Wednesday 8 July 2009

Out of Control

Had a situation the other evening when we left seeing my dad at the care home of how people do not train their dogs or know how to read their body language.

As we came out the carer’s were going home. One of them walked out part way across the car park with us when a guy sitting on the fence let a big chocolate lab go. He was about a year or two old and came hurtling across towards her all legs, lolling tongue and overweight happiness. Somehow chocolate labs seem to specialise in this behaviour.

We all stopped as he did take up rather a lot of room. He had a quick hello with the carer then bounced off her and ran to me. I said hi and he ran off bounced off the guy on the fence and came bounding over to me again. I managed to take his weight as he whammed into me. I tried to grab his lead but was unable to as he was so bouncy.
Off he went again on another round.
His owners watching and making no attempt to stop him l was worried he may see my mum standing behind me, she is in her 80’s and an onslaught from this elephant was going to mean trouble. He was not nasty just very heavy and stupid.

He headed for me again, l watched him like a hawk and l saw his body change, l had not taken my eyes off him so assume my mum moved. His thoughts were as open as a cloudless sky ”Ohhh a new friend ohhh gonna play with her!”…
He started to go wide around me to get to her and l flung myself at the dog, grabbed his dog lead and spun round with his weight and kept going arse over elbow as he pulled me over. I spralled in a rather undignified mess in the middle of the car park but held on and managed to stop him. This took his mind off my mum and he assumed we would have a game instead so he bounced back to me.
Finally the carer made a move and took him from me, mumbled a sorry and she, boyfriend and overexcited dog left.

I had a word with management the next day and they tried to say that they had nothing to do with the car park. I made my point that had the dog hit my mum at his speed and weight she would have been in hospital. Had there been a child or other person scared of dogs again who knows what situation would have arisen. I stressed the dog was nice just stupid, very overweight and not under control he did not have a nasty bone in him. Just learn to control the dog. The nurse said she would try and find the carer and have a word whether she did or not l don’t know.

10 comments:

Fi from Four Paws and Whiskers said...

Definitely a worry... and as I have an 80 yr old mother, I completely understand your concern. I am always conscious of this with our own retriever when mum arrives....we really don;t need fractured hips etc.
I hope you and your back were ok!!!

Emily said...

Had a read of your blog after reading your comments on PC Blogs-a-lot. Very good. You know, I can see a dead body in all forms of decay, I can hold the hand of a dying man, I can tell a family their loved one has gone...and put it to the back of my mind. But see an animal in distress, or see it the victim of cruelty, it bothers me. I can never forget it. You do a great job and I've linked to you from my blog.

Don't bother responding to 'Pete', you don't want that waste of space difiling your blog. I'm sure you know what I mean, I don't want to elaborate save it give the fool credit.

joker the lurcher said...

hi there! thanks for your comment about computer games and my boy. i think that is a good second string for him as he is brill with computers but his stress levels make it not a good idea as a career.

i saw your previous commentator saying about 'pete' - i too have been trolled by this jerk. he will soon find out it is not such a great idea to behave like a prat. he finds the people who comment on inspector gadget's blog and gets his rocks off on being unpleasant. sad bugger.

Vetnurse said...

It happened a few days before the back the thought of that lot with my back makes me shudder as l know l would have done the same and then god knows what state l would be in.

Welcome ILH I know what you mean about the cruelty sticking in your mind.
Many thanks for the link back :-)
I will take note over the idiot.

Glad the idea seems to have been a good one for your boy Joker. Sorry to hear you have some idiot (the same one?) bothering you as well.

Anonymous said...

I can sympathise, my Lab's very bouncy, though thankfully not overweight (not her choice!) but I *know* she's bouncy, and I *know* she could send people flying so I always keep her on a lead whenever we're out and about and if she even thinks about jumping up on someone, boy doesn't she know about it. It's common courtesy when you're a dog owner - it was bad enough when she sent my best friend's small boy flying when she was playing in the field, I couldn't bear the thought of her knocking over someone who couldn't bounce back :/

Dave the Dog said...

May I suggest that you print this off and ask that it be given to the carer:
Dogs Act 1871
Any court of summary jurisdiction may take cognizance of a complaint that a dog is dangerous, and not kept under proper control, and if it appears to the court having cognizance of such complaint that such dog is dangerous, the court may make an order in a summary way directing the dog to be kept by the owner under proper control or destroyed,
Accepted that the dog was not aggressive but if the owner allows it to act like that and makes no attempt to control it, the knowledge that it doesn't have to be aggressive for action to be taken may just give him the kick up the Khyber that he so obviously needs.
Hope you're not suffering and glad you were able to save Mum from his boisterous attentions.
It's dozy owners like this that get their dogs into deep mire and really hack me off.

JuliaM said...

A chocolate lab? That's ok. It's the black ones you want to watch out for.

They're killers.. ;)

dickiebo said...

Told you I don't like the blooming things!!! lol.

Vetnurse said...

Dickie you are biased :-))

Anonymous said...

Gee, why shouldn't the care home worry/consider the car park!?? Not the attitude you were hoping/expecting/deserving!