☀️ The sun is out… and so are the dog-friendly parades! 🐶

With the nicer weather, we’re seeing more people enjoying parks, footpaths and beauty spots with their four-legged friends. It’s brilliant to see—but it’s also a good time for a reminder about keeping everyone safe.

One of the biggest myths we hear is:

“Don’t worry, they’re friendly!”

That’s great… but the other dog (or person) might not be.

Under the law, a dog can be considered dangerously out of control if it makes someone fear they could be injured, even if no bite happens. That can include a dog with no recall running up to people or other dogs, unwanted jumping up, chasing, or ignoring its owner’s attempts to call it back. It’s not just about aggression—it’s about control.

🐕 If you see another dog on a lead, please take it as a sign to give them space.

Unless you have complete control of your dog and know they’ll happily ignore the other dog, pop them on a lead too and pass respectfully. Not every dog wants to say hello, and that’s perfectly okay.

Remember…

Not all dogs need to be friends.

Some dogs are older, recovering from injury, in training, nervous, or simply enjoy their walks without unexpected introductions.

And let’s talk about muzzles.

A dog wearing a muzzle isn’t automatically dangerous. They may be wearing one because they’re scavengers who’ll eat anything off the ground, they’re undergoing training, they’re required to wear one in certain situations, or because their owner is being responsible and managing a known risk.

Likewise, not every reactive dog needs to wear a muzzle. Reactivity doesn’t automatically mean a dog is likely to bite. Some dogs bark or become anxious because they want more space or don’t enjoy being approached. Responsible owners manage their dogs in different ways depending on the individual dog and the level of risk.

Think of it like this…

Imagine you’re walking down the street and a complete stranger comes sprinting over shouting:

“HIIIIII! I JUST WANT TO SAY HELLO!”

They might be lovely… but most of us would probably go into a bit of a fight, flight or freeze response!

Dogs aren’t much different. They don’t all appreciate unexpected visitors in their personal space.

So this summer:
🐾 Respect leads.
🐾 Respect personal space.
🐾 Keep working on recall.
🐾 Don’t assume every dog wants to interact.
🐾 Help make walks enjoyable for everyone.

A little courtesy goes a long way, and together we can help prevent incidents before they happen - for dogs, owners and everyone enjoying Staffordshire’s great outdoors ☀️🌿

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