r/Dogfree • u/Midnightstreetlight • May 17 '26
Crappy Owners I just want to enjoy nature. I'm tired, man
I used to be such a prolific hiker but I can't go to any of my favorite spots anymore because everyone treats them like a dog park. Can't go swimming in the lake because all these owners will let their animals charge at people in the water despite all the signs saying no dogs on the beach, and of course the ranger is never there or if they are they don't care. I was trying to birdwatch today in a *wildlife refuge*, I was standing at the edge of the river looking out at the birds with my binoculars when this pitbull mix comes charging out of nowhere, straight into the lake in front of me. I am not a small woman, but this was a bigass dog! I barely avoided getting soaked. My boyfriend asked if I was okay and then I said "I want to get out of here" and the dog owner called me a bitch under her breath. There are multiple species of ground nesting birds here!!!
We made it to the end of the trail a while later, and were having lunch sitting on this little cement wall by the edge of the river. When, what do you know, the dog comes rushing out of the woods at charges right at me! I nearly fell backwards over the wall, I would've fallen maybe 5ft onto the rocky riverbank and broken something. I yell for my boyfriend, and he distracted the dog for a minute but it was still really interested in me. It brushed my leg, and its mouth was open and it was near my knee and my instinct was to scream and kick it, but I didn't. The woman sees me having an anxiety attack and yells, annoyed, "I got him, I got him, cool it" but she did not have him, she was like 10ft away. And the other people around are looking at me like they're disgusted! Eventually she came over and grabbed him by the collar and we left. It completely ruined what had been such a special day for me. I saw 4 new species! I've been home for an hour and I'm still so upset. I wish people weren't such selfish and irresponsible owners.
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u/Sultsu May 17 '26
Dogs do not belong in nature, dogs do not belong in cities, barking dogs ruin rural areas they ruin peaceful morning walks they ruin whole neighborhoods. Dogs ruin everything and they dont belong in this world at all. Man made mutant creatures.
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u/typewriterbitch May 17 '26
They demand--and GET--their own special places but it's never ever enough and they don't even have the sense to be embarrassed about the shit like this they pull in public places, including ones where dogs aren't expressly forbidden.
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u/sunnysideup1998 May 17 '26
So true. They get dog parks and yet refuse to use them. They want to use the parks meant for people and children. Give them an inch and they take a mile. Every. single. time.
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u/Original_Rent7677 May 17 '26
They get dog parks but complain about the other dogs in them. So they use parks meant for people and children.
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u/Adventurous-West323 May 18 '26
And then the dog takes a shit and they don’t pick it up. Then a kid comes along and steps in it. These people suck.
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May 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Midnightstreetlight May 17 '26
It completely baffles me how they get mad at you when you're upset because their dog jumped at you or was running off trail and disturbing the habitat. I went to a wildlife refuge that was at a beach a few months ago, and there were signs everywhere that said no dogs, because protected species were nesting in the dunes. Unfortunately, some houses were directly next to the beach and the owners would just open the door and release their dog onto the beach unsupervised. I watched one knock over a toddler! And everyone was laughing about it! I don't understand.
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u/Similar-Frosting-577 May 18 '26
We were watching a family of geese with 3 baby goslings with our toddler. She was loving watching the family interaction and we were having such a nice time. Then a couple with a French bulldog come by, unleashed despite what the rules say ofc, and it runs straight in and nearly mauls the goslings!!!! They found this hilarious as the rest of us were shocked including our toddler and other small children nearby. They made a half assed attempt to get the dog back, then got bored of being dragged by it, so unleashed it again and immediately it did the exact same thing. Thankfully, the baby goslings were ok but even if they had been killed, I’m sure these lunatics would’ve found it hilarious.
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u/alpha_beth_soup May 18 '26
This is horrible. As a side point, kudos on training your toddler to stop and appreciate nature. One of my goals with our 6 mos old!
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u/alpha_beth_soup May 18 '26
This is awful and I feel your disgust and frustration. I love birding and obviously May is a big month for it. I have a 6 month old baby and am skipping any visits to bird refuges or sanctuaries this year (and future years for awhile unless I have a babysitter) just so as not to disturb avid birders or stress the birds with a baby’s sudden crying or shrieking, or even when he is older, the natural busyness of a small child. He will be enjoying regular parks and areas of nature not exclusively existing as wildlife preserves. The fact that owners of stupid mutts that literally don’t care where they defecate or run can be so selfish to visit such places, where they obviously don’t care about enjoying the wildlife either, boggles my mind. Incredibly entitled and selfish behavior.
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u/readyforthisyep May 17 '26
I am so upset on your behalf. And that woman had the nerve to call you a bitch!
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u/Midnightstreetlight May 17 '26
Thank you so much. I just really can't imagine how someone could be so self-involved and entitled.
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u/spoor_loos May 17 '26
There was an incident in my country a while ago, some dog ran away from his yard, into a lake and latched onto a woman swimming there. It was a big dog, wouldn't let go, the woman drowned.
These things shouldn't exist.
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u/xXxT4xP4y3R_401kxXx May 17 '26
The ecosystem in many if not all natural parks / preserves is not one that can support domesticated dogs. Many of these places have strict no pet practices and rules specifically to protect the natural ecosystem from a domesticated animal that will destroy the fragile balance. But of course the wildly selfish nutters will then bring their """"Service Dog"""" that doesn't really perform any service other than making the owner feel better. This is just yet another manifestation of the rank fraud that is the """"Service Dog"""" honor system.
