Bad Dog Owner

I was walking on Alki beach Thursday night around 11 when a dog ran up next to me and continued running down the beach. Dogs aren't supposed to be on park beaches, and definitely aren't supposed to be off leash, but I unfortunately see a lot of this on Alki. I continue walking and the dog eventually comes up to me again, giving me a little but on my flank before taking up a crouched position next to me from which she started barking and growling at me.

I'm not a real dog person. I prefer cats, so I know how to handle cats better than I do dogs. But any carnivore with sharp teeth and a sturdy jaw gets my attention when doing what this dog was doing. I suspected that a greyhound was unlikely to actually attack me, but I really didn't think I should put it to the test. So, I found myself yelling, "Get your dog off of me, NOW!" randomly into the night air.

A figure started from the sidewalk towards us, whistling for the dog who utterly ignored him. The owner began to talk to me about this "bad habit" of hers and how she only wanted to play and how he was sure that didn't really do much for me. I'm not sure what if anything I said to this. Actually, I did say that she shouldn't even be on the beach as I watched him chase her up and then back down the beach. Being chased was apparently enough fun for her that she didn't stop to bother with me again as she ran by.

Later on my walk, as I got to the spot where I turn and head towards my apartment, I spot the little tuxedo cat who lives on my block sitting, meatloaf-style, on the seawall. I go over and sit down, the cat stretches, comes over, rubs against me, and let's me scritch him/her (we're not that close). I tell the cat about my dog encounter. After enough rubbing and scritching, the cat heads over towards the picnic shelter. I watch and then spot the guy and his dog coming down the sidewalk up above. They're almost passed when the dog sees the cat. The dog stops walking but the owner continues. When he realizes the dog has stopped, he comes back to see what the dog is looking at. He asks me if it is my cat. I regret at this point not saying, "Yes, and she hates dogs." since the man and dog walk down and stop about 5 feet in front of the dumpster the cat is now under while he tells me how good she is with cats but she gets excited when meeting them. I get up and walk away, confident that the cat can take care of him/herself. A confidence I definitely don't feel for the dog owner.