They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but what about teaching old fishermen a new lesson? When grumpy anglers try to claim the dog pond as their own personal fishing spot, turning your peaceful outing with your pooch into a territorial battle, it’s time to get creative.

And this is exactly what one Redditor did when 3 cranky fishermen threatened his furry friend at the dog pond. He came up with a clever plan that involved turning into a gourmet chef for fish.

More info: Reddit

Man takes his pooch to the dog pond but gets in a verbal altercation with 3 angry fisherman who fill the place with hooks, making him come up with a revenge plan

Image credits: Zen Chung (not the actual photo)

The man and his dog have been going to the same park for 5 years and never had an issue until one day, when the fisherman told the man his dog can’t swim there

Image credits: Nikola Tasic (not the actual photo)

One of the fishermen threatens to “hook” his dog, turning into a heated altercation between them

Image credits: Zen Chung (not the actual photo)

The next morning, the man finds the slopes leading to the pond full of thousands of fishhooks, and calls the municipality to remove them

Image credits: JansKeesma

“Every night I spend half an hour prepping the best food these fish have ever eaten”: the man starts feeding the fish gourmet food, hoping to lure them away from the fishermen’s spot

The OP, a guy who we’ll just call Jack, is a dog owner with a love for animals and a serious knack for gourmet fish cuisine. Jack has been taking his pooch to a park with a dedicated dog pond for 5 years and had never had an issue. This place is the perfect spot for any doggo to have some splish-splash fun.

Jack’s dog, however, is a bit of a scaredy-cat, so he needs a gentle slope to ease into the water, and luckily, there are two slopes at the pond, one on each side.

The duo have always shared the pond with a group of elderly fishermen, who never caused any trouble. That is, until one day. As they always did on sunny days, Jack and his dog went to the pond so the pooch could take a quick dip. Suddenly, one of the fishermen decided to stir the pot, shouting at our Jack, insisting that they can’t use the pond because they’re fishing.

This sparked a verbal altercation between Jack and the elderly gentleman, that escalated to threats of hooking the poor pooch and sinking a really cool GPS boat. Jack quickly deescalated the situation and headed home, laughing it off as a classic case of “boomers with attitude.”

When tempers heat up, it can be tough to keep a situation from spiraling out of control. Luckily, Jack managed to cool things down before they went too far. To prevent conflicts from escalating, it’s helpful to stay calm and composed, even if the other person is not.

Experts say that “Emotions are contagious. When we encounter someone who is experiencing stress, we pick up on their stress. The same is true for other emotions, including anger, which is why we might feed off of someone else’s anger, causing a conflict to escalate further.”

Considering this, it’s a good thing that Jack went home, before the altercation went any further, allowing himself to cool down.

But the next morning, the dog pond was a minefield of fishhooks—thousands of them, both in the water and on the shore. So, Jack called the municipality, and the hooks were quickly cleaned up. However, when the police said there was nothing they could do without a report of physical threats, our protagonist decided to take matters into his own hands. He put his evil genius to work and concocted a plan as weird as it is brilliant.

With a newfound determination, Jack started studying the habits of fish and their diets, becoming a gourmet chef for aquatic life. We’re talking germinating corn, soaking tiger nuts in tuna extract, and crafting caramel vanilla salmon worm balls with the precision of a Michelin-starred chef.

What was his goal, you ask? Well, he wanted to create irresistible feeding grounds for fish all over the park, except at the angry fishermen’s spot. Those fish for sure eat better than some people.

For ten days, the feast continued, and Jack was spending half an hour each night preparing these fishy delights, hoping to lure the fish away from the old men’s favorite spot. While Jack was really enjoying his little fishy sabotage, his girlfriend was not too thrilled.  She pointed out that all this effort could be directed towards something more productive. But Jack was not planning on backing down.

Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

Fishing can be a relaxing way to spend time, but when grumpy fishermen start turning dog ponds into warzones, the environmental impact isn’t just on the fish. Improper fishing practices, like littering hooks everywhere, can turn a peaceful park into a minefield for both fish and furry friends.

Responsible fishing means respecting the environment and all its inhabitants, whether they’re swimming in the pond or wagging their tails by the shore. Sometimes, fish are not the only ones suffering, as some birds that dive into the water for food can get caught or hurt by leftover fishing gear, such as hooks.

Environmentalists say that “Some kinds of fishing gear can be even more destructive when they become lost or forgotten in the water because they continue to catch animals, a phenomenon known as ‘ghost fishing’. This is particularly wasteful and destructive because the gear can ensnare tons of animals that aren’t being harvested or used in any way. Fishing piers can be sites of ghost fishing as lures and lines become wrapped around pilings, where animals swimming by become trapped.”

We can all enjoy our hobbies, whether it’s fishing or anything else, but we should do it responsibly. Considering the impact our actions have on others and on the environment is basically just common sense. So, next time you’re casting a line, remember—keeping it clean and green keeps everyone happy, even the fish!

What did you think of this story? Was Jack the A-hole for trying to lure the fish away from the dog pond? Let us know in the comment section.

Netizens say the man is not a jerk for luring the fish away, as the fishing spot is the only area in the park with “allowed to unleash” signs

Image credits: Junior Louis Jean (not the actual photo)

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