What would you do?

This afternoon was a glorious 60 degrees, so when I got home for work I took the drooler for a nice walk. UNTIL---
There was a man walking two smaller dogs more than halfway up the block from us. The cute little ones were getting overly excited after seeing us (my drooler weighs in at a very tall 87lbs). One of the man's little pups got tangled in his legs a few times, and he was getting frustrated. On the 3rd, time the dog went through his legs the man got angry. He used the lead to swing the dog thru the air and whip the poor thing around, landing on the ground. Then he picked up the poor thing by the lead 2 more times, shaking the pup in the air and yelling. Well, of course the little dog didn't understand what happened and tried to cross thru his legs again. This time the man 'trapped' the pup by the head between his shins and started swatting the pup on the nose. Well, after that, the poor little thing had his tail tucked and nose down walking alongside the man. I was appalled--how can someone be so cruel?
I was about to call the police until I realized the phone was on the kitchen table--I almost ran up the block to scold the man, but I took the coward's way out.
At this point, they turned the corner away from where we were going, and my sweet doggie was getting too excited (coughing and pulling on her lead) so we went the other way.
I have found through experience that no amount of talking will change another's opinion of how to behave, and I only end up more frustrated and angry.
So, what started as a relaxing and enjoyable outing, ended up making me feel sick to my stomach. If I ever see this bastard again, does anyone have advice about how to handle a confrontation?

 

Man, that is tough. Poor little doggie. I wouldn't call it the coward's way out; it seems like these days you can't be too careful. However, for the next time, I think I personally would approach it not as a confrontation (even if the man will see it that way) but as an educational mission. With phone in hand (in case you have to call the cops or he's a psycho), I would approach him (maybe tie your drooler to a sign post or something momentarily if you can) and just give the facts, as if you don't think he's being cruel, just that he doesn't know any better. Such as: "Gosh, dogs sure can be frustrating sometimes, can't they? I get tangled up with mine occasionally, and I'm always sure I'm going to bite it. Your little guy seems like he doesn't know any better, and swinging him by his leash is really dangerous for him. I know you were probably just upset in the heat of the moment, but things like that can be considered animal cruelty." Then see what he says. He will probably get defensive and try to rationalize his behavior, or tell you to mind your own business and get huffy with you. But a calm, rational approach on your part will hopefully keep it from escalating, and it might make him think about what he's doing. And if not, you did your part, and if you see it again, I would definitely call the cops or the ASPCA or whatever is in your area.

Charm and disarm, that's my motto.

 

AWFUL. If you see him again, if possible I would discreetly follow him back to his car or house, get the license plate #, house #, call police & report animal abuse.

I hate stuff like this, I have walks myself where I wish I had never left the house - you see something awful and don't know what to do to address it, or you try your best but the situation still s*cks.

You might also call cops or ASPCA in advance & get their advice - what do I do if I see this guy again? They probably have a whole bunch of rules & stuff :YMSIGH: so might be useful to know in advance what you might need to document, what they would actually investigate, etc.

 

Jen, that must have been terrible. It breaks my heart to read it. I know that if I were in that situation I would want to confront him, but I would chicken out. You just never know what a person will do. Especially someone that is already demonstrating that they don't know how to treat an animal.

I hope those puppies will be alright. And you too.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.
We only have animal control in this area. I'm pretty sure they only capture strays and deal with those blatantly neglectful people whose animals are starving to death. I will have to check on that, though. The doggies looked healthy and well groomed, from a distance. I can only hope their 'mommy' takes good care of them.
Anytime I see something like this, it stays with me and gives me that sick, pit of your stomach ache. Its like that commercial that was on TV a lot last year, where Sarah McGlaughlin (sp?) is singing and they show all the poor abused animals in shelters. I have to change the channel whenever it comes on now--cant take seeing all those suffering animals. I do donate to the awesome no-kill shelter where I adopted our drooler, but I always feel like I should do more. If it were up to me, we would probably have a zoo of animals in our house!