PSA: please do not approach dogs and try to pet them without consulting their owners

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animals (all animals) have a degree of unpredictability and are capable of biting under the right circumstances. How many of cases of "the dog has never bitten anyone" then suddenly gets startled feels threatened and bites?

It's really important both for the sake of the person and sake of the dog that people do not approach strange dogs without permission and advance warning.

Some of these answers surprise me. When I am on walks, even four year old children do not run up to my dog without permission. They ask and I always say "no" and compliment them on how smart and well mannered they are for asking.

Kids usually ask before petting our dog. But I do think the problem is on the dog owner's end. People seem to have forgotten why we have pets. I see no reason to have or keep a problematic dog that after years of love will bite a stranger or anyone badly enough to break the skin, let alone require significant medical attention.

Why do people want these crazy dangerous pets?

pp here- most dogs aren't crazy/dangerous, and I agree with you there. A dangerous, aggressive dog is not appropriate to have as a pet....but I think *people* anthropomorphize dogs and forget that they are animals, with animal instincts, and will respond as such under the right circumstances.

I am the owner of a “crazy” dog. I keep him because when I took him home I made a commitment to give him a good life. He has gotten significantly better over time, but is not perfect. All these posters saying people should dump their dogs - have you ever trained a dog? It is not an instantaneous process. It takes months and sometimes years, and training a dog to be desensitized to strangers cannot he accomplished if their owner does not take them outside in the general vicinity of people. When I take my dog out, I stay well off the sidewalk to signal that we do not want to interact with you. I have my eyes trained on him constantly and he wears a “do not pet” harness. If people try to talk to us, I tell them he is not formerly. What else do you want? Because he hasn’t healed overnight, you think I should kill him?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animals (all animals) have a degree of unpredictability and are capable of biting under the right circumstances. How many of cases of "the dog has never bitten anyone" then suddenly gets startled feels threatened and bites?

It's really important both for the sake of the person and sake of the dog that people do not approach strange dogs without permission and advance warning.

Some of these answers surprise me. When I am on walks, even four year old children do not run up to my dog without permission. They ask and I always say "no" and compliment them on how smart and well mannered they are for asking.

Kids usually ask before petting our dog. But I do think the problem is on the dog owner's end. People seem to have forgotten why we have pets. I see no reason to have or keep a problematic dog that after years of love will bite a stranger or anyone badly enough to break the skin, let alone require significant medical attention.

Why do people want these crazy dangerous pets?

pp here- most dogs aren't crazy/dangerous, and I agree with you there. A dangerous, aggressive dog is not appropriate to have as a pet....but I think *people* anthropomorphize dogs and forget that they are animals, with animal instincts, and will respond as such under the right circumstances.

I am the owner of a “crazy” dog. I keep him because when I took him home I made a commitment to give him a good life. He has gotten significantly better over time, but is not perfect. All these posters saying people should dump their dogs - have you ever trained a dog? It is not an instantaneous process. It takes months and sometimes years, and training a dog to be desensitized to strangers cannot he accomplished if their owner does not take them outside in the general vicinity of people. When I take my dog out, I stay well off the sidewalk to signal that we do not want to interact with you. I have my eyes trained on him constantly and he wears a “do not pet” harness. If people try to talk to us, I tell them he is not formerly. What else do you want? Because he hasn’t healed overnight, you think I should kill him?

pp here- no, I don't think you should "kill your dog" instead of training him- if he's trainable- but you have to be realistic about the absolutely huge responsibility that you have to the larger community and to your dog. If your dog has a high potential to bite, I would never walk him or permit unknown people/dogs to enter your home without containment like a muzzle, crate, treats for good behavior, and a heavy duty restraint. It sounds like you're doing a good job. Some owners are irresponsible and keep dogs that they don't control or understand.

[Anonymous]

Ask even if you can read dog signals - my dog is really friendly but he's injured right now, so his reaction to touch is really off. He LOOKS like he wants to love you forever and he DOES want to love you forever but I can't let you pet him right now in case it hurts and he is surprised and reacts poorly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friendly dog, but the amount of children that come running up to his face with their hands sticking out while the parents are completely ignore the child is mind blowing. Sometimes they come from behind and out of nowhere, too. Parents - if you expect people to control their dogs then you need to control your children too. That way, all is fine. Also, no dog owner needs to cater to you or your child wanting to pet a cute dog.

You pretty much do have to cater to the public by keeping your dangerous dog away from them. How dare you take your dog to an area filled with parents and kids. Let me guess this is at school drop offs, the playground or soccer practice? Leave the dog at home and get a clue.

NP here. Do you have reading comprehension issues? I didn't realize "friendly dog" = "dangerous dog" You sound exactly like one of those parents who let their kids run up to a dog and stick their hands in the dog's face.

I'm the previous PP - exactly, I said my dog is friendly and he actually loves kids, so I will let the petting happen... I have not once taken him to a school drop off, but yes I go to the park because parks are not only for kids and families...you're not very bright are you? I always think to myself what could have happened if the kid ran up to an aggressive or fearful dog instead of my calm/happy one.

