by Cinereus » Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:47 am
Okay, I understand that not everyone loves dogs. I can respect that. We have family friends that are afraid of dogs. They don't come to our house, problem solved. But when I have my dog at Petsmart, I do not think it is in the least bit polite for you to literally scream when we come within 10 feet of you and my dog isn't even paying attention to you. You are in a store where there is usually at least one or two dogs walking around, usually more, as it's over 100 degrees out and we can't walk them outside, you should be at least comfortable with having them close to you. You don't even have to be comfortable with petting them or being right next to them, I don't take my dog right up to people who aren't interested in him, but to have a dog walk by you and freak out is just silly and even somewhat offensive as far as I'm concerned. My dog didn't even look at you, he's about as intimidating as a tribble, and I'm not sure he even knows how to be aggressive; chill the hell out. You probably scared him more than he should have scared you. >>
On the other end of the spectrum are the people who just come barreling up to your dog, petting it without you giving them any permission whatsoever. My dog is extremely shy, and it has set him back weeks in training because I'll try to take him to the store for socialization and I have a kid run directly toward him and try to grab him. First of all, where on earth are their parents? Oh, right, standing a ways off smiling as if this is cute. No, your child is not being cute, he is making an anxious dog even more scared, and you should be glad my dog is one of the few without any fear aggression, because I've seen dogs that would bite someone's face off if they did that. Second, that is not how you approach any dog. If I give someone permission to pet my dogs, I expect them to do it correctly - slowly and gently, with no sudden moves. Third, the permission itself - dogs are not public property, and you do not know them as well as the person handling them, so please ask before petting them - some dogs simply do not like being touched by strangers or at all.
[/end Petsmart rant of the day]
Though on a happy note my dog is doing very well despite all these distractions, though he's still not keen on being handled by strangers. ^^