somerville dog: a weblog

How can you know if a dog is going to jump on you?

How can you tell if the person with an off-leash dog is an irresponsible dog owner who will not prevent her pet from jumping on you, or if she is a responsible dog owner who, without a leash, can prevent her pet from approaching you?

1. If the person with the dogs says, "Don't worry! He's friendly!" you can expect with high certainty that the dog will jump on you.


2. If the person with the dog is not paying attention to her dog, you can expect that the dog will approach you.


3. If the person with the dog is paying attention to her dog and makes eye contact with you and greets you, you can expect with high certainty that the dog will not approach you unless you have asked the owner for permission to greet her dog.

What kind of dog owner are you?

A responsible dog owner will never let her pet greet a person unless the person has asked to meet her pet. Many of us need a leash to be responsible.`