Karen gets upset about other dogs and their owners during official park "dog party": 'I have a right to be here'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 23, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

I'm a dog lover and owner, but the first thing that I'll recognize about dog ownership is that a lot of people are wildly irresponsible with and about their pets. Still, it seems almost impossible to get things exactly right in the modern world of dog training and ownership; everywhere you look, there is conflicting advice and strategies that the people pushing them swear you must follow. Some are based on research and empirical evidence, while others are theoretical and hokey. 

And, yet, even things that we took for granted for the last half century of veterinary science ("always neuter your dog at six months!") we're now finding are sometimes just… wrong. And yet, again and still, you'll find some faction vigorously defending the opposite approach of the one you've decided to take, and even where everyone agrees that something is the right approach, your mileage may vary since no two breeds and no two dogs are exactly the same. Even this is assuming everything goes to plan; some dogs are just reactive, be it through a lack of socialization or their twisted interpretation of their environment—or just straight genetics. Some dogs are just overly excited or fearful about the everyday things around them.

By far the most difficult thing about having a reactive dog isn't the dog itself… it's other people and their lack of perception and their unwillingness to respect your dog's space. This being said, if your dog can't handle being around other dogs, it stands to reason that the last place you should be with your dog is in the middle of an officially organized "dog party" at the local park. Sure, it's really annoying when people try to host unofficial "private" events in a public space, but why would you willingly put yourself and your dog through this?

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    Image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Image is for illustration only and subjects are models.

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    AITA for telling a woman she shouldn't be at a dog party? I was at a dog costume contest in a public park. There were hundreds of people and dogs. In the middle of everything, there was a woman sitting on a bench with her dog. Whenever any dog or person got near she would yell at them to get away and she would yank her dog back. The dog
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    kept trying to make friends and would stare longingly at the other dogs who were playing with each other and she would keep aggressively tugging him and scolding people. After a while I said "You know there's kind of a big dog party going on. If you don't want your dog around people or dogs, perhaps this is not the right place for you." She said "I don't know what you want from me. I have a right to be here." I wasn't questioning her rights, just her judgment. AITA?
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    Edit: It was an official park sponsored party. She would get angry when people and dogs were simply in the vicinity of her dog, not necessarily even interacting. Most of the time she wasn't even paying attention, just scrolling on her phone. Edit 2: A lot of people are saying "the dog might be aggressive" to justify her behavior. If that's the case....why would you bring your dog to a dog party?!
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    OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the ahle: I might have been an a hole for suggesting the woman she maybe shouldn't have been there, because she does have the right to be there.
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    • j... . 9h ago Edited 9h ago • I feel like the folks voting her the AH are missing the point. She wasn't actively training her dog. She was sitting in the middle of the event on her phone. Owners with dogs weren't just walking over to play with her dog, they were just in the vicinity which likely means simply walking by.
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    Could they have been "too close"? Sure, but it was a Park sponsored event which likely means it was busy and there's only so much walking space during busy events. OP even said there were hundreds of people and dogs. If anything she's an AH to her dog if she was attempting to train the dog to be around other dogs. Why
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    be at a big event? Why not choose a less busy dog park to let your dog get used to 1- 2 dogs at a time instead of a park full of them? Plus, training involves the owner to actually be interacting with their own dog, which she wasn't doing. NTA
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    III TemperedOld... . • 10h ago • I...can't think of anything but Go Dog Go. At the dog party! The BIG dog party! Did they all have hats?
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    Few_Ad_5752 . 10h ago NTA. It is her right to be there, but she is painfully inconsiderate of her poor dog and is making the other dog owners - who attended FOR their pets to have a chance to have fun - feel very sorry for her dog. I probably would have addressed her dog instead of her and commiserated with its unfair situation in her hearing. You were more polite..
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    Redfawn666 · 10h ago NTA. She could see what was going on and she could have left at ant time if she wanted to. You politely pointing that out does not make you an ahle.
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    • dstarpro 10h ago • NTA. She's ridiculous for planting herself in the middle of a dog meet-up with her dog, and then acting nuts about her dog wanting to interact with other dogs, or vice versa. Or, for that matter, other dog people may be wanting to meet her. If that's not your scene, maybe go sit somewhere else in the park?
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    General_Relativ... • 10h ago Supreme Court Just- [121] NTA. You were just pointing out the obvious. I don't understand why people like that woman want to make trouble.
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    ImWatermelone... • 10h ago • Ridiculous to be causing her dog distress over what I assume is just stubbornness. I don't take my dog to places with lots of people on purpose. He gets stressed in crowds. If a place I was planning on taking him is crowded, I just go somewhere else. People care more about their pride than their animals sometimes :/
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    Meelomookachoo • 9h ago. NTA, same thing happened with a woman that brought her reactive dog to a dog. park in my area. It's a designated off leash dog area with a few miles of trails so people like to hike through. She wanted to bring her dog because of the trails but would scream and freak out any time any dog came up to hers. A bunch of
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    owners eventually got fed up and park rangers told her she needed to leave because she brought an aggressive dog into a dog park where other dogs are allowed to run around off leash
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    • diaryofjayhogart 10h ago • NTA. If she had a reason for being there, such as training her dog to be less reactive as others have suggested, then she probably would have said so instead of the response she gave. Also, if she is doing that, then her yelling at people to get away is probably not the best technique but what do I know lol. Point is, you were just giving information and not even in a ride way.
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    Thick_Secretary... • 9h ago NTA I can't believe she said "I have the right to be here" like yah ok you do but WHY would you want to be here if all you're gonna do is be miserable, make your dog miserable and yell at any person or dog that comes near you.
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    S... 7h ago · Edited 6h ago • • That's not how you train an aggressive or reactive dog, so... OP is NTA but that lady is. I hate dealing with poorly trained dogs and entitled owners doing nothing about it. (Reactive dogs actively being worked with by their owners are another matter). Don't set your aggressive dog up for failure at an event like that. Also OP.... What's your dogs costume going to be? AA
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    Icy_Public_503 · 9h ago • NTA. Lady was just being a weird control freak. She purposefully went to an event with people and dogs so she could yell at anyone who got near her.
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karens pet ownership dogs aita pets pet pet owners entitled people
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