To be perfectly honest, i don't even know who the dogs belonged to, they all looked the same and the dogs all appreared to be mingling until i saw them separate later on, so i really can't say.
I'm afraid the moral highground wouldn't have stopped him having a go at my dog though, but i appreciate what you mean, the trouble is when you look young you find that no matter what you do it is never acceptable to some older people, and you just get fed up with doing the right thing and being treated like dirt. :-(

JG, that's what I couldn't work out!! I didn't think the terriers belonged to the chap at all, but didn't want to look stupid....I quite agree with you on both points....maybe  give respect unless a good reason exists not to...looking down from my moral high ground....xx

Accidents do happen - and unfortunately when accidents happen, people and dogs DO get hurt - some physically and some mentally.

No one intended this incident to happen - it just did.    I'm sure that both the original poster, and the old man have both learned from it - and take steps to ensure that nothing like it happens again.

When something like this does happen, we all defend our own - and attack what we see to be the perpetrator of the deed.   Afterwards, in hindsight, we can often see that we have over-reacted - it doesn't make anyone a "bad person" - or  "bad dog/s" - but in the heat of the moment SOMEONE has to be at fault - but when we look rationally later, we can see that it has been a combination of circumstances and blame is actually 50/50%.

JMO

Margot - who hopes that your dog is now getting over it - and that the "old gentleman" is recovering from his bruises.

Whats with the 'old' here, at what age do we become old and doddery, I can see it from both sides, yes I am old 'er' but i do live for my dogs, I walk with a walking stick, I have arthritis, I have been knocked over by exuberant dogs, mostly my own, all four of them.I have been helped up by embarrased dog owners, apologising profusely only to be knocked down again by their dogs also apologising profusely, the dogs were worried they had hurt me and came back for another go, this time with tongues, yugh!!.  But yes my bruises did heal. People of any age dont understand if they have never owned a dog,  not just us oldies. I think we have to allow for that, I know its difficult but it may have been worse than a few bruises, just think of it as yet another learning curve.

Kay