I witnessed a woman and her dog being threatened.

[defacto7]

I was walking my dog yesterday and I heard this older man yelling at a woman who was walking her 2 small dogs. He was about 60 and dressed well, normal middle class. This is what I heard him say,
"You keep those dogs off the street. I'm a gun owner and I usually carry. If I had been carrying my gun today that dog would be dead now."
He was referring to her Chihuahua that I guess was barking at him. Both dogs were on leash and we were all walking in a well known dog walking area in a city park. He walked away at that point and left the woman leaning on a railing to catch her breath; she was clearly shaken. I went over to her rather than confronting that jerk because I was worried about her. I asked her if she was ok but she was having trouble speaking. Finally she spoke and said she was very scared. I asked her if she wanted to report it but she declined and said she just wanted to go home. She thanked me and smiled. I told her that some people simply are not civilized.

What has happened to this country where some people now feel emboldened to threaten innocent people on the street and harbor no sense of civility?

[spanone]

1. trump.

[BigmanPigman]

3. You said it in a word.

[KentuckyWoman]

84. Yes.

However, our civility has been in the dumper for some time now. Trump tells these idiots they don't have to keep a lid on it anymore.

[lunasun]

2. Chihuahua ? Barking? Threatening ? Sounds like another just itching to use a purchased item

any excuse

[spanone]

6. when my chihuahua barks at folks, they normally laugh at her

[ailsagirl]

26. LOL

This guy was wa-a--aa-y over the top

[spanone]

29. she's the Rodney Dangerfield of dogs.....no respect

[FreeState]

32. Share my life with two Chihuahua's people either want to pick them up or run the other way.

We have friends that have been scared to death of them, and we have friends that have been nipped by them because they won’t stop trying to pick them up. People are funny, I’ll take a dog over a person any day. 🐶

[Texin]

72. I've got one now and we've had two who've gone to their great foreverland.

One of them, my little blonde girl, was four-legged piranha, a total terror with most everyone but my husband and I. Oddly, she loved (tolerated?) my brother and his two nephews. They've got a sort zen calm around dogs. Everyone else was treated like a mortal threat.

[LakeArenal]

90. He was threatened by those dogs!!

He has to stand his ground, right?
Next they will be eating skittles and barking. Nip it, nip it , nip it.

(Ok, I’ll use the sarcasm thingie, sigh)

[marble falls]

4. The Fourth Reich ...

You know its here when some people feel free privileged to being able to threaten other people.

[Runningdawg]

89. This 100%

[WePurrsevere]

5. She should have reported him w/you as a witness. The more...

Bullies/abusers get away with the more emboldened they become. The next person he confronts like that may not be so lucky if he has his gun that day ('if' he actually has one).

[defacto7]

7. I know. I agree. She was traumatized.

[WePurrsevere]

8. I would have been too. Hopefully once she calms down she'll report it. nt

[calimary]

68. Yep. He threatened her. How do we know he would have

confined his gun-toting anger to her dog? That was a threat. Pure and simple. And should be brought to the attention of the police.

[defacto7]

79. Thanks. I did so this morning.

[WePurrsevere]

87. Thank you for doing so. At least the police are aware now. nt

[WePurrsevere]

88. Exactly! nt

[Initech]

9. Some of these people probably should have their guns taken away.

If they threaten like this, they are *CLEARLY* a danger to themselves and to others!

[Doreen]

10. That is the guy who you find out where he lives

then find one hundred nipping Chihuahuas let them loose when he walks out of his house. Hey, he can only shoot a couple before they all get him. Not really, but it is a funny image.

Stupid ass.

[Hortensis]

11. People were always people. Fwiw, I've been in a

situation like this before. I've always wished I'd called the police myself. My couple was also too timid to act and asked me not to, but that wasn't the right response to real danger. Never saw them after that, although I did give them my contact info as a witness. Probably never went out again except locked in a car even though it really was a safe, well policed neighborhood.

[Mr.Bill]

12. When my four lb Yorkie/Maltese barks at people

I just say to her "No one is afraid of you!" Usually gets a laugh.

