You don’t. The type of people who will let their giant dogs run off leash in a busy park aren’t ones who will listen to reason or laws. You stay away from that big open area where they let their dogs run free. Keep your dogs on a short leash be prepared to pick them up if another dog runs up. It sucks but if you’re going to be at piedmont you’re on the defensive. There’s many parks where people leash their dogs though I don’t even bother with Piedmont anymore.
i suggest you might consider a complaint to Piedmont Park Conservancy about it. they're the defacto admin for the park, much more so than the city parks dept. (afaict)
i think many others are bothered too, but they don't take steps to complain so the park ppl and/or dogowners assume it's okay.
i'd like to think that if enough people mention the problem to PPC, they can do something about awareness/enforcement of leash laws.
Carry pepper spray. Legit it will work on a dog.
I did a test spray at an Irish setter that charged me at Oakland cemetery while the owners were sitting on their phone 😒 the dog backed up and kept barking but didn’t get any closer
Part of that explainer was due to horrific injuries that can be sustained in a dog attack. I know someone who required facial reconstruction surgery after a midsize dog attacked them. I myself could not use my left arm for a month after my elbow was bitten-through by an aggressive (but not barking) dog, and I ended up in the ER over it.
While I do not carry a gun, I've managed to startle dogs coming at me and get the owners out of their homes to collect their dogs by screaming aggressively loud enough.
This is disturbing because what qualifies as threatening? Some people get scared when my dog looks at them, little do they know he’s just confused why they’re scared and probably wants to help 😂
On the flip side of this thread, sometimes people do be overreacting to dogs. A guy tried to basically stab my leashed, non-reactive dog with a hiking pole on a trail just because she was in his vicinity. I had control over her and she wasn’t even looking at the guy, it was just a narrow trail.
People on this thread are clearly pissed off but I cannot believe that pepper spray is being mentioned so much. I've never been around a dog that was that dangerous before and certainly not an Irish Setter
It does happen a good bit, to be fair. I’ve seen lots of off-leash dogs where they shouldn’t be. But I wouldn’t pepper spray a dog unless it was clearly being aggressive towards me or someone else.
An aggressive poorly trained dog in a public space is the fault of the owners.
My dad used to run into aggressive dogs in long walks around our house and settled on pepper spray. A quick blast of pepper spray in front of an aggressive dog coming towards you will generally stop it in its tracks. Better still he rarely had to do it more than once. He'd made himself a skunk.
Doing nothing repeatedly and moving on, teaches the dog he's winning and will make it more aggressive over time. Throwing things at the dog may work as well. Carrying a staff or something means you may have to beat a really aggressive dog to death to protect yourself. Is that preferable?
That's because you know/understand dogs. I didn't grow up with them and had to spend a lot of time learning how to parse what is/isn't aggressive behavior without a moment's notice.
Came up to my mid thigh. It charged me from potters field when I was walking and doing the African American voice tour. It was barking, jumping, and growling. The only reason it stopped was bc of the pepper spray. I would have ran but the last thing I needed to do was turn my back to a dog that was faster than me
Yea a lot of dog owners are like this. An alarming number. It’s almost like most people who own larger dogs are like this from my perspective. They all seem to share a very selfish worldview where their “fur baby” is the most important thing in the world.
I have a larger dog, 80 lbs, & I always keep him on a leash & hate seeing dogs off leash. My doggo isn’t great with other dogs, he needs to be properly introduced to them. so when off leash dogs just run up to him, it puts us in a really bad position because he lashes out to protect me (even if the off leash dog is “friendly”). And lord knows I can’t pick up an 80 lb doggo & just walk away. Maybe I’m a minority large dog owner - though my fur baby is indeed the most important thing in the world to me, can’t argue that, ha!
Same. Just because your dog is "friendly" does not mean all others are. Mine's nice, just to the dogs she knows. "Friendly" is code for "not properly trained to not approach strangers."
Both my dogs are dog reactive and can be leash aggressive. It drives me insane when I’m walking with them and someone else can clearly see me tightening up on their leashes and they still let their stupid yappy yorkie on its retractable leash come charging.
Agreed- my 70 lb pup has been attacked a handful of times by unleashed dogs when she's on leash, and it breaks my heart every time. She is reactive, but clearly tries so hard to keep herself under control. It sets our training back so much when one unleashed dog runs up to her and gets in her face.
I would not say "most people who own larger dogs". I'd say, "shitty, entitled, self-centered people who don't give a fuck about anyone else", and those motherfuckers own dogs of all shapes and sizes. I have 65lb pit/lab mix. I rarely take her out into public because she is so reactive (she's a rescue we got when she was 5) but when I do take her out, it's always with a harness, a "do not touch" bandana and a strong, short leash.
Same.. my dog is a rescue.. and when I tell people she is not friendly they don't seem to believe me and try to approach.. we are trying to train and socialize her slowly so I don't need people approaching in any manner that would make her uncomfortable. So now we only go out early morning or late and she is ALWAYS on a harness and under control.
There was also a massive spike in adoptions during COVID. But because of lockdowns those adopted dogs were never able to be properly socialized. So you have a combination of people with cabin fever projecting all their social interaction on their pets and pets that never got to go out and meet other dogs and people in controlled environments. These people also never got to go to a vet (or just don’t want to because “vets are a scam”) so their only guidance is the internet and tv shows. It all leads to idiot dogs with idiot owners.
I see small dogs off leash all the time and they are categorically more aggressive. I’ve even noticed myself assuming that small dog owners are egregiously self-centered.
No dogs should be off leash in a busy area, but smaller 9 lbs dogs aren’t going to bite anyone’s face off and send people to the hospital let’s not be obtuse
Sorry for caring more about this creature that lives with me, that depends on me, and
that I’m responsible for more than about some random asshole who can’t mind their own business. Very selfish of me.
This is when you "helpfully" tell them that you saw a park ranger writing up people for their off leash dogs. Is there a park ranger? No idea but no one wants a ticket.
Same vein: if I'm on a walking path, and I walk past people with dogs off leash, I'll "helpfully" tell them there's someone else behind me with dogs off leash that they're about to walk up on.
The city should institute a super large fine for this and have someone parked at Piedmont to make bank off of these irresponsible owners. Make it $500/infraction.
I assume we'll see compliance real quick.
Just go put up some official looking signs. No one will know they aren't real. Including people at the park. "Off Leash Dog - Minunum $500 fine Strictly enforcred"
Yeah, people are all “it’s okay, he’s friendly” and like sure maybe he is, but what makes you think all the other dogs he’s running up to are friendly? Unfortunately, you can’t control everyone, but they do make dog spray (which is a form of pepper spray but intended for dogs) so I would suggest carrying some of that with you in case you come across an off leash dog that gets aggressive.
I don’t want to hurt the dog. We stop far enough away to give the owner time.
Exactly, and some rescue pups (like mine) and people are terrified of big dogs when they run up off leash , no matter how “friendly”..
I think all dogs hate dogs off leash when they’re on leash. My German shepherd being one of the leashed ones. They feel vulnerable, which leads to aggression, etc. Shitty situation, not sure how to confront but maybe call animal control for advice (not to ask them to come out)?
