A friend brought this article to my attention and I thought I'd share because few thing irritate me as much as people touching my pets without permission. Dog's Are Not Public Property. It's a pretty simple concept but one that so many people seem to not understand. Yes dogs are adorable and of course they're lovely to stroke and cuddle but not all dogs want you to bother them. If they're out for a walk then they're probably quite happy being left alone. Many dogs do not like strangers and find the experience of a stranger petting them to be unwelcome. So just ask first and don't take it personally if the owner says no.
Personally I extend this view beyond dogs, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that. I hate when someone comes into my house and starts fussing around my rats and gerbils. Their only little and you're HUGE and they don't know you. I don't like the idea of my pets being made to feel unhappy in their home. It's supposed to be a safe, comfortable place for them and some stranger poking their fingers through the bars is just asking to be nipped if you ask me. Luckily that's never happened.
One of my friends is banned from touching the rats or gerbils because he nearly dropped a gerbil, grabbed it by it's tail and let it hang there. Seriously. I wasn't there to witness it but my fiancé was. I'm not sure how I'd have reacted to that. He then found it funny when one of the rats nicked his (unlit) cigarette while he was looking at them through the bars of their cage...so he did it again. So yes, now he's banned from touching them. Other that those two incidents he's a great guy, I'm just unsure whether I'd leave him alone with any of my future kids.
I'm not strict about much but I am very, very tough when it comes to my pets. Don't mess with me and my furbabies!
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