The lady in the park who told me to stop letting my dog sniff everything

I was at Riverside Park last Saturday morning with my golden retriever, and this older woman with a little terrier walks by. She stops and says 'you should yank him away from those bushes, he's not out here to smell everything.' I told her respectfully that sniffing is how dogs explore the world and it calms them down. She just shook her head and walked off. Has anyone else had someone tell you to stop your dog from sniffing on a walk?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricialee1d ago

Sniffing is their newspaper, that lady was way out of line.

wendy6281d ago

Exactly. "Their newspaper" is the perfect way to put it. I've had people get huffy about my dog sniffing on walks too, just gotta let them do their thing for a minute or two, then move along.

claire_hart531d ago

Patricialee nailed it, sniffing is their newspaper and people need to back off. Letting my golden really sniff and explore for a good few minutes has actually made him way calmer the rest of the walk. Some folks just don't understand that a tired nose means a relaxed dog, right?