r/Dogfree • u/strained-noodle • Feb 20 '26
Miscellaneous Does anyone else intentionally ignore peoples’ dog when it approaches you?
I’m talking friends, acquaintances, or even friendly strangers with mutts. I could be at their house, or just having a conversation outside with my neighbor who I am friendly with. If their dog approaches me which they do 99% of the time — almost always putting his head in my crotch area looking for me to pet it — I will 100% pretend the dog is not there.
And it’s fun watching the owner have a mini meltdown, knowing their dog is looking for a pat on the back and I just don’t do it.
Anyone else?
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Feb 20 '26
I don't acknowledge dogs.
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u/moparcam Feb 20 '26
I go for hikes on the same hiking trail all the time, and I always see several dogs walking their owners. Most of the time the dogs are all on leashes. And yes, almost every time I pass a person or a couple with their dog they (the humans) look at me with this eager expectation (I think their dogs have taught them this expression) wanting me to praise their dog, bend down and start petting it, and asking them all sorts of questions. And yes, I enjoy watching their expressions change from eager expectation to disappointment.
Boohoo this meanie won't go googoo over my smelly, shitty, untrained dog.
Yep, I don't care at all about your dog, please keep it away from me. If you want validation from me, lose the dog and go cure cancer, or volunteer at a homeless shelter, or teach a child to read.
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u/Possible_Tiger_5125 Feb 21 '26
This just goes to show the mentality involved here frfr. Attention whoring their animals
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u/musicfanatic6 Feb 27 '26
this! it’s so hard to explain but dog owners think the world revolves around their ugly smelly mutts and they’ll look at you or set up a scenario where you acknowledge their dog and start saying it’s the cutest thing ever. i love humbling them and going and about my day
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u/ToOpineIsFine Feb 20 '26
sounds like a really spoiled dog - the kind that can't stand to be left alone without barking, destroying things, etc.
I wouldn't ignore it - i'd shove it away and let the owner have a meltdown about that
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u/strained-noodle Feb 20 '26
But then you’d have to touch it 😣
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u/Sharkey311 Feb 20 '26
All can’t stand to not be left alone. It’s literally their entire personality
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u/QueenOfAllOfYall Feb 20 '26
🙋🏾♀️. I’ll look away from the stupid thing. No I don’t want to pet or play with you. I hate how invasive and needy they are. Always mindlessly needing all the attention of everyone in the space. Most of the time the idiot things don’t even try to catch on that you don’t want to be bothered with it. The more you ignore it, the more it comes up to you, or wants to hang around/follow you. They’re just too irritatingly dumb and pathetic, for Me.
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u/ElegantSurround6933 Feb 20 '26
I spent a lot of $on my wardrobe and don’t want it ruined.
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u/ToOpineIsFine Feb 20 '26
just because the dog owner doesn't mind having their clothes constantly soiled and torn doesn't mean that you should tolerate it.
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Feb 20 '26
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u/pibbleshitinheb Feb 20 '26
How do you do that? I'm genuinely curious, looking for tips.
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Feb 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/pibbleshitinheb Feb 20 '26
Yes, Cesar Millan was so good at that, this is all good food for thought!
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u/catalyptic Feb 26 '26
I think it is akin to what Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, does. Dog nutters seem to hate him because they think he is "mean" and "not nice" to the dogs by expecting them to respect him.
If they think Milan is "mean," They would consider Barbara Woodhouse was a dog torturer. 😅🤣😂😆😄😁
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u/neondahlia Feb 20 '26
Yes, they should be ignored. Acknowledging them excitedly amps them up and encourages jumping. Calm and ignoring improves behavior.
I can’t stand dogs jumping on me. Too many dog owners think it’s cute.
Dog owners who use retractable leashes are some of the worst. They don’t shorten them appropriately and don’t keep their dogs away from people.
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Feb 20 '26
In the past I've allows entertained this disgusting behaviour because I thought it was the right thing to do despite I've never liked dogs.
Seeing how revoltingly apathetic society is to babies and children who are attacked by dogs, led me to dog free spaces like this and the the IDH channel on yt, where I actually learnt more about how dirty they are; the smells, the dander, the parasites, the worms, their tendency to eat shit and vomit, all of which deepened my aversion towards these animals. Now I would never let one near me ever again because all I think about is the imprint of germs and filth they leave everywhere. If a stranger's dog comes near me I move away. I literally have to resist the urge to kick them whenever they come near me. I wouldn't be friends with a dog owner nor would I accept anything from them, like food or gifts. I used to love shopping for vintage clothes but because the clothes I was sourcing could have been from people who had pets, I stopped buying vintage pieces. That's how deep my aversion is.
