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Was I Wrong? (Long Story)

longislandcampe
Explorer
Explorer
We just got back from a wonderful week of camping and had one slight altercation with a neighbor. I'm curious to see what others might have to say.



This pic was taken from our site and as you might be able to tell, the campground road goes from left to right before it makes a 90 degree turn to the left. The girl on the bike is on the road and about to go past the picnic table, fire pit, tree and small shrubs before hitting the 90 degree right hand turn and come past our site. There is a vacant site on the inside part of the turn as you can see and that's who we had a problem with. I took the picture after they left.

It was a couple in their late 50's, early 60's with 2 small dogs. All week long they would walk their dogs either on the vacant sites next to them, using them as a doggy latrine or across the street where you can see the woods in my picture. We would walk our dogs in the wooded section behind the girl on the bike as instructed by the campground, much like the couple did when they didn't use vacant sites as a latrine.

For 3 or 4 days there was never a problem. Everyone went about their camping trips peacefully and enjoyably. My family had two campers there and luckily we had sites next to each other. Everything was going great!

One night at about 11pm I take one of our dogs to that grassy/woody section. I'm standing at about where that bike is but I'm actually behind the bike, on the grassy/woody area. I see the guy I mentioned above about 150' away from me down the road to the left behind some trees and bushes and I hear him saying things to his dog. The doggy area is about 150' long and about 10' deep as there is a chain link fence to prevent things from getting in and out of the park. I keep my distance and don't venture closer. We were basically at opposite ends of the 150' long doggy area. The dog I had at the time does his business as soon as I bring him to that area so I start and end the dog walk in under 2 minutes.

I go back to the camper and bring our second dog to the same area and I can still see the guy in the same area down the road and still talking to his dog. Again, we are at opposite ends of the doggy area. I'm minding my own business and staying just about as far away as possible in the area where we were supposed to bring dogs.

All of a sudden I hear a voice down the road from the guy walking his dog down the road. It was not a pleasant tone and it was not an angry tone but it was kind of an annoyed tone. It's after 11pm and he's yelling.

"Um, can you go walk your dog somewhere else? I'm trying to train a 3 month old puppy over here and your dogs keep distracting her."

My dogs weren't barking, they weren't growling, they weren't doing anything other than sniffing and peeing in the designated doggy area just about as far away from this guy as possible. We have two dogs and I walk them separately and it takes less than 5 minutes from the time I grab the first leash to the time I'm hanging up the second leash.

So I answer back, "I'm just trying to walk my dogs just like you are."

He comes back with, "I know, but can't you just walk your dogs over on your site or somewhere else because I have a 3 month old puppy I'm training. Can you show some courtesy!?" All the time in an annoyed tone and yelling at 11pm.

So I reply with, "Dude, I'm just trying to walk my dog just like you are in the designated area instructed by the campground. That's all I'm doing."

He then says something else about my manners and tells me to walk my dog somewhere else. I say "OK, I will" but I don't move.

At this point he picks up his dog and walks over to my face complaining about how I'm not listening and how I'm not being courteous. He tells me that I've been bringing my dogs over to his site all week to pee and poop. He was claiming that the other side of the road was his site too and I respond that no, I'm not bringing my dogs over to his site because HIS site is on the other side of the road with his camper, picnic table and fire pit and that I'm bringing my dog over to the designated doggy area as instructed by the campground as was everyone else in our loop. We always clean up after our dogs too so it's not like we left anything in the wooded area.

At this point he walks past me and he begins to walk right to my dad's site 30' away and says that he's going to bring both his dogs over to our site so they can relieve themselves by our picnic table. He even threatened to go get his BIGGER dog which was still only 20 lbs. ๐Ÿ™‚

I followed him that short distance and just as he got to my parents picnic table my brother heard the commotion and walked out of his camper at the next site. I call my brother's name and say, "Do you mind giving me a hand over here? This gentleman just threatened to bring both his dogs over to Dad's site and have them poop and pee all over.

