[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by srswans

What’s the proper protocol for walking past a dog walker say on a sidewalk at a rec center?

This morning I was attempting to pass a dog walker when the dog startled then growled and bared its teeth at me. The walker didn’t register my presence until the dog reacted. He then commanded the dog to stand down and moved over.

The walker was wearing headphones over a hood so he probably wouldn’t have heard me even if I had said “Good morning” or “excuse me.”

The walker was moving slowly and using the entire sidewalk. He also made some comment about “not a good idea.”

I just want to get home without being bitten.

When I come up behind someone using the entire sidewalk I usually step into the road to get past them. For most of my walk I am walking against traffic so stepping into the road is fairly safe. If I need to get by in one of the other sections, I just look carefully for traffic and then walk quickly by and back onto the sidewalk.

If someone is walking towards me on the sidewalk then I almost always move to the right hand side and stay on the concrete. If they aren't in a wheelchair then they don't need the entire walk (and if they are then I would give them space). I am also stubborn enough to stay on the walk on general principle even if this risks being bitten.