I was walking my elderly small dog down NW 20th this evening with my partner when a man absorbed in his phone walked toward us, with his standard poodle and husky. I could see the husky staring us down as we got closer so I pulled my leash short and veered toward the other side of the sidewalk.
Unfortunately, both dogs lunged at us and this very distracted man had no idea what was going on until they jumped the full length of their leashes. His dogs very made contact with us, and I was pressed all the way up against a car on the side of the street. Both my partner and I put our bodies between his dogs and our dog in an attempt to prevent an attack. This man then proceeded to chastise us for “sneaking up on him” because “not all dogs are friendly.” Mind you, we’d been in his sight for the length of most of a city block, if he’d just glanced up from his phone.
I immediately called him out for his carelessness and lack of attention to his own dogs. He proceeded to cuss me out as he hustled away.
I have a ton of sympathy for the challenge that is reactive dog ownership, but there’s no excuse for letting your two big dogs lunge at a stranger when you can’t control them. It’s obvious this has happened to him before, and he’s made no moves to be be more attentive when walking his dogs around the neighborhood.
So, PSA: If you see a bearded man with a standard poodle and a husky walking around Ballard, cross the street or, I guess, clap your hands and wave to be sure he knows you‘re there.
submitted by /u/Longjumping_Cherry32
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