Dog walking in the city can be unpredictable, even for the most cautious pet owners.

One woman tried to do everything right with her new foster dog, but when someone else’s recklessness nearly caused chaos, she had no choice but to speak up.

Read on for the full story.

AITA for yelling at a man to get his dog away from my dog?

Monday night, I (44F) brought home a foster dog. Maybe 4–5 years old and approximately 75 pounds.

She’s super sweet and well-behaved with people, but the rescue organization said she does not like cats and requires slow introductions with dogs. Because of her size, I’ve been crossing the street if we see a dog while out for a walk, just to be on the safe side.

But despite her caution, things soon got tense.

I live in a very urban neighborhood. Last night, we were out for a walk. A man (30s–40s) was out with his Shih Tzu without a leash on. It sprinted across the street toward Foster.

I had firm control of her leash and collar, and I yelled at the man to get his dog away from her.

It was clear this wasn’t a priority for him at all.

He casually started to walk over to us—no hustle whatsoever—meanwhile his dog is now stopping traffic from running back and forth between Foster and the owner, while an older woman with him stands and laughs.

Foster got agitated from the dog getting right up in her face and snarled a bit. I yelled at him again to get his dog away from her.

So now the guy starts firing back at her.

He finally grabs his dog and then says, “You are the one with the big dog. Go **** yourself.”

I replied, “Exactly. Do you not care if my dog attacks your dog?”

He asks, “Is that a threat? Are you threatening me?”

So I yell, “Your dog could have been hit by a car!”

The two exchange more heated words, but she walks away from the interaction unsure of herself.

He told me to **** off. I told him he’s a crappy dog owner. Altercation over. Foster and I continued on our walk.

I was 100% sure I was in the right until I told a friend today, and he said I shouldn’t have insulted the man, and that I should have just kept walking instead of engaging in the first place.

If I hadn’t engaged, his dog would likely have continued to get at Foster, and I was not about to risk either dog getting hurt (more likely the Shih Tzu). I’m baffled by what my friend said.

AITA?

The encounter may have been tense, but it was necessary.

This commenter knows exactly the type of person this story is referring to.

Everyone thinks their dog is well-behaved, but news flash: They usually aren’t.

A fellow big dog owner speaks up.

Some people really need to examine what it means to be a good dog owner.

In the end, she protected her dog, and if that makes her the bad guy, then so be it.

Owners like him need a wake-up call before their negligence gets someone hurt.

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