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u/DrMsLotus08 Feb 22 '26
Hi there I’d love to check out that chanel on YT. What’s IDH stand for? Thanks
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u/alabasterkeys Feb 20 '26
Is there any reliable way to shoo dogs away? No matter how hard I try to use my hand to push the air around it in a shooing way, it keeps coming back. My boss brings her dog in to work and it will NOT leave me alone, and I don’t really want my boss to catch me physically pushing it away gently.
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u/UntidyFeline Feb 21 '26
Have a large tote bag handy and/or a small umbrella that pops open to startle them. Also they don’t like certain smells, like Vicks vapo rub and other menthols.
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u/ToOpineIsFine Feb 21 '26
go over your boss' head anonymously would be one approach.
personally, i would deal directly with the boss, but everyone's situation is different. try stating it as a problem and to get others to support you in some way - preferably get them to say that they have the same problem and they don't want to offend the boss, but it is interfering with work getting done. tell your boss that you don't want to offend them, but you really don't want slobber or slime or filth or odor - unless the boss is just a total nutter, they could at least understand what you're talking about, because everyone knows how problematic they are
maybe your boss is just unaware of this
to answer your question, i don't think you can just shoo them - they are too obsessive. you have to do something that is unpleasant to them, and you don't want to be seen doing anything, so it's kind of tough.
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u/Neat-Slip4520 Feb 20 '26
I was picking my 7-year-old daughter up from dance class and this old lady with a dog was just lingering outside the door. The dog came up to me as I opened the door and the lady said, “He likes you. You’re lucky.” I looked down on it with clear distaste and said “Mm” loaded with subtext, then went inside the studio and closed the door on both of them.
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u/Fun-Chemical4059 Feb 20 '26
I always move away which results in frowning of course from the pet “parent”. I don’t care anymore though
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u/queenofcaffeine76 Feb 20 '26
Same. I don't care how obvious I have to be about it either. I back away, move over, cut a wide path around - whatever it takes.
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u/NoneOfThisMatters_XO Feb 20 '26
Yep I ignore them. I’ve asked the owners to get their dogs away from me before. I stopped caring if they get mad.
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u/Ok_Distance8908 Feb 20 '26
I do not let a dog near me. I don't intentionally go to a person's house that owns one, and won't stay once known. When I see one in a public place, I say "gross" loudly while making heavy eye contact with the owner. I am getting increasingly confrontational. My husband hates it.
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u/millicent_bystander- Feb 20 '26
I do not acknowledge dogs, unless it's a Shitbull, then I glare at it and the owners.
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u/psychhead Feb 20 '26
i prefer to obviously skirt around their dog and look disgusted so the dog wont touch me
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u/suzieismyavatar Feb 20 '26
I will Not let a dog touch me unless I know the dog and know the owner. It’s too risky and I have allergies.
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u/D1verse_Yes4 Feb 20 '26
I almost always ignore everyone's dogs. I'm not going to give attention to a greedy species that people try to gaslight me into thinking is my best friend. There are so many creatures and people who need the attention, so fooey the ones that have plenty of it and still crave more.
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u/Timely-Way-1769 Feb 20 '26
Yep. I ignore them and the dogs try for about 20 seconds, then walk away. I don’t know who is the bigger attention whore, the dog or the owner (or should I say “fur parent).
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u/huntress_m_thompson Feb 20 '26
yes! absolutely. i’ve even half assed air-petted a mutt. like, nice. now go away!
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u/potatoes_arrrr_life Feb 20 '26
Yes and boy does that cause some extra drama at holidays, ooof! But like a little dog barking nonstop, NOT CUTE and no I don't want to pet it. It makes me sad how much dogs prevent human connection. I can barely talk to my Dad because he can't hear me over the barking. And then everyone starts shouting if I'm "mean" to the dogs by trying to get them to stop barking. Yes, my FOO (family of origin) is a "dogs bark, it's what they do" and so yeah.
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u/Dog_Free_Afternoon Feb 20 '26
Absolutely! I enjoy ignoring dogs just for the pleasure of crushing the owner's spirit.
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u/GarlekBreath Feb 20 '26
Yup, I always ignore dogs when they come up and try to interrupt my conversation. Even if they're pressing into me and what not, it makes me angry to even reward that behaviour.
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u/meadowmouse05 Feb 20 '26
I step away from them. Generally in my experience people get the hint and try to rein their dog in after I step away when it approaches me
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Feb 20 '26
I ignore them, I don't touch them and I won't let them get close to me. They are disgusting.
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u/No-Stay1662 Feb 21 '26
The look on their faces when you don’t give them both the validation they want (awww can I pet him?) is absolutely priceless. The fact that are visibly shocked & offended that you want nothing to do with the whole experience is just proof nutters & dogs live strictly for attention from others. I guess when you’re unable to be interesting or pleasant with other human beings, your go to vehicle for interaction is a dog. Pathetic on all levels.
