LYD, do you ever take your dogs up into the university? Along the ring road there is that huge open area beside the tennis courts. they have started to do some construction but I believe it is still a wide open field. There’s also a field just below the top of the ring road and another near the highway. All seem like good places to take a dog. I never see anyone else with a dog up there. After 9pm, I almost never see people either but the roads are still lit.
Stray Dog, when are we ever going to meet for a hike? I built that swimming hole up in the mountains for your dogs and you still don’t know where it is. Okay, I built it for myself, but it never did really get human size.
MuchaMan, I so want to come, but it really has been incredibly busy of late. However, my colleagues are doing an amazing job of sharing the workload, and my home is now three dogs lighter thanks to our lovely fosterers, so let’s do it!
I need to check the AnimalsTaiwan calendar to make sure we have no events that I need to attend. What date did you have in mind? PM me if you like, unless you want stay on topic and punctuate your reply with more dogs-verus-joggers rants.
[quote=“Stray Dog”]MuchaMan, I so want to come, but it really has been incredibly busy of late. However, my colleagues are doing an amazing job of sharing the workload, and my home is now three dogs lighter thanks to our lovely fosterers, so let’s do it!
I need to check the AnimalsTaiwan calendar to make sure we have no events that I need to attend. What date did you have in mind? PM me if you like, unless you want stay on topic and punctuate your reply with more dogs-verus-joggers rants. [/quote]
I promise not to jog up in the mountains if it will upset your dogs.
Stray Dog you are a mutt of sound reasoning. Forgive my anxiety laden and poisoned memory.
The dog acted quite suddenly and seemingly out of character . . . well, I guess not if you think of a breed trained for hunting tottling little animals . . . but it had never done anything like that before. It was the panic I felt. It was obviously human error. A big hats off to your sound principles and concern for the dogs of this world.
You are right, especially in regards Taiwan where most people over twenty have a very real reason to fear stray dogs. There is also that added thing about dogs in Taiwan . . . have you heard of the practice of hanging dead cats in trees and chucking dead dogs in sewers? It’s a ghosty spirity thing.
Seriously, most Taiwanese have experienced attacks by strays, it’s a circle of violence you are trying to erradicate.
Still, if easing the scoot into a small village in Buttfuck Taiwan and being jumped by a pack of dogs, I will go the brick, albeit with one mind on the plight of the poor mutt that got it there.
Two posters have now mentioned that dogs get defensive with joggers. One is a loving dog caretaker. I guess that explains why you are defensive with dogs MM.
Funny how things seem to go in a circle. More love is what it takes folks, more looooovvve.
[quote=“bobepine”]Two posters have now mentioned that dogs get defensive with joggers. One is a loving dog caretaker. I guess that explains why you are defensive with dogs MM.
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I’m not sure I get that. I had dogs as pets growing up and was never defensive in the slightest way until I returned to canada two years ago and started getting repeatedly intimidated by large dogs when I was out jogging. My defensiveness was further heightened by becoming aware that our culture of me first means that people will not take criticism, fair or not, as they think they don’t need to obey the law when it inconveniences them or when they are sure their breaking it will not be a problem. But would you like to have two great danes preventing you from walking while the owner laughs? Would you like to come around a corner and startle a german shephard and have him charge at you? Or have a smaller dog leap on you while you are wearing an expensive coat and the owner not even so much as say sorry until you demanded it? Would you like to have to change your jogging route because the exercise was giving you high blood pressure? Would you like you sister to be mauled by a pit bull, and the owner still not restrain the animals afterwards?
The lack of concern by dog owners and their aggressive attitude toward my reasonble request that they keep their animals under control still gets me riled up today. I had one man even challenge me to a fight because I insisted he call his dog back and not let it chase after me as I ran. But she is harmless he told me. Yeah, and when I told him to fight if he wanted to he said he couldn’t as his dog would tear me apart if we got into it.
