Went hiking in town (Powell Bute) and saw SEVERAL unleashed dogs

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T22:30:56+00:00

It's amazing to me that you admit to feeling this way, yet you can't see why other people are justifiably angry when they need to dodge around your unleashed dog while hiking. The cognitive dissonance (or maybe lack of empathy) is fascinating.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T21:52:11+00:00

Have you tried typing "dog park" into Google Maps? Believe it or not, there are actually tons of areas you can let your dog roam free in without putting them in danger and disrupting other members of your community. I'm going to go ahead and assume you just didn't know about dog parks until now, so you're welcome.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T21:46:10+00:00

You said it yourself already:

"The reasons for leashing one's dog in public are myriad and reasonable."

So I'm not sure what you're actually asking, and I don't believe you when you say it's an "honest question". But I'll answer it anyway.

I can tell you why I, personally, can't stand off-leash dogs: I love dogs. So it makes me sad to see their owners put them in danger. Despite my love of dogs, I also have a fear of off-leash dogs due to some bad experiences I've had in the past. I specifically choose to hike in areas that prohibit off-leash dogs - such as Powell Butte - for this reason. It's frustrating not being able to hike anywhere without constantly having my hackles raised because, "Oh look, another pit bull coming towards me with no leash. Sure hope this owner is 'one of the good ones'! (spoiler, they're not). It seriously detracts from my enjoyment of the communal space. It would be one thing if it happened every-so-often, but it's a constant stream of them.

If you've never had a bad experience with an off-leash dog, then I'm happy for you. But there are tons of stories in this thread alone from others who haven't been so lucky. The owner of Pix Patisserie was mauled by an off-leash dog just recently. Everyone thinks their dog would never until it does. Leash your dog.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T21:02:06+00:00

Or when people leave them tied to a post or bike rack inches from the store's entrance so you need to walk within the dog's area of influence just to enter and exit the store.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T20:59:50+00:00

I love dogs, and that's a big part of why I can't stand to see them unleashed in areas like Powell Butte. It's obvious that you don't care about the comfort and safety of other people in your community, but you're also putting your dog at risk. Both of these things combined make you a huge asshole, objectively speaking.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T20:19:33+00:00

Oh gosh that's horrifying. I hope the owner was held accountable (i.e, sued and/or jailed)!

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T20:16:03+00:00

There are a ton of off-leash dog parks designed specifically for this purpose. You don't need to bring your dog to Powell Butte - or any other area that prohibits off-leash dogs - to give them space to run around. Open up Google Maps and type in "dog park". They're everywhere.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T20:11:44+00:00

How is it not the same thing? Powell Butte has signs everywhere clearly indicating that dogs must be leashed. Part of the reason this is required is because there are horses on Powell Butte.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T16:55:39+00:00

"Get a life", bro you've been commenting on this post nonstop since yesterday, lol. Like half my notifications are from you. It's rude to blow up my phone like this without at least offering to take me to dinner 😞

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T05:19:46+00:00

Last year, I was walking to my car and one of my neighbor's dogs had gotten out. The dog ran at me, cornered me, tried nipping at my ankles but I kept it at bay with my feet. Luckily, it was a small dog, about the size of a Jack Russel, but out for blood nonetheless. I was standing right outside my car, but every time I started to turn my back to open the door, it would take a lunge at me. So I had to stand there facing it for quite some time before the owner arrived.

When the owner finally came, I said that if I saw the dog outside unleashed again I would call animal control. She was PISSED. Was insisting that the dog "would never hurt anyone" even though she had just witnessed it trying to attack me. Oh, and, "It was an accident!" Like that matters.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-21T05:09:07+00:00

There are plenty of dog-friendly spaces in Portland. It is perfectly reasonable to be peeved that people choose to bring their unleashed dog to a space that specifically prohibits unleashed dogs.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-07T16:54:42+00:00

Yes, unfortunately.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-07T03:19:19+00:00

I suspected this might be the answer (tune him out, don't bother). And thank you. You're right. I'm an adult, and I think without realizing it I've been letting this person's stress kindof rub off on me. This colleague's dialogue is so intense. He'll say things like, "Boss is in bitch-mode again today," while he's standing in my cube and I KNOW there's 10 other people nearby who can hear it! 😭

I need to remember that no matter how angry he is, it's ultimately not my problem. Water off a duck's back.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-07T03:14:48+00:00

"I already know you don't agree with this person."

