nice, but I just can't help it!

[Cincy'sMom]

Now, Now, I didn't say the guy shouldn't be scared of dogs. I know some people are, esp. big black dogs, and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that. I'm just saying I think it is nicer to ask if the dog is friendly, then if it bites :) Maybe that makes me an optimist :) And if you are scared, maybe one of the other parks, such as Olander, just short a short drive down the road from Wildwood (where we were) is a more appropriate choice, becuase no dogs are allowed there :)

[Blustang24]

I definately think that asking if your dogs are friendly is nicer than "do they bite?" They guy must've been afraid of dogs or something along those lines. What a weirdo. lol

[kingrattus]

My ex-friend & I use to walk her rotti (Rocky) & my dog Max in the park. As a safety issue Rocky was always muzzled, he doesn't like dogs barking at him & he is more calm when muzzled...

3 young kids came running up to us out of no where, when I yelled stop!! They stoped in their tracks & I said now what should u kids be asking before you run up to dogs u don't know (I was a very stern with them).. they answered ask if they r friendly. I said then why did u run to us without asking first..

I said u see that big rotti, there is a reason he is muzzled. U could have scared him & then he could have grawled at u kids & then have scared u.

I told them to stand over there & I'll let them pet, hug & kiss Max, they did & their father came running around a corner. I told him Max is a super friendly dog, but we wern't too sure about Rocky.

But Rocky started to give a super happy wine & started to bounce around, which ment he liked them. I told the kids we'll bring Rocky to u & then u can pet him. We foundout that day that Rocky LOVES kids, he was licking them & wagging his butt, he even layed on his back so they could rub his tummy, the kids played with the dogs for an hour. It was great!!

but Rocky wouldn't let the father near him, Rocky gave a warning woof, & I told the father that its an adult thing, ur bigger then us so he doesn't trust u, the kids r smaller so he loves them.

The father thought it was a great learning experience for the kids to learn that not all dogs r friendly.

[wolf_Q]

Ugh, I've heard that response countless times. Apparently Nebo is really freaky/mean looking to a lot of people.

I think "Does he bite?" is a really stupid question. Yes, he bites. He gnaws the trees, rips apart toys, and may occasionally play bite a hand. Quite often he is found biting his tail. :rolleyes:

I don't really think "Is he nice?" is really necessary (though *much* nicer), what I'd LIKE to hear is "May I pet your dog?" I always say yes, but I make him sit first, and I hold him, especially if it's little kids. I don't appreciate kids just running up and petting him. Actually, it's worse with adults.....he's scared of random people, mainly men, so I'd rather not have strange people coming up to him and freaking him out.

And I agree that it's dumb for somebody to go to a place that is very populated with dogs, then complain because there are dogs there. Just like that lady who was rude to me about Nebo at Petsmart...

[Uabassoon]

What I think is funny are people who are scared of cats. One of my good friends was hanging out at my house for the first time and I got up to get a soda. The next thing I know she's screaming at the top of her lungs like something horrible happened, so I ran into the living room and I couldn't help but laugh. My RB kitty Zasper was rolling around on the ground showing her belly while my friend was screaming!! To this day she is always so cautious when she comes over. She's scared that a cat might get near her and do something cute!

[lovemyshiba]

I agree that he could have phrased his question better. "Is SHE friendly?" would have been much nicer.
And what was he doing in a park with so many dogs anyway, if he is afraid??

I have trouble with kids on the street. As soon as they see our door open, they come running, screaming the name of whichever dog I have out. It's ok, but not when I'm trying to get Riley to go potty:rolleyes:
When we moved in, we told these kids that Kito is not fond of kids. It's not really that, but he doesn't like when they come running at him screaming. He has to be calm, and so do they, and they have to let him smell them, and then pet underneath his chin--that's just the way he is. Abbey and Riley are over-friendly, so they're not a problem, but we still have to keep them sitting when the kids come over.

[bnormal]

When I have friends come over to my house for the first time they are usually very intimidated by my 2 Dobes. In fact they are usually afraid to come into my house.

I'll calm their fears by saying that my boys will not bite them.

Then after they get into the house I'll point at Callihan and say, "well, maybe that one will bite"!!!

