Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovetv
I like seeing dogs at the squares and in public, but we don't know them as you know your dog(s) in your own house, and your guests know or get to know your dog(s) when they come to dine. Out in public, and in restaurant patios where there's lots of foot traffic in tight walkways, having various dogs of unknown training, background and varying levels of responsible ownership makes it a whole different ballgame than when they're in their/your own home.
I've seen some edgy situations at Lake Sumter Landing when a couple of dogs who don't know each other start growling and yelping in a crowd of people, and it's looked like a dogfight coming. Sometimes owners are not able to hold their frothing dog back, and because they don't have control they laugh it off (but it's not funny at all).
I also saw and posted last year that I saw a large dog on the sidewalk suddenly lunge under the rail of Johnny Rockets patio and under the table where a couple had their two small dogs sitting there and were bothering nobody. The big frothing dog was absolutely vicious, and the owners acted like this was no big deal, but it was. They had a hard time dragging the beast out of there on the leash. The dogs and people with their legs under the table could have been severely injured.
The problem is unpredictability of dogs having varying owners/training when mixing them into crowds or busy restaurant patio walkways. A well-trained dog can react suddenly and badly to certain dogs and not others, and strangers want to pet them but often strangers have no idea how to approach a dog they don't know. They have no idea about holding out a hand slowly for the dog to sniff and check out before accepting a hug or petting, etc.
This is an incident that illustrates a sudden attack on a waitress who put a dish of water down for a dog in the restaurant and the mauling to her face required 300 stitches (and I'd think she has PTSD for which her lawyers will also be suing):
Dog-mauling in Miami Beach sparks debate, caution | www.palmbeachpost.com |
Oh, for Pete's sake. This is inflammatory. For one thing, dogs do not froth unless they're rabid. You're exaggerating. For another, you can come up with anecdotes to prove any point, whether it be dogs or humans. That waitress/water incident has been around the block many times. These incidents are not the norm.