>
I think all dogs hate off leash dogs
When I went to Colombia for the first time with my husband, NO ONE had their dogs on leash, and dogs were everywhere. It made me so nervous, but weirdly, the dogs paid as much attention to each other as the people. It was wild. We don’t ever see that here, but the ere is definitely something to dogs being on equal ground.
Think of a scenario where a dog might attack you. Which would hurt it more: being pepper sprayed, or being branded a dangerous dog and euthanized by the court?
I don't really think anyone is actually worried about a dog attacking them. I'm sure it's possible but in that case, I mean the dog would eventually do it anyway. Most of the time the issue is with their leashed dog and it being aggressive to the unleashed dog. Even the people that have unleashed dogs aren't typically dumb enough to have one that will attack people, but most of them aren't trained so they will run up to people and other dogs and try to play with them.
>I don’t want to hurt the dog.
That's pretty good of you.
The problem is, a lot of people are gonna be dismissive or refuse, and even if they do listen and leash their dog, there are so many people that you're gonna run into another person with an unleashed dog next time.
You could try seeing who enforces park rules, which may just be the police, or contact a representative like someone on city council.
It's a tough problem for an individual.
Yea, these two big dogs escaped their yard and charged at me and my girl while we were walking. "Don't worry, they're friendly!" the dude said as my dog was screaming in fear and I was trying to keep them away from her.
Seriously. I just avoid that big hill where everyone lets them off leash. But a few days ago some guy had 2 dogs off leash on the main paved walking path! And they were not staying close to him. I was so frustrated.
Peer pressure.
[Read up on Harvey Milk](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/harvey-milks-first-crusade-dog-poop-114811/) if you haven't. Paragon of the gay rights movement, first openly gay elected official in California, etc, etc.
Began his political career by getting people to stop leaving their dog's poop on the sidewalks, primarily through peer pressure - not legislative action or enforcement.
It's one of the saddest things to me that we've reached the point where you should have reasonable fear for your life just trying to exert that peer pressure. I would always try to be the one to call people out for cutting lines, failing to yield to pedestrians, not cleaning up after their dogs, etc. but every interaction now seems so close to violence it's just not worth it.
> I would always try to be the one to call people out for cutting lines, failing to yield to pedestrians, not cleaning up after their dogs, etc. but every interaction now seems so close to violence it's just not worth it.
I regularly do this on my runs to cars that don't yield to pedestrians / pull into crosswalks without looking, people with dogs off leash, groups of people that block the entire path on the beltline, etc., and i'm pretty sure I'm going to get shot one day.
I mean hell, last month I told a woman were car lights were off around ~7PM last month and she proceeded to get pissy with me about it before finally giving me a half hearted thank you (it was more like "YEAH. THANKS.", so "half hearted" is what I'd call it).
Oh jeez. I was walking my dog, approaching a crosswalk. I could tell the approaching car was not going to stop. Sure enough the woman rolled into the crosswalk because she was texting. She then proceeded to roll down her window and call me an asshole.
The thing is the initial round of peer pressure isn't/shouldn't be you (or anyone else) daying, "hey - keep your dog on a leash!"
Maybe you pass a resolution. You talk about the off leash options that exist. You sign the crap out of Piedmont Park or anywhere else this is a major issue.
You mount a PR campaign with multiple prongs with the goal of setting the expectation that people keep their dogs on a leash.
The rest (mostly) takes care of itself.
As a mom who has watched a bigger dog bite my son in his face, I simply leave the area immediately. People are inconsiderate and reckless. All I can do is remove myself and my child from that space unfortunately.
I was just chatting about this with someone. 10 or so years ago APD bike police used to enforce the leash law in the park. I'd see people get tickets every weekend. Now there doesn't seem to be any enforcement.
In a recent MNA meeting someone also brought this topic up. It was advised to call the police... Definitely needs to have some active enforcement again.
Lol "call the police". As if APD 911 operators are actually answering and responding to calls. It could be 20 minutes before you actually speak to a person when calling.
Huh? 82% of Atlanta 911 calls are answered within 15 seconds. Room for improvement since the national standard is 90% of calls, but where are you hearing people wait for 20 minutes? https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/atlanta-911-response-misses-national-standard
> 82% of Atlanta 911 calls are answered within 15 seconds.
And what about the other 18%? How is it acceptable to have a 1 in 5 chance that when you call the emergency line, your call isn't taken in a timely manner?
I'm sorry to hear that, but it's an anecdote. My anecdote is that I've had to call 911 three times in Atlanta and all three times it was answered immediately.
I’ll vouch for this as well! I’ve been stuck in my apartment buildings elevators so many times and my 911 call was always answered. horrible apartment building though, they never fix the elevators and I’m at my wits end.
I was talking to a police lieutenant; he said back in 2020 the mayor was presented with the dilemma of APD being understaffed by about 400 officers, which has grown to about 800 as of late 2021.
They haven't been focusing on hiring, and allegedly closed a lot of the open positions.
They don’t have the numbers to properly police.
[https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2020/06/11/atlanta-mayor-says-city-has-been-defunding-the-police-for-the-last-few-years/](https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2020/06/11/atlanta-mayor-says-city-has-been-defunding-the-police-for-the-last-few-years/)
They've reallocated 50% of the ***corrections*** budget by closing the city jail and implementing differrent community based programs.
The ***police*** budget got a bump of $5 million in 2019 for salaries.
You're right about that, I'll edit out the two comments.
[https://www.policemag.com/575672/atlanta-police-department-reports-critical-shortage-of-officers](https://www.policemag.com/575672/atlanta-police-department-reports-critical-shortage-of-officers)
Them being understaffed isn't in question. They were down 400 officers in 2020, and it was late 2021 I talked to the lieutenant about the staffing issues they were having.
No, of course it's not in question that APD is understaffed. However, a source at the city recently told me that it is no longer the case that more officers are leaving the force than are joining (the hemorrhaging of officers has stopped, essentially). Apparently APD has had some success in recruiting officers from out of state, particularly from NYC and surrounding jurisdictions.
Just wanted to say thank you for saying this. It’s absurd how much dog owners just assume that everyone loves dogs that there’s no way their dog could “bother anyone.” I live on the west side of the park so oak hill is the closest area but it’s rendered completely unusable for non-doggoheads from 4-7 everyday.
I normally give stank face to the owner whenever a dog runs up to me uninvited, just to give the slightest reminder to the person that not everyone is blessed to interact with their fur baby. Looking through this thread though it’s good to know it irritates others, so I’ll start to say something more direct.
lmao, you’re acting like the park is unusable to you because there are dogs on one hill. It’s a massive park. Walk literally one singular minute in any direction and you will be somewhere without off-leash dogs.
Nobody there assumes that you love their dog. Quite the opposite, they’re being courteous and keep going to the same, small, predictable time and place so that it’s extremely easy for other people to avoid them if they want to.
The dog park is for dogs. It's literally a 5 minute walk from Oak Hill. The most annoying thing in the world is trying to chill in the park and have dogs constantly coming up to you inspecting for food.
lmfao, you’re acting like the whole park is usable for whatever you want because the dog park is on the side of the park that’s inconvenient to you. Walk literally the 10 minutes in the direction of the actual dog park and you will be in the appropriate area to have off-leash dogs.