Feel sorry for that lady, though. Some people are really sick these days.

[scarytomcat]

66. I am against dogs attacking and barking at people

train the dogs please
threating to shot them is also wrong and he should be denies a gun carry permit
I am a cyclist and have been attacked and chased many many times over the years and don't appriciate it
the small brainless dogs are the worst because you never know if they will bite.
Last week I was nearly biten on a public path.
I refuse to be sport for untrained animals.

[llmart]

69. Um...the dog was on a leash.

[scarytomcat]

86. so it is still rude behavior

dog owners can get in trouble for aggressive dogs and if they bite they can be put to sleep
do the right thing and train your animals
rude is rude
people have a right to walk or bike without being barked or jumped at... leash or not

[defacto7]

91. I'm glad you replied.

To assure the argument doesn't become one-sided I will have to agree with you. No argument here. People shouldn't have to worry about dogs jumping on them or chasing them let alone biting or otherwise threatening them. That's not what the op is about. In an open society there has to be some reasonable acceptance of other people's rights and a reasonable amount of offence should be tolerated by all of us. The op is about unreasonable lack of tolerance and threatening behavior. Yes the tiny dog was barking... so what? It didn't jump on him, it didn't bite him, it was just being a chihuahua. I've seen plenty of dogs do unreasonable things and I've seen dog owners allow things that should not be tolerated. But there is an increasing intolerance of anything that is offensive to someone even if it isn't doing harm and in this case to the point of dangerous uncivilized reactions. These uncivil reactions can be infinitely more harmful mentally and physically than a bark even without a gun.

[scarytomcat]

94. I agreed the man was out of hand

but the women was not innocent in fact if the law had been called they probable would have done nothing because of guilt on both sides. i see dogs on the trails here every day and almost are well trained and do not bark or threaten, sounds like yours is one of them. I was attacked by a dog on a leash last Sunday and had to take evasive action to avoid getting knocked off my bike or hitting the dog. All I am saying is train your dog and that aggressive animals are unacceptable. All should be trained before bring them out in public even a dog with a brain the size of a peanut can learn to not bark. I did not say a word to the family and the dog that Sunday morning like most people, I just went on as the man should have done.

[pnwmom]

13. If that happened in my city I'd tell him: "If you'd shot that dog you'd be going to jail."

There's a law here against discharging a gun within city limits, and I bet most communities have a law like that. The 2nd Amendment doesn't give him the right to shoot at anything he doesn't like.

[ecstatic]

14. Unbelievable. Someone like that should not have guns

and he does need to be reported. Let's say he attempted to kill her dog in cold blood, but accidentally killed a child or someone else? Then what? Get his ass off the streets!

[cp]

15. From what you related, he meant it.

He will kill her dog or both dogs. Do the local police patrol this park?

[defacto7]

36. Not often.

Last edited Sat Sep 8, 2018, 11:36 PM - Edit history (1)

It's usually a very easy going neighborhood but this guy has lost his marbles.

[gibraltar72]

16. You can shoot people. But not a dog.

[Ilsa]

17. He should be ticketed and sent to court

to have his carry privileges revoked. There is no reason to get nasty over her dogs. What if she bent over to protect them? Would he shoot her? What if a bullet ricocheted and hurt someone else or caused significant property damage?

Too bad you couldn't follow him home to ID him.

[defacto7]

37. I agree on all counts.

[CaptainTruth]

18. What has happened to this country? Trump. Trump happened.

[Honeycombe8]

19. She should have reported a gun threat. But...

But you didn't see what caused the incident. It's possible she wasn't controlling her dogs, even though they were on leash. Could've run up to him, nipping at him, and she didn't pull the dog back or do anything. That doesn't give him the right to threaten her, tho.

I've walked my dogs for many years and see dog owners who don't control their dogs, letting them use bathroom in yards, walk up into the middle of people's yards (those extending leashes), run up to my dogs, etc. But unless it's a big dog, it's just irritating. Not a big deal.

She needs to get a backbone. I've been the recipient of this sort of thing a few times...where a man walks up to me to man 'splain what I'm doing wrong. He'd never have done that if I had been male.

