My dog was attacked on the street yesterday by a dog the owners insisted was ‘friendly’. Dog is ok

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thanks to her scruffy fur. The other dog went for my dogs throat.

I’m freaked out because I absolutely froze. Dh and the other owners stepped in and pulled the dogs apart. This all happened in a flash.

Wwyd in that situation?

Going foward do not do any greetings when out on a walk

That’s so unfortunate that a few bad apples have to ruin it for so many others. So selfish

Most dogs don't enjoy stranger dog greetings. It is unnecessary. Do you go up to every stranger you pass and enthusastically greet them? Just meet uo with dogs you know

This. The whole "socialization" trend as it currently exists is part of new dog owners projecting human social structures onto dogs. It shows not only how little they know about dog handling, but how little they bothered to research about what's actually good for their dogs, who are living creatures, not just accessories.

I'm with pp upthread: don't do greetings when out on walks. Walks are stimulating enough for most dogs, and most people who want to turn them into meet-and-greets aren't responsible handlers.

This is just wrong. Dogs are very social animals and need interaction with humans and other dogs. It’s sad that some people have aggressive dogs where normal interactions become ‘unsafe’.

Notice we didn't say cease all interactions. We said no stranger interactions. If your dog has friends of courae get together. Just stop greeting dogs you don't know. Your dog might be ok but the other dog might hate it. Why woukd you risk a dog fight?

Also, it isn't normal to engage with strange dogs. Do you greet every stranger you pass with a hug and kiss?

Well, how could a dog not be a stranger if I don’t introduce them? You’re saying I need to set up special intro to play dates with each and every dog? Is that realistic? Of course there will be dogs that don’t like interactions as much as others, but assumedly those dog owners know it, and in a rational world, even if their dog doesn’t ‘like’ introductions/interactions, the dogs instinct won’t be to try to kill the other dog. Thats really the issue. Dogs that were trained with certain drives shouldn’t be pets. The rest of the world shouldn’t have to live in fear, and unfortunately that’s what’s happened the last number of years.

You should introduce your dog to the dog(s) of people you know and trust to be responsible dog owners and decent people in general. The problem with this idea of doing "introductions" with randos is that you have no idea how to contact them if things go south. Whereas if you introduce your dog to Steve down the street's dog(s), you know where and how to reach Steve if/when there's an issue. You can ask Steve beforehand "has your dog had all its vaccines" and other responsible pre-intro questions.

You don't have to "live in fear" if you use common sense and understand that not everyone you or your dog meets will be a friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like dog owners should use color-based communication, the way horse people do. We put ribbons on tails and/or bridles, but leash colors or a ribbon around the neck would do the job in this case.

Red for an aggressive dog.
Green for a dog that’s inexperienced/a recent rescue/otherwise still learning socialization rules.
Yellow for an intact male.
Pink for a female in heat.

Yellow for anxious dogs

I think it’s the dog owners that need the color tags. The ones with the unleashed pit bulls and German Shepherds in Rock Creek need to be flaming red at all times. Probably for life. So we all know how much they suck

If you're walking an unleashed dog of any breed, you've already outed yourself as an irresponsible asshat. The suck speaks for itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thanks to her scruffy fur. The other dog went for my dogs throat.

I’m freaked out because I absolutely froze. Dh and the other owners stepped in and pulled the dogs apart. This all happened in a flash.

Wwyd in that situation?

Going foward do not do any greetings when out on a walk

That’s so unfortunate that a few bad apples have to ruin it for so many others. So selfish

Most dogs don't enjoy stranger dog greetings. It is unnecessary. Do you go up to every stranger you pass and enthusastically greet them? Just meet uo with dogs you know

This. The whole "socialization" trend as it currently exists is part of new dog owners projecting human social structures onto dogs. It shows not only how little they know about dog handling, but how little they bothered to research about what's actually good for their dogs, who are living creatures, not just accessories.

I'm with pp upthread: don't do greetings when out on walks. Walks are stimulating enough for most dogs, and most people who want to turn them into meet-and-greets aren't responsible handlers.

This is just wrong. Dogs are very social animals and need interaction with humans and other dogs. It’s sad that some people have aggressive dogs where normal interactions become ‘unsafe’.

Notice we didn't say cease all interactions. We said no stranger interactions. If your dog has friends of courae get together. Just stop greeting dogs you don't know. Your dog might be ok but the other dog might hate it. Why woukd you risk a dog fight?

