Some People...

[Chicknesholay]

So people really annoy me.
I walk my dog Hannah everyday for about an hour or so depending on the heat.
Now I don’t know how many of you remember what she is but she’s a Mastiff/Rott/GSD mix. She’s not really big (by my standards) she’s shorter but very broad shouldered and has a large head and neck.
Anyways I walk her with a normal collar high up on her neck behind her ears, I have no problem with controlling her, she heels all the time and rarely pulls. When there are other dogs she sees or hears most of the time I will get a little whine and sometimes a slight pull, but that’s all. And she doesn’t even do that to people, she normally ignores them.
I get so tired though of every single time I walk her people jumping out of my way, crossing to the other side of the street, giving her as wide of berth as they can, giving me dirty looks, walking faster to get away from us and just all around avoidance of my dog and me.
The other day there was a local band playing at this gazebo thing behind my house. I was walking Hannah later that day because of the heat and decided to stop by there and listen to the band for a few minutes and give her a break.
I stayed off to the side away from the crowd of people. After getting a few dirty looks some people moved away. Then after a little bit I sat down and Hannah flopped over onto her back.
After I had been there for a little bit some kids (around 10-12) decided to play tag. Hannah loves kids but after I reminded her to stay where she was she was fine. Then this one girl thought it was a bright idea to run right in front Hannah, about a few inches from her noise. Well Hannah sat up and pulled a little because she wanted to play. She did not lunge, she did not bark, she barely pulled. What did the mother of the girl do? She grabbed her kid and went to the other side of the gazebo all the while glaring at me like my dog attacked her kid.
Then yesterday I was walking Hannah at the same gazebo (no band there today) and there were a group of kids there.(18 or so years old ) I stayed on the sidewalk and just made sure Hannah was paying attention to me. So I turn the corner where I couldn’t see because of some bushes and there is a guy kneeling down there with a daschund. What does he do when he sees Hannah who hasn’t even pulled or whined? He grabs his dog picks him up and jumps up and back away, like Hannah was going to eat his dog.
I’m sorry for this long, kinda of pointless post, I just needed to vent. I just get so tired of people thinking my dog is evil because she has a broad head

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/ChickneSholay/01-03-04018.jpg

Looks like she’s going to eat you right?

[DragonSpirit]

She doesn't look scarey at all!! She's very pretty. And I thought most people were afraid of pitbulls (whom can be very very sweet)..... That is rediculous..

[ThisVacantHeart]

lol right now we have two pit bull puppies and people will walk up to them and pet them and say how cute they are. As soon as they find out they're pit bulls, they jump back loike a couple of tiny 7 week old puppies are going to eat them.

[MokeyBird]

What I do when I take Basil to the park is when I am on the path, it will be ME to take Basil off the path to go around people. If I don't do that, I will take him to the side, stop, and make him sit until the people pass. Basil isn't very "scary" looking, but he is still a big dog and people are still intimidated by him. I started doing this after a few girls tiptoed by by big bloke wide eyed and tense. Doing these things really help the other people on the path.

If we do stop to watch the kids play or rest, I will just sit down right next to him and put my arm around him or lay him down and rub on him.

I hate to say this, but dress him up a bit. Go to Wal Mart and buy a .25 cent bandana and wrap it around his collar. Don't get the ones with stupid skulls on them. Get the bright ones. The blue one with paw prints look really good. Be bright and cheerful when you walk him. Don't watch people like you are waiting for a problem. Wave. Say hi. Be friendly. Talk to your dog in that annoying Pooksiekins voice.

If you adopted him, decorate him(like on the bandana) with "Adopted" and "Rescue Since --"

If your dog will be good try walking on a loose lead. If you lead tightly like you are showing your dog, no slack in the lead, then you will appear tense to other people and if you are tense with your dog, there MUST be a reason. Of course I am just speculating and trying to think like "they" do. A loose lead means that you are not worried about your dog at all and he is not a problem.

My grandma was really nervous about our rott when we had her. I remember her sitting tense on the front porch with her twenty feet away. So what did I do, I plopped my bum right next to granny and called Maggie. She lumbered over to me and layed down by me and put her head in my lap. I just started loving on saying she was just a "big teddy bear" and while Grandma didn't warm up to her, she looked less tense.

It just takes time. I wish you luck. He is really handsome.

[rodentz]

people do that to me too ALL the time!

and look at my dog

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o240/aaronandshelby/Picture078.jpg


she dosnt look scarey at ALL

[hitbystars]

aw I wanna pinch her cheeks

& more and more people with children are idiots... their kids can do any destructive crap they want, but when something happens, its everyone else's fault but their own.

[S t e p h]

She's Beautiful, Not Scary At All!

