we WON'T stop walking!

[lute]

Gracie and i go walking everyday at the local park. it's a nice park with ducks and a lake. Gracie can't wait to swim in this summer. she LOOOOVES water! you'd think she was a retriever.LOL

anyway. nearly every time we go walking someone says she's a wolf dog, a wild dog, etc. people often walk the opposite direction as us, grab their kids, or holler at us. today a family with two small children were walking their cocker spaniel. Gracie was doing a perfect heel. as we walked past them they glared at me and said so i could hear "i can't believe she would bring a dangerous dog like that here where kids play. doesn't she know wolf hybreds are vicious." i stopped(Gracie sat) and i told them that Gracie was a purebred siberian husky. i could even show them papers. they said they were dangerous too. i asked them if they were so concerned about safety how come they got a cocker spaniel? cocker spaniels are more dangerous than sibes when it comes to children. they looked at me in discussed and walked on. then the guy turned around and said "just stop walking here! you are scareing people off!"

i failed to mention that my "dangerous" dog was sitting at my side the whole time while their dog was choking itself trying to pull the lead over to Gracie.

[critter crazy]

people are so stupid sometimes!!! you should have seen the looks on peoples faces when i would take my 120lb rottie Zeus for walks!!!(rip)I would not stop walking, you are doing nothing wrong, and your dog is obviously well behaved! are husky's not common there? I have never heard people talk that way about huskys before!!around here it is rottis and pitts!!

[sammy101]

ugh,some people are uneducated and dont know what they're talking about.Some people glare at Kodie once in a while. He walks nicely,minds his own business and he's very friendly. Your doing nothing wrong and she's well behaved so i see no reason to stop taking her.

[cali]

ignore them. some people dont know a dog from a paper bag. I know one person in my area who was walking her COLLIE puppy and was told to get her "damn pit bull off the streets" I know another person who took her border collie to a herding trial and some locals insisted her dog was a doberman. Misty has been called everything from a pit bull to a german shepherd to a blue heeler.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

I go through that all the time too (not the wolf hybrid, just the dangerous breed thing). I just ignore it and keep going. People cannot tell you where to walk and where not to walk based on your dogs' breed in my opinion.

[Jadapit]

Geez, I feel for you! I go through that all the time. I have had people say "those are pit bulls" and cross to the other side of the street. My three wouldn't hurt anyone. Some peoples kids huh?

[Chilli]

I don't see how people can automatically judge a dog just by its looks!
From the pictures I have seen of Gracie, I don't see any wolf-hybrid in here anywhere! She is one of the sweetest looking huskies I've seen.
All the huskies I have met have been so sweet and well-behaived! My neighbor has two, and they love to get petted and they'll suck up all the attention they can get!

[Alysser]

People like that discust me! I don't get that, but the complete opposite. But a friend of mine who has a big mutt gets that all the time. No one is sure of what breeds she is but she is big. People just assume she is automatically bad because of her size so they avoid her on walks.

[k9krazee]

Wow, some people The same thing happens when I walk Shadow...people will cross to the other side of the road or make rude comments, but nobody thinks twice about walking up to little Kyra, who's probably the most likely to get snippy!

[buttercup132]

Some people make me wanna scream!

[Glacier]

I actually think you handled it very well. It's a good idea to educate people about sibes when you get a chance. Siberians are targeted under some breed specific bans and many major insurance companies won't insure a husky owner. I know several people in the States who can't insure their homes because they won't get rid of their huskies and even more who are paying astronomical premiums.

The problem is that for most bite/attack statistics any dog with prick ears and a curled tail is classed as a "husky", not a Siberian specifically, just a "husky". Those dogs actually rank very high on national bite lists. If responsible owners don't speak up, the northern breeds could easily be facing the same problems pit bull owners face now! Siberians are already banned or restricted in some places.

They came for the Communists, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Communist;
They came for the Socialists, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Socialist;
They came for the labor leaders, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a labor leader;
They came for the Jews, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Jew;
Then they came for me - And there was no one left to object.
- Martin Niemoller, German Protestant Pastor, 1892-1984 This man was speaking about standing up to Hitler, but the principle can be applied to many other things, including dog ownership.

[captain]

One Word

Uneducated!

[cyber-sibes]

Sounds to me like you did the correct thing, not your fault they don't want to listen. Some people choose to remain ignorant. You handled it well, and Gracie was a perfect lady. (((hugs))) to you & your gorgeous girl.
I'm really taken aback. I have had people ask if Star is a wolf or wolf hybrid, but NEVER has anyone be so rude as