09/23/2024
-My thought on "saying hi" to a random dog on the street-
This is my thought on "saying hi" to random dogs on the street.
A lot of people with reactive/aggressive dogs will say their dogs are "friendly". Their dogs may even look "friendly" in the first couple seconds - until they suddenly snap.
l never go up to a random dog or let my dog "say hi" to a random dog. All my children know not to do that since they were very young. They will never ask "can l pet your dog?" to a complete stranger.
Leaving someone else's dog alone is showing that dog the respect and love he/she needs. It is showing respect and consideration towards the other owner.
That dog whom we know nothing about could be reactive, anxious, fearful, aggressive or just being too hyper around people - none of those problems will benefit from being approached by a stranger in an uncontrolled setting.
In today's society where we are constantly encountering dogs with behavioural issues, it is our responsibility to keep our dogs safe. It only takes one or two unfortunate incidents to turn an otherwise friendly dog into dog reactive/aggressive.
Our safety and that of our dogs should be our number one priority.
Also, our dogs are not petting zoo animals. They are not public properties. They do not exist solely for the purpose of allowing strangers to touch and hug them anytime someone may feel the urge to do so. Please respect dogs' feelings and need for personal space.
If the public could have a bit more empathy towards other dogs and their owners, and understand that love is about respecting the space and need of what is best for whom we love (not our selfish wants), perhaps we will see less bite incidents, and hopefully, less reactive/aggresive dogs as well.
Thank you.
