I took my dog to playgroup this week. He's mellow, loves kids, likes to socialize, loves to be tied under a picnic table (snacks!)--it was a good time.
The kids wanted to walk in the woods. There was a big group of kids & 3 parents. Our group naturally split up a little. The dog & I brought up the rear by herding the 3 littlest ones (ages 3-6,) while the other parents and older kids ran ahead.
Along the path, we met a couple with a dog on a leash. It's a windy path and we didn't see them until they were close. The dog was a smallish chow mix. My dog is a lab/shep mix. When I saw that he wasn't slowing/stopping, I said "Stop. No kids in the middle when dogs meet." He didn't stop.
I said "Sir! Please stop! Let me get these kids out of the way!" He stopped, but barely. I told the kids to pass--which was not my first choice with a strange dog, but it was the best of my options.
Then we let our dogs meet, and they were friendly and everything was fine. Except the guy got all huffy with me. He said his dog is friendly and if mine isn't, I shouldn't be walking it with children. I said that I had no way of knowing that his dog is friendly, and my first responsibility is to keep these children (who aren't even mine, btw) safe.
We parted on civil enough terms, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth.
I told dh about it, and he said that he didn't realize having the kids in the middle was a problem until I pointed it out, and the guy probably didn't see it either.
I think that's ridiculous! How can anyone not know that a group of little girls shouldn't be in the middle when two leashed dogs meet!
Is that not common sense?
The kids wanted to walk in the woods. There was a big group of kids & 3 parents. Our group naturally split up a little. The dog & I brought up the rear by herding the 3 littlest ones (ages 3-6,) while the other parents and older kids ran ahead.
Along the path, we met a couple with a dog on a leash. It's a windy path and we didn't see them until they were close. The dog was a smallish chow mix. My dog is a lab/shep mix. When I saw that he wasn't slowing/stopping, I said "Stop. No kids in the middle when dogs meet." He didn't stop.
I said "Sir! Please stop! Let me get these kids out of the way!" He stopped, but barely. I told the kids to pass--which was not my first choice with a strange dog, but it was the best of my options.
Then we let our dogs meet, and they were friendly and everything was fine. Except the guy got all huffy with me. He said his dog is friendly and if mine isn't, I shouldn't be walking it with children. I said that I had no way of knowing that his dog is friendly, and my first responsibility is to keep these children (who aren't even mine, btw) safe.
We parted on civil enough terms, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth.
I told dh about it, and he said that he didn't realize having the kids in the middle was a problem until I pointed it out, and the guy probably didn't see it either.
I think that's ridiculous! How can anyone not know that a group of little girls shouldn't be in the middle when two leashed dogs meet!
Is that not common sense?
