We Are Constantly Reminded . . .

Little Monkey Walk 1

Little Monkey Walk 1

. . . There is one born every minute!

 

Since Little Monkey had her lumpies removed and still has stitches on her chest and leg, I have not been letting her run free, madly like a maniac, but have been walking her round the neighbourhood on her lead.

We had just completed one nice long walk and were approaching home again. We had stopped at the edge of the kerb, LM sitting, and I was just about to cross the road when I noticed a woman with a large cream coloured dog walking towards us and just about to pass our house. (So there was no way I could nip inside my property and be safe.)

Little Monkey needs lots of space with any unknown dog, so I backed up and took LM a good 10 metres down the road and got her to lie down, positioning myself in front of her. I figured the woman was probably going to go the other way to the cut-through, so this was my best bet.

Unfortunately, the woman did not go the other way, but came in our direction.

Worse than that, she crossed the road and headed straight for us!

Seriously?

Here was a woman with a very large dog, I think a cross between a lab and something massive like a Boerboel, who had no control over her dog, as it was out in front and pulling her towards us.

Now, I assessed her dog as not aggressive, but dominant, and certainly uncontrolled. Little Monkey, as you know, hasn’t a mean bone in her body, but is super anxious with other dogs she doesn’t know. What she does is leap in the air and bark, which often causes the other dog to react. If she’s out on a field off-lead, she tends to run straight at them barking, veer off a good 5 metres away from them and then trot back to me. No contact, unless they decide to sort her out!

Well, I am so used by now to other dog owners either not having a clue about dog behaviour, or simply not caring. The moment that the woman crossed the road and headed straight for us, I took LM across the road, keeping her the other side of me and keeping myself between the dogs, so I at least had control over any potential dog interaction. This way I managed to keep a reasonable distance between the dogs as we sort of circle danced our way past each other.

The woman still had no clue whatsoever.

I called out, as I always do, “Sorry, but my dog is scared,” and smiled.

“Oh, no problem,” she answered.

And I wonder if anything she has just witnessed or heard will alter her behaviour in the future. But I doubt it.

We are constantly reminded, there is one born every minute.

 

post script: You can check out LM in more natural behaviour in The Dog Walk.

 

49 thoughts on “We Are Constantly Reminded . . .”

  1. Key Image Photographers

    I have this same problem with my dog. She does EXACTLY the same as LM and runs towards other dogs barking. I’ve trained her to walk beside me if we see another dog and she goes on the lead but the amount of people who shout “don’t worry he’s friendly” as their dog is charging towards us. I have found the yellow ribbon did help with some people, but those who are ignorant I’m afraid won’t notice the ribbon.
    Rant over…..lol

    Liked by 1 person

  2. maureenrose7

    this is one reason Im very lucky my liddle weener only weighs 12lbs. he is super friendly which is adorable but at the beach or any place where people should not really be taking their dogs off their leashes, even though I know bear will love to see the other pups run up to him I scoop him right up off the ground just to be on the safe side..he has no teeth hahaa and is tiny his best defense is his Mama!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. maureenrose7

        then of course ill ask ifthe other dog is friendly and put him down to greet but bear will go up to the other dog for 2 seconds and run right straight back into my arms and lick my face like crazy as if to tell me he just met someone haha its adorable! they are so much love!! ❤

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog

    Our dog is little, and one neighbor (a few doors down) let his massive dog free as we were crossing past his house with our dog on a leash. It aggressively bit our little dog and when i intervened it bit me also. They never apologized or offered to pay for the medical expenses. We took them to court and won.
    The husband once stalked us, at night, as we were walking our dog; he (a supposed human being) kept barking in our faces like a dog. Trump is not the only one who is insane in this country!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      That was awful! But no wonder your neighbour’s dog was so badly behave – look who taught it.
      This is what saddens me the most; that bad owners ruin a good dog.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. C. C. Cedras

    I fear that wee Fergus would be a problem…when he sees another dog, he wants to make friends and pulls on his leash to get there. Fortunately, I don’t let him approach people or dogs without permission. Still, I wish I could get him to consistently walk on a loose lead and heel. Still not there.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      At least you try to slow Fergus down. 🙂 While LM would not bite Fergus should he run up to her, there are dogs out there that will. My friend has taught her dog the word “slowly” in an attempt to slow her down when hairing up to another dog to make friends, like Fergus. 🙂
      It’s a work in progress! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      1. C. C. Cedras

        It is a constant work in progress. My word is “wait”, and sometimes it works. In my research about Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, I read that they don’t “speak dog”. That is, the normal body language that dogs instinctively use and recognize is not in their lexicon, so their humans have to act as their interpreter. As you’ve observed, not all humans do that for their pets, so that makes our job that much more difficult and critical.

