Woman Left Confused After Entitled Man Yells At Her To Put A Leash On Coyote

Every dog owner is expected to restrain their pet while walking in public, and seeing a dog roaming freely can be a cause for concern. This is what today’s story is about.

Reddit user CherylHeuton was walking one night when she ran into an angry man. According to her account, the stranger yelled at her for supposedly walking with an unleashed dog. She denied having a pet with her, but it didn’t pacify the situation.

The woman later corrected the man by pointing out the obvious: it wasn’t a dog but a wild animal.

A woman was walking one night when an angry man yelled at her for supposedly walking with an unleashed dog

Woman Left Confused After Entitled Man Yells At Her To Put A Leash On Coyote

Image credits: cherylheuton6066

But as they both came to find out, it was not a dog but a wild animal roaming freely in the night

Woman Left Confused After Entitled Man Yells At Her To Put A Leash On Coyote

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

The original poster had some parting words

Woman Left Confused After Entitled Man Yells At Her To Put A Leash On Coyote

Image source: CherylHeuton

Even well-trained dogs need to be leashed

Most areas have leash laws imposed. In Los Angeles County, where the story took place, dogs must be “restrained by a substantial leash not exceeding six feet.” They must also “be in the control of a competent person when off property.”

This applies to everyone, even those who claim to have well-trained dogs. Trainer Carolyn Martell explains why:

“[Dogs] bother people. Everyone driving by has to slow down and worry about your dog because you aren’t. Everyone walking by has to worry and move away, or leave the area. I promise, people have turned the other direction to avoid you and your unleashed dog.

“If your dog is that well-trained, having them on leash shouldn’t be a problem.”

Martell also pointed out that unleashed pets could be a problem for service dogs, whether through distraction or injury.

Dog owners won’t always be held liable if their dogs cause injury

It’s understandable to assume that a dog owner must be held responsible if their pet attacks someone and causes injury. However, this isn’t always the case.

A dog bite victim may only be entitled to compensation if they went through “pain and suffering.” Zinda Law Group defines this as serious bodily harm, like scarring, permanent nerve damage, and disfigurement. Emotional distress also falls under this category, especially if it comes with long-term side effects like PTSD, depression, and avoidance of social interactions.

Meanwhile, a dog owner may not be responsible for a provoked attack. As author and lawyer Mary Randolph explained, the owner may be absolved if the complainant was trespassing, voluntarily risked getting hurt, or was careless.

According to statistics, more than 4.5 million Americans suffer from dog bites each year, with an average of 30 to 50 dying from injuries. The man’s anger towards the original poster was out of place but likely from concern for his well-being. Fortunately for him, he spared himself from further trouble with the coyote.

Commenters shared their reactions, some of which the original poster responded to

Woman Left Confused After Entitled Man Yells At Her To Put A Leash On Coyote

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Struggling writer by day. Frustrated jazz drummer by night. Space Cowboy 24/7.

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Struggling writer by day. Frustrated jazz drummer by night. Space Cowboy 24/7.

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I'm a Visual Editor for Bored Panda. I’m also an analog collage artist. My love for images and experience in layering goes well with both creating collages by hand and working with digital images as an Editor. When I’m not using my kitchen area as an art studio I also do various experiments making my own cosmetics or brewing kombucha. When I’m not at home you would most definitely find me attending a concert or walking my dog.

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What do you think ?

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YetAnotherSarah 6 months ago

A man who starts with *take your earbuds out!" is a man who confronts people who don't want to talk to him a lot.

18points

Ripley 6 months ago

I had to laugh at the "hysterical fear" over bobcat sightings. If I heard of a local bobcat sighting (admittedly, unlikely in Australia) I would be having my face chewed off for trying to give it a cuddle.

11points

LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago

LOL! I feel you there. I'd likely be the same way XD I live in Urban Coyote Central (I actually live in Southern California, literally about 40 miles south of OP in this post.) I see coyotes strolling down my neighborhood's street at night. Sometimes they get really ambitious and try to break into trash cans left out the night before trash pickup day. But in our city, we've had young children attacked by coyotes - not toddlers, kids as old as 8-10 years old - and in broad daylight, so coyotes are srs bsns in SoCal. I still love all canines and think they're cute, but I probably wouldn't try to pet one if it came close XD I have two (indoor) cats and I don't even leave my (large-breed) dogs outside in the enclosed backyard overnight. Love coyotes; not gonna risk my pets though XD But I've petted a real live wolf and would 100% try to snuggle a bobcat (we have them here!) or even a cougar/puma (which we also have here in SoCal, lol.)

3points

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LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 months ago

Although, as an aside, I was recently walking my 2-year-old German Shepherd/Kuchi Dog mix, who admittedly looks a little funky because he had distemper as a puppy. He walks sort of crooked and has very little muscle/fat on his back legs (he never put on proper weight while he was sick, and doesn't seem to be able to gain much muscle or fat on his hindquarters even now, so he is bony/thin back there.) He is also sort of a uniform tan-brown color, with a lighter belly and upright ears. His muzzle is black, but he doesn't have the "typical" GSD saddle marking. I walk him every morning in my neighborhood. Once, an older man was in his front yard and gave me the stinkeye as Stilgar and I approached, and when we got close enough, he said, "It's illegal to have a coyote as a pet, you know." I was dumbfounded XD IMO Stilly looks NOTHING like a coyote, aside from his upright ears. But I CAN see how someone who has little familiarity with dogs/canines MAYBE could think he was a wild canine XD sillystill...62-png.jpg