After a good laugh I let them know that Callihan has never bitten anyone...other than me!

:D :D :D

[Kona & Oreo's mom]

I agree--the man must have been afraid of dogs. Oreo wears a Gentle Lead for walks, and I can't count how many people that see her just assume that it's a muzzle. I think "not a very good one since you can see that she can open her mouth and stick her tongue out!" It just shows you that many people have not had much exposure to dogs.

[ParNone]

Unfortunately I think a lot of people have had bad dog
experiences, which is why they're so antsy. I get asked
that question even with Murph and Maddie and their whole
body language, when they see people, just screams out
friendly. But still people are wary.

I had a cable guy about have a coronary, when he walked into
my bedroom and Maddie was loose on the bed. He stopped
dead in tracks and asked if she'd bite, even though her tail
was wagging a mile a minute at him and he outweighed her
by at least 200 lbs. I reassured him that he didn't have anything
to worry about. That she might lick him to death, but she
wouldn't bite and also that she was blind and wouldn't jump
down off the bed, even to lick him. I could tell he still looked
really nervous, so I picked her up and took her off to another
room, so he could get the work done in peace.

Par...

[ramanth]

I admit I prefer the question, "Is your dog friendly?" to "Will it bite!?"

I've even had people hold up their hands and snap, "I don't like dogs!" when they see Kia.

Purely an instict reaction on their part but it ruffles my feathers.


Originally posted by mugsy
Amy, I had the same thought that maybe the guy had been bitten, but geez c'mon what kind of moron would take an aggressive dog to a busy park?
You'd be surprised. ;)

Some people brought two aggressive dogs to the Dog Park late in the evening just as I was leaving. One was on a leash and muzzled but the other they let go right away and of course it went right after Kia.

She ran and dodged and the dog ended up hurting itself (twisted ankle I think) and went bawling back to it's owners. I saw everything but they, being behind bushes, did not and I was sure they'd blame my dog for hurting theirs. :mad: :rolleyes:

Then after the fact... no "sorry" at all.... they ask me if anyone else is in the park because their dogs don't like other dogs.

Stupid morons. I can understand taking your dog to a park late before it closes when there is likely going to be no other dogs, but you should at least keep it on the leash until you know for sure.

[Logan]

Mom's response is just what I was thinking!! :o Am I showing my age or what???

Actually, I have a different problem, which I why I don't take Honey to public places where there are strangers. She's a Golden Retriever, and everyone, kid and adult, assume that she is sweet and friendly (as one would expect from a Golden), but she's not. She's nervous and get very upset around strangers and I don't trust her to not bite in a strange situation (although she never has bitten anyone). I do understand your frustration, though, Amy, and taking a more positive approach would have been much better! At least he asked, though, which many thoughtless people don't do in my experience.

Logan

[Cheshirekatt]

I think it's ridiculous that people would take aggressive dogs to a part. Sheesh....where is people's common sense? Joxer I can take anywhere. :) Wilma is fine because she's only 40 lbs and if it comes right down to it I can always pick her up. She's only border-line dog aggressive. Buford on the other hand rarely gets to go for walks because there are so many people around here that don't obey the leash law. It's too bad. All of my dogs however are terrific with people. I'm surprised Joxer hasn't wiggled himself right into the ground when he sees the school bus!

[kingrattus]

Rocky is an agressive dog, but we always took procautions when walking him. He was to be muzzled at all times & never went anywhere without Max. While hes with Max hes much more calmer & copies Max, if Max is up set hes upset, if Max is friendly hes friendly, etc. Rocky also had the prong choaker so there was noway on earth he could out power us. But the big park back home was somewhat busy during the summer time, but there is only 1 path & alot of grass, so we tended to stay on the grass about 40 feet away from the path.. Rocky never had an agression problem while he was with Max... Rocky looked up to Max, well rather down, rockys head was much higher then Max's hehehe

The only place we set rocky free was in the tennis court. it was fenced in & a large area to run.. but Rocky was still muzzled just incase he found a way out...

[Dakota's Mommy]

LOL, you 2 crack me up! I agree Amy, it's much nicer to hear the question of friendliest not biting!