Example: I used to smoke. I was smoking outside of my office bldg years ago. This older man walks up to me not to complain about smoke, but to man'splain to me how harmful it is for me to smoke and why I should quit. A total stranger. I listened. When he finished I looked at him straight in his eyes and said, "Well, maybe one day I'll be perfect like you." He looked shocked, took a step back, and walked off. I'm sure he expected the typical female response of apology and thanks for the man'splainin'.

[yourmovemonkey]

38. I have one rehearsed answer for those people

"I make up for my minor personal defects by politely minding my own business. What do you do?"

[defacto7]

44. Good one!

[GulfCoast66]

58. I do as well...fuck you asshole. But I am a larger white guy

[onlyadream]

62. I always say,

“Do I know you?”
My looks are deceiving, small female with big blue eyes. I’m always getting mansplained (although less so as I’m getting older). My innocent, angelic looks are (or were) often an invitation for assholes to approach me. I also found that if I stick up for myself (like when I’m over looked at a deli counter and speak up) people get angry that I’m not living up to their expectation of being a nice, little demure flower.

[Honeycombe8]

78. About people getting angry at you for not being demure...YES! That's the wacko part of it.

As if YOU are the one who did something wrong. You "hysterical woman" you!

[Honeycombe8]

77. LOL! That's good. nt

[yardwork]

64. "She needs to get a backbone" is not a helpful response.

This man is threatening her. She needs to report him to the police, and if she doesn't, bystanders need to report him.

Threats to shoot to kill need to be taken seriously. People mean it. Believe them.

[Honeycombe8]

76. That's the first thing I said, isn't it? Yes, it is.

THEN at the end I said she needs to get a backbone. Instead of cowering in fear, she needs to learn how to be more proactive in such situations. Not escalate them. But the reason men will say such things to some women is that they know the woman will let them.

Standing up for yourself and at least replying is a good start.

[bettyellen]

80. "The reason men say such things to some women is they know the woman will let them" WOW so it's her

fault? Think about that a moment. While I agree she should report it- so should the OP. The cops can and should take a report and be on the lookout for this asshole.

[raccoon]

75. Good for you. nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

20. tRUMP

[ProudLib72]

21. Thank you for doing the right thing

I think you handled the situation perfectly!

[ailsagirl]

23. Thank you for your civility and concern

It feels as if this is fast becoming a rarity in today's world

[SharonAnn]

95. You did exactly the right thing. Approach the target, ask if they're ok, ask if you can stay with

You did exactly the right thing. Approach the target, ask if they’re ok, ask if you can stay with them. This helps the target, draws attention from the attacker, and defuses the situation.

Do NOT confront the attacker. That only inflames them and escalates the situation. It also leaves the target without the help or support they may need.

[AZ8theist]

22. CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY

What that asshole did was COMMIT A CRIME.

It's called "Offensive Harassment".

Inform the 911 operator you were threatened with physical violence.

No one can threaten another citizen for no reason at all. Next, get your cell phone video up and running. Make this asswipe become viral in his law-breaking.

Time to fight fire with Law and Order.

[ailsagirl]

27. But then there's always the fear of retaliation

And this guy sounds like he'd be fully on-board with that

I don't know what I'd do

[AZ8theist]

28. He's probably a fucking snowflake.....

Confronted with authority, having his name taken down, will cause this POS to slink under the rock he slithered out from. Guaranteed.

[The Wizard]

34. In most states

issuing terroristic threats is an indictable offense.

[defacto7]

42. It's hard to know what people can get away with

here in Utah.

[defacto7]

43. I agree but her health was my first concern.

[oasis]

24. The coward wouldn't have enough nerve to say that to a man. nt

[defacto7]

41. If he was so put out by a chihuahua and felt offended and threatened by it

I'd imagine he was not one to look for trouble with anything he thinks he can't overpower. I suppose that's why he thinks a weapon is necessary; it makes him feel bigger than he is.

