I don't have a dog, so I can't say I know how to walk a dog from personal experience. But, come on, it's not that hard.
Step One: Put a leash on your dog.
Step Two: Walk on the left side of the road or a sidewalk.
Step Three: Avoid traffic.
Simple, right?
You'd think so. But...no.
Today on the way home from errands I saw two examples of how not to walk your dog.
The first lady was doing something correctly, she was using a sidewalk on a busy road so as to not endanger her dog. She was doing a great job of keeping her dog safe and out of traffic.
But, my problem with her was that she was PUSHING her dog - not walking - PUSHING. As in, the dog was enclosed in a mesh stroller and she was pushing him.
Really?!
Don't dogs enjoy being outside on walks? Don't they love the sights and smells of nature? Don't they like peeing every 5 seconds on everything they pass? They can do none of these things from an enclosed stroller. It was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen.
The second dog-walker I passed was actually a pair of dog walkers - so they were doubly disappointing. Again, they had one part right, but seemed to neglect the second and third step.
It was a couple and they each had a dog on a leash. Congratulations! You're letting your dog use their own legs and explore the outdoors under your supervision. Way to go!
But...these bozos were walking on the right side of the road, in the middle of the right side of the road. What made this worse was when they heard our car coming (cause how could you NOT hear our car) they didn't budge! They didn't move a foot out of the way. They didn't even pull their dogs in close to protect them from the car. How can you just ignore oncoming machinery that could kill your pet? How can you keep walking in the middle of the road when a car is coming?
How do you know that the driver sees you and is going to drive around you? You can't know that. It's especially hard to know that when you're walking on the wrong side of the road and therefore don't even see the driver.
The driver could be texting, or talking on the phone, or rocking out to some sweet Steve Winwood jams - in other words - they could be distracted and not see you!
(And yes, I'm aware that if the driver of a car was texting while driving and hit you and your dog, it'd be their fault. But take some personal responsibility and get out of the way. Geez.)
That's why you step to the side of the road when a car comes. It's not only polite, it's what's safest for you and your dogs.
So, in case you all missed it - when walking your dog:
Let the dog walk, stay on the left side of the road, and step to the side of the road when a car comes.
/End Rant.
:o
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