Dog Owners Clash After The Owner Of The Aggressive Pup Told The Other They Should Have Asked Permission Before Entering The Community Dog Park

She wanted them to ask her permission before entering the dog park after her dog tried to attack them

Chelsi

• Published in Animal Stories
• November 3, 2022

We've seen countless stories of entitled people online but encountering them in real life is something else. Asking a restaurant for a new plate when they get your order wrong does not make you entitled but thinking you own a community dog park certainly does.

Community dog parks are free to be used by all dog owners so long as they observe the rules set by whoever manages the park. They are a great place for dogs to socialize, burn energy, and have fun for a few hours.

This dog owner luckily has a dog park in their apartment complex. Any tenant can use the dog park within the hours set by the management.

OP and her dog Max frequent the park for his daily walk and potty needs. She lets him go off his leash from time to time because Max has odd potty habits.

While Max may be an oddball in some areas, he is generally a gentle dog who has no history of aggression. He plays well with the other dogs in the complex and has made a lot of friends while at the park.

One day, OP and Max went to the park a little later than usual when they encountered a dog and its owners. They've seen them around the complex before but never at the park, so Max is unfamiliar with the dog.

OP opened the gate to the park and was about to unleash him when the other dog ran up and sniffed Max. Suddenly, the dog snapped and turned aggressive.

OP tried her best to protect Max and was reaching for her pepper spray when the other dog's owner leisurely walked to them and tried to control her dog. She managed to grab his collar and turned her attention to OP.

She yelled at OP that she needed to leave and asked "who the f*ck are you not to ask permission from me to enter the dog park."

Even as Max and OP exited the park, the lady was still screaming until OP answered back

OP said that it was a community park and she didn't need their permission to use it

All the while, the aggressive dog was trying to squeeze his face through the gate to get to Max

OP reported them to the apartment's management to establish that this dog has been aggressive before in case it harms anyone in the future. Was OP wrong not to ask permission before entering the dog park?

If you know your dog is aggressive, you shouldn't allow it to go off-leash and it's your responsibility to warn others so they can exercise proper caution

OP was right, the other owner should have just told her that the dog wasn't friendly and to maybe give them a few more minutes

None of the rules in their dog park mentioned that only one dog can play at a time. She may have been disappointed they didn't have enough time at the park but that is not an excuse to yell at OP.

The image of Cuju brings shivers down my spine and yes, OP did right by reporting the dog because it certainly poses a threat to other animals and humans

Even if the dog got aggressive out of the blue, it is still its owners responsibility to apologize for what happened

If you know your dog is aggressive, please do not let it walk around off-leash. If you see it readying to attack, intervene immediately before it harms another.

Things could have turned much worse if OP didn't react quickly. That other owner certainly took their sweet time pulling back their aggressive dog from attacking OP's dog.

They could have apologized for what happened but chose to yell & blame the other person who isn't at fault. Never change entitled people, you don't believe you're ever wrong anyway.

Chelsi