Yesterday evening we took Ray for a short walk and, as we went down one particular street, we noticed some stalls set up in the parking lot of a local veterinary business. Curiosity got the better of us and we went over to see what was going on.
It was not particularly exciting, but it was all animal related products and information and, much to Ray’s delight, there were treats! Ray attracted the attention that he always does and, of course, we go through the “Say hello Ray” routine so that he actually initiates the contacts after which he generally gets a treat from us. Various people had a compulsive desire to touch him, which he accommodated very well (“Want a treat buddy?”)
I have certain expectations of people, not all of which are perhaps realistic, but there are some basics which I believe are reasonable. One is that, any event that involves a veterinary office will have staff who display a knowledge of dogs and dog behavior. Logically, how can anybody run a vet business effectively unless considerable animal skills are practiced?
At one stall, and after Ray had said hello a few times and been treated accordingly, one of the ladies there offered to put a bandana over Ray’s head so that he could wear it. As soon as Ray saw it coming towards him, he took a couple of steps backwards. To my amazement, she started to approach him again and only stopped after I gave a very clear “No!” She looked rather puzzled by our apparent change of mind, so I explained that he had already made his wishes known by backing away!
In fairness to the lady, she may not have any direct connection with the veterinary business, and could well have been a well meaning volunteer just manning a stall….. but in an environment that would encourage visitors with animals, wouldn’t you think …………………………………………? Exasperated!
A New Direction Perhaps? 
Sadly, too many people don’t understand even the most basic signals that dogs send out. But that doesn’t stop them from wanting to interact!
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Isn’t it odd though that they can generally read human body language! 🙂
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By their very nature, the clueless are everywhere and sadly are impossible with whom to communicate. *Sigh*
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🙂
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Encounters like that are always so frustrating, you did well in protecting him though – it’s all we really can do in those scenarios and maybe try to gently educate but sometime’s people don’t want to admit they could’ve done wrong so aren’t receptive to it I’ve found unfortunately.
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Hi Laura. I think your experience is quite typical. Some people appreciate the instant education, while others give you the “Whatever!” look. (It’s only a dog after all!)
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I don’t know – if you tried to do something like that to a kid (i.e., give them something) and they backed away, you wouldn’t keep going at them. It seems like common sense just in general!
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It should certainly be common sense but………………!
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Common sense is sorely lacking in the general population these days!
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That does appear to be the case doesn’t it, although I am not sure whether it is a trend… or whether perhaps it has always been like that! 🙂
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I suspect it has always been like that!
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Sometimes people just don’t think. I have to be honest, I don’t know how Maggie would react in a similar instance.
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3 years ago, Ray would have immediately lunged and barked (go away!); if ignored, I would suspect that he would have bitten.
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It goes to show how far he’s come, hasn’t it.
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Looking back over the 3-1/2 years that he has lived with us… he has made huge progress!
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How about the reaching over the dog’s head to pet him with a really curved arm position so the dog can’t bite? I see this mostly in kids. As you have previously stated, if the dog wanted to bite, the person just wouldn’t be fast enough to get out of the way no matter where their arm was. Education, one person at a time…
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Re Reaching over a dog’s head? I try and explain that if you saw a person six times your size, who you did not know, coming straight towards you… how would you feel? If that person stopped right in front of you and then leaned over towards you… how would you feel? If you saw a huge hand coming towards you and it suddenly disappeared over your head… what would you do? Ray cannot say “Stop” or “Go away”… but he can bark and bite!
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Yep, I really meant that not as a question, but as a “can you believe this!” sort of thing. Just naming another one of the stupid things people do around dogs.
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Yup…… it’s up there with “It’s okay, all dogs love me!”, and the idiot that thinks it’s cool to try and stare him down, or make a barking sound at him. There are so many (idiots) out there that it does take some of the fun away from walking Ray and enjoying his company.
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I try to always have an informative lecture at the ready. Nothing nasty, just boring. It tends to move them on and not stop next time, LOL! My best one is how to tell the difference between a schnauzer and a scottie!
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Yes I guess that would work! 🙂
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To be honest. Even if I am an animal expert I would always ask the holder if it was ok to do this or that…. most of all when I see the reaction of the animal!
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It’s just common sense and courtesy …. sadly neither of those traits are as common as one would wish! 🙂
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You are experiencing that a lot, I guess!
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Yes but, like I stressed in a recent Post, the tendency is to remember the one idiot that we met on walk and forget all the people who behaved responsibly. It seems that we have a default to focus on negatives and ignore the positives, which I recognize and consciously work at correcting! 🙂
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For some reason we do function that way. But perhaps because it is the exception and stands out more!
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🙂
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Even me who only knows about dog behavior through you would have gotten the message. Cats are similar. You can read them, often by their tail movements or the position of their ears. You can’t force anything without a reaction.
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You got it Kate! I think you should get a dog! 🙂
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Agh silly woman! At least you protected Ray. 🙂
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Absolutely! I may be a little over-protective, but better that than having to deal with an issue for which Ray would almost certainly be blamed!
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Oh I’m with you on this and am constantly placing myself between LM and idiots! 🙂
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Sadly, it seems to be a fact of life, and if an idiot does find a way around and suffers in consequence, it somehow becomes the dog’s fault!
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Yes you would think………! I hope that your walk today is less exasperating!
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I hope so too! 🙂
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You should have went to the lake yesterday instead 🙂
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“You should have gone……….” is much better. We supported our local Humane Society in a fundraising walk late morning/early afternoon, so we decided to keep Ray close to home in the evening.
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