There Are No Bad Dogs....

Isn't that what they say? There are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners.

So, Wrigley and I are walking down the first street and I told you yesterday that I heard guys yelling for their dog, Lady. Then I see the younger guy, I am assuming the son, chasing the dog all over the place. Are you kidding me? Did he really expect to catch the dog? You don't chase dogs for one. They think it's a game and they'll run all day long with you chasing them. I thought about turning around and going the other way, but alas it was too late, Lady came running right at us from down the street.

I tried to stay calm so Wrigley couldn't sense my nervousness. Dogs know when you are nervous and it makes them nervous. So, I just kept walking. The hair stood up all the way down Wrigley's back when the dog approached and I will say it rattled my nerves a bit as well because it turned out to be a pit bull. It was only a puppy, but it was about 4 times the size of Wrigley and I had no idea what it was going to do.

The owners continued to try to coax her into the house, and they kept saying, "She won't bite," and I kept thinking.......are you sure?

I know that pit bulls get a bad rap, but if you recall a couple of years ago, there was a little boy and girl that were out selling something for school door to door that were attacked by 3 pit bulls.....well the little boy almost died. He was in the hospital for a long time. That attack happened at my corner. It was one of the most awful nights ever. We heard the gunshots when they shot the dogs. It was terrible. Those kids were ripped apart and have physical and emotional scars that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Needless to say, as much as I love dogs, I am leery of dogs I don't know, no matter what breed they are, when they are loose.

Lady jumped on me a few times...not a friendly little jump, but a running jump! Man was she strong! The son kept chasing and the dad kept telling him not to. I continued to walk, but she kept following us.

After she had approached us a few times and didn't try to bite me or attack Wrigley, I started putting my hand out to her, hoping she wouldn't rip it off and eventually I was able to grab her collar and her owner came over and took her.

We live in a neighborhood with a lot of dogs. Many people like us have more than one dog. Many of the dogs are in their yards and are allowed to bark at every person that strolls by. It's really annoying. Some of them are in their houses barking and lunging at the windows! It's unnerving.

Dogs that run around their yards barking at people, or dogs that do the same thing inside their houses are bored dogs with irresponsible owners. I feel bad for dogs that never leave their yards. How awful that must be. Even if you have a fenced yard, dogs need to be walked. They need to get out in the world. They need to be on a leash so they know that you are the boss. They don't need to be in the yard to play alone, they need you to play with them.

Bad behaviors happen when dogs are bored and aren't getting the attention and exercise they need. If you have a dog...walk them, play with them and always let them know that you are the boss. Discipline them with love and be consistent. That's what they need and that's what they want. So give your dog a big hug and then take him for a walk...it'll be good for both of you!