Boy, did WE get in trouble!!! Attack Newfoundlands!

[newflvr]

I have walked my Newfs in the early evenings at our local 'alternative' high school...after soccer practice, or whatever event is going on.  This evening we ran in to another magnificent big paw, a fawn dobie who wanted to play with Chester and Cowboy.  We let them off lead and another  woman drives on to the field where they are playing and proceeds to scream at us how frightened she was to go in to her classroom (she's a teacher there) because her little children were with her.  Now the classroom is at least 100 yards away and she had to drive to tell us this.  Of course Cowboy has eased in to a lay down  while she's yelling and Chester is sitting quietly watching her antics and the dobie is sitting with his owner.  I tried to calmly explain that the dogs were playing with each other and she screamed that she heard one growl.  I tried to draw the analogy that many children scream while playing and it's the same with dogs. She started yelling that she was a biology major and look what happened to Steve Irwin. (??)

I even pointed out Cowboy's Therapy Dog tags and that he works with people in hospitals...an d that's what my goal is for Chester....did n't matter.  Dogs are BAD!  Dogs KILL!  Dogs ATTACK!!! 

Why are such stupid people teaching children?  I'm thinking I need to go to the school on Monday and have a word with the principal about perhaps having an "understanding dogs" seminar.

In the meantime, watch out for all attack-Newfoundlands!!

[LMT]

i mean, look what happened to steve irwin. here in milwaukee, we might as well sum up any middle aged white guy as Jeffrey Dahmer. I mean, he is HUMAN and HUMANS KILL. Sheesh.

People suck. I will never understand people with an unnatural fear of dogs. This is why when I walk Adi, I always let the interested kids pet him and teach them the right way to approach him. I wish people didn't grow up to be dog-fearing.

[bigdogs@5501]

I dont know if you have ever watched Boston Legal, But if you did, did you see the episode where Denny Crane shot the guy with the paint ball gun. Wouldnt you have loved to have had a paint ball gun and shot her? Ok unreasonable, I know, but she sounds like a major lunatic.

And how in the world did Steve Irwin's passing have anything to do with 3 domesticated dogs that were playing? And then to top that off- she is teaching at an alternative school?

Sorry to hear that you had to deal with such an idiot.

[horsepoor21]

Sorry , but what's an alternative school ? 

[Gypsy Jazmine]

One step closer for me for deciding to home school.

[SA_horses]

My first reaction:

Some people...

Of course dogs are dangerous, but so are knives and lots of other ordinary everyday things...  The big difference is that dogs are alive...  For someone who understands dog behavior and is cautious, there shouldn't be too many problems, short of a mentally unstable dog that "snaps" or the appearance of a dog pack that decides to come after that person.  If the dog is with its owner and under control, as was clearly the case here, things should also be okay.

Second thoughts:

While this lady's behavior was irrational, I think the more likely explanation (rather than stupidity) is having been attacked by a dog and never gotten over it.  Unfortunately it does happen quite a bit. 

I think it might be good to try to arrange some kind of seminar/special presentation/whatever to educate children on "how to behave around dogs" with an emphasis on preventing bites...simple things such as "Never turn and run away from a dog" and "Never approach a strange dog except in certain circumstances" (with its owner, under control, owner gives permission).  Maybe even ask if you can send a little print-out home with the children so that the parents learn too and can reinforce it.  That kind of thing might help to prevent more people from developing an irrational fear of dogs.

Those were just my thoughts.

[ozzysma]

im sorry, but how were you able to listen to this raging idiot with a straight face???  dont think i could have.

[cricket36580]

  Freaks are everywhere.

[GR8DAME]

A number of years ago, my very young (then) son left the back gate open and my two dobies headed out to explore the wide world. We doscovered they were gone when the arrived home, very tired with a two car police escort.
The police proceeded to give us two tickets of $75.00 each, for unleashed dogs at large. The officer explained that they would not have bothered, but the dogs had gone to the local park where they proceeded to join a very spirited soccor game with a bunch of kids, and refused to be caught by the law.  The kids wouldn't help the cops because the dogs were too fun to play with. The dogs finally got tired of the soccor and "catch me if you can" and headed home on their own. So we paid a $150.00 fine because our dogs are NOT a threat to the community.
Makes about as much sense as that "teacher's" reaction.
Stella

[Gypsy Jazmine]

LOL Stella!...The fine is not funny but your dogs resisting arrest is!

[GR8DAME]

Yeah. Go figure, even my dogs are hard-a$$ed rebels.
Stella

[Gypsy Jazmine]

Yeah. Go figure, even my dogs are hard-a$$ed rebels.
Stella

& mine are all neurotic, defiant & crazy...DH says they take after me ...lol!

[Saint and Mal mom]

Sorry this happened! You know, I would have flat out laughed at her too. Something similar happened to me and the girls on Wednesday night this week! We were walking the dogs, and were about to cross the street. Well, this lady is coming down the block, sees the dogs, says, "Oh, crap!" and proceeds to cross the street to get away from them! Mind you it was dark, she couldn't even see them to see whether they were growling or drooling or they could have been llamas for all she could see! So she crosses the street, but we have to cross too! So she goes back on the other side when she sees us coming over and goes on walking. I thought it was kind of funny, but kind of irritating too. In other words, big dogs equal mean dogs   

[newflvr]

Sorry , but what's an alternative school ? 

Oh, sorry.  An alternative school is a school (in this case a high school) for kids who don't 'fit' in to our regular public high school.  The classes are smaller, the curriculum isn't as demanding and there are kids there who may have severe learnilng disabilities.  Also, there are kids who need more supervision.

Thanks for all your support guys.  I've been fuming about this.  I guess, as trite as it seems, that the dogs have been discriminated against. They were lumped in with those sad creatures who have been trained to attack, or can't be controlled.

This idiot even pointed out that they were CANINES (like that's a bad word??) and the school was for HUMANS (like that's a good word??)! Boy, she learned her biology well!!  I reminded her that we were all tax-payers and that as such, she didn't own the land and THERE WAS NOT ANOTHER SOUL AROUND FOR A MILE!!!!  And then she had the nerve to say ...."Well, I'm here!!"

ARGGGHHHH!

[kathryn]

  And then she had the nerve to say ...."Well, I'm here!!"

Is it just me or did this part just make you want to use the sarcastic response of "Like I said there isn't another soul around."?  I would also have to wonder why if she was scared of the boys that she had to drive over to yell at you.  Why didn't she go in and get someone else to come talk to you if she was that scared?  Sorry you had to put up with crazy.