[left-of-center2012]

25. You witnessed the threat?

Yet,
you didn't report it?

ok

[defacto7]

39. I was more concerned about her. It was her call.

I asked if she wanted to report it and she declined. You never know what illness a person has and she looked shaken and out of breath. Although I agree it should have been reported, it's not up to me to decide how healthy she is, it's up to her to decide to take the stand. My first inclination was to go after him, take pictures, ask him why he did that, get it on record... but she was not well and that supercedes being a hero.

[left-of-center2012]

46. "it's not up to me"

[mr_lebowski]

60. Personally, I'd likely have followed the guy and been quite willing to rumble with him 4 what he did

Then again I'm almost 6'6", 230 lbs, and white.

However, you are being a bit judgmental about how the OP should've reacted. Sounds like s/he did exactly the right thing, per their own conscience.

Just sayin' ...

[USALiberal]

70. LOL, always a really stupid idea. nt

[bettyellen]

82. You can still report the incident- for future record and also for the cops to be aware.

It’s probably not his first time and it’s not likely the last. Likely one conversation with cops and he’d stop this shit.

[LiberalArkie]

30. Really Reagan.

[Major Nikon]

31. You don't have to be an asshole to carry a gun

...but it's a great start.

[pepperbear]

33. He went full on "Wicked Witch of the West" on that poor lady

Shame.

[Ahpook]

35. Sorry to hear that

I have had a few encounters with these freaks as well. I own guns but clearly quite a few in our society should not, including some cops.

My wife, children and our dog were hanging out in the Smoky Mountains watching the sun set when a cop pulls up and asked what we are doing. It's fucking obvious? Anyway, our dog started barking his normal friendly bark and the cop mentioned shooting "It" if not controlled. What?

Another incident was while bike riding. We stopped at a bridge on a Greenway to rest and grab a drink. A house owner came out and said if we throw another bottle in the creek he will shoot us. All bullshit of course! We had our caged bottles that we certainly are not throwing in a creek.

I told that motherfucker he better kill me!

I don't know what it is?! They just can't wait to kill something

On edit: Another nut in our community pulled a gun on my neighbor stating he stole some items out of his garage. Clearly a nutcase! He said he was retired from some job he thought was important enough and could get away with anything.

He shot and killed himself a few months later

[Hekate]

40. You are a witness. You can file a complaint. The park is now unsafe for your use -- and for kids.

That man is deranged.

[defacto7]

45. Thank you. That I can do.

[KentuckyWoman]

85. I agree with this.

If the police department can figure out who he is they'll pay him a little visit. If nothing else they'll step up patrols some.

There has been too many nutjob shootings this year, no town wants to be next on the list.

[Ferrets are Cool]

47. The asshole won. She will be scared to walk her dogs again...

you cannot let bullies win.

[pnwmom]

48. Here is my state law. I bet lots of states/cities have similar laws, and anyone who

would shoot under those circumstances would be risking jail.

http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.41.230

RCW 9.41.230

Aiming or discharging firearms, dangerous weapons.

(1) For conduct not amounting to a violation of chapter 9A.36 RCW, any person who:

(a) Aims any firearm, whether loaded or not, at or towards any human being;

(b) Willfully discharges any firearm, air gun, or other weapon, or throws any deadly missile in a public place, or in any place where any person might be endangered thereby. A public place shall not include any location at which firearms are authorized to be lawfully discharged; or

(c) Except as provided in RCW 9.41.185, sets a so-called trap, spring pistol, rifle, or other dangerous weapon,
although no injury results, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW.

(2) If an injury results from a violation of subsection (1) of this section, the person violating subsection (1) of this section shall be subject to the applicable provisions of chapters 9A.32 and 9A.36 RCW.
[ 1994 sp.s. c 7 § 422; 1909 c 249 § 307; 1888 p 100 §§ 2, 3; RRS § 2559.]

And many of our towns and cities have their own laws about discharging guns, specifically mentioning domestic animals.

[Cha]

49. That's beyond "not civil" and yes I blame it on

the big Russian ass in the wh.

I'm glad you were there for her, defacto.

