Fyi about yellow markers on dog leads.
I need this.
I did not know this. And if this is used at all by anyone anywhere it should be taught to children at school.
My current dog is not a Dog In Need of Space, but my last one was, and it was really hard to keep people from coming straight up to him with other dogs when I was trying to keep him focused on me so he wouldn’t start screaming and carrying on. (He is not actually dog aggressive, and if he actually got to meet the other dog he would quickly lose interest, but I have also walked dogs for whom that was not the case. It is much, much worse when you are suddenly trying to prevent a dogfight because your dog-unfriendly dog, who was walking quietly on leash, has suddenly had her space invaded by a loose dog.)
My current dog is afraid of toddlers, and I wish fewer people would let their small children run right up to her without asking. It’s amazing how many people do this, given that they have no earthly idea whether my dog is friendly or not. Fortunately she has never yet done more than look wide-eyed and tuck her tail, but I never, ever want to be responsible for an accident with a child and so I try to control her meetings with little kids.
This is a very new initiative, but I’d like to see it catch on if only so that people start getting a little more clued in that not all dogs are friendly to everyone—and that is totally okay. With horses, a red ribbon in the tail is a well-recognized similar cue. It would be awesome if this yellow ribbon thing took on a widely recognized similar meaning. That said, I’ve seen a little mild criticism of the idea that I tend to agree with—namely, that for a lot of dogs in need of space, if you are close enough to see a yellow ribbon on the lead, you are probably already too close. Something to keep in mind.
(Source: naturalnightnurse, via starfoozle)
