I HATE it when people teach their kids to be afraid of dogs
Careful yes, afraid no.
It's one thing to be CAREFUL, always ask dogs' owners if you can pet their dog, especially if it's not on the leash. If the dog is dangerous the owner won't let it roam free on the street.
I usually don't mind if from time to time someone seems afraid of my dog (who is always on the leash except in the dog park, not because she's dangerous or anything, because it's the law here).
But this week it happened like 5 times and I've had enough.
This is my dog:
Her name is Heli and she's 9 years old (2019). She's half Labrador and half Golden retriever. She's never bitten anyone in her life and barks only inside the apartment when someone unfamiliar knocks but calms down after few seconds.
Also I and like everyone that comes to my home often give her food from the hand (which many people consider even worse than petting a dog) and she's always very gentle and careful not to bite.
And around 5 times times this week while we were just minding our own business taking a walk while she was on a short least and people with kids would just stop, grab their kids' hands and immediately pull them away behind them and wouldn't move until we passed. I always say 'its okay she won't do anything' and I always get judging looks.
Dogs are people's best friends and dogs save human lives everyday from burglars and even a few months ago here in Croatia woman's dog saved her from potential murder.
Dog is a better security than an alarm and better defense than a knife or a pepper spray.
Also there's a way less chance that someone will try to assault you on a street if you have a dog with you.
I'm not saying there's not such thing as a dangerous dog, but that's not the reason to teach your kids to be afraid of them.
There's more chance that you're attacked by a human than a dog.
Teach your kids to be CAREFUL, not paranoic!