        For while, I could legitimately say, “Fergus is still a puppy. He’ll get it.” But, he’s 14 months old and there are still these oh so important behaviors that we keep working on and he KNOWS what’s expected, but does them when it suits him. I am the alpha, dammit!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. scifihammy Post author

        We’ve had the most adorable King Charles at dog class, and yep, she took some work! 🙂
        I can’t speak either, since LM will charge at strange dogs; I think the Hunter kicks in, and she’s scared too. We’re lucky that Fergus and LM are nice dogs!
        As long as we keep trying . . . And trying . . . 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Vinny Idol

    How annoying. I find most people ignorant of dog behavior in general. I have a few neighbors who insist on walking their dogs a few feet from mine, while my dog is urinating. All that does is infuriate my dog, and I have to pickup him to calm him.. Good thing my dog is a maltese mutt.

    Excellent post.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Genie

    Too many dog owners with no clue about dogs nor humans.
    In fact, many people are clueless about most aspects of life, too self involved to be aware of others.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Laura

    How frustrating! It happens all the time on our walks too, it seems like there is no getting through to these people. I am currently training Bonnie to like a muzzle so I’m hoping that would make people think twice about bothering us while we’re on walks.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. scifihammy Post author

      A muzzle worked for Ray (Colin’s dog), so it’s worth a try.
      I also get frustrated, especially when I see a perfectly lovely dog ruined by bad owners.
      That’s why I love to read about you and Bonnie, because you do everything you can to make Bonnie a more balanced, happier dog. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Laura

        Yes it’s very sad to see a dog’s potential but for it to be ruined by bad owners. Thank you we do try our best just as you do with LM 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      2. scifihammy Post author

        Yes, it breaks my heart, as these dogs usually end up at the rescue organisations. But there are many others who try their best, and I see them all the time at dog class. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  10. colinandray

    Been there………. done that ………… got frustrated …….. time and time again! The yellow ribbon idea is here (Canada), but is so poorly promoted that most dog owners have no idea what it means. In Ray’s early days with us, we had to muzzle him when out. He loved it because nobody came close to him, and other dog owners would keep their distance!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      haha I love the muzzle idea 🙂 But I just wish people in general would be a bit more observant. If someone sees you coming, turns round and walks away, why would you follow them?

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Bun Karyudo

    Oh dear. Being approached by unknown dogs like that must be very stressful for Little Monkey. The Norwegian system of using a yellow ribbon mentioned by ladygrace33 sounds a very sensible one.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      I agree, the Yellow Ribbon is a great idea, but people need to know what it means, and to respect it.
      I actually used to have a dog that was great with all people and other dogs, but I still respected other people if they needed their space. And I have to admit, LM is very unique and odd! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      2. scifihammy Post author

        Things percolate slowly through to us here in South Africa, so who knows eventually? 🙂
        But I also have to admit that LM is a unique dog. (Oh all right, a right Noo Noo!) 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. scifihammy Post author

      If you could meet the kind of dog owners I meet on our walks . . . you’d be absolutely stunned! I have learnt from experience just to smile and walk away – and then moan to anyone who will listen afterwards! 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Garfield Hug

        It is not nice to behave the way they do. It gives bad vibes to their own dogs as they behave irresponsibly. You have our ears! You must be tired after all that detouring to avoid such a moron! Rest up you both! 😊

        Liked by 1 person

      2. scifihammy Post author

        Funny you say so, because yesterday I was half way down the road when I saw an ownerless dog wandering across the road in front of us! I had to about face and run away with LM – and luckily the dogs did not see each other. Still, I get my exercise! 😀

        Like

    2. pensitivity101

      Here in the UK you can buy little jackets that say ‘I am Nervous’ on them for your dog. I think it’s a great visual attention marker without being threatening or misunderstood. The yellow ribbon idea is brilliant and so simple.

      Liked by 2 people

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