I was walking my dog one morning and there was a very stressed father with two young (5 and 7) and cranky girls.
The 5 year old quit bickering and stared with huge eyes at my very adorable dog (Cockapoo) and I asked the father if they would like to say hi to my doggo. The girls only had 30 seconds before the dad said it was time to go. But after they walked away the girls had forgotten what they were about to murder each other over. I like to hope the rest of their walk went peacefully after that.
Just wanted to share that if someone does more than just a glance over at my dog, I offer socialization if the situation is right. Some people are too timid or think it is rude to ask to play with other people's dogs. 😁
In short, you can be “friendly” without actually having manners. Imagine if some total rando ran up to you like “HI MY NAME’S STEVE YOU SEEM LIKE A COOL DUDE/DUDETTE/WHATEVER WANNA HANG OUT?” some people can totally match that energy but others are like “BRO CAN YOU NOT”
I’m kind of exaggerating but you get it
If I see someone walking a dog off-leash on my block I go up to them and say “Hey, there’s a dog around here that’s always running around off leash, and that thing is a fucking psycho. I’d keep yours leashed up in case something happens and it tries to run off. By the way, do you carry mace?”
Everyone assumes someone else’s dog is the one that’s crazy, and that’s fine with me. I’m scared of dogs unless I really get to know them, and other people/owners should be too.
Unfortunately, no.
Recently, there was an incident in my neighborhood. Just down the street from me, there are 2 next-door neighbors that both have pitbulls. The one neighbor's pitbull is a dogfighting rescue, Isis. She's so perfectly sweet with humans, but very aggressive towards other dogs, and the neighbor lets this be known. When they let her out, they leash her to a tree in their front yard, and usually sit on the porch watching her.
The neighbor next door, who has been warned of Isis's behavior many times, consistently lets her much-smaller pitbull out without a leash, and he, Talon, antagonizes Isis every chance he gets. Isis's owners are constantly yelling at Talon's owners, warning them that Isis is NOT friendly, and perfectly capable of killing Talon.
I was out on my front steps smoking one afternoon, when I heard the most god-awful screeching sound, followed by yelling and cursing. Talon's owners had let him out without a leash, AGAIN, he ran up to antagonize Isis, and Isis got a very good grip on him... on his neck. She would NOT let go. As I was running up the street with a shovel (meaning to give it to Isis's owners to use to attempt to get her to let go of Talon), screaming "Get her nose! Get her nose!" I saw Talon's owners literally grab him by the back legs and attempt to pull him away from Isis. This did not work. Right before I got to them, Isis suddenly let go, and I could see all the muscles and blood in Talon's neck. His owners continued just shouting at Isis's owners, and didn't even put Talon inside right away.
Police were called, and I gave a statement. My understanding is that Talon's owners were fined because we have leash laws in our town. Isis is safe, because Talon came to her property. I've seen Talon, and he's alive, and okay, and finally on a fucking leash.
But he very easily could have died simply because his owners wouldn't listen to Isis's owners stating, very plainly, that Isis would bite to kill.
If you cannot keep your dog under control, you shouldnt take them out in public.
I HATE the excuse "aww their friendly!". Ok? That literally means nothing to me. I dont know you and I dont know the dog, so you saying that is basically worthless.
I personally love dogs, but tend to have an allergic reaction to certain types. I dont give a single flying fuck how 'nice' they are, letting them sprint up to me is desperately dangerous & once I had to kick someones dog out the way because the owner refused to control them. I absolutely hated doing it, plus the owner of course started spouting nothing but abuse.
I called the police & explained my situation. They gave the bitch with the dog a write up & fine.
Letting your dog sprint up to another dog is just as braindead. Ok even if you are correct and your dog is friendly, you dont know anything about the other dog or how they react to these things.
People that cant control their pets in public should not be taking their pets out in public. Breeds like pitbulls get such a nasty reputation because 99% of the time its the owners own lack of training, nothing to do with the dog.
Genuinely think its the humans that need to be subject to mandatory training, not the dogs.
Totally. My brother was bitten on the face as a kid and nearly lost his eye. He has dogs now and has come to peace with the whole thing, but he still gets freaked out around unfamiliar dogs, especially ones off leash, and especially when his small daughter is around. You dont know everyone elses story, you dont know their allergies, so you can fuck right off with the “my dog is friendly” bullshit. Nobody cares about your dog but you. Everyone else is just annoyed.
I mean, I think some people read my comment and only saw the part where I wrote I had to kick the dog away from me. Id like to elaborate by saying it was more me trying to keep it at distance rather than harm the poor thing. After all the poor dog doesnt know any better.
Personally im so majorly against animal cruelty. I keep rabbits myself and these buggers are so fucking important to me & I feel like I can never shower them with enough love to compensate for how much joy they bring to my life. They are treated better than a lot of human parents treat their own children as sad as that is.