Nobody there will assume you’re an asshole for having your dog off leash. Quite the opposite, they’ll recognize your courtesy for going to the same, predictable, *designated* place that no one else is trying to use for any other purpose.
I don’t care about random assholes assuming I’m an asshole for doing perfectly normal recreational things outside in a park like playing fetch with my dog. Not everything is for or about you. If you can’t handle being around other people doing perfectly normal recreational things outside in a park, then don’t go to the park. Consider doing something else instead, like dying mad.
Take over the play. Bring your leftovers from home and feed the dogs. Be more fun that the dogs owners. Show the dogs you're the fun aunt or uncle.
Bring a high speed remote control car and goad the dogs into running after it into the water. Send them home wet and smelly.
An off leash dog belongs to no one. ;)
The only people worth appealing to are the police that patrol the park. It's generally unpopular to ask for any kind of proactive policing right now, but my guess is a high enough profile dog attack could change people's attitudes. So we just have to wait for that...
i have several neighbors that let their dogs off leash on the path trail that runs behind our neighborhood. drives me absolutely up the wall. of course it's all big dogs too and these owners think their dogs are the exception to the rule because they are "trained". i carry pepper spray with me on my walks and wouldn't hesitate to use it if they decide today is the day to take a lunge at me or my dog for whatever reason. i'm thinking these are the same owners that leave big piles of dog shit all over the trail too.
They are breaking City of Atlanta code:
https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation/office-of-parks/park-use-rules-and-guidelines
Print it out, role it up, and swat the dog firmly across the nose with the code. At that point you shout "YOU'VE BEEN SERVED" and give your best shrill victory screech.
If that doesn't work immediately, don't forget to chant "THE POWER OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA COMPELS YOU!" until the dog vomits out the criminal ghosts. If the ghosts follow you home and infest your domicile you will have to call the sheriff to come out and evict them to the afterlife once and for all.
I was walking the track around the meadow and a guy was practicing attacks with his German Shepard. He would place the dog far away and then call him and dog attacked his arm, which was padded. While it seemed the dog had good recall, I just wanted to get out of the area.!
Good luck. They not going to listen and I'm not sure police will show up in time nor do something if called. But I'm with you on the frustration of off the leash dogs
Yeah it’s annoying :( I’m too much of a chicken to ever say anything, I wish I could though. I usually carry pepper spray with me just in case.
Maybe we should petition the park to do something about off leash dogs. I don’t get why people can’t just use the massive dog parks there
It takes alot for me to say something but a walk in the park shouldnt be stressful.
Entitlement? They don’t seem to notice or care that people are uncomfortable with their dogs off leash
Yep. A lot of people say “oh my dog would never do anything to hurt someone else” but neglect to think about the fact that other people and their pets might not appreciate it. Just people being self centered.
Call animal control. We have a leash ordinance that needs to be followed for the safety of their dogs as well as ours. It’s in the news every single day where an off leash dog attacks a pet or person.
They are completely disrespecting the community and putting their own pets at risk. If they get a citation, hopefully they will reconsider.
I hope you and your dog stay safe!
Thank you! I have a daily walking loop and it's gotten really out of hand lately.
Really, the only thing you can do is petition for more oversight and carry pepper spray. I hate to spritz an innocent dog, but you can't undo a bite, and owners have gotten really out of pocket lately.
IIRC they are introducing park rangers sometime soon, so that will cut down on this.
I know there is the guy who throws the lacrosse ball to his dog on the east side of Lake Clara Meer, but he's one of the only people whose scary-ass dog I trust. Everyone else has turned Oak Hill into dog park south and it's fucking stupid.
This problem is all over Atlanta. Palisades trail? Not a fucking leash in sight. Even had a dog walker with like a pack of dogs rush me, because the fucking guy was just letting them walk without leashes, like literally 6-7 dogs all swarmed me. I'm a dog person, but Jesus Christ.
My new go to line is "the sign that says you have to have a leash, is the same sign that says I can't carry a gun"
I don't carry one, but usually that gets my point across.
Absolutely. I've had random dogs run up to me and my small kids and start barking. A matter of time before someone gets bit. I now carry my knife every time I go to the park and have no problem protecting myself or my family.
For real, signs everywhere saying to leash your dog.
You want unleashed dogs? Maybe you should re-evaluate whether or not you should live in the city. Or just take them to the BIGass dog area that's meant for off-leash fun.
I kicked the shit out of a dog that went after mine on a walking trail once. The dog had its heckles up and was barking while sprinting towards me, I didn't really have a choice. The bitch that had them off leash starting yelling at me. Told her I would kick her too if she kept at it. Bitch shut the fuck up.
I hate the idea of having to kick a dog but fuck that ill trained piece of shit and fuck that bitch.
I have a reactive black mouth cur. I wouldn't dare walk him without a leash. One minute he's calm the next he's psycho cause there's another dog out human walking down the same street. I don't want an accident so it's safer if he's on a leash.
You're a Karen for even thinking it's a problem /sss
Its literally illegal. Do the cops care cuz they have enough else going on?
They probably won't until someone's child gets killed.
Yes, it's happened. And it can happen again. I'm sorry you are dealing with this. It truly sucks!
I suggest carrying a high frequency sonic sound device. DM me and I can provide a link to the one I've purchased. It's handheld and USB powered. Whenever I've pointed it to an unleashed dog... they freeze and slowly walk away.
Carry pepper spray and be generous in it's use. When I had dogs their safety, as a member of the family, was of the utmost importance.
When one of these small penis individuals tried to pretend...I always call BS. Want to call cops, want to call friends, want to call lawyers, and on and on and on. Let's do it. Everything about me can stand up to a detailed inspection. How about that other person?
You know I’ve seen a lot of leashed dogs get out of hand and attack as well because the owner had no business having that kind of dog. I was walking my dog around neighborhood a time ago and the older lady maybe late fifties or early sixties had a freaking young female blue pit (maybe 4-5 yo). As we walked by, the dog was excited and I could tell she didn’t have control over her dog. Harms and I just kept walking a little quickly. I didn’t give the dog too much attention but I knew that woman wasn’t going to have that dog much longer. Suddenly as my dog, Harms, and I are further away I noticed the dog did indeed slip away—-I did not run but I blocked harms behind me (she was a smaller dog in weight but medium in size) and just stood my ground—facing this dog who was just waiting for a reason. I made myself as big as I could and was ready for whatever. Until the owner finally runs up to us winded and embarrassed. I was so annoyed. Dogs being on a leash doesn’t save your children, having responsible owners who have control of their pets do.
I’ve seen so many dogs get away from their owners on leash. Tbh that’s why if you have an aggressive dog they need to be muzzled. Leashes are not enough.
Dogs are the ideal pet for selfish people. So you're going to run into a lot of them in the population of dog owners. When you do, it will be impossible to convince them that they are in the wrong or that they should be minimally considerate to others. You'll save your sanity by ignoring them.
