A London mum has described a “scary” encounter with a school worker in Greenwich Park on 29 August, after he allegedly raised concerns about her “super friendly” pocket bully, Storm. Teresa Clive, 36, a payroll manager, said the incident left her feeling “quite angry”.
Walk turns tense
Clive insists that her well-trained dog was walking calmly by her side when the man demanded it be put on a lead. While park regulations don't typically mandate dogs to be kept on leads, owners are expected to maintain control over their pets.
In a video of the incident, the man labels Storm as an XL Bully, leading Clive to repeat the term in surprise and question whether he was in charge of the children nearby. He then seemingly addresses the children, referring to Clive and her companion as “the local nutters”. The school employee, clearly riled up, then roars: “Do you think I'm doing this for no reason? We've had students attacked by dogs.”
Verbal clash captured on video
Throughout the heated exchange, he exclaimed: “It's always the same isn't it? 'Oh he's [the dog is] always so nice' and then he's killed five babies.” As he ushers the children away, the man wearing a bucket hat warns them: “Come on guys, before the murder dogs get you.”
He confronted the pair, declaring “everybody else has them on a lead” in the park – though Clive responds “you need a lead, mate”. Eventually, he walks off, saying he would summon “the old bill [the police]”.
Owner defends her dog's temperament
Furious about what occurred, the mum-of-one posted the video online, arguing a dog's temperament depends on how it's raised and handled – not its breed. Clive, from Greenwich, South-East London, recounted: “It was early in the morning, the park was fairly empty, we do this daily.”
“We noticed the group taking photos so we stood back and had our dogs in a 'heel' position so we weren't interrupting their photos and it was quite quiet. While we were waiting, the guy turned around and started saying 'your dog should be on a lead, put your dogs on a lead'. He got quite aggressive and started waving his arms around.”
“We were saying they don't need to be on a lead and that's when he started accusing my dog of being an XL bully and my friend started recording. At that point I was actually quite angry, that did infuriate me but it was a bit scary as well because [he was] basically calling me a criminal.”
“If he had turned around and gone 'would you mind popping them on a lead?' I would have happily done it, it's because he was being demanding and he was just being an arrogant male. They're both very well-trained dogs, Storm's been under canine training since she was eight weeks old.”
Footage shows taunts and legal context
The footage captures him ridiculing them for filming the encounter, while simultaneously demanding they confirm on camera that their dogs aren't on leads. As Clive tries to point out they're in Greenwich Park, initially he challenges this before brushing off the issue with “whatever, have a nice life”.
Subsequently, he waves and dances while shouting “make me famous”, as the owners remark “he's actually insane – he's in charge of children”. In the clip, as the man attempts to draw others' attention to the unleashed dogs, the women branded him “fat” and “stupid”.
The Dangerous Dogs Act states that XL Bullies are banned. Pocket bullies are not classed as an illegal breed under the legislation.
Clive said: “She's super docile, she's super friendly when I let her be – I don't just let her run up to people. She's also just really docile and dopey at the same time, at home she's just a couch potato.”
“Telling all those kids that she's an illegal breed and a murder dog was quite unsettling. A couple of times [...] I have been accused [of her being an XL Bully] and told that she needs a muzzle. Usually, a simple conversation and educating people resolves that. Sometimes people cross the road and avoid her and not let their kids near her but that doesn't bother me. I was quite understanding of it, it's just uneducated people. Communication with owners is what is required, a dog's behaviour is based on the owner not the dog or the breed.”
Kennedy News has reached out to Greenwich Park and the school for comment.
