Big Black Dogs and A Walk Down The Street

Once upon a time, a friend of mine had a Rottweiler. So sweet. Her name, the Rottweiler, was Roxy. My friend was an advocate against Breed Specific Legislation, and at the time, Rottweilers were particularly targeted. My friend liked to take her dog everywhere and she continued to when she had children. She told me about an upsetting day at the park when families were actively avoiding her dog, her and her kids. She tried to encourage people to see Roxy as a friendly, gentle companion, but no one at the park was going for it. I said, "Cindy, when people are afraid a dog is going to bite their heads off, they don't feel comforted by the idea of giving them a treat from their hand, you know?" Cindy just didn't understand why she was experiencing the shunning.



I understand not being able to think like a person fearful of dogs. I also understand being concerned that people are not in control of their dogs, but when I see a family interacting with its dog and the dog is calm and obedient and comfortable with people being near, I smile. It's a beautiful thing to see: dogs as trusted family members participating in daily family activities. I love it. Sadly, I see families making excuses for their dogs' unsafe behaviors - "Oh, he just wants to play!" or "Oh, she's just worried my little one is going to fall off the slide!" - when what the dogs are doing is barking, herding and guarding which can turn into nips, trips and bites. Especially when you have a powerful breed of dog like a Rottweiler, you have to be triply conscious of how your dog's behavior not only is being interpreted, but is potentially escalating into a fear creating situation.

There are wonderful Rottweilers in the world who are calm and obedient and socially comfortable breed ambassadors, but even those Rottweilers can be feared. People have told me they've observed other people crossing the street to avoid them as they walk with their big, black and brown, loving, friendly-to-everyone, completely-controlled-with-a-loose-leash, slobbery, tolerant-of-toddlers-pulling-their-ears Rottweilers. They see it as people crossing the street simply because they have a Rottweiler. I'm sure that's true, but I have my own experience.

A few years ago, I was walking with Luna in our Perfect Place of Glen Arbor. We were walking along the sidewalks of downtown and it was off-season, therefore, not many people; just the way we like it. Luna could have been off-leash, but I assumed there was a leash law, and it's just more polite for her to be on-leash. The leash was loose because she doesn't pull, and we were just traipsing through town, two girls enjoying the sun. A man was approaching, and we smiled and made some room for him on the sidewalk. At about 15 feet away, he crossed the empty street to walk on the other side until he was about 10 feet past us, then he crossed back again to go into a store basically right behind us. It took me a block or two to realize he had purposely crossed the street to avoid walking by us. He crossed the street so he wouldn't walk near me and my Black Lab. My Big Black Dog.

So yes, people are concerned about big Rottweilers and may avoid them, but it's not just Rottweilers. People are afraid of Black Labs too. My Sweet Luna. I can't imagine anyone being afraid of her, but I have to accept it. It exists. I saw it. I think it had to be Big Black Dog Syndrome.


My Big Black Dog Named Luna