I feel no need to pet stranger’s dogs. I also don’t feel the need for my dog to meet stranger’s dogs. I leave them alone. It isn’t worth it to me. I interact with people I know or in situations where socialization is welcome, expected and invited. There are exceptions when I interact with the person, and they invite the interaction. And even then, I have my antenna up to back off if something is wrong.
For some dogs, a bad interaction results in a social defeat. That blows the dog’s confidence and creates a new bad memory that will affect future responses. It’s not good for your dog to be bullied by a human or other dog. Each encounter should be good for everyone involved and every dog they have with them. It is also foolish to get in arguments with strangers, even if you are in the right. Just walk away instead of letting things get out of control. The only fight worth having, in almost all cases, is one where it is justified in the eyes of God and man, otherwise… leave the situation.
While this article describes an extreme case, a stranger is a stranger. I leave people alone in public. Not everyone wants interaction, and a small percentage of people are unstable, and some are dangerous, regardless of how they appear. Same with their dogs.
Just like I wouldn’t just invite anyone I don’t know into my home, and I wouldn’t allow a stranger to just come up to me and touch me, I also reciprocate the same to strangers and their dogs
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