Defensive? No. I just want people to obey the laws and show some civility.
Oh, and Stray, let’s think about getting together maybe next month. I don’t have a car right now to take us up into the hills and I don’t think the dogs are allowed on the bus.
[quote=“Muzha Man”][quote=“bobepine”]Two posters have now mentioned that dogs get defensive with joggers. One is a loving dog caretaker. I guess that explains why you are defensive with dogs MM.
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I’m not sure I get that. I had dogs as pets growing up and was never defensive in the slightest way until I returned to canada two years ago and started getting repeatedly intimidated by large dogs when I was out jogging. My defensiveness was further heightened by…[/quote]
I meant that you’re defensive probably because you like to jog and LYD said her dogs get defensive at joggers. You sort of said the same thing. It’s fair enough though, my experience with dogs has been different.
Had a crazy guy come into my pub with two of the biggest rottweilers you’ve ever seen. He let them off the leash and they began charging around the pub, jumping up at people and windows, and barking. People were rightfully concerned for their safety, particularly as the owner was proving himself to be highly irresponsible.
So I asked him nicely to put them back on a leash, and he aggressively refused. So I told him, but he refused again. The dogs paced more as he got more agitated. So I called the police, and they arrived in minutes. Bless 'em, they were also concerned about the dogs, but they approached the man and asked him to control his dogs. He refused. Then he took a swing at the female officer!
The two officers then tackled him, and the dogs ran across the room and began jumping and barking at the struggling police and idiot, who ws high on something that was making him very strong, and he kept breaking away. As the police called for backup (they would not let us assist), our bouncer bravely tried to grab the dogs’ collars, but that just made them more aggressive. They attacked. But not the bouncer or the police, but the owner!
He got carted off and we were left holding the dogs, who were very calm and friendly after the idiot left. Our bouncer knew the guy, so he took the dogs back to his house and gave them to whomever he was living with. I was gobsmacked that the rotties went for their owner - and very relieved.
I have the stinky dog van - the windows wind down.
If the jogger is traveling on a course not directly appraoching us andif he/she is a little piece away, say if we’re 30 feet into the field and the jogger is in the road, it’s no problem. My dogs don’t get defensive unless the jogger is heading towards us. Then they move closer to me and get tense. The alpha will put the head lower and give a low bark. Then they all will bark like assholes and their fur will rise up. Quite fun of you’re the jogger . So I understand how MuchaMan feels. And I think that my dogs’ behavior is normal. And honestly, we go to the park every night around mid-night, and we have encountered a few weirdos there, and on occassion, I’ve been actually kinda glad they react like that. But they go on the leash as soon as I spot anyone who I think will cause a reaction in them.
And Muchman, where is the ring road? Where is the univ? Is it on the north side of Roosevelt?
Yeah, yeah, but where were the great danes, huh? Come on, no dogs the size of horses - no bragging rights. And were you wearing anything nice? Huh? Or jogging round the room? Where was your sister while all this was happening?
BTW, I must say that being back in taiwan my equalibrium has returned and I am not terribly bothered by dogs off the leash. I just call them over softly like I always did. Of course I haven’t been jogging for the past year because of a fallen arch. Maybe herr bobpine is right.
Stray, let’s definitely plan for something this month then.
[quote=“Little Yellow Dog”]If the jogger is traveling on a course not directly appraoching us andif he/she is a little piece away, say if we’re in a 30 feet into the field and the jogger is in the road, it’s no problem. My dogs don’t get defensive unless the jogger is heading towards us. Then they move closer to me and get tense. The alpha will put the head lower and give a low bark. Then they all will bark like assholes and their fur will rise up. Quite fun of you’re the jogger . So I understand how MuchaMan feels. And I think that my dogs’ behavior is normal. And honestly, we go to the park every night around mid-night, and we have encountered a few weirdos there, and on occassion, I’ve been actually kinda glad they react like that. But they go on the leash as soon as I spot anyone who I think will cause a reaction in them.