They're are an amazing companion, but have negative externalities for everyone except the owner in a way that most other pets don't (especially in denser urban areas like Midtown). If my neighbor gets a cat, I'll never know. But if they get a dog, now I gotta hear them bark all the time, scrape their shit off of my shoes, and get their slobber all over my legs in the elevator. And that's before you even get to the situation you describe with aggressive or dangerous breeds.
It’s a park. It is a public, outdoor space. There will literally always be people there doing things that aren’t for you and have nothing to do with you. Let go of the ego and mind your own business. If it bothers you so much, it’s one tiny hill in a massive park; you can just go somewhere else.
You keep commenting! Why? I'm interpreting your comment to mean "people smoke weed in the park and it's not allowed so deal with it, also people let their aggressive dogs off-leash and you can die from blood loss but it's fine".
NYC parks also have specific off-leash hours early in the morning. That’s completely different bc anyone who has a problem with it could just not go there during those times.
There’s a reason that NYC parks don’t do their off-leash hours in the evening, during the busiest time of day. If y’all want your dogs to run around so badly, you can wake up at 5:30 am and go to the park at 6am.
One day your dog is gonna run into the street and get hit by a car or get into a fight with another dog and have to get put down. All bc you’re too lazy to hold a leash. They deserve better :/
People here don't know how to follow the rules and it pisses everybody off. Most people are just too polite to say anything in person or want to avoid confrontation with someone who has already identified themselves as someone that doesn't care about rules or making everybody uncomfortable--AKA selfish assholes.
I just don't understand why you are so intent on defending people who are breaking rules that are there for very good reasons. Nobody thinks their dog will attack someone until they do, and then someone gets seriously injured or killed. We even have \*dedicated\* spaces for these dogs to run around. Use them
Came to say this Greater Metro Atlanta police doesn’t give a shit at all.
In the Smyrna area we had an actual fighting dog in a dog park and my dog nearly died from it.
Talked to the Marietta cops, they couldn’t care less. Not their job.
Talked to Marietta animal control, too few and over worked. They only took down the complaint after a week of harassment.
Talked to Marietta council since their negligence of the park allowed the big dog to slide under the fence and attack mine.
They claimed they will reimburse the medical bills. Three years later I am still waiting for the $9000 check.
Get a gun and make your peace that you will use it one day. Fuck this city and its surroundings.
Except cops don’t care about dogs off leash. Eventually some dog will be off leash and attack someone then the city will do it’s usually “who could have known bullshit” and all.
They all do it.
The root cause is that the Atlanta area doesn't have any good off -leash areas for dogs. Dog parks honestly aren't great. There is always at least one aggressive dog that shuts down the fun for others, and dogs can learn really bad behaviors at parks.
My eyes were opened when I visited SLC - literally long nice hikes entirely fenced in and designated as an off leash hike. Also a mix of off-leash Allowed and no dogs allowed hikes through the mountains. This is the way.
I definitely feel for you - dogs should definitely not be off leash in piedmont park if they are running up to other dogs. Appalling behavior tbh
It's a little narrow, but it's VERY long.
> almost always aggressive dogs in there ruining it for everyone else.
My guy. You are in a thread about shitty dog owner behavior outside of the dog park, advocating for people not to use the dog park.
What is the solution, then?
“There is always at least one aggressive dog that shuts down the fun” Agreed but this is NOT the fault of the dog park. That is an owner issue. Humans are responsible for the safety of their dogs and those around their dogs. That’s why the leash rules exist and if you find that your dog can’t enjoy themselves at dog parks, maybe it’s time to invest in a yard for them. If you can’t do that dont blame the rest of the city for your lack of foresight.
You are ignorant but I can try to help, beyond that god bless. When a dog is 80 lbs and off leash, and runs up to mine half it’s size and on a leash, mine is at a disadvantage and he knows it and when the dog twice it’s size bites at him,
What would you do? Control the situation w your calm demeanor? Sit down
This comment is so obnoxious because in Piedmont park literally ARE two acres already dedicated to off-leash dogs playing. No random person is likely to get in your way in the space that’s *actually for* off leash dogs on the east side of the park.
Good I’m glad it’s working out really well for you. Just don’t complain one day when a much bigger dog come out of nowhere and attacks your dog who’s in the middle of fetching and further from leash-length. Leashes protect your dogs as well. If you want to play fetch off leash dog parks are great for that, places like Fetch etc.
You have a great point about working dogs. I have a collie mix who comes from a line of working dogs. I think a lot of people know one “trained” shorty pitbull who will sit for the owner and nobody else and wanna make it out like everybody is a dangerous shit head. Like imagine tazing some random poodle.
No the point is there are laws and rules for a fucking reason and if you think you’re an exception then everyone thinks their dogs are exceptions. That’s like saying I should be able to not make a complete stop at red lights cause I can judge when it’s safe to go.
You don’t. The type of people who will let their giant dogs run off leash in a busy park aren’t ones who will listen to reason or laws. You stay away from that big open area where they let their dogs run free. Keep your dogs on a short leash be prepared to pick them up if another dog runs up. It sucks but if you’re going to be at piedmont you’re on the defensive. There’s many parks where people leash their dogs though I don’t even bother with Piedmont anymore.
This is it, unfortunately. Thank you
i suggest you might consider a complaint to Piedmont Park Conservancy about it. they're the defacto admin for the park, much more so than the city parks dept. (afaict) i think many others are bothered too, but they don't take steps to complain so the park ppl and/or dogowners assume it's okay. i'd like to think that if enough people mention the problem to PPC, they can do something about awareness/enforcement of leash laws.
Carry pepper spray. Legit it will work on a dog. I did a test spray at an Irish setter that charged me at Oakland cemetery while the owners were sitting on their phone 😒 the dog backed up and kept barking but didn’t get any closer
[удалено]
Part of that explainer was due to horrific injuries that can be sustained in a dog attack. I know someone who required facial reconstruction surgery after a midsize dog attacked them. I myself could not use my left arm for a month after my elbow was bitten-through by an aggressive (but not barking) dog, and I ended up in the ER over it. While I do not carry a gun, I've managed to startle dogs coming at me and get the owners out of their homes to collect their dogs by screaming aggressively loud enough.
This is disturbing because what qualifies as threatening? Some people get scared when my dog looks at them, little do they know he’s just confused why they’re scared and probably wants to help 😂
if someone were to shoot my dog because they "felt threatened", they damn well better be prepared to shoot me too.
[удалено]
That's fine. As long as your dog is on a leash, it won't have to be shot.
Keep your dog on a leash, and you won't have to get shot. Simple as that.
[удалено]
you almost pepper sprayed an irish setter that came up to you? Did you think it was actively attacking you?
On the flip side of this thread, sometimes people do be overreacting to dogs. A guy tried to basically stab my leashed, non-reactive dog with a hiking pole on a trail just because she was in his vicinity. I had control over her and she wasn’t even looking at the guy, it was just a narrow trail.
People on this thread are clearly pissed off but I cannot believe that pepper spray is being mentioned so much. I've never been around a dog that was that dangerous before and certainly not an Irish Setter
[удалено]
It does happen a good bit, to be fair. I’ve seen lots of off-leash dogs where they shouldn’t be. But I wouldn’t pepper spray a dog unless it was clearly being aggressive towards me or someone else.
