@atomicpoet My own dog (on my leash) bit twice in about 2 years from exactly this scenario... off leash "friendly" dogs -- not managed by their owners who were standing right there.
@atomicpoet Oh man that would definitely be terrifying for me also, I love dogs, but not unknown dogs. You just never know how they will react even if they are usually friendly with people.
@atomicpoet dog owners are some of the most selfish thoughtless people out there. And since a lot of unideal people became dog owners during covid, the situation has got a lot worse.
@atomicpoet I love dogs but have no patience for these aggressive, bred-for-violence breeds. I was once bitten by a Rottweiler when I was on a run. I didn’t even know it was there until it was a metre behind me. The definition of unprovoked. The owners always says they’re sweet, precious angels right up until they eat a toddler. I should’ve pressed to have it destroyed.
@tantramar@atomicpoet The problem is that those dogs are often trained to be aggressive. None should ever be off leash when out of their fenced yards. Too bad you couldn't have pressed for the humans to be destroyed. :(
@CStamp@tantramar Yeah, I don't blame the dog so much as the human who let her dog off the leash -- even though signs in the park specifically state that dogs are to remain on the leash.
@atomicpoet@tantramar I am really lucky in my area. Dog owners are super considerate and responsible. When they allow their dogs to go off leash in the park, as soon as they see another human, they immediately call the dog back and leash. Big dogs, little dogs. For me, I love dogs, understand their body language, don't mind dogs running up, but there are lots of folk terrified of dogs, for whatever reason. I love the show of respect.
@atomicpoet@tantramar The flip side of that is when you see someone obviously training a young dog and a dog-less person approaches the animal regardless of whatever commands the human is giving, saying, "it's ok, I like dogs." It's not ok, the next person might not like dogs, respect the human trying to make the dog a better neighbour.
@CStamp@atomicpoet I’ve had dogs. Small dogs and big dogs. I love dogs. I can read them, too. They’re not subtle. One aggressive, unprovoked bite of a stranger and they’re done. No second chances.
@atomicpoet Yeah, "animals aren't little humans" shouldn't need to be explained to anybody...
They have very different body configurations from humans, very different mentalities, and I don't think even the most predictable dog is guaranteed to behave around strangers.