September 1, 2025 at 2:22 am

Dog Owner Said Their German Shepherd Was Friendly, But When It Jumped On This Person, They Weren’t Happy

by Heather Hall

German Shepherd off leash sitting next to its owner

Pexels/Reddit

It’s amazing how many people think “my dog is friendly” is a free pass for bad behavior.

So, what would you do if a stranger’s unleashed dog ran up to you and started jumping all over your clothes and food? Would you politely brush it off? Or would you make it clear that you’re not there to play?

In today’s story, one man finds himself in this exact scenario and ends up yelling at the dog owner. Here’s how it all went down.

AITA for saying “I’m not” when a dog owner said their dog was friendly?

I wanna start this off by saying I don’t like dogs.

I don’t hate dogs at all, don’t get me wrong, I think they’re very cute and I can see why some people like them, but I’m just personally not a fan.

I’m much more of a cat person.

This dog was a little too friendly.

Earlier this morning, I was walking through a park when this unleashed German Shepherd (I think) came running at me and tried jumping on me.

Naturally, I jumped back and screamed.

I kept trying to politely push the dog away, backing away, all that, but it was very intent on getting the food I was eating.

The owner finally approached, and I was relieved, until he started laughing and encouraging the dog to play with me, saying it was fine because “she’s friendly, she just wants to play!”

It took him getting upset for the guy to recall his dog.

I tried explaining that I didn’t want to play, but the guy just kept emphasizing that the dog was friendly until I snapped and said, “Well, I’m not, so get your dog away from me.”

The guy was all huffy and puffy for a while, acting shocked that someone could possibly not want a muddy dog jumping all over them and ruining their favorite shirt.

Finally, the guy called the dog back, and I went along with my day.

About an hour ago, I told my mom about the whole ordeal, and she said I was unnecessarily rude and could have just walked away, which is something I have a hard time doing because I tend to freeze when my fight or flight is triggered.

AITA?

Yikes! Luckily, not every dog owner is like this guy.

Let’s see what the folks over at Reddit think about what happened.

This person feels like that with other humans sometimes.

Not A Fan 3 Dog Owner Said Their German Shepherd Was Friendly, But When It Jumped On This Person, They Werent Happy

Here’s a dog lover’s take on it.

Not A Fan 2 Dog Owner Said Their German Shepherd Was Friendly, But When It Jumped On This Person, They Werent Happy

It must’ve been scary because those are big dogs!

Not A Fan 1 Dog Owner Said Their German Shepherd Was Friendly, But When It Jumped On This Person, They Werent Happy

According to this reader, the dog owner makes others look bad.

Not A Fan Dog Owner Said Their German Shepherd Was Friendly, But When It Jumped On This Person, They Werent Happy

He was not out of line.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.

Heather Hall | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Heather Hall is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter specializing in internet culture, workplace conflict, and viral customer service stories. With over a decade of editorial experience in digital publishing, Heather excels at curating trending online discussions and providing insightful commentary on the daily dramas that capture the internet's attention.

Since beginning her career in 2011, she has developed deep expertise in SEO-driven digital content, having written for a wide array of publications covering lifestyle, business, and travel. At TwistedSifter, Heather focuses on synthesizing complex social media threads into engaging, highly readable narratives that highlight the human element of viral news.

When she isn’t analyzing the latest internet discourse, Heather is a dedicated mother of three sons who takes family gaming nights entirely too seriously—whether she is dominating in Mario Kart, exploring The Legend of Zelda, or jumping into Roblox.

Connect with Heather on Facebook and LinkedIn.