Was walking Darcy this morning and was disgusted by another couple I saw walking the other way.

THey had a liver dalmation who was walking very quietly at their side, the man had a long (admittedly very thin) stick and as the dog dared to turn and look at us as we passed and it was literally only his head, the man tapped him on his face with the stick and said NO, the dog turned his head back the way they were going but the man, for no reason whatsoever yanked the dogs lead several time, the dalmation immediately dropped to the floor and cowered against the wall fo the building they were next to.

I said (loud enough for him to hear) "oh thats a nice way to teach a dog isnt it darling, my voice dripping with sarcasm, then when he ignored me I said to my boyfriend "only bullies need to train their dogs like that, but all they end up with is a quivering wreck rather than a dog" at which point he turned around and glared at me and my boyfriend who was by now horrendously embarrassed dragged me off!

I was disgusted, the only way you could tell it was a dalmation was because of its spots, he had scared all of its natural exubrance away.

THen further down the road the exact opposite. Women walking 2 dogs, one collie one large dalmation, he was on a halti and as we approached he started growling, rather than cross a busy road we just took a wide berth, taking Darcy onto the road to go round him but as we passed he lunged forward and took the woman with him and dragged her onto the road to get to Darcy (the poor woman was literally on her face on the road trying to keep hold of him. I gave Darcy to stuart and told him to cross the road and then took the Dalmation by the collar. The poor woman climed up she'd ripped her clothes, and grazed all her face.

THere was no attempt to correct him whatsoever she just walked off muttering that she was never taking him for a walk again!!!

Talk about one extreme to another

What can I say ? Makes you wish you could do a changing places so he could be tapped on the face with a stick! I often wonder if dogs "bad" behaviour is the norm or a bad day when I see this kind of thing - can you experienced people tell?

Poor dogs. :( It's so very easy ruin a dalmatian - harsh treatment and you get a quivering wreck who is incapable of learning a thing, too soft and you end up with a thug.

Good on you for saying something - might makehim think again although I doubt it :(
I know I would have had to say something .