There is one thing that often goes unsaid, but that those of us who live with dogs feel every day: the stress, the constant tension for the simple fact of walking or going out for a drink with our four-legged companion. And no, I’m not talking about the dog. I’m talking about the environment. About the people. Of those who look, judge, criticize or directly feel entitled to tell you how you should behave just because you are accompanied by an animal.
And the funniest thing of all is that this doesn’t happen just anywhere. No. I live in a place that, in theory, is a space designed for dog lovers. A place where they can be loose, play, run, splash around, do what they do best: be dogs. But that’s as far as the buts go. Because even so, even if you make it clear that this is a free space for them, you meet people -without dogs, of course- who get upset, who are surprised, who scold you because your dog “has too much freedom”.
Too much freedom? Since when is freedom a problem when it doesn’t bother anyone?
You come across that lady who frowns if the dog passes near her blanket, even if she doesn’t even smell it. Or that father who throws hints because his son “is afraid of dogs”, as if it were your fault or your dog’s fault. And mind you, not all children are afraid, but it’s funny how in many occasions it is the adult who puts that fear, the one who makes a drama every time a dog trots by. In many bars, the dog is calmly lying next to the table, while a child runs, screams, throws cutlery and the parents don’t even flinch. But of course, the problem is the dog, not the noise, not the fuss, not the lack of respect.
I have experienced absurd situations: once someone purposely sat nearby only to later ask me to tie up my dog “because it made him uncomfortable”. Another time a couple left the bar indignantly because “they hadn’t been warned that there were dogs”, as if it were a traumatic spectacle. There are even those who whisper, those who make gestures, those who make loud comments like “this already looks like a zoo” or “dogs should be banned in these places”.
And the worst thing is that you take it personally, because in the end you end up walking around with a frown on your face, with a thousand eyes, trying to make sure your dog doesn’t bother, doesn’t bark, doesn’t approach anyone, doesn’t greet other dogs… as if you were walking with a bomb about to explode. You don’t enjoy it. Neither you nor the dog.
Yes, there are people who are completely disengaged, who do not control, who let the dog do what it wants. But those are the fewest. Most of us are attentive, we carry bags, we respect spaces, we educate, we correct. We make the effort. But they still treat us all the same: as if we were doing something wrong simply because we share life with a dog.
And that’s when you get tired. Because it’s not just about having a dog. It’s about putting up with stares, comments, hostile or passive-aggressive attitudes… all for choosing to share your time with an animal that, by the way, often has more education and respect than many humans.
I have it clear: I prefer a thousand times a dog running free in the countryside, happy, with mud up to his ears, than one tied up and sad, just to meet the expectations of those who do not understand or respect. And I also prefer a thousand times to share a terrace with several calm dogs, than with intolerant people who believe that the world belongs only to them.
So yes, this goes for those who criticize, for those who get upset, for those who think that a dog is a problem: maybe it’s not them who need to check themselves… it’s us, as a society, who have lost empathy, coexistence and mutual respect. Because if a happy dog bothers you, maybe the problem is not in the dog.
Reflection
Sometimes it seems that certain people are not bothered by dogs… they are bothered by peace. There are those who go out on the street with their radar on, looking for the slightest pretext to argue, to point fingers, to impose their opinion. If it’s not the dog, it will be the child, the music, the volume of your voice or the color of your shoes.
But when a dog simply plays, walks or lies down quietly and that is already cause for complaint, we are not talking about coexistence. We are talking about intolerance. Of that passive aggressiveness -or sometimes not so passive- of those who live looking for conflict because they do not know how to relate in any other way.
And meanwhile, we, who only want to live in peace with our dogs, have to put up with stares, reproaches and even insults. As if enjoying the outdoors with a happy animal were a provocation.
True coexistence is based on respect. And respect also means tolerating that others live differently from you, without that being a threat. Because when a happy dog is more annoying than a bitter person looking for a fight, the problem is not with the dog.
From MasTorrencito we wish you a good day and may your dogs be with you!!!!
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