Are You Friendly?

   Have you ever noticed any humans asking if you and your dogs are "friendly"? Apparently, there is not one common meaning for this term. In our world, friendly means calm, cool, and collected, able to function out in society without aggression. Being friendly means we can all get along, it doesn't mean we have to "like" eachother on Facebook or anything! Over the course of my 11+ years of socializing(parks, beaches, campgrounds, trails, etc.) I have heard that question of "friendliness" about a million times, and half of the people asking have UNfriendly dogs! Is this a paradox? Is this some sort of reverse psychology greeting? It is definitely very confusing! I am bringing it up today because it just happened again, at the beach this morning.
   Stranger(from a distance): "Are your dogs friendly?"
   My human: "Yes."
   Stranger(as he approaches with his dog off-lead): "My dog doesn't like other dogs." He states this while eyeballing me as I engage in sniff-butts with his dog.
   My human: "So keep walking." She does a shooshing thing with her hand to make sure the stranger understands, because they don't really speak the same language.
   So the stranger walks on, and we continue playing in the ocean at the spot where we had parked our stuff. I never wander far from my human because we are always occupied with swimming, retrieving, etc., so she doesn't need to yell to people from a distance. She also never asks if another dog is friendly because if they are running loose, off-lead, it is assumed that they are. That statement brings me right back to the issue at hand, assuming that all dogs and their humans are "friendly" in the way we think of the term! In response to this confusing state of dog affairs, I have a few tips on etiquette for both friendly and not-so-friendly people and their dogs:
     A. If your dog "does not like other dogs", do not take it to dog-friendly places!
     B. If your dog is not friendly, keep it on a leash in public, possibly muzzle him/her.
     C. If your dog does not stay close to you at all times when off-leash(running up to other dogs or
          people is actually called "charging" and is illegal.), and you must yell to it or approaching
          people/dogs from a distance, then your dog needs to be on a leash.
     D. If you and your dog are friendly, beware of those who are asking.
     E. If someone tells you that their unrestrained dog is not friendly, tell them to put the leash
         on or face a fine.
     F. If a strange dog charges you and yours, while the owner is miles away, be sure to educate that
         person about "charging" and how it is not O.K.! (If their dog starts a fight, who is going to
         break it up? Who is going to get injured?)
   In conclusion, whether you and your dogs are "friendly" or not isn't relevant. What is important is that everyone respects other people and their rights to play in public spaces! If you want to take your unfriendly pup to the beach, great! Just know that you are in public, and that a majority of the others there are friendly so you cannot expect everyone else to worry about you! Keep that pup on a leash until he/she learns some manners!

                                                                  Happy Tails!!!