[defacto7]

54. Thanks.

I just stayed with her but kept a reasonable distance so as to not make her feel pushed. I talked to her in a calm voice until I could tell she was not faint. I wasn't sure she didn't have a heart condition the way she held herself at the railing. When she was ready she thanked me, smiled and said she just wanted to go home and went on by herself.
Some people don't realize the effect they have on others they don't know. I would think that would be enough to keep people civil and give the benefit of the doubt. There are a lot of ways people can get hurt and a mouth can be as dangerous as a gun.. on the other hand a smile can heal. I'd opt for the latter.

[Cha]

56. Yes!

Some people don't realize the effect they have on others they don't know. I would think that would be enough to keep people civil and give the benefit of the doubt. There are a lot of ways people can get hurt and a mouth can be as dangerous as a gun.. on the other hand a smile can heal. I'd opt for the latter.

[ooky]

50. I would call the police immediately. If he has guns, he shouldn't.

He also needs a mental evaluation. He sounds like a danger to society.

[Crunchy Frog]

51. An armed society is a polite society.

[defacto7]

52. oh god

[Oneironaut]

53. Think you should report this to your police department.

The man may be a ticking time-bomb, ready to explode on the next person who walks by. At least they'll know about his behavior.

[defacto7]

55. I will. Thank you.

[trueblue2007]

57. poor lady. GOD BLESS YOU for you comfort and friendship. she didn't deserve that hatred

and harassment. that bully needs to have his male member cut off !!!!!

[TeamPooka]

59. Whatever anyone ever does in violence to my dog will also happen to them. Guaranteed.

[Liberalagogo]

61. That poor poor man

He must literally have a Trump-sized penis.

[yardwork]

63. A man acted like this in my community. One day he murdered three people.

This man had a history of threatening to shoot his neighbors. One day he did.

Despite years of threatening behavior, nobody had reported him to the police. If they had, the local police would have talked to him. That might have saved three young lives.

We all need to take threats like this seriously. Please consider making a police report yourself.

[A HERETIC I AM]

65. A story I heard on NPR late last night suggested that 25% of the population are EASILY SWAYED....

by a totalitarian or dictatorial leader.


Here we are, in "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave" and yet ONE OUT OF FOUR of your fellow countrymen in 2018, would willingly follow someone like Hitler or Mussolini or Pol Pot....or...dare I say????


Trump

[kcr]

92. All you have to do is look at a few of the responses in this thread to believe it.

Derp! It wasn't right for her to let that dog bark at him! /Derp!

Seriously.

[SWBTATTReg]

67. Enough of these types of incidents will cause the right to carry to go away, like it did in ...

the past, with wild wild west frontier. There were many reasons that carrying guns in the past went away.

Today, people (some of course only, not all) lose all control and decorum, and become ignorant and bullies. If enough of these incidents happen, perhaps we'll be lucky again and get these gun carrying 'nuts' off our streets.

[The Genealogist]

71. Welcome to the new reality

...where a lying press secretary quietly asked to leave a restaurant is an attack on civility
...where babies being torn from mothers arms is A-OK
...where taking a knee is tantamount to treason
...where a group of black people barbecuing in a park merits police action
...where a president openly threatens and attacks the free press with censorship for printing the unpleasant truth
...and where a barking dog warrants threats of gun violence.

A dark reality, to be sure.

[defacto7]

83. I totally agree.. a dark reality it is.

[CrispyQ]

73. She will change her life because of this intolerant bully.

This makes me so mad and sad.

[Aristus]

74. Gunfucks, lacking the long hoped-for home invasion they can play Rambo for

go looking for any excuse, however pathetic and ridiculous, to use their beloved gunzzzzzz .

[bettyellen]

81. You should write down your best description and go to the police and report this. If anything else

happens then you are a credible witness to prior behavior. And if they see this guy or get another report, they’ll understand it’s. It a one off and act accordingly.
This was serious and you should go down to the PD.

[MustLoveBeagles]

93. I hope you or this women has reported it

Even if the dogs were acting up this is a very extreme reaction. Chances are this bully is just issuing empty threats, but it pays to cautious.