[Punkygirl0101]

Oddly enough, people do the same to me (I have all small dogs)..some people just don't like dogs, and are cautious if they have children, even around small dogs!

[Alasse]

Most cross to the other side of the street when i walk Scooby. Pfftt no skin of my nose...as long as they dont touch him he could care less where they walk.

I dont know how many kids i have to stop in their tracks because they want to cuddle him, then i have to find their parents and tell them they should teach their children better dog sense. My kids do not approach ANY dog unless given permission by the owner.

[FemaleCheetah]

Aw she is very cute!

Being the owner of a pit bull I know what you mean! The kids in my complex have some sense though they always ask me if she bites and if they can pet her, they never run up to her and pet her even though Zoe could care less. She loves kids, people, and other animals. Everyone is so surprised at how calm, friendly, and relaxed Zoe always is. She always has a smile on her face and her butt is always wagging back and forth a million miles a minute lol

[Mistwraith]

She's very cute! Not scary at all!

rodentz- You're dog is cute! I LOVE Siberian Huskys, they are my favorite dogs!

[hitbystars]

I was walking Painter (the min-pin) and someone with a Chihuahua picked their dog up and acted SO offended when Painter started walking on two legs and barking at it... they're the same size lady! lol.

[dogluver8906]

I have walked a lot of various sized dogs since a lot of the rescues have stayed with me and I tend not to get a bad reaction. Even when I've cared for pit bull mixes in the past people tended not to avoid me. I've had small kids ask if the dog bites before they approach but that's mostly it. Oh but the one person that really bothered me was when my next door neighbor had just gotten a boxer. I went over and asked if Shorty could maybe go over to meet her since he likes to play with dogs bigger than him. Her owner however said no because according to him my dogs are "vicious". I really just had to laugh at that lol! Shorty has always been very friendly to both people and other dogs and Gigi tends to avoid other dogs, not to mention she's A LOT smaller than his boxer and is shy around people she doesn't know, yet he thinks they're vicious??? Now I'm actually happy he said no though, because his boxer shows aggression whenever either of the dogs or me or my mom gets near the fence between our two backyards.

[Tazwell]

I get that reaction most of the time when with a big dog. Especially with the large fosters and dogs I transport for the rescue. We'll be in the store, and the dog (who may weigh 100 lbs) Will be perfectly behaved. And people treat them like the devil.

Your dog looks like a wonderful gentle dog, but some people just don't like large dogs to invade their space, I guess :rolleyes:

[madanesor]

I wouldn't worry about it. Some people just don't like dogs. I walk a 23 pound dog that looks like a stuffed animal and i get people looking at me. When the man picked up his daschund, I do that when my dog sees big dogs two. Not because I am scared of the big dog (except for one) but because my dog gets intimidated by big dogs. It is for the big dog owners sake that my dog isn't barking at them all over the place or cowarding behind me. It is easier to let them pass. Some parents are cautiouse. All the kids in my area no jake already and love him, but they asked when we first got him. Now he knows each of them and they even walk him when we go away. THey don't ask anymore, but I think they are beyond that because he knows who is going to throw a ball for him and who will give him belly rubbs when he sees them.

[rmcallister]

Ohhh... Chicknesholay, your dog reminds me so much of my aunt's old dog, who passed away last year.

I don't get it. That dog looks like a sweetie. People can have really stupid opinions about animals sometimes.

[Rat101010101010]

Aww man that's such a sweet girl!
Little Hannah:)
Anyway I'm like, totally, surprised people would do that.
Being a kid myself I LOVE animals, but that's just me.
My Mum would never let me touch a dog without asking the owner which is what I'd simply do!
I mean, some of my friend run and scream.
Like when this German Shepard trotted in through a gap in the school fence and sit down at the wall everyone ran off. Leaving me!! LOL!!
I can't see how scary she was. The owner lived across from me and I asked if she would like me to bring her out so I did and she followed along without any problem. Some people are weird.

[Fluff N Roll]

I will never understand why people do that.

When I go and volunteer with A Different Breed an animal rescue here we have a dog names Ziggy. He's a 3 year old, 100 pound, Pit Bull who we call the mascot of ADB. He's been with us pretty much his whole life and bounced from foster to foster. He now lived with a newer foster on 10 acres of land, but comes up to every adoption.

I spend almost the whole day with him loving on him and walking him. I always get at least a dirty look, but have gotten a lot worse. I've had some one actually tell me he should be put to sleep because he's a pit bull. Or kids running for their lives afraid he's going to eat them.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/fluff_n_tuck/FosterDogs/ADB%20Dogs/36dcabe1.jpg

[Rat101010101010]

Hannah's face reminds me of my Shepard....:(