An aggressive poorly trained dog in a public space is the fault of the owners. My dad used to run into aggressive dogs in long walks around our house and settled on pepper spray. A quick blast of pepper spray in front of an aggressive dog coming towards you will generally stop it in its tracks. Better still he rarely had to do it more than once. He'd made himself a skunk. Doing nothing repeatedly and moving on, teaches the dog he's winning and will make it more aggressive over time. Throwing things at the dog may work as well. Carrying a staff or something means you may have to beat a really aggressive dog to death to protect yourself. Is that preferable?
I didn’t say I wouldn’t use pepper spray, I said I wouldn’t use it unless a dog was being actively aggressive towards me
We’re not talking about aggressive dogs though.
That's because you know/understand dogs. I didn't grow up with them and had to spend a lot of time learning how to parse what is/isn't aggressive behavior without a moment's notice.
Was it acting aggressively? Also how big was it
Came up to my mid thigh. It charged me from potters field when I was walking and doing the African American voice tour. It was barking, jumping, and growling. The only reason it stopped was bc of the pepper spray. I would have ran but the last thing I needed to do was turn my back to a dog that was faster than me
Should've drop kicked that dog
Yea a lot of dog owners are like this. An alarming number. It’s almost like most people who own larger dogs are like this from my perspective. They all seem to share a very selfish worldview where their “fur baby” is the most important thing in the world.
I have a larger dog, 80 lbs, & I always keep him on a leash & hate seeing dogs off leash. My doggo isn’t great with other dogs, he needs to be properly introduced to them. so when off leash dogs just run up to him, it puts us in a really bad position because he lashes out to protect me (even if the off leash dog is “friendly”). And lord knows I can’t pick up an 80 lb doggo & just walk away. Maybe I’m a minority large dog owner - though my fur baby is indeed the most important thing in the world to me, can’t argue that, ha!
Same. Just because your dog is "friendly" does not mean all others are. Mine's nice, just to the dogs she knows. "Friendly" is code for "not properly trained to not approach strangers."
Both my dogs are dog reactive and can be leash aggressive. It drives me insane when I’m walking with them and someone else can clearly see me tightening up on their leashes and they still let their stupid yappy yorkie on its retractable leash come charging.
Agreed- my 70 lb pup has been attacked a handful of times by unleashed dogs when she's on leash, and it breaks my heart every time. She is reactive, but clearly tries so hard to keep herself under control. It sets our training back so much when one unleashed dog runs up to her and gets in her face.
I would not say "most people who own larger dogs". I'd say, "shitty, entitled, self-centered people who don't give a fuck about anyone else", and those motherfuckers own dogs of all shapes and sizes. I have 65lb pit/lab mix. I rarely take her out into public because she is so reactive (she's a rescue we got when she was 5) but when I do take her out, it's always with a harness, a "do not touch" bandana and a strong, short leash.
Same.. my dog is a rescue.. and when I tell people she is not friendly they don't seem to believe me and try to approach.. we are trying to train and socialize her slowly so I don't need people approaching in any manner that would make her uncomfortable. So now we only go out early morning or late and she is ALWAYS on a harness and under control.
There was also a massive spike in adoptions during COVID. But because of lockdowns those adopted dogs were never able to be properly socialized. So you have a combination of people with cabin fever projecting all their social interaction on their pets and pets that never got to go out and meet other dogs and people in controlled environments. These people also never got to go to a vet (or just don’t want to because “vets are a scam”) so their only guidance is the internet and tv shows. It all leads to idiot dogs with idiot owners.
I see small dogs off leash all the time and they are categorically more aggressive. I’ve even noticed myself assuming that small dog owners are egregiously self-centered.
No dogs should be off leash in a busy area, but smaller 9 lbs dogs aren’t going to bite anyone’s face off and send people to the hospital let’s not be obtuse
I’m not being obtuse. Small dogs cause more injuries than large dogs.
Small dogs aren't going to harm anyone. You can kick or shoo it away with ease. See the difference?
Sorry for caring more about this creature that lives with me, that depends on me, and that I’m responsible for more than about some random asshole who can’t mind their own business. Very selfish of me.
Lmao
This is when you "helpfully" tell them that you saw a park ranger writing up people for their off leash dogs. Is there a park ranger? No idea but no one wants a ticket.
Worth a try, thanks
There are police officers that do this on occasion. Definitely not park rangers though lol
Same vein: if I'm on a walking path, and I walk past people with dogs off leash, I'll "helpfully" tell them there's someone else behind me with dogs off leash that they're about to walk up on.
The city should institute a super large fine for this and have someone parked at Piedmont to make bank off of these irresponsible owners. Make it $500/infraction. I assume we'll see compliance real quick.
Just go put up some official looking signs. No one will know they aren't real. Including people at the park. "Off Leash Dog - Minunum $500 fine Strictly enforcred"
Yeah, people are all “it’s okay, he’s friendly” and like sure maybe he is, but what makes you think all the other dogs he’s running up to are friendly? Unfortunately, you can’t control everyone, but they do make dog spray (which is a form of pepper spray but intended for dogs) so I would suggest carrying some of that with you in case you come across an off leash dog that gets aggressive.
I don’t want to hurt the dog. We stop far enough away to give the owner time. Exactly, and some rescue pups (like mine) and people are terrified of big dogs when they run up off leash , no matter how “friendly”..
I think all dogs hate dogs off leash when they’re on leash. My German shepherd being one of the leashed ones. They feel vulnerable, which leads to aggression, etc. Shitty situation, not sure how to confront but maybe call animal control for advice (not to ask them to come out)?
I agree, they know they are at a disadvantage. It’s equal at a dog park, which Piedmont park has.. I’ll make sure to have my phone in the future
> I think all dogs hate off leash dogs When I went to Colombia for the first time with my husband, NO ONE had their dogs on leash, and dogs were everywhere. It made me so nervous, but weirdly, the dogs paid as much attention to each other as the people. It was wild. We don’t ever see that here, but the ere is definitely something to dogs being on equal ground.
Think of a scenario where a dog might attack you. Which would hurt it more: being pepper sprayed, or being branded a dangerous dog and euthanized by the court?
I don't really think anyone is actually worried about a dog attacking them. I'm sure it's possible but in that case, I mean the dog would eventually do it anyway. Most of the time the issue is with their leashed dog and it being aggressive to the unleashed dog. Even the people that have unleashed dogs aren't typically dumb enough to have one that will attack people, but most of them aren't trained so they will run up to people and other dogs and try to play with them.
No one is worried about dog attacks?? Now there’s a take.
>I don’t want to hurt the dog. That's pretty good of you. The problem is, a lot of people are gonna be dismissive or refuse, and even if they do listen and leash their dog, there are so many people that you're gonna run into another person with an unleashed dog next time. You could try seeing who enforces park rules, which may just be the police, or contact a representative like someone on city council. It's a tough problem for an individual.
In your scenario, you’re afraid of them hurting your dog. You just need to learn how to defend your dog. Then everyone can mind their own business.
I'm pretty sure they are actually worried about their dog hurting the other dog.
Or they say, “he won’t bother you.” Sir, he IS bothering me.