Also, it isn't normal to engage with strange dogs. Do you greet every stranger you pass with a hug and kiss?

Well, how could a dog not be a stranger if I don’t introduce them? You’re saying I need to set up special intro to play dates with each and every dog? Is that realistic? Of course there will be dogs that don’t like interactions as much as others, but assumedly those dog owners know it, and in a rational world, even if their dog doesn’t ‘like’ introductions/interactions, the dogs instinct won’t be to try to kill the other dog. Thats really the issue. Dogs that were trained with certain drives shouldn’t be pets. The rest of the world shouldn’t have to live in fear, and unfortunately that’s what’s happened the last number of years.

You should introduce your dog to the dog(s) of people you know and trust to be responsible dog owners and decent people in general. The problem with this idea of doing "introductions" with randos is that you have no idea how to contact them if things go south. Whereas if you introduce your dog to Steve down the street's dog(s), you know where and how to reach Steve if/when there's an issue. You can ask Steve beforehand "has your dog had all its vaccines" and other responsible pre-intro questions.

You don't have to "live in fear" if you use common sense and understand that not everyone you or your dog meets will be a friend.

That’s a ridiculous amount of effort. How about we just don’t let people have known dangerous dog breeds? There is no reason they need to be pets. None.

And yes, when there are aggressive breeds around, everyone has to worry that one of them will snap

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thanks to her scruffy fur. The other dog went for my dogs throat.

I’m freaked out because I absolutely froze. Dh and the other owners stepped in and pulled the dogs apart. This all happened in a flash.

Wwyd in that situation?

Going foward do not do any greetings when out on a walk

That’s so unfortunate that a few bad apples have to ruin it for so many others. So selfish

Most dogs don't enjoy stranger dog greetings. It is unnecessary. Do you go up to every stranger you pass and enthusastically greet them? Just meet uo with dogs you know

This. The whole "socialization" trend as it currently exists is part of new dog owners projecting human social structures onto dogs. It shows not only how little they know about dog handling, but how little they bothered to research about what's actually good for their dogs, who are living creatures, not just accessories.

I'm with pp upthread: don't do greetings when out on walks. Walks are stimulating enough for most dogs, and most people who want to turn them into meet-and-greets aren't responsible handlers.

This is just wrong. Dogs are very social animals and need interaction with humans and other dogs. It’s sad that some people have aggressive dogs where normal interactions become ‘unsafe’.

Notice we didn't say cease all interactions. We said no stranger interactions. If your dog has friends of courae get together. Just stop greeting dogs you don't know. Your dog might be ok but the other dog might hate it. Why woukd you risk a dog fight?

Also, it isn't normal to engage with strange dogs. Do you greet every stranger you pass with a hug and kiss?

Well, how could a dog not be a stranger if I don’t introduce them? You’re saying I need to set up special intro to play dates with each and every dog? Is that realistic? Of course there will be dogs that don’t like interactions as much as others, but assumedly those dog owners know it, and in a rational world, even if their dog doesn’t ‘like’ introductions/interactions, the dogs instinct won’t be to try to kill the other dog. Thats really the issue. Dogs that were trained with certain drives shouldn’t be pets. The rest of the world shouldn’t have to live in fear, and unfortunately that’s what’s happened the last number of years.

It's realistic for us, yes. My dogs pass other dogs without noticing and my giving the verbal go ahead that it's ok to say hi, which would only be after interacting with their human. There's really little to be gained by a 30 second on leash interaction and great capacity for it to go wrong. We do set up play dates with friends where I know tje owners. My dogs aren't dangerous BTW. Two very lovely Goldens.

[Anonymous]

Report to animal control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thanks to her scruffy fur. The other dog went for my dogs throat.

I’m freaked out because I absolutely froze. Dh and the other owners stepped in and pulled the dogs apart. This all happened in a flash.

Wwyd in that situation?

Going foward do not do any greetings when out on a walk

That’s so unfortunate that a few bad apples have to ruin it for so many others. So selfish

Most dogs don't enjoy stranger dog greetings. It is unnecessary. Do you go up to every stranger you pass and enthusastically greet them? Just meet uo with dogs you know

This. The whole "socialization" trend as it currently exists is part of new dog owners projecting human social structures onto dogs. It shows not only how little they know about dog handling, but how little they bothered to research about what's actually good for their dogs, who are living creatures, not just accessories.

I'm with pp upthread: don't do greetings when out on walks. Walks are stimulating enough for most dogs, and most people who want to turn them into meet-and-greets aren't responsible handlers.

