Kindly control your animal
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Cottage tales, Min Pin dogs | 20 comments
Many years ago, eight years at least, I was walking Dr Quito and his new wife, The Contessa. Suddenly a large dog jumped out from the shadows and sniffed them. He worried them but did not bite.
Dr Q had just recovered from a nasty ˜left for dead episode’ on Newmarket Heath. Just the mere sight of a big dog had him shrieking. The Contessa followed suit. So in one movement I swept the Min pins up from the ground and tried to shift the dog away.
The owner just kept his distance and observed.
As his dog leap to the height of my earlobes his owner still did nothing although his eyes were soon the size of organ stops. I finally lost my hair and to my surprise commanded, with a clipped and sonorous bray,
“Kindly control your animal.”
Within seconds the snapping jaws were tethered on a taut lead. As one, the Min Pins and I swished out of the park and into Jalopy, a younger polished car at the time.
Ever since then the words”Kindly control your animal”, have been a family joke when one or other of us is getting a bit uppity.
It’s generally me.
Leave a reply
In most of our parks, having an unleashed animal would surely produce a fine.
But what a cute saying to get one another’s attention.
Wendy: we have the exact same attitude from a dog owner we regularly see when we’re walking ours.. we met her very early on when we first had Jess, and given how she would run after the first bird/cat/dog/motorbike/squirrel she saw and refused to listen to us, refused to return to us, we had made the decision (and still do) that she’s not allowed off the leash unless she’s in a fenced off area that she can’t get out of (even our own garden doesn’t qualify as there’s a low brick wall at one point she can – and has – jumped over). When we told this dog owner this, in the course of a chatty conversation, her reaction was “oh the poor thing, that’s abusive” and she got so angry about it she actually called my OH a nazi or something like that (which he found *really really* offensive). At this point we just avoid her when we see her.
it just makes me so cross, it really does…
Yes, that is absolutely shocking that she was a vet. Shame on her!
I’m with you on ‘quality of life’ for a dog. When I visited the local rescue home here… Well, I’m not going to go into details, but honestly those images remain with me. And, probably always shall.
On a lighter note, from one who finds big dogs without leads scary and always has…family phrases-“I’ve told you a million times not to exaggerate””..and it rained all day” ( for use when someone who really shouldn’t hear what you are saying comes into earshot) and the one that always provokes hysteria and can be applied to just about anything,”I don’t fancy yours much” and the response to questions asking how one is, the fabulously miserable phrase my stupendously miserable Grandfather always used, “still breathing”.
I was horrified to read the Dr Q left for dead post. Even more so because she was a vet. Obviously went into the wrong profession. I could say a few more rude words about her!!
Small was given a little nip by my friends puppy a couple of years ago. This has left him afraid of dogs but he’s slowly coming round. It’s tricky when we’re out walking and dogs not on leads come bounding at him, he absolutely freaks out. I of course would still love to get a dog..
Hi! I have tagged you on my blog!……if you want to carry it on, see my blog for details, but don’t feel you have to…I just wanted you to know I think highly of your blog.
Oh, this post touches a nerve! My Min Pins, Berry and Basil, have both been jumped on by off-leash dogs while we are out on walks, scaring the three of us. I now take a can of animal deterrent spray (citronella based) with me on every walk.
I have worked hard with both dogs for years to help them to not be afraid of big dogs, every time we meet a rude dog who is off leash or on a long flexi-lead and not under their handlers control, we have to start back at the beginning of our training. I have yet to use the spray, but the next time a shout to “please call your dog” doesn’t work, I will spray away!
I feel really strongly about this as our Dougal is a rescue dog with unknown history. He is very nervous around other dogs and some owners just don™t seem to understand when you are trying to repel their big ˜friendly™ dog-off-the-lead.
There was heated correspondence in our local paper a couple of months ago. A lady had been struggling with a baby/pushchair/dog when approached by loose dogs with uncaring owners. She had written a nice open letter explaining her situation asking dog owners if they could possibly keep more control over their dogs.
You would never believe the abusive letters in reply. The main theme was that she was a bad owner who denied her dog the right to race around loose making ˜friends™ with all other dogs and basically shouldn™t own a dog at all. Seems like a polite ˜Kindly control your animal™ would sadly be lost on them.
I love the way that it has now become part of your conversations though “ we™ve got little sayings like that too! x
our dog, Jess, has a habit of picking fights with other dogs. We’re never sure which dogs she’s going to fight with, some she’s fine with, others she hates with a passion. Combine this with her hatred for motorbikes, passion for chasing anything that moves (cats, dogs, birds, squirrels, motorbikes) and we simply *cannot* let her off the leash. When we’re out walking and we meet another dog i get off the path, make her sit and hold her by the collar. at first she would go absolutely insane, barking and throwing herself against the collar, trying to get loose and to the dog(s) walking past us, but over the last few years we’ve tamed her down and now she often sits, maybe whines or gives a little whuff, but isn’t going insane as she used to (which i’m glad of – its frankly embarrassing).
Anyway. the point is: i too hate those who don’t keep their dogs on a leash. Even if *their* dog is fine with other dogs, they don’t know that the other dog is okay with their dog.. There’s one guy who lets his dog roam free round the area, and that dog has an obsession with Jess – my OH has had to mock-kick out at that dog before now to get him to leave Jess alone.
Additionally.. we live in an area where its popular to have a tough looking dog. My absolute dread/nightmare is meeting a bunch of these chavs and having their dog lunge for Jess: i have absolutely no doubt that a) they would do nothing to stop their dog, but would stand there laughing and joking and b) that Jess would come off worse.
I was shocked to read about Doctor Q: I’m glad he’s healed up from it, but even more shocked to realise the owner of the other dog was a vet. disgraceful.
I think i need you when i take Jess walkies!!!
keth
xx
Hello Fiona
This is my mother’s greatest fear and dread when out walking with her dog, thus she goes out armed with a waking stick. Poor Max, who is a feisty little shitsu, is just desperate to go and meet and greet any passing dogs but isn’t allowed anywhere near. Unfortunately, he spends enough time with me to know that meeting and a greeting is fun, so instead he goes into full on “attack is the best form of defense” mode when out with my mum which only serves to prove that she needs the walking stick. She is convinced that people who let their dogs off the lead are totally irresponsible so mostly avoids the beach and walks around the perimeter of the key park. The dog is so used to having to cross the road when another dog appears that he has taken to crossing at random and if you haven’t realised he wants to cross over he literally digs his heels in, puts his head down and looks just like a gremlin off the film! Of course the real reason for my mum’s fear of dogs off leads is because she was once badly attacked by guard dogs when she went out, with the nuns who promised her it would be ok if she was with them, to look at a flower which would be gone by the morning. She received several wounds requiring stitching.