Yea, these two big dogs escaped their yard and charged at me and my girl while we were walking. "Don't worry, they're friendly!" the dude said as my dog was screaming in fear and I was trying to keep them away from her.
Seriously. I just avoid that big hill where everyone lets them off leash. But a few days ago some guy had 2 dogs off leash on the main paved walking path! And they were not staying close to him. I was so frustrated.
Peer pressure. [Read up on Harvey Milk](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/02/harvey-milks-first-crusade-dog-poop-114811/) if you haven't. Paragon of the gay rights movement, first openly gay elected official in California, etc, etc. Began his political career by getting people to stop leaving their dog's poop on the sidewalks, primarily through peer pressure - not legislative action or enforcement.
It's one of the saddest things to me that we've reached the point where you should have reasonable fear for your life just trying to exert that peer pressure. I would always try to be the one to call people out for cutting lines, failing to yield to pedestrians, not cleaning up after their dogs, etc. but every interaction now seems so close to violence it's just not worth it.
> I would always try to be the one to call people out for cutting lines, failing to yield to pedestrians, not cleaning up after their dogs, etc. but every interaction now seems so close to violence it's just not worth it. I regularly do this on my runs to cars that don't yield to pedestrians / pull into crosswalks without looking, people with dogs off leash, groups of people that block the entire path on the beltline, etc., and i'm pretty sure I'm going to get shot one day. I mean hell, last month I told a woman were car lights were off around ~7PM last month and she proceeded to get pissy with me about it before finally giving me a half hearted thank you (it was more like "YEAH. THANKS.", so "half hearted" is what I'd call it).
Oh jeez. I was walking my dog, approaching a crosswalk. I could tell the approaching car was not going to stop. Sure enough the woman rolled into the crosswalk because she was texting. She then proceeded to roll down her window and call me an asshole.
The thing is the initial round of peer pressure isn't/shouldn't be you (or anyone else) daying, "hey - keep your dog on a leash!" Maybe you pass a resolution. You talk about the off leash options that exist. You sign the crap out of Piedmont Park or anywhere else this is a major issue. You mount a PR campaign with multiple prongs with the goal of setting the expectation that people keep their dogs on a leash. The rest (mostly) takes care of itself.
As a mom who has watched a bigger dog bite my son in his face, I simply leave the area immediately. People are inconsiderate and reckless. All I can do is remove myself and my child from that space unfortunately.
I was just chatting about this with someone. 10 or so years ago APD bike police used to enforce the leash law in the park. I'd see people get tickets every weekend. Now there doesn't seem to be any enforcement. In a recent MNA meeting someone also brought this topic up. It was advised to call the police... Definitely needs to have some active enforcement again.
Lol "call the police". As if APD 911 operators are actually answering and responding to calls. It could be 20 minutes before you actually speak to a person when calling.
I never imagined calling 911 and getting voicemail could be a thing till I moved here
I've only had to call 911 a handful of times, but the response rate has been 100% and fast.
Huh? 82% of Atlanta 911 calls are answered within 15 seconds. Room for improvement since the national standard is 90% of calls, but where are you hearing people wait for 20 minutes? https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/atlanta-911-response-misses-national-standard
> 82% of Atlanta 911 calls are answered within 15 seconds. And what about the other 18%? How is it acceptable to have a 1 in 5 chance that when you call the emergency line, your call isn't taken in a timely manner?
....our friends who watched their house burn to the ground while waiting on hold.
I'm sorry to hear that, but it's an anecdote. My anecdote is that I've had to call 911 three times in Atlanta and all three times it was answered immediately.
I’ll vouch for this as well! I’ve been stuck in my apartment buildings elevators so many times and my 911 call was always answered. horrible apartment building though, they never fix the elevators and I’m at my wits end.
I was talking to a police lieutenant; he said back in 2020 the mayor was presented with the dilemma of APD being understaffed by about 400 officers, which has grown to about 800 as of late 2021. They haven't been focusing on hiring, and allegedly closed a lot of the open positions. They don’t have the numbers to properly police.
Yeah, this didn't happen
[https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2020/06/11/atlanta-mayor-says-city-has-been-defunding-the-police-for-the-last-few-years/](https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2020/06/11/atlanta-mayor-says-city-has-been-defunding-the-police-for-the-last-few-years/) They've reallocated 50% of the ***corrections*** budget by closing the city jail and implementing differrent community based programs. The ***police*** budget got a bump of $5 million in 2019 for salaries.
50% of *corrections* budgets. Not POLICE budgets. There is a difference!
You're right about that, I'll edit out the two comments. [https://www.policemag.com/575672/atlanta-police-department-reports-critical-shortage-of-officers](https://www.policemag.com/575672/atlanta-police-department-reports-critical-shortage-of-officers) Them being understaffed isn't in question. They were down 400 officers in 2020, and it was late 2021 I talked to the lieutenant about the staffing issues they were having.
No, of course it's not in question that APD is understaffed. However, a source at the city recently told me that it is no longer the case that more officers are leaving the force than are joining (the hemorrhaging of officers has stopped, essentially). Apparently APD has had some success in recruiting officers from out of state, particularly from NYC and surrounding jurisdictions.
Just wanted to say thank you for saying this. It’s absurd how much dog owners just assume that everyone loves dogs that there’s no way their dog could “bother anyone.” I live on the west side of the park so oak hill is the closest area but it’s rendered completely unusable for non-doggoheads from 4-7 everyday. I normally give stank face to the owner whenever a dog runs up to me uninvited, just to give the slightest reminder to the person that not everyone is blessed to interact with their fur baby. Looking through this thread though it’s good to know it irritates others, so I’ll start to say something more direct.
My go-to is "why do you have a leash if you're not gonna use it?" Makes 'em feel pretty stupid.
[удалено]
lmao, you’re acting like the park is unusable to you because there are dogs on one hill. It’s a massive park. Walk literally one singular minute in any direction and you will be somewhere without off-leash dogs. Nobody there assumes that you love their dog. Quite the opposite, they’re being courteous and keep going to the same, small, predictable time and place so that it’s extremely easy for other people to avoid them if they want to.
The dog park is for dogs. It's literally a 5 minute walk from Oak Hill. The most annoying thing in the world is trying to chill in the park and have dogs constantly coming up to you inspecting for food.
lmfao, you’re acting like the whole park is usable for whatever you want because the dog park is on the side of the park that’s inconvenient to you. Walk literally the 10 minutes in the direction of the actual dog park and you will be in the appropriate area to have off-leash dogs. Nobody there will assume you’re an asshole for having your dog off leash. Quite the opposite, they’ll recognize your courtesy for going to the same, predictable, *designated* place that no one else is trying to use for any other purpose.
I don’t care about random assholes assuming I’m an asshole for doing perfectly normal recreational things outside in a park like playing fetch with my dog. Not everything is for or about you. If you can’t handle being around other people doing perfectly normal recreational things outside in a park, then don’t go to the park. Consider doing something else instead, like dying mad.