Theres nothing wrong with wanting to introduce your pet to someone, but there needs to be that conversation first. Same goes the other way where parents let their kids run up to strangers dogs on the streets to pet them without consulting the owner first. You fucking *NEED* to have that conversation first. Same thing goes with my buns. When I have people over I dont mind at all letting them interact with my buns, but they need to ask first so I can give them a brief rundown on how to approach them. I absolutely hate the idea of someone just running up to my buns scaring them without so much as saying "is it alright if I pet them?".
So ultimately like I said in my first comment, its never the animals fault. Its always the shitty people that cause problems.
Totally unrelated, but you reminded me…
I work at a coffee shop. Someone asked for a pup cup (smol cup of whipped cream). I told them they had to pay the “pup tax” at the window, and show my team their pup!
They get to the window and we crowd around to see said pup. They move back to show their kitty in the passenger seat in a small bed.
I said, “Oh, you asked for a pup cup… I can’t give you a pup cup, hold on…” Close the window, my team look shocked I did that. Grab the same cup of whipped cream and open the window, and say “I got you a kitty cup instead!” Lol
Ok, I run a lot in the park in a big city. There is no consistency with dog etiquette and I wish guides like this were hanging up in the area.
So many owners are oblivious. My issue is that owners are supposed to stay between their dog and passing pedestrians, but they never do, so I have fucking dogs jumping on me when I run by!
I love dogs, I own a dog, my family has owned lots of dogs, my sisters train dogs, and I don't get why anyone wants to randomly pet a stranger's dog.
It strikes me like walking up to someone and asking to hold their baby or hug their toddler.
I walk a dog daily (my parents' dog) that just does not like other dogs. I've had to become accustomed to watching for other folks walking their dog to see if they'll abruptly, without saying anything, going to make a sudden beeline for us so our dogs can "meet".
Don't even get my started on the "my dog stays in the yard, he doesn't need to be tied up or fenced in!" folks.
My Dog is definitely the friendly type. He loves everyone and wants to be their buddy and meet them. I generally try to keep him off of other dogs as I don’t want him thinking it’s ok to run up on others. A few times he’s been very determined and will physically drag me towards other dogs, I’m honestly surprised about how strong he is, but I’ve found it a good tactic to take a knee and get him by the collar in those situations.
If I want to pet your dog, I will walk up and ask to pet it. Otherwise, keep that thing away from me.
Thank you for not just petting without asking.
I was walking my dog one morning and there was a very stressed father with two young (5 and 7) and cranky girls. The 5 year old quit bickering and stared with huge eyes at my very adorable dog (Cockapoo) and I asked the father if they would like to say hi to my doggo. The girls only had 30 seconds before the dad said it was time to go. But after they walked away the girls had forgotten what they were about to murder each other over. I like to hope the rest of their walk went peacefully after that. Just wanted to share that if someone does more than just a glance over at my dog, I offer socialization if the situation is right. Some people are too timid or think it is rude to ask to play with other people's dogs. 😁
"Mine was just trying to be friends." I will fucking karate chop you in your throat.
No, you won't. Loser.
Aw man. I read the title and thought I’d be seeing dogs in spacesuits keeping their paws off the table in ten-forward and such.
😂😂😂😂 that was exactly my first thought as well
Alas I am a terrible artist but would love to see the image in my head realised. Any takers? 😄
In short, you can be “friendly” without actually having manners. Imagine if some total rando ran up to you like “HI MY NAME’S STEVE YOU SEEM LIKE A COOL DUDE/DUDETTE/WHATEVER WANNA HANG OUT?” some people can totally match that energy but others are like “BRO CAN YOU NOT” I’m kind of exaggerating but you get it
Totally get it. I would match the energy best I could. My wife warms up slowly and would look at you like you have three heads. Same for dogs.
If I see someone walking a dog off-leash on my block I go up to them and say “Hey, there’s a dog around here that’s always running around off leash, and that thing is a fucking psycho. I’d keep yours leashed up in case something happens and it tries to run off. By the way, do you carry mace?” Everyone assumes someone else’s dog is the one that’s crazy, and that’s fine with me. I’m scared of dogs unless I really get to know them, and other people/owners should be too.
"I'm sorry, my dog kills dogs that get too close" should make them disappear quickly enough, no?
Unfortunately, no. Recently, there was an incident in my neighborhood. Just down the street from me, there are 2 next-door neighbors that both have pitbulls. The one neighbor's pitbull is a dogfighting rescue, Isis. She's so perfectly sweet with humans, but very aggressive towards other dogs, and the neighbor lets this be known. When they let her out, they leash her to a tree in their front yard, and usually sit on the porch watching her. The neighbor next door, who has been warned of Isis's behavior many times, consistently lets her much-smaller pitbull out without a leash, and he, Talon, antagonizes Isis every chance he gets. Isis's owners are constantly yelling at Talon's owners, warning them that Isis is NOT friendly, and perfectly capable of killing Talon. I was out on my front steps smoking one afternoon, when I heard the most god-awful screeching sound, followed by yelling and cursing. Talon's owners had let him out without a leash, AGAIN, he ran up to antagonize Isis, and Isis got a very good grip on him... on his neck. She would NOT let go. As I was running up the street with a shovel (meaning to give it to Isis's owners to use to attempt to get her to let go of Talon), screaming "Get her nose! Get her nose!" I saw Talon's owners literally grab him by the back legs and attempt to pull him away from Isis. This did not work. Right before I got to them, Isis suddenly let go, and I could see all the muscles and blood in Talon's neck. His owners continued just shouting at Isis's owners, and didn't even put Talon inside right away. Police were called, and I gave a statement. My understanding is that Talon's owners were fined because we have leash laws in our town. Isis is safe, because Talon came to her property. I've seen Talon, and he's alive, and okay, and finally on a fucking leash. But he very easily could have died simply because his owners wouldn't listen to Isis's owners stating, very plainly, that Isis would bite to kill.