My brother and him basically have the same conversation that I had with him, (keep in mind that he is currently on our site standing next to our picnic table), when a few seconds later my Dad comes out from his camper right there and asks what is going on. At this point the guy leaves and says something about how he is so happy he is packing up and leaving tomorrow and that it wasn't anything worth arguing about. We all went to bed after that and he was gone 12 hours later.

So what is your opinion on all of this? I wasn't doing anything other than simply walking my dogs in the designated doggy area and keeping my distance from him and his dog the whole time.
69 REPLIES 69

samhain7
Explorer
Explorer
I would have pee'd and poo'd by his picnic table. I don't own a dog.....
๐Ÿ˜‰
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smacdiesel
Explorer
Explorer
I hate conflict, especially when I'm on vacation. Blessed are the peacemakers.
2015 Winnebago Vista 35B
1983 Jeep CJ 8 Scrambler

toedtoes
Explorer III
Explorer III
kakampers wrote:
Jagtech wrote:
Actually, here's the real issue. He says he's training his young pup, and your dog is a distraction. When I took my dog to obedience training, one of the first things they did was introduce her to numerous other dogs, for purposes of socialization, and continued training in the presence of numerous other dogs. The guy is really missing a wonderful opportunity to properly train his dog! Maybe he could work on his socialization skills, too....


Bingo!!


Except that potty training isn't the same as obedience training. With potty training, you are starting earlier than you do with obedience training - at a stage when the puppy doesn't usually have the ability to focus on one thing and to ignore other things. And while dealing with the distractions is good practice at 2 p.m. when you have time, at 11 p.m. at night, you just need puppy to potty so he/she won't go inside while you're sleeping.

Again, I'm not saying the guy was right, but the frustration he was feeling at that moment is understandable.
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Mr_Beebo
Explorer
Explorer
I appreciate the photo you posted of the campsite. That is an awful location for someone who wants privacy or has a new dog. You are surrounded on three sides by a road.
I'm no spring chicken myself. I'd have probably reacted in the same calm fashion, and when the guy approached my family's campers would have reacted a bit stronger. Nothing childish about it. If your portrayal of the story is accurate, then you did fine. Too many posters turning the finger to you because at 11 at night, in the dark and taken by surprise, you didn't react according to the guidelines they subscribe to. Your supposed to be the better man, above the fray, bla bla. I'll gladly apologize to a moron once, but I'm no Neville Chamberlin.
Hope next time the guy goes camping, he makes a better effort at reserving a more secluded site to fit his needs.
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bob_b1
Explorer
Explorer
I love the saying:

Who is the bigger Idiot? The Idiot OR the person who argues with one?

If I am clearly the one at fault, I'll be quick to apologize, but when I encounter situations like yours:
โ€ข I have no facial expression
โ€ข Words never leave my mouth
โ€ข I give them a dead stare like shark eyes for a few long seconds until they visually acknowledge that they've made a mistake
โ€ข I slowly go about my business

Yes, it is creepy, but effective.

The situation never seems to escalate from there, but I'm sure that the fact that I am 6'2" and 270 lbs plays a factor too:B

I haven't been in a fight since grade school, so it must be working.
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John_S_
Explorer II
Explorer II
I would have just walked away. I rake both dogs at once when I go too. It seems that the guy asked you and did not demand. The proper answer would be we will finish up as soon as we can and get out of the way for your dog. This way you are not confrontational and he knows you will be leaving. I bet none of thus would have gone further. Sometime arguing and responding in kind is warranted but not for this. I think you showed a lack of judgement and saying you picked this battle and was ok with it is childish. You did not line what thus guy had been doing before and this was your option to let him know. It spun out of control and you were lucky it stooped there. I have taken many reports where it got bloody and someone ended up in jail , in the hospital or dead. Sometimes it is just easier to look at the other side and say, sure I will help you out. Everyone has a bad day and new pups add to stress from time to time as kids and families do.
John
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kakampers
Explorer
Explorer
Jagtech wrote:
Actually, here's the real issue. He says he's training his young pup, and your dog is a distraction. When I took my dog to obedience training, one of the first things they did was introduce her to numerous other dogs, for purposes of socialization, and continued training in the presence of numerous other dogs. The guy is really missing a wonderful opportunity to properly train his dog! Maybe he could work on his socialization skills, too....