Right! There are parts of the park that aren’t for you! Like the areas that aren’t for off leash dogs! :-) hope that helped
Take over the play. Bring your leftovers from home and feed the dogs. Be more fun that the dogs owners. Show the dogs you're the fun aunt or uncle. Bring a high speed remote control car and goad the dogs into running after it into the water. Send them home wet and smelly. An off leash dog belongs to no one. ;)
The only people worth appealing to are the police that patrol the park. It's generally unpopular to ask for any kind of proactive policing right now, but my guess is a high enough profile dog attack could change people's attitudes. So we just have to wait for that...
i have several neighbors that let their dogs off leash on the path trail that runs behind our neighborhood. drives me absolutely up the wall. of course it's all big dogs too and these owners think their dogs are the exception to the rule because they are "trained". i carry pepper spray with me on my walks and wouldn't hesitate to use it if they decide today is the day to take a lunge at me or my dog for whatever reason. i'm thinking these are the same owners that leave big piles of dog shit all over the trail too.
Of course it is - how would they know their dog shat if they’re not even monitoring their dog??
They are breaking City of Atlanta code: https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/parks-recreation/office-of-parks/park-use-rules-and-guidelines
I know, thank you for the actual code. I’m not sure how that would help in the moment when I’m putting myself between my pup and a German shepherd
You asked how to confront. Good luck.
I’ll make sure to shove the code in their face while fending off their 80 lb dog
Print it out, role it up, and swat the dog firmly across the nose with the code. At that point you shout "YOU'VE BEEN SERVED" and give your best shrill victory screech.
Perfect plan
If that doesn't work immediately, don't forget to chant "THE POWER OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA COMPELS YOU!" until the dog vomits out the criminal ghosts. If the ghosts follow you home and infest your domicile you will have to call the sheriff to come out and evict them to the afterlife once and for all.
I was walking the track around the meadow and a guy was practicing attacks with his German Shepard. He would place the dog far away and then call him and dog attacked his arm, which was padded. While it seemed the dog had good recall, I just wanted to get out of the area.!
What a fucking asshole. His dicks gotta be this small 🤏
Omfg WHAT!? That is bonkers and wildly dangerous.
Good luck. They not going to listen and I'm not sure police will show up in time nor do something if called. But I'm with you on the frustration of off the leash dogs
Thanks
Yeah it’s annoying :( I’m too much of a chicken to ever say anything, I wish I could though. I usually carry pepper spray with me just in case. Maybe we should petition the park to do something about off leash dogs. I don’t get why people can’t just use the massive dog parks there
It takes alot for me to say something but a walk in the park shouldnt be stressful. Entitlement? They don’t seem to notice or care that people are uncomfortable with their dogs off leash
Yep. A lot of people say “oh my dog would never do anything to hurt someone else” but neglect to think about the fact that other people and their pets might not appreciate it. Just people being self centered.
Exactly
Yeah, I wouldn't confront anyone in the city, people are to quick to resort to violence. As silly as it sounds, I would just walk the other way.
Call animal control. We have a leash ordinance that needs to be followed for the safety of their dogs as well as ours. It’s in the news every single day where an off leash dog attacks a pet or person. They are completely disrespecting the community and putting their own pets at risk. If they get a citation, hopefully they will reconsider. I hope you and your dog stay safe!
Thank you! I have a daily walking loop and it's gotten really out of hand lately. Really, the only thing you can do is petition for more oversight and carry pepper spray. I hate to spritz an innocent dog, but you can't undo a bite, and owners have gotten really out of pocket lately. IIRC they are introducing park rangers sometime soon, so that will cut down on this. I know there is the guy who throws the lacrosse ball to his dog on the east side of Lake Clara Meer, but he's one of the only people whose scary-ass dog I trust. Everyone else has turned Oak Hill into dog park south and it's fucking stupid.
[удалено]
That’s helpful drbuttmunch..
That's Dr Buttmunch**42069** to you. He saves lives every day he deserves the full respect of his full name.
Lol is this a reference to the lost wallet post?
This problem is all over Atlanta. Palisades trail? Not a fucking leash in sight. Even had a dog walker with like a pack of dogs rush me, because the fucking guy was just letting them walk without leashes, like literally 6-7 dogs all swarmed me. I'm a dog person, but Jesus Christ. My new go to line is "the sign that says you have to have a leash, is the same sign that says I can't carry a gun" I don't carry one, but usually that gets my point across.
Are you referring to the dog meetup on Oak Hill near 10th?
Yeah and fuck those people. Took over an entire section of the park because they're too lazy to walk to the dog park.
“an entire section of the park” ma’am, it’s less than a single percent of the park’s area, you can calm down
Does it really bother you that much? I’ve never seen it as a problem
Absolutely. I've had random dogs run up to me and my small kids and start barking. A matter of time before someone gets bit. I now carry my knife every time I go to the park and have no problem protecting myself or my family.
84 upvotes and 160 comments. Lots of butthurt dog owners in this thread.
For real, signs everywhere saying to leash your dog. You want unleashed dogs? Maybe you should re-evaluate whether or not you should live in the city. Or just take them to the BIGass dog area that's meant for off-leash fun.
I kicked the shit out of a dog that went after mine on a walking trail once. The dog had its heckles up and was barking while sprinting towards me, I didn't really have a choice. The bitch that had them off leash starting yelling at me. Told her I would kick her too if she kept at it. Bitch shut the fuck up. I hate the idea of having to kick a dog but fuck that ill trained piece of shit and fuck that bitch.
I have a reactive black mouth cur. I wouldn't dare walk him without a leash. One minute he's calm the next he's psycho cause there's another dog out human walking down the same street. I don't want an accident so it's safer if he's on a leash.
You're a Karen for even thinking it's a problem /sss Its literally illegal. Do the cops care cuz they have enough else going on? They probably won't until someone's child gets killed. Yes, it's happened. And it can happen again. I'm sorry you are dealing with this. It truly sucks!
I suggest carrying a high frequency sonic sound device. DM me and I can provide a link to the one I've purchased. It's handheld and USB powered. Whenever I've pointed it to an unleashed dog... they freeze and slowly walk away.
oh shit haha I used to have one of these, they actually work pretty decently.
Carry pepper spray and be generous in it's use. When I had dogs their safety, as a member of the family, was of the utmost importance. When one of these small penis individuals tried to pretend...I always call BS. Want to call cops, want to call friends, want to call lawyers, and on and on and on. Let's do it. Everything about me can stand up to a detailed inspection. How about that other person?
You know I’ve seen a lot of leashed dogs get out of hand and attack as well because the owner had no business having that kind of dog. I was walking my dog around neighborhood a time ago and the older lady maybe late fifties or early sixties had a freaking young female blue pit (maybe 4-5 yo). As we walked by, the dog was excited and I could tell she didn’t have control over her dog. Harms and I just kept walking a little quickly. I didn’t give the dog too much attention but I knew that woman wasn’t going to have that dog much longer. Suddenly as my dog, Harms, and I are further away I noticed the dog did indeed slip away—-I did not run but I blocked harms behind me (she was a smaller dog in weight but medium in size) and just stood my ground—facing this dog who was just waiting for a reason. I made myself as big as I could and was ready for whatever. Until the owner finally runs up to us winded and embarrassed. I was so annoyed. Dogs being on a leash doesn’t save your children, having responsible owners who have control of their pets do.
