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

[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?

No (although as soon as he bites a child he will be killed, so, on one hand... why wait for that to happen, some will argue). I do think that if he is so bad that he has to wear a giant sign saying he is dangerous and you have to walk him in the middle of the road to avoid him attacking people... that maybe you should just stop bringing him out of the house.

[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.

Dogs aren't people. Comparing dogs and people like this negates anything intelligent in your argument.

[Anonymous]

All right. Compare dogs to your possessions. If I'm walking down the street and I have an amazing dress on or a beautiful stroller or a fantastic handbag or whatever, is it okay for you to touch my stuff because I'm in public?

I'm guessing the answer is no. And a dog is a person's"stuff.". So don't touch it right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter LOVES dogs.

I taught her early on to ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION to approach/pet someone's dog. And always first let the dog sniff your hand (calmly, slowly, palm down or away from the dog)

It's simple people.

I'm NOT a dog person and don't have one, but I get it. They are living, breathing creatures with personalities. They are not your plaything. Just because you see a dog and think it is cute does not give you the right to pet them. And, just because the owner has a dog, it doesn't mean *they* want to interact with everyone who finds their dog appealing.

THANK YOU, for a moment I forgot sane and intelligent people existed. Not sure why this is so hard for everyone else to understand!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter LOVES dogs.

I taught her early on to ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION to approach/pet someone's dog. And always first let the dog sniff your hand (calmly, slowly, palm down or away from the dog)

It's simple people.

I'm NOT a dog person and don't have one, but I get it. They are living, breathing creatures with personalities. They are not your plaything. Just because you see a dog and think it is cute does not give you the right to pet them. And, just because the owner has a dog, it doesn't mean *they* want to interact with everyone who finds their dog appealing.

This is something that I learned when I was a child. On the rare occasions that I want to pet a strangers dog, I always ask the owner if I can pet their dog, then if the owner says yes, I let the dog sniff my hand before I touch it. It's common sense really.

Dogs are great!

[Anonymous]

My friend has a dog that has been aggressive. He goes out of his way to cross to the other side of the street when people are coming, stay far off the sidewalk, etc. so that people aren’t near his dog.

[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.

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

THIS!!!

Are my boobs public property because I’m walking down the sidewalk? You can just run up and touch them? What an asinine, STUPID argument. lol.