Sam's chats with the void: Petting people's dogs
I've been gaining the courage to ask if I can pay people's dogs every so often, and I wanted to share what has happened so far.
Before I get into this, I never approach someone to pet their service dog, a dog that appears to be getting trained (being handed treats on a semi regular basis), or a dog that appears to be reactive. Unless they have a sign saying they want help with training their dog, approaching these dogs can be harmful.
Into the more lighthearted stuff!
So far nobody has said no! One person said "someone should be meeting us here soon, and then we'll have to be on our way," but even that wasn't a no. (That dog was an old golden retriever btw. Super friendly and gentle. Loved getting some slow massage like pats.)
One time I asked someone in a park if I could pet their dog, and they said yes. The dog wasn't super interested in being pet, but was having a fun time sniffing around while the owner and I got talking. The owner had their phone ring, they said "oh I have to take this, could you entertain her for a minute?" And handed me a ball. That dog and I had so much fun for about 15 minutes while the owner took the call. After she thanked me, because her dog gets bored when they stay still for too long, and she has a hard time multi-tasking. I was just happy I got to bond with the dog in the way she enjoyed.
Sometimes I've been given instructions for how to interact with the dog to make sure I wouldn't mess up any training. Things like "If they jump up, stop all interacting with them, and turn around." Usually those dogs are puppies, and I'm happy to make sure they don't get confused in their training.
I really recommend asking to pet people's dogs.make sure to be polite, and be taking extra care to read the dog's body language. Let them sniff you before seeing if they want pets, and definitely do not chase them. Be kind to the dog and the owner. Talk to the owner, and talk about dogs or something.
And most important of all, if the owner says no, don't pet their dog. Also don't pet their dog before asking (even if the dog has greeted you). They may be busy, know something you don't know, or just not want to deal with a stranger, and that is perfectly okay.
But if the owner says yes...
