Q&A with ‘The Paw Man’ (619) – An Event? Or A Non-Event Kathleen Gibbings Hi Grant, I am one of your regular readers and thought you might be interested in this little piece I wrote for my website today, following an incident earlier in the afternoon. I live in Paradise Point where the dog population exceeds the human population. I think I will have to put a mussel (dont even know how to spell it!) on poor old Rowdy, as I dont want a repeat of this incident. Hes a farm dog on an extended holiday at the beach before we return to the country in the New Year. All the best, Kathleen I love dogs, but dog owners? There I was, just doing my own thing in the village where I live. I’d posted some letters, picked up some fresh vegetables and popped into the local butcher. Rowdy, my ageing cattle dog, had come along for the walk as he usually does. He’s a reserved chap, not interested in other people or other dogs. I’d tied him up outside the butchery as is my usual practice (it’s a frustrating location for any hound) but he never barks or whimpers. He knows to just wait patiently for me to return, then I untie him and we go about our business. Which is exactly what we did today – until I was confronted by an angry woman, cradling a small, white dog. “You need to be careful with that dog”, she barked. Say what? “Your dog just bit my dog on the face”, she snarled. Now she had my attention. “I’m so sorry. Is your dog okay? How did this happen?” “No, she’s not okay! She’s traumatised”. “But how did this happen?” I repeated, knowing full well that Rowdy had been securely tied to a post while I was in the shop. “She only went over to say hello”, the woman said. Hello? Hello! You let your dog go over to another dog when the owner wasn’t around, to say hello? Since when did dogs need social nourishment from strangers? I apologised again and hastily took my leave. Confrontation was not on my agenda. The conversation could have easily turned ugly had I told her the facts of dog life: No.1: It’s never a good idea to approach a dog you don’t know, especially if the dog is tied up. Would you pat a dog in the back of a utility? No. 2: Never approach a dog in the absence of its owner. No. 3: If you care about your dog, exercise caution and common sense and don’t put it in harm’s way. And finally, as much as we love them, dogs are not people. They are animals, with a strong sense of hierarchy and no qualms about letting other dogs know who’s in charge. And for the record, there were no physical signs of attack on the pampered pooch so it would appear it really was only its feelings that had been hurt. Oh dear! Paw Man Yup, thats my take on it as well, an event (or non-event) caused by dog owner ignorance and over humanisation. Kathleen, would you mind if I posted your story to my page? Kathleen Gibbings Hi Grant, apologies for the delay in getting back to you. Im a psychology student getting ready for an encore career in my sixties. Id be delighted if you posted my story on your page, but, yes, please feel free. It would be great!! By the way, I love your work and really enjoyed your regular posts from NZ. Youve really changed the way I handle my dogs - I definitely believe in balanced training. Best wishes, Kathleen Pawman In relation to the event with your dog I offer the following comments; 1. Whilst it may not be legal in some locations to leave a dog tethered in a public place such as a shopping centre, you know the level of reactivity of your own dog and it’s a judgement call on your part. 2. It is not YOU who needs to be careful with your dog it is her who needs to be careful what she does with her dog. You correctly identify that it is not a smart move to approach a tethered dog and allowing her dog to do that to your dog in your absence is just stupidity. Never approach an unknown dog without the owners permission….. and if the owner is not there then you do not have permission! 3. If being a little ‘traumatised’ is the only negative outcome of the incident then we can only hope that the amount of ‘trauma’ was enough to teach the human not to do that irresponsible behavior again. 4. The more dog owners humanise their dogs the less they will understand their actions and the more problems they will cause. This is my biggest fear with the popularity of positive-only dog training and the ideology that accompanies it where the dog has the same rights as children and is treated like one. Doing this will just increase the number of dog aggression incidents and dog bites and ultimately result in more dogs being euthanised :(
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 02:40:38 +0000
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