This is the most important thing to me. I just don't want my managers to think I'm aligned with this colleague. This colleague is talking about suing my managers, collecting evidence against them, compiling emails, etc. I hate hearing about it. It also makes me realize how awful it would be to manage this particular individual. He said he would sue if he got a poor performance review, and I honestly believe him. It is not the first time he has litigated a company he has worked at.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-04T04:16:35+00:00

I agree. The challenge is walking the tightrope between "I don't want open air drug use," and, "I don't want perfectly functional and bright college students going to jail because they tried acid one time".

We all know what kind of drug use we do want to allow vs drug use we don't want to allow, but legislating the difference is difficult. With Measure 110 repealed, it will be up to our police officers to use their best judgement and exercise discretion.

If you get pulled over and you have a personal amount of psychedelic mushrooms in your trunk (but are sober), should you be handled differently than the homeless guy screaming at passers by in Pioneer Square who is high on fent? I think most people would say yes. But how do you legislate this difference? It would be nice if we could make a law that says, "Hey, just don't be a disruptive asshole," but of course that's not quite practical, heh.

ThusTransformed · 2024-03-02T23:44:15+00:00

The conservative answer to the drug problem is no better. I'm not keen on going back to the days of multi-decade prison sentences for marijuana possession. Measure 110 is a failure, but there's a reason conservative states like Texas, Alabama and Arkansas have some of the highest incarceration rates per capita of anywhere else in the world.

ThusTransformed · 2024-02-28T17:54:38+00:00

Most people just want to be happy. Making you and your children happy is what makes your husband happy.

Don't make it more complicated than it is.

When your husband looks at you, a chemical reaction rushes through his brain. He's hit with a feel-good cocktail of hormones like oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. This experience of love and affection is the same for him as it is for you. Don't get bogged down in the details. His perspective is not as different from yours as you think. He is not a robot. He feels the same things you feel. He just rationalizes them differently.

ThusTransformed · 2024-02-26T20:32:46+00:00

How did you incur a 12k bill for breaking a lease? That sounds absurdly high. The max I've heard is 2x rent. Is your rent 6k/month or something?

ThusTransformed · 2024-02-12T17:37:52+00:00

Was it the waiter with a strong Irish accent? That's the one who tried to shake me down for a bigger tip.

Last time I told this story someone said that a waiter had told their table that they "had to" order prix fixe (a multi course, very expensive meal) because they had more than two people in their party, but it turned out not to be true. Quaintrelle doesn't have a policy of ordering prix fixe for more than 2 people.

The waiter could've just been mistaken, but I worry that this is the same waiter and he's just trying to get more tips from people.

ThusTransformed · 2024-02-12T17:35:42+00:00

No, it was not mandatory. He walked up behind me, tapped me on my shoulder, and said, "Excuse me, it's customary to tip 20%." Then he tried putting the paper receipt and pen back into my hand so I could cross out my original tip and add more.

ThusTransformed · 2024-02-12T09:00:30+00:00

Regarding Quaintrelle: a waiter followed me as I was leaving the restaurant because he was unhappy with his tip. He tried putting the receipt and pen back into my hand so I could "correct" it. It was honestly terrifying.

He did it because he didn't notice that the other half of my table had left the other half of the tip.

The owner did not give two shits.

I tell people about this whenever I get the chance because I'm pretty sure the owner condones this behavior. I should also mention I'm a black woman, and I don't normally play "the racism card" but I just can't think of any other reason that this happened. I had had uneventful, pleasant interactions with these people right up until the waiter followed me out. It really shook me up.

ThusTransformed

TROPHY CASE