I don't think anyone is arguing that dogs are more important/as important as kids, but dog owners have the right to be in public as much as anyone else. It's so insane to me that the crazies on this thread want to risk their kid being bitten or mauled by a dog that they ran up to and started petting uninvited, just because they think "shouldn't be my problem or responsibility -it's on the dog owner." Such idiotic thinking. Ok, yes if an aggressive dog bites your child the dog might be put down, but your child will be injured, scarred, or maybe killed, so GET A CLUE and teach your kids to respect others' space.

[Anonymous]

I just want a simple answer to the question, why do you feel you have the right to touch a strange dog? The dog is not public property. Stay away from it and all will be well

why are there one or two posters on here insisting that they have the right to touch a dog?

Answer that question and then maybe we can have a conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just want a simple answer to the question, why do you feel you have the right to touch a strange dog? The dog is not public property. Stay away from it and all will be well

why are there one or two posters on here insisting that they have the right to touch a dog?

Answer that question and then maybe we can have a conversation.

If you're talking about a dog in a yard, then yes, it isn't public property. If you're talking about a dog on a sidewalk, it is in public. A fluffy doggie who is smiling, wagging his tail? Stay away from it?

I think this "ask before touching a dog" is probably wise but it's also new. Some children know it (in my experience many children know it), some parents know it. But not all children remember every single time. They're kids, they're impulsive, they don't always follow the rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want a simple answer to the question, why do you feel you have the right to touch a strange dog? The dog is not public property. Stay away from it and all will be well

why are there one or two posters on here insisting that they have the right to touch a dog?

Answer that question and then maybe we can have a conversation.

If you're talking about a dog in a yard, then yes, it isn't public property. If you're talking about a dog on a sidewalk, it is in public. A fluffy doggie who is smiling, wagging his tail? Stay away from it?

I think this "ask before touching a dog" is probably wise but it's also new. Some children know it (in my experience many children know it), some parents know it. But not all children remember every single time. They're kids, they're impulsive, they don't always follow the rules.

Just because something is out in public does not mean it's public property...incredible that this needs to be said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want a simple answer to the question, why do you feel you have the right to touch a strange dog? The dog is not public property. Stay away from it and all will be well

why are there one or two posters on here insisting that they have the right to touch a dog?

Answer that question and then maybe we can have a conversation.

If you're talking about a dog in a yard, then yes, it isn't public property. If you're talking about a dog on a sidewalk, it is in public. A fluffy doggie who is smiling, wagging his tail? Stay away from it?

I think this "ask before touching a dog" is probably wise but it's also new. Some children know it (in my experience many children know it), some parents know it. But not all children remember every single time. They're kids, they're impulsive, they don't always follow the rules.

NP here. Ask before touching was something my 74 year old mother taught me and I'm 42- to me, it seems absolutely common sense to ask a dog owner if it's ok to pet the dog, but you are also correct in that kids are impulsive and this is something that needs to be hammered into them over and over again. And let's be honest, many adults don't ask first either. And yes, as a dog owner, I have indeed seen fellow dog owners who do not properly control their dogs, letting them wander up to people and jump on them. No.

Everyone should keep their hands and their dogs to themselves unless permission is asked and granted. And then don't try to pull the dog's tail!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To add a little positivity to this thread, I just walked my dog right as our elementary school was dismissing. Every kid who wanted to pet my dog asked first. One started to reach and then asked first. Well done, kids!

That sounds pretty negative to me. If you think your dog will bite children, don't walk past a school at dismissal. Why is that so hard to understand?

PP here. I don't think my dog will bite children, nor has he ever bitten anyone. Considering I myself have elementary aged kids, I would not have a dog who I think might bite. I thought it was a positive thing that children who wanted to pet him ASKED first, as anyone (adult or kid) who wants to pet a dog should. Why is THAT so hard for YOU to understand??

Agree. When I walk by the elementary school nearby, I always praise the kids when they ask to pet the dog first.

[Anonymous]

We had children literally run up and start petting our dogs while we were on a walk. Once a tall, male jogger ran up to me and my dog - causing my dog to bristle and become wary. I finally had to stop walking them because, while our dogs are friendly, having strangers run up to them is startling and I didn't want incidents like that to create a phobia in my dogs.

I honestly don't know what people are thinking. Always ask before you pet a dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want a simple answer to the question, why do you feel you have the right to touch a strange dog? The dog is not public property. Stay away from it and all will be well

why are there one or two posters on here insisting that they have the right to touch a dog?

Answer that question and then maybe we can have a conversation.

If you're talking about a dog in a yard, then yes, it isn't public property. If you're talking about a dog on a sidewalk, it is in public. A fluffy doggie who is smiling, wagging his tail? Stay away from it?

I think this "ask before touching a dog" is probably wise but it's also new. Some children know it (in my experience many children know it), some parents know it. But not all children remember every single time. They're kids, they're impulsive, they don't always follow the rules.