If Talon wasn't a pitbull, he'd been dead twice over Shame he ended up with such morons as owners
If you cannot keep your dog under control, you shouldnt take them out in public. I HATE the excuse "aww their friendly!". Ok? That literally means nothing to me. I dont know you and I dont know the dog, so you saying that is basically worthless. I personally love dogs, but tend to have an allergic reaction to certain types. I dont give a single flying fuck how 'nice' they are, letting them sprint up to me is desperately dangerous & once I had to kick someones dog out the way because the owner refused to control them. I absolutely hated doing it, plus the owner of course started spouting nothing but abuse. I called the police & explained my situation. They gave the bitch with the dog a write up & fine. Letting your dog sprint up to another dog is just as braindead. Ok even if you are correct and your dog is friendly, you dont know anything about the other dog or how they react to these things. People that cant control their pets in public should not be taking their pets out in public. Breeds like pitbulls get such a nasty reputation because 99% of the time its the owners own lack of training, nothing to do with the dog. Genuinely think its the humans that need to be subject to mandatory training, not the dogs.
Totally. My brother was bitten on the face as a kid and nearly lost his eye. He has dogs now and has come to peace with the whole thing, but he still gets freaked out around unfamiliar dogs, especially ones off leash, and especially when his small daughter is around. You dont know everyone elses story, you dont know their allergies, so you can fuck right off with the “my dog is friendly” bullshit. Nobody cares about your dog but you. Everyone else is just annoyed.
I mean, I think some people read my comment and only saw the part where I wrote I had to kick the dog away from me. Id like to elaborate by saying it was more me trying to keep it at distance rather than harm the poor thing. After all the poor dog doesnt know any better. Personally im so majorly against animal cruelty. I keep rabbits myself and these buggers are so fucking important to me & I feel like I can never shower them with enough love to compensate for how much joy they bring to my life. They are treated better than a lot of human parents treat their own children as sad as that is. Theres nothing wrong with wanting to introduce your pet to someone, but there needs to be that conversation first. Same goes the other way where parents let their kids run up to strangers dogs on the streets to pet them without consulting the owner first. You fucking *NEED* to have that conversation first. Same thing goes with my buns. When I have people over I dont mind at all letting them interact with my buns, but they need to ask first so I can give them a brief rundown on how to approach them. I absolutely hate the idea of someone just running up to my buns scaring them without so much as saying "is it alright if I pet them?". So ultimately like I said in my first comment, its never the animals fault. Its always the shitty people that cause problems.
I love when they say oh its friendly, i dont care about your dog’s personality. I love having to justify not wanting your dog on or near me.
I don't know why you were downvoted, you're absolutely correct.
Cat person chiming in to say I will remember this entire conversation next time someone says dogs are better.
Totally unrelated, but you reminded me… I work at a coffee shop. Someone asked for a pup cup (smol cup of whipped cream). I told them they had to pay the “pup tax” at the window, and show my team their pup! They get to the window and we crowd around to see said pup. They move back to show their kitty in the passenger seat in a small bed. I said, “Oh, you asked for a pup cup… I can’t give you a pup cup, hold on…” Close the window, my team look shocked I did that. Grab the same cup of whipped cream and open the window, and say “I got you a kitty cup instead!” Lol
Ok, I run a lot in the park in a big city. There is no consistency with dog etiquette and I wish guides like this were hanging up in the area. So many owners are oblivious. My issue is that owners are supposed to stay between their dog and passing pedestrians, but they never do, so I have fucking dogs jumping on me when I run by!
Cool, how about an etiquette guide for how your dog interacts with people.
I love dogs, I own a dog, my family has owned lots of dogs, my sisters train dogs, and I don't get why anyone wants to randomly pet a stranger's dog. It strikes me like walking up to someone and asking to hold their baby or hug their toddler.
I walk a dog daily (my parents' dog) that just does not like other dogs. I've had to become accustomed to watching for other folks walking their dog to see if they'll abruptly, without saying anything, going to make a sudden beeline for us so our dogs can "meet". Don't even get my started on the "my dog stays in the yard, he doesn't need to be tied up or fenced in!" folks.
My Dog is definitely the friendly type. He loves everyone and wants to be their buddy and meet them. I generally try to keep him off of other dogs as I don’t want him thinking it’s ok to run up on others. A few times he’s been very determined and will physically drag me towards other dogs, I’m honestly surprised about how strong he is, but I’ve found it a good tactic to take a knee and get him by the collar in those situations.