FACT – As any pet parent will inform you, pets, regardless of species or breeds, have well-defined personalities and temperaments, just as human beings do. This automatically implies that some may be more or less friendly than others. Therefore, to assume that every approach from a stranger will be met with friendly wags of the tail and affectionate kisses is inappropriate, as well as extremely risky.
Many accidental confrontations, which ultimately end up causing grievous injury to either the animal or the human, result from our inability to correctly gauge an animal’s mood and feelings. A dog’s owner is the best person to let you know whether his pet is generally friendly and receptive to strangers, or if they need habituation to individuals before being approached, or even if they are generally friendly but may at that time be dealing with an injury, ill-health or some trauma that may make them unnaturally hostile and aggressive.
It is also erroneous to assume all dogs have had the same background, training and upbringing. Rescued dogs, for instance, frequently have traumatic histories that make them distrustful of humans and wary of being approached, thus making it inadvisable to unreservedly approach them. In fact, often it is noticed that dogs with a history of abuse, which is impossible to know unless the current owner tells you, will associate any sudden moves, even affectionate ones, with violence and pain, thereby making them attack out of an instinct for self-defence.
Even the most ardent dog lovers must remind themselves, would it be acceptable for us to go up to someone’s child and start a conversation with them without seeking the parents’ permission first? We will be viewed with utmost suspicion. How, then, can we assume that mere animals, incapable of higher order thinking skills such as reasoning and critical analysis, especially those facing challenging circumstances, will not be suspicious of a stranger approaching them, and will not react adversely? Therefore, prudence lies in always asking the owner if it is alright, and permissible, to even approach, much less pet, their dog.
