How Not to Walk Your Dogs

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

09 Nov 2008 05:31 PM

I live in a very pet-friendly apartment complex. That's great -- otherwise, I wouldn't have a place where my dogs Moose and Lally are welcome. The complex welcomes dogs of all sizes... I've got a St. Bernard living to the right, a lanky hound of some kind across the way, and a ton of other four-legged neighbors.

It's not the dogs I'm worried about so much as the owners.

I've had a few run-ins with a couple that owns a pair of sleek little brown dachshunds. Every time the dogs see us, they start lunging and barking. The owners will stop and watch (and sometimes laugh) as their little dogs act very aggressively... and while I try to drag Moose and Lally off in another direction.

For the love of Rex, people! Don't just stand there! Turn around and walk another way.

This morning I was out with the dogs and we saw a young man with a pair of dogs off to the left. Rather than turn right (as I had intended) and have them following us, I chose a different direction.

Unfortunately, the young man decided that he and his dogs would follow us. I went straight, so he turned to follow us. We turned right. He turned again. I thought it was pretty obvious that I was trying to avoid a confrontation between his dogs and my dogs... and yet he kept following us.

I don't quite understand this. Why would you encourage and pursue situations that make your dogs agitated? The young man's two dogs were barking at us, and Moose and Lally were barking back. I don't want them (and me) upset. I just wanted a nice quick walk in the rain.

I go out of my way to avoid situations that might agitate the dogs. I don't take them out when the kids are heading to school or when school lets out for the day. If I see another dog coming, I try to go a different way. We avoid kids on bikes, skateboards, and scooters because it scares Lally. I even pick up other dogs' poop because I care about having a clean place to walk.

Some days, I feel like the only responsible dog owner in town.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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drnewmom (307) 10 Nov 2008 01:06 PM

I have an invisible fence. It keeps my dogs in my yard very nicely. However, it does NOT prevent them from barking at just about every living thing that passes in front of our house. You should see how many people (seems like young men, usually) who will intentionally dawdle, allow their dog to start up our driveway and even turn and walk by multiple times, all the while my dogs are going nuts. I'm not kidding when I say my husband and I watched a boy (early to mid-teens?) walk his dog back and forth in front of our house several times. Well, our house is set far back, so by the time my husband got half-way down the drive, the kid spotted him and headed home in a hurry. ...not just kids, though, b/c I have seen a guy in his early 20s seem to dawdle past my house, just for the fun of watching my dogs act like idiots. Now yes, I could train my dogs to be better behaved, but I don't think other people are entitled to act like idiots, either. The things people will do never cease to amaze me.

Courtney Mroch (9169) 10 Nov 2008 02:19 PM

I am guilty of being one of the people you sometimes encounter, Aimee. However, in my defense, I don't honestly try to upset the other person. I wll stay on my side of the street if I see a dog is truly upset and aggressive. But most times I find the dogs are just barking because they want to meet and calm down when I let them meet Murph. I have never stalked someone though like you had happen. If I can see they're trying to ditch me I let them go on ahead or find another way.

And as for your incident, DrNewMom...oh my gosh! That's nuts! I'd be so mad if someone intentionally tried to upset my dogs. Man, people get kookier by the minute!