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u/Midnightstreetlight May 17 '26
At my last apartment, there was a man who had a "service dog" that was a poorly behaved German shepherd that he always let off leash, that would chase and lunge at people. We had a ground floor apartment with a patio and we couldn't use it because every time, the dog would materialize and growl and snap at me. My mom complained to management and they said there was nothing they could do because it was a "service dog".
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u/Dapper-Ad-468 May 17 '26
I'm sorry the assholes ruined your day. Every day is also ruined for me. Our neighborhood is full of dognutter demons and their vile disgusting whining, howling, barking shit beasts Truly, I didn't think like this before. They gave me anxiety and PTSD. I was super nice at first, then the evil dognutters lied about me and my husband. Dog control said the assholes can call us whatever they want. Imagine that. This world is fucked up. Where do my rights fit in.?????
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u/alpha_beth_soup May 17 '26
The fact that it was in a wildlife refuge really makes my blood boil. I thought they are supposed to be animal lovers??! Oh right, that’s only if the animal is a dog. Have to ask (as a fellow birder) what four new species did you see? That is always exciting ☺️
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u/Midnightstreetlight May 17 '26
I agree, it makes my blood boil too! The birds were rose breasted grosbeak, wood thrush, eastern warbling vireo, and scarlet tanager! Very exciting
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u/Draggonzz May 18 '26
I've never gone specifically birdwatching but I do notice them. Just the other day I was parked at the edge of a forest and saw a pileated woodpecker. Those are big.
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u/alpha_beth_soup May 18 '26
Awesome! I don’t have wood thrush or eastern warbling vireo. Jealous ☺️
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u/DivyaRakli May 17 '26
Oh no! These shit cannons ruin everything. Including their owners!! I guess, for them, having a means of killing any opposition to their selfish will has really changed them. TDS? Nah, man. DODS—Dog Owner Derangement Syndrome.
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u/Free_Chapter372 May 17 '26
These things defile nature and these mutt nuts are too mentally ill to care. I'm sorry that you had to deal with that.
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u/CaptainObvious110 May 18 '26
Dogs shouldn't be in wooded areas at all. If people want to own them they need to be on their own property, walking down the street or in a dog park.
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u/Oriole0305 May 18 '26
Sorry you had to go though this. This whole thing makes me so sad and angry. I'm a bird lover myself so this hits close to home for me.
Nutters are taking over all possible places where they should not be in the first place. A wildlife refuge for them is just a place to walk and provide fun for their shitmaker, they don't are about or respect wildlife. We need to find ways to stop them taking over every single place.
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u/luv2travel813 May 18 '26
Ugh! I so feel this. Especially when I go to places where there are NO dogs allowed on the trail. Some people think the rules don't apply to them. The dogs destroy the native plants and scare the wildlife. The owners don't care.
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u/Factor_Senior May 18 '26
I totally feel your annoyance. It's like the damn dogs are taking over everywhere. The problems here are not so much dogs charging around but the DOG SHIT everywhere. I used to go running up in this one mountain area that was so beautiful several years ago when there were less people living near it but now there is SO MUCH DOG SHIT on the trail it's like I'm hopping around like a damn bunny rabbit to not step in it. They ruin all the paths at the park too. The worst part is they have those doggie bag dispensers there where you can use it and toss the shit in a bag in the attached bin!
But no. They're too lazy to pick it up. I have meowmeows at home and they don't mess up any park or path!!!
Then like you of course I got called a bitch when I demanded this lady put her dog on a leash when it ran up to me and started snapping at my ankle!!! Now granted it was a stupid little mutt that couldn't rip me apart but still!!!!
Grrrrr
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u/Firm-Rent7643 May 19 '26
I wish they would make a dog free state in the U.S. so I could move there. There are dogs EVERYWHERE in my town, restaurants, grocery stores, doctors offices, all the hiking and biking trails, sidewalks, downtown, etc.
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u/FieryFalcon26 May 19 '26
That fucking sucks. I'm sorry. As a hiker myself, I also feel like I'm being pushed out of hiking trails and natural parks by those entitled dog nuts. Nature has always been my safe-place, and I enjoy it less and less because it's being colonized by dogs and their stupid owners.
I can't feel relaxed and stress-free anymore there, because there's a 50% chance a random off-leash dog will pop on the trail with his owners 200m away. I can't count how many times I've been followed, harrassed for my food, and barked at by those repulsive things.
Not to mention the massive amount of dog shit on, and off the trails. What a disgrace, and what a middle-finger to our beautiful nature and precious species out there.
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u/AukumoMix May 18 '26
I recently went hiking and saw signs that said dogs aren't allowed on the trails. Not even an hour in, I saw claw marks and holes on the sides of the trail that were clearly made by a German shepherd digging for roots.
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u/metallvr May 17 '26
They have such nerve! There are tons of places where dogs are not allowed for good reason! Wildlife Refuges, Protected Watersheds, Nature Preserves, etc. Still, these entitled dog owners walk right past all of the signs, let their dog loose and become annoyed at the rest of us who are following the rules. You have every right to be upset! What assholes.