ASK FIRST, idiot. Is it OK for people to stroke you when you walk down the sidewalk? I mean you can say no in your own yard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animals (all animals) have a degree of unpredictability and are capable of biting under the right circumstances. How many of cases of "the dog has never bitten anyone" then suddenly gets startled feels threatened and bites?

It's really important both for the sake of the person and sake of the dog that people do not approach strange dogs without permission and advance warning.

Some of these answers surprise me. When I am on walks, even four year old children do not run up to my dog without permission. They ask and I always say "no" and compliment them on how smart and well mannered they are for asking.

Kids usually ask before petting our dog. But I do think the problem is on the dog owner's end. People seem to have forgotten why we have pets. I see no reason to have or keep a problematic dog that after years of love will bite a stranger or anyone badly enough to break the skin, let alone require significant medical attention.

Why do people want these crazy dangerous pets?

pp here- most dogs aren't crazy/dangerous, and I agree with you there. A dangerous, aggressive dog is not appropriate to have as a pet....but I think *people* anthropomorphize dogs and forget that they are animals, with animal instincts, and will respond as such under the right circumstances.

I am the owner of a “crazy” dog. I keep him because when I took him home I made a commitment to give him a good life. He has gotten significantly better over time, but is not perfect. All these posters saying people should dump their dogs - have you ever trained a dog? It is not an instantaneous process. It takes months and sometimes years, and training a dog to be desensitized to strangers cannot he accomplished if their owner does not take them outside in the general vicinity of people. When I take my dog out, I stay well off the sidewalk to signal that we do not want to interact with you. I have my eyes trained on him constantly and he wears a “do not pet” harness. If people try to talk to us, I tell them he is not formerly. What else do you want? Because he hasn’t healed overnight, you think I should kill him?

I mean, if your dog is so vicious that he has to wear a "do not pet" vest and you literally can't walk past people on the sidewalk at a normal distance ... then yeah, I think your responsibility is to keep him out of public. If you're that dedicated to "saving" dogs, then go move out to a rural property where you don't have to encounter people. You make it sound like you're walking a loaded weapon down the sidewalk, which is hardly convincing me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had children literally run up and start petting our dogs while we were on a walk. Once a tall, male jogger ran up to me and my dog - causing my dog to bristle and become wary. I finally had to stop walking them because, while our dogs are friendly, having strangers run up to them is startling and I didn't want incidents like that to create a phobia in my dogs.

I honestly don't know what people are thinking. Always ask before you pet a dog.

Yeah, if your dogs "bristle" at totally normal and predicatable sidewalk encounters (joggers passing you) then you did the right thing to stop walking them.

I think a big issue here that we're not discussing is the terrible trend in people "rescuing" dangerous dogs in an urban setting. I get that you want to be an animal savior, but maybe stop and think a minute about whether it's really a good idea to put your "rescue" in a setting where there'a no way to avoid close contact with a lot of people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want a simple answer to the question, why do you feel you have the right to touch a strange dog? The dog is not public property. Stay away from it and all will be well

why are there one or two posters on here insisting that they have the right to touch a dog?

Answer that question and then maybe we can have a conversation.

If you're talking about a dog in a yard, then yes, it isn't public property. If you're talking about a dog on a sidewalk, it is in public. A fluffy doggie who is smiling, wagging his tail? Stay away from it?

I think this "ask before touching a dog" is probably wise but it's also new. Some children know it (in my experience many children know it), some parents know it. But not all children remember every single time. They're kids, they're impulsive, they don't always follow the rules.

ASK FIRST, idiot. Is it OK for people to stroke you when you walk down the sidewalk? I mean you can say no in your own yard.

If I'm jogging past a dog walker, I'm supposed to ask "is your dog crazy or can I jog past at a normal distance"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, what about a muzzle? People tend to stay away from a dog with a muzzle.

That way even if some dumb ass does still approach, your dog can't bite.

Our dog won't wear one, she panics. But is it worth a try?

We’re doing clicker training (click and treat whenever she sees a person) so not possible.

your dog should not be in public

Are you suggesting that all dogs that do not love people should be put down rather than trying to rehabilitate them?

Dogs that will bite strangers essentially unprovoked should be put down, or kept out of public. Biting a child that tries to pet a dog in a public place counts for unprovoked.

It isn't unprovoked if someone touches or tries to touch the dog. The dog feels trapped and as if it is being attacked. Don't do that

Which is why the dog owner has a responsibility for not putting the dog in that position.

I’m the PP who had to put our dog down. Our dog was on a short leash walking out in the street. The man came over to us, bent over the dog and tried to pet him as I was backing us both up. Hell my dog was probably protecting me as well because he could sense I was tense about a man I didn’t know walking up to us. Anyway, I didn’t put my dog in a bad position. We were just going about our daily business when the man approached and entered our space.

I’m sorry but you over reacted. He had not case.