I have a well-mannered, quiet puppy who I’ve been training since adopting him. He’s quiet, friendly, and sticks close to me on walks. I thought that I was doing the bare minimum with him to ensure he’s not an annoyance, but I clearly could be doing less.
I did not truly appreciate how shitty some dog owners are until adopting him. The number of times we’ve been run-up on, attacked, or nearly attacked in public places where dogs are supposed to be on-leash is absolutely insane. I’ve had 2 aggressive off-leash dogs run up to us on random neighborhood streets in the last 24 hours, with owners mindlessly on their phones a block behind them. Dog parks here are an absolute no-go.
The reaction the aggressive dog owners have is also insane. People get offended and yell at me for picking my dog up and walking away from their hackles-raised, hard snapping, off-leash dog, claiming that “he’s friendly!!”
Why can’t people pick up their own dog’s excrement anywhere? Breweries, parks, city streets…people will let their dog poop and then walk away. I’ve tried asking politely, yelling, and offering dog bags, but people pretend they can’t hear you.
I hate having to prepare to cater to other people’s animals when I go out. I hate having to pick up other people’s dog shit because I care about the health of the community. I hate that I have to prepare for dog attacks in any given space in the city.
Shout-out to the other responsible dog owners who train their dogs, pick up after them, and don’t let them be nuisances. Maybe one day we’ll outnumber the shitty Seattle dog owners.
submitted by /u/slowhorses
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