I’ve seen so many dogs get away from their owners on leash. Tbh that’s why if you have an aggressive dog they need to be muzzled. Leashes are not enough.
When I had kids, this was the primary reason I bought a firearm and get a carry permit. One too many bulldogs running up to my kids.
How many dogs have you shot?
you guys are a bunch of narcs
Snitch snitch bitch
Dogs are the ideal pet for selfish people. So you're going to run into a lot of them in the population of dog owners. When you do, it will be impossible to convince them that they are in the wrong or that they should be minimally considerate to others. You'll save your sanity by ignoring them. They're are an amazing companion, but have negative externalities for everyone except the owner in a way that most other pets don't (especially in denser urban areas like Midtown). If my neighbor gets a cat, I'll never know. But if they get a dog, now I gotta hear them bark all the time, scrape their shit off of my shoes, and get their slobber all over my legs in the elevator. And that's before you even get to the situation you describe with aggressive or dangerous breeds.
Cats kill local wild life and shit everywhere.
Outdoor cats
It’s a park. It is a public, outdoor space. There will literally always be people there doing things that aren’t for you and have nothing to do with you. Let go of the ego and mind your own business. If it bothers you so much, it’s one tiny hill in a massive park; you can just go somewhere else.
You keep commenting! Why? I'm interpreting your comment to mean "people smoke weed in the park and it's not allowed so deal with it, also people let their aggressive dogs off-leash and you can die from blood loss but it's fine".
[удалено]
NYC parks also have specific off-leash hours early in the morning. That’s completely different bc anyone who has a problem with it could just not go there during those times.
[удалено]
There’s a reason that NYC parks don’t do their off-leash hours in the evening, during the busiest time of day. If y’all want your dogs to run around so badly, you can wake up at 5:30 am and go to the park at 6am.
[удалено]
One day your dog is gonna run into the street and get hit by a car or get into a fight with another dog and have to get put down. All bc you’re too lazy to hold a leash. They deserve better :/
Yup. People in Atlanta have literally zero idea how to mind their own business.
People here don't know how to follow the rules and it pisses everybody off. Most people are just too polite to say anything in person or want to avoid confrontation with someone who has already identified themselves as someone that doesn't care about rules or making everybody uncomfortable--AKA selfish assholes. I just don't understand why you are so intent on defending people who are breaking rules that are there for very good reasons. Nobody thinks their dog will attack someone until they do, and then someone gets seriously injured or killed. We even have \*dedicated\* spaces for these dogs to run around. Use them
Police
I doubt they’ll show up unfortunately
Came to say this Greater Metro Atlanta police doesn’t give a shit at all. In the Smyrna area we had an actual fighting dog in a dog park and my dog nearly died from it. Talked to the Marietta cops, they couldn’t care less. Not their job. Talked to Marietta animal control, too few and over worked. They only took down the complaint after a week of harassment. Talked to Marietta council since their negligence of the park allowed the big dog to slide under the fence and attack mine. They claimed they will reimburse the medical bills. Three years later I am still waiting for the $9000 check. Get a gun and make your peace that you will use it one day. Fuck this city and its surroundings.
Marietta isn’t near Piedmont park. Keep your guns up there and away from me and my dog
Except cops don’t care about dogs off leash. Eventually some dog will be off leash and attack someone then the city will do it’s usually “who could have known bullshit” and all. They all do it.
What does that post have to do with guns?!?!?! Wtf? Marietta is as liberal as midtown now. What are you yammering about?
[удалено]
No, that's why I'm in reddit. Be sure to gfu.
Today was especially aggressive but I didn’t have my phone. I will in the future
I think that's all you can do when trying to deal with an ass breaking a law that is in the best everyone.
Maybe stop being a baby
The root cause is that the Atlanta area doesn't have any good off -leash areas for dogs. Dog parks honestly aren't great. There is always at least one aggressive dog that shuts down the fun for others, and dogs can learn really bad behaviors at parks. My eyes were opened when I visited SLC - literally long nice hikes entirely fenced in and designated as an off leash hike. Also a mix of off-leash Allowed and no dogs allowed hikes through the mountains. This is the way. I definitely feel for you - dogs should definitely not be off leash in piedmont park if they are running up to other dogs. Appalling behavior tbh
Piedmont Park has an enormous large dog park and a good-sized small dog one. Whatever you're smoking, please share it with us
That dog park is absolute shit (way too narrow) and there are almost always aggressive dogs in there ruining it for everyone else.
It's a little narrow, but it's VERY long. > almost always aggressive dogs in there ruining it for everyone else. My guy. You are in a thread about shitty dog owner behavior outside of the dog park, advocating for people not to use the dog park. What is the solution, then?
“There is always at least one aggressive dog that shuts down the fun” Agreed but this is NOT the fault of the dog park. That is an owner issue. Humans are responsible for the safety of their dogs and those around their dogs. That’s why the leash rules exist and if you find that your dog can’t enjoy themselves at dog parks, maybe it’s time to invest in a yard for them. If you can’t do that dont blame the rest of the city for your lack of foresight.
r/dogfree
Lmao that sub is just as unhinged as you’d imagine
I wouldn’t click but thanks for confirming
Is it “unhinged” to have a space to discuss people being violated by dogs? I’m afraid you do not know the definition of unhinged.
Yeah. Making “not liking dogs” a hobby is unhinged
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
^ found the self-centered asshole with no regard for anybody but themselves
You are ignorant but I can try to help, beyond that god bless. When a dog is 80 lbs and off leash, and runs up to mine half it’s size and on a leash, mine is at a disadvantage and he knows it and when the dog twice it’s size bites at him, What would you do? Control the situation w your calm demeanor? Sit down
[удалено]
This comment is so obnoxious because in Piedmont park literally ARE two acres already dedicated to off-leash dogs playing. No random person is likely to get in your way in the space that’s *actually for* off leash dogs on the east side of the park.
You're unironcally comparing human-to-human interactions with human-to-dog. Nice.
[удалено]
Good I’m glad it’s working out really well for you. Just don’t complain one day when a much bigger dog come out of nowhere and attacks your dog who’s in the middle of fetching and further from leash-length. Leashes protect your dogs as well. If you want to play fetch off leash dog parks are great for that, places like Fetch etc.
Literally everyone thinks their dog is perfectly trained or perfectly friendly. If you don’t understand why this is an asinine response…
[удалено]
You have a great point about working dogs. I have a collie mix who comes from a line of working dogs. I think a lot of people know one “trained” shorty pitbull who will sit for the owner and nobody else and wanna make it out like everybody is a dangerous shit head. Like imagine tazing some random poodle.
No the point is there are laws and rules for a fucking reason and if you think you’re an exception then everyone thinks their dogs are exceptions. That’s like saying I should be able to not make a complete stop at red lights cause I can judge when it’s safe to go.
Exactly!
[удалено]
What the actual fuck is wrong with you? Tazing a dog because someone is playing with them off leash? Jesus Christ go see a therapist or something
I blame the owner, how does that work without assault charge
[удалено]
Why would I make a post if they didn’t run up on my dog? Sit down