This is just wrong. Dogs are very social animals and need interaction with humans and other dogs. It’s sad that some people have aggressive dogs where normal interactions become ‘unsafe’.

Notice we didn't say cease all interactions. We said no stranger interactions. If your dog has friends of courae get together. Just stop greeting dogs you don't know. Your dog might be ok but the other dog might hate it. Why woukd you risk a dog fight?

Also, it isn't normal to engage with strange dogs. Do you greet every stranger you pass with a hug and kiss?

Well, how could a dog not be a stranger if I don’t introduce them? You’re saying I need to set up special intro to play dates with each and every dog? Is that realistic? Of course there will be dogs that don’t like interactions as much as others, but assumedly those dog owners know it, and in a rational world, even if their dog doesn’t ‘like’ introductions/interactions, the dogs instinct won’t be to try to kill the other dog. Thats really the issue. Dogs that were trained with certain drives shouldn’t be pets. The rest of the world shouldn’t have to live in fear, and unfortunately that’s what’s happened the last number of years.

You should introduce your dog to the dog(s) of people you know and trust to be responsible dog owners and decent people in general. The problem with this idea of doing "introductions" with randos is that you have no idea how to contact them if things go south. Whereas if you introduce your dog to Steve down the street's dog(s), you know where and how to reach Steve if/when there's an issue. You can ask Steve beforehand "has your dog had all its vaccines" and other responsible pre-intro questions.

You don't have to "live in fear" if you use common sense and understand that not everyone you or your dog meets will be a friend.

That’s a ridiculous amount of effort. How about we just don’t let people have known dangerous dog breeds? There is no reason they need to be pets. None.

And yes, when there are aggressive breeds around, everyone has to worry that one of them will snap

Yeah, see, this is where you can clearly see how nonsense this "dangerous breeds" argument is. There is no "safe breed" of dog that doesn't bite. So if taking responsibility for knowing the human on the other end of the leash of the dog you want to introduce yours to is "a ridiculous amount of effort", you probably should get a cat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thanks to her scruffy fur. The other dog went for my dogs throat.

I’m freaked out because I absolutely froze. Dh and the other owners stepped in and pulled the dogs apart. This all happened in a flash.

Wwyd in that situation?

Going foward do not do any greetings when out on a walk

That’s so unfortunate that a few bad apples have to ruin it for so many others. So selfish

Most dogs don't enjoy stranger dog greetings. It is unnecessary. Do you go up to every stranger you pass and enthusastically greet them? Just meet uo with dogs you know

This. The whole "socialization" trend as it currently exists is part of new dog owners projecting human social structures onto dogs. It shows not only how little they know about dog handling, but how little they bothered to research about what's actually good for their dogs, who are living creatures, not just accessories.

I'm with pp upthread: don't do greetings when out on walks. Walks are stimulating enough for most dogs, and most people who want to turn them into meet-and-greets aren't responsible handlers.

This is just wrong. Dogs are very social animals and need interaction with humans and other dogs. It’s sad that some people have aggressive dogs where normal interactions become ‘unsafe’.

Notice we didn't say cease all interactions. We said no stranger interactions. If your dog has friends of courae get together. Just stop greeting dogs you don't know. Your dog might be ok but the other dog might hate it. Why woukd you risk a dog fight?

Also, it isn't normal to engage with strange dogs. Do you greet every stranger you pass with a hug and kiss?

Well, how could a dog not be a stranger if I don’t introduce them? You’re saying I need to set up special intro to play dates with each and every dog? Is that realistic? Of course there will be dogs that don’t like interactions as much as others, but assumedly those dog owners know it, and in a rational world, even if their dog doesn’t ‘like’ introductions/interactions, the dogs instinct won’t be to try to kill the other dog. Thats really the issue. Dogs that were trained with certain drives shouldn’t be pets. The rest of the world shouldn’t have to live in fear, and unfortunately that’s what’s happened the last number of years.

It's realistic for us, yes. My dogs pass other dogs without noticing and my giving the verbal go ahead that it's ok to say hi, which would only be after interacting with their human. There's really little to be gained by a 30 second on leash interaction and great capacity for it to go wrong. We do set up play dates with friends where I know tje owners. My dogs aren't dangerous BTW. Two very lovely Goldens.

This is the sane approach. There's more to be gained by teaching your dogs to pass other dogs without interaction than there is from the minute-long leashed introduction/interaction most people try.