And Muchman, where is the ring road? Where is the univ? Is it on the north side of Roosevelt?[/quote]
Sorry, when you mentioned Jingmei river park I was thinking Muzha. The uni is out here in Muzha. But if you are out in Jingmei do you know the Fairy Footprint trail just 5 minutes from Jingmei Station?
bobepine, I believe that the two large white dogs you were talking about were probably Great Pyrenees. I grew up with them and most of them are the gentelest most intelligent dogs ever. The one my parents have right now is huge(180) pounds and extremely tolerant of almost anything or anyone(he even lets my other dog sit on him when they are outside to keep warm). That being said, for those making comments on kids, kids are like puppies, they get very excited and don’t have a hell of a lot of control, thus we as dog owners have a responsability to act in such away to look out for these puppies just like we would real ones. I agree with many of you when you say your dogs have a right to run(thats what they are built for and they need it) but you have to do it in such a way that they are not scaring or threatening the masses, but feel free to educate the over parinoid and those that freak out around dogs. The more people we educate now the fewer problems later generations whill have
I recently finished an interesting book called The Other End of the Leash (sorry, forget the author’s name)… It actually discussed mammalian/human behavior as much as canine behavior. Anyways, I enjoyed it…
Also, I mentioned in another thread that they’re making a fenced-in dog park in Dajia Riverside Park. Well, surprise surprise, it hasn’t even begun construction yet, even though it was supposed to be finished last month. I’ve heard from a couple of people that often go there that it should be done this month, which I’m guessing will actually mean 2008. If anyone hears anything about it being finished, please post!
There was a guy at the park who had an over active lab puppy…but still very large. He let it off it’s leash to play with my dogs…and it would great people by running into them. The first person was an older overweight lady…it ran at her and crashed it’s head into her bum/crotch from behind…which I thought was pretty funny…and I wouldn’t have blamed her for kicking at it.
The second incident wasn’t so funny…there was roughly 45 year old man jogging and the dog ran at him at an angle…but from the front…he had to have seen it coming…but Taiwanese when faced with the unexpected usually do NOTHING…so he just kept jogging towards it. It ran striaght through him…knocked out both of his legs and he almost hit the ground head first but got his arm up in time…I felt horrible (not my dog though). It took him awhile to stand up (perhaps he was winded), but when he got up he just laughed and commented on the dog’s strength.
And while I know some people think this is proof that a dog should always be leashed…I’m more of a “shit happens” follower.
I went to the park near my house to do some jogging. It’s a small park with a path running around it. Maybe 500-600m in diameter I guess. The middle is covered in grass. I go to this park both because it is close to my house and there are usually no people there at night.
I get to the park this evening and there are about 40 or so scooters parked inside the park on the path that I want to ride on. I said to myself "Fuck it. I’m not going to let these sub-animal motorcycle punks ruin my and my dogs time to exercise.
So I started to warm up walking by around the park. But the sub-animals were all parked on the path so it actually WAS impossible to go running there. I walked over to my motorcyle and as I was, I saw one of the pieces of trash driving his little toy scooter across the grass. My dog was playing in the grass and the human scum tried to hit him with his bike!!! :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume: :fume:
I yelled obsenities and my dogs name at the top of my lungs and my dog came over.
Lucky for the punk on the souped up lawnmower that he was too far away from me for me to have taken off his head. Lucky for me he was cause his 40 or so friends probably would have ended my life in a typical display of cowardice by them all jumping on me at the same time.
I guess that explains why you are defensive with dogs MM. 
:bravo:
I guess that explains why you are defensive with dogs MM. 
. So I understand how MuchaMan feels. And I think that my dogs’ behavior is normal. And honestly, we go to the park every night around mid-night, and we have encountered a few weirdos there, and on occassion, I’ve been actually kinda glad they react like that. But they go on the leash as soon as I spot anyone who I think will cause a reaction in them.