Bingo!!
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txdutt
Explorer
Explorer
other guy was probably the same type of moron that:
-doesn't look when merging onto a freeway
-leaves their shopping cart in the middle of the aisle when looking for something
-stands right in front of the elevator when the doors opens & tries to come in when you're trying to get off

--what would have set me off is the comment about bringing his dog over to my campsite
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Jagtech
Explorer
Explorer
Actually, here's the real issue. He says he's training his young pup, and your dog is a distraction. When I took my dog to obedience training, one of the first things they did was introduce her to numerous other dogs, for purposes of socialization, and continued training in the presence of numerous other dogs. The guy is really missing a wonderful opportunity to properly train his dog! Maybe he could work on his socialization skills, too....
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camper19709
Explorer
Explorer
You can't fix or argue with ignorant people. But , walk into my campsite and threaten me and all bets are off.
Chip
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TXiceman
Explorer
Explorer
You can not argue with a brainless idiot. He will win on experience every time. I would have told him that this was a common area to walk dogs and he was free to wait if he did not want to share it and then go about your business. Just ignore anything else he had to say. Remember that there are plenty of people that closely resemble the back end of a mule.

Ken
Amateur Radio Operator.
2023 Cougar 22MLS, toted with a 2022, F150, 3.5L EcoBoost, Crewcab, Max Tow, FORMER Full Time RVer. Travel with a standard schnauzer and a Timneh African Gray parrot

kcmoedoe
Explorer
Explorer
cm11599ps wrote:
FunnyCamper wrote:
cm, you were not wrong. if ya read my post, HE started the confrontation. point blank by annoying tone, calling out to you and then coming to you to take this further.

HE could have turned back and trained pup in another direction.

so more him than you.....but you are not totally off the hook, cause if the initial tone got YOU mad and the fur on the back of your neck up----YOU then have the upper hand. Leave the situation and NOTHING would have happened after that.

not one of us on this planet wants to back down ๐Ÿ™‚

but the whole situation in general was stupid to be taken that far by BOTH of you. he started it, sure, you could have ended it SO FAST. but you took a different road.

now you live with the consequences of your actions to someone else's.
it was not life or death. protecting your family. not a real dire confrontation.

pick your battles and this one didn't have to come this far at all.

did he do wrong. absolutely, but sometimes ya gotta give people a break for being a pain in the azz and stupidity ๐Ÿ™‚


True, but if I just walked away then I would have just been pissed at myself for bowing down to the jerk. I pick and choose my battles and this was one I selected. ๐Ÿ™‚
Just remember, you might get to pick and choose your battles, but your opponent gets to choose his weapons. Luckily the guy was only a loudmouth with a mangy mutt. He could have been the silent type with a .44 magnum concealed under his shirt.

coolbreeze01
Explorer
Explorer
Obviously the other dog owner has social issues. Glad no one died.
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Lantley
Nomad
Nomad
It's quite easy for us Monday morning quarterbacks to pass judgement. However you should have walked away long before it escalated to the point he was at your site.
I don't think you were wrong but often the smarter thing to do is to simply walk away.......there is nothing to prove ....
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rollexx
Explorer
Explorer
"I wasn't looking for a "you can't fix stupid" comment from everyone. I'm looking for advice and suggestions from fellow RV'ers."


Advice and Suggestions? Ok here's one. You will come across idiots
From time to time. Life is too short to let them get to you. Just look how much time
you have spent already on this little life drama. Pictures, posts, reposts. Best maybe to sit back, crack open a cold one, or roll a fatty and chill.