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

[Anonymous]

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.

You can get muzzles that would still allow you to give a treat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can get a doggie jacket that says "DO NOT PET." I used to see a woman with a beautiful friendly-looking cute dog wearing one. I definitely never even thought about asking to pet that dog.

You should try it.

Ooh, great idea, except that since young children are the most likely victims and they can't read, you could make Fido a doggie jacket with a picture of a child's bloody face after it's been mauled. That will teach those bratty little shits and their irresponsible parents to mess with a precious animal!

OR, you could do what you are legally required to do, i.e., train your dog or keep it away from people if it is dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make sure your dog doesn’t get into people’s personal space.

Did you see the title of the post?

I had people approach my elderly dog. When I told them not to some would say "It's ok... I just want to pet..."

Wel no, it ISN'T ok. I kept him on my right. People would approach him.

Just like you probably use a voice of authority with your dog, you need to use it with people. Feels uncomfortable I’m sure but it’s in the dog’s best interest.

[Anonymous]

A dog that cannot handle being around people should not be around people. When you choose to get a dog you have a responsibility to train it. Some dogs will remain skittish no matter what you do but if you bring out to a public space it is your obligation to protect people and not expect people to conform to your dog’s needs. I have a dog and a super cute one so always a people magnet. We did the 20 week socialization program where we exposed her to crowds, noises, water, traffic, city streets and playgrounds. She’s social but I still go through protecting kids who want to pet and protect her from over enthusiastic petting or rambunctious dogs.

If my dog snapped at kids or other dogs and training didn’t mitigate it-she would not be out in public spaces.

[Anonymous]

We had a dog that attracted a LOT of attention in public. Thank god he was super friendly and tolerant of people approaching and touching him. I made a special effort to teach our own young child to be more deferrential to other people's dogs, as I didn't want him to get the impression that all dogs were as chill as ours.

[Anonymous]

If you have a dog that bites strangers they should NEVER EVER be in a situation where they could be pet without you intervening BEFORE THAT HAPPENS. Your dog is right next to you, right? And because you know this happens, you are not taking your eyes off the dog right? Not even for a second. So you should see people walking towards you, gazing at your dog. If you are not aware of their approach, you are NOT DOING YOUR JOB.

Watch your dog while in public non-stop. Or do not go in public. Those are your choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can get a doggie jacket that says "DO NOT PET." I used to see a woman with a beautiful friendly-looking cute dog wearing one. I definitely never even thought about asking to pet that dog.

You should try it.

Ooh, great idea, except that since young children are the most likely victims and they can't read, you could make Fido a doggie jacket with a picture of a child's bloody face after it's been mauled. That will teach those bratty little shits and their irresponsible parents to mess with a precious animal!

OR, you could do what you are legally required to do, i.e., train your dog or keep it away from people if it is dangerous.

You do know that you are legally responsible for controlling your child, right? You also have a moral and legal responsibility to keep them out of dangerous situations. You can't just let your kid run in the street and sue if he gets killed. It is the same with dogs. A leashed dog sitting beside me meets the legal guidelines for control. Your kid can't just run up and poke him in the eye and sue for the resulting bite. Well, you can, but, you would be wasting your time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can get a doggie jacket that says "DO NOT PET." I used to see a woman with a beautiful friendly-looking cute dog wearing one. I definitely never even thought about asking to pet that dog.

You should try it.

Ooh, great idea, except that since young children are the most likely victims and they can't read, you could make Fido a doggie jacket with a picture of a child's bloody face after it's been mauled. That will teach those bratty little shits and their irresponsible parents to mess with a precious animal!

OR, you could do what you are legally required to do, i.e., train your dog or keep it away from people if it is dangerous.

You do know that you are legally responsible for controlling your child, right? You also have a moral and legal responsibility to keep them out of dangerous situations. You can't just let your kid run in the street and sue if he gets killed. It is the same with dogs. A leashed dog sitting beside me meets the legal guidelines for control. Your kid can't just run up and poke him in the eye and sue for the resulting bite. Well, you can, but, you would be wasting your time.

This is all incorrect. If a car runs over your kid, you can sue them. If the car had enough time to stop but didn't, then it's their fault, even if the child wasn't supposed to be in the street.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree 100%. We had to put down our beloved dog because of this. A strange man suddenly reach down to pet our dog and our dog bit his hand in self defense. The man then threatened to sue us. It was heartbreaking and I wish he would have just asked if he could pet him and I would have said no because my dog was a rescue and had always been afraid of men he didn’t know.

This is so sad, but you were an irresponsible dog owner. If you know your dog could bite, why on earth did you bring it to a place where that possibility could arise? This is on you, not the guy your dog bit. You should have had a muzzle on your dog or never taken your dog to a place where there were people.

If you don’t get it, you don’t get it. Stay out of an unknown dogs personal space. That’s it.

[Anonymous]

Look. Dogs are unpredictable. All animals are. A perfectly docile dog can bite suddenly if approached by a child.

You do not see your child as a threat. No human would. But dogs are different.

A dog that is walking along on A leash and that would never lunge or bite someone passing is perfectly fine.

the rules change however when people invade the dog's personal space by touching it.

The person walking the dog has responsibility to make sure the dog doesn't approach you and you have a responsibility to not approach the dog.



Period.

[Anonymous]

in other words, dogs are not public property. People do not have a right to come up and touch your children and pet them and people don't have a right to come up and touch your dogs and pet them.

Or your stuff.I prefer when I am out, that people not approach me and touch my bike or my scooter a beautiful bag I am carrying.

I think my dog should get the same respect

I'm not sure why people are arguing this point

[Anonymous]

in other words, dogs are not public property. People do not have a right to come up and touch your children and pet them and people don't have a right to come up and touch your dogs and pet them.

Or your stuff.I prefer when I am out, that people not approach me and touch my bike or my scooter a beautiful bag I am carrying.

I think my dog should get the same respect

I'm not sure why people are arguing this point

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look. Dogs are unpredictable. All animals are. A perfectly docile dog can bite suddenly if approached by a child.

You do not see your child as a threat. No human would. But dogs are different.

A dog that is walking along on A leash and that would never lunge or bite someone passing is perfectly fine.

the rules change however when people invade the dog's personal space by touching it.

The person walking the dog has responsibility to make sure the dog doesn't approach you and you have a responsibility to not approach the dog.



Period.

Sorry, not all dogs are the same. A dog that is aggressive and cannot tolerate any breach of its "personal space" is dangerous, and should not be out in public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you walking your dog to the right of you? Keep it on the furthest area way from other humans (walk on the right just like driving, and dog should be to the right of you).

Oh FFS. Dogs are traditionally trained to heel to the left. People walking dogs should walk to the left, and people approaching should get over the compulsion to act as though a sidewalk has to be treated like a road at all times.

This makes absolutely no sense, like it was leftover from some British dog training program. Dogs should be on your right to maximize distance between your animal and other humans, and other dogs/pets/etc.

This! Training your dog to heel on the left is due to the British walking their dogs to the left to stay out of peoples way. We are in the USA. You keep your dog to your right to keep him out of pedestrians’ way. Common sense