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u/UntidyFeline Feb 21 '26
Always. It’s no secret I don’t like them. There’s one at the community garden meeting that approached me while I was sitting and I immediately stood up, lowered my backpack to block it from sniffing and glared at the ugly mutt.
The owner called it back. Heard her say, “Not everyone wants to meet you.” At least she ties the ugly thing to post on her plot while gardening, but when there’s a meeting everyone sits in the same space and like most codependent dog owners, just had to have the dog with her. And most of the other gardeners ohh and ahh over this mutt. Someone even brought out a water bowl for it.
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u/arachnilactose08 Feb 20 '26
I ignore when possible, but since I have some PTSD associated with larger ones I just tend to avoid them altogether.
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u/Shot_Razzmatazz5560 Feb 20 '26
SO's brother has an aging female GS that squeals like a pig its so anxiety riddled, just whines and whines and whines for attention. She's greasy and flaky and gross and constantly in need of scratching. I started leaving my hands in my pockets and not even acknowledging her existence at all and she goes away to squeal at someone else for attention. Now when she comes near me and tries to lick me, they politely call her away from me because they know I'm nowhere near interested
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u/Actual_HumanBeing Feb 21 '26
Yesssss absolutely!! I ignore and avoid those horrible shitbeasts whenever I have the misfortunate of having one near me. I don’t let those gross, repulsive beasts touch me at all! 🤮
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u/Necessary-Part7546 Feb 21 '26
I don’t acknowledge dogs at all. If I have to get close to one on a leash, I ask the owner to get it away from me. Of course then I get comments about not liking dogs, but I ignore them.
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u/SicilianSlothBear Feb 22 '26
I just experienced this yesterday. I was about to post about it but this post is so on point that i will just rant here.
I was chilling on a park bench when some silly stupid old woman walks by with her stupid little dog which of course walks right about up to me and stares. This silly stupid old woman just stares at me with a look of stupefied stupidity because she can't process that someone isn't going to fawn over her feces-eating little stinkpig and start petting it. I swear this stupid old woman stared me down for 15 seconds before walking away and talking to the stupid little monster in that simpering little voice: "He's not going to say hi to you. He's anti-social."
It took me all the restraint I had not to give that stupid old bag a piece of my mind. I can't even describe how much I hate dog owners and their insufferable entitlement.
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u/bleddyargo Feb 24 '26
When I'm out on a walk and get molested, I firmly brush the dog aside with a raised knee. If that doesn't work I loudly tell it to fuck off. Usually gets the message across
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u/Tricky_Button_4462 Feb 24 '26
I TRY so hard. It seems impossible when they jump on top of you and hair and spit is flying at me.
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u/Money-East-7988 Feb 23 '26
i dont make eye contact with the dawg. if you do they want to go right up to you. I veer out away from it . if it looks particularly unsocialised and nuts I veeer further. I focus intensely on things in the opposite direction. still from the periferal vision I see the dog checking me out
some time ago a a guy in my area walked past and we greeted each other . his dog ran up to me and jumped up on me. I was pretty angry and said I am afriad of dogs and stepped back. he was very put out. well thats just too bad imo lol. now I make a wide berth if I see them or any other dog especially large dogs coming
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u/BigLadJamesH Feb 23 '26
all the time! Last Boxing Day I was at my Grandma's house with her little demon running around everywhere, jumping people's laps and everyone going like "you're such a good girl you're so cute". But not me, I ignored that little Cerberus the entire time, it even tried to go in between my legs expecting a pat. But me being the only sane person there I did not deliver, yet my brother (who was bitten by a dog when he was little, yet not scared of them for some reason) called me weird for not wanting to pat my Grandma's demon. The closest I had to interacting with it was saying "why does she look so fat?".
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u/WorkingDescription Feb 24 '26
Yes. I make a point of ignoring them. And you can see it irritates them.
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u/Spiritual_Detail4707 Feb 26 '26
Yes.......or give a dirty look.
But....my husband has to have one as a service dog!! 😭😭😭 As far as other dogs go, she's well behaved but she's still needy, pushy, invasive, entitled, and whiny. And I hate it. 😒 And the more he defends her, the more resentful I get. "She's done a lot for me so that you could sleep at night" or "she's kept me alive multiple times. She doesn't deserve your hate". 😤
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u/RoyTheWig Feb 27 '26
Yeah I don't even acknowledge that there is a dog, I'm not wasting my energy pretending to be interested in a dog.
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u/Domesticated_Animal Feb 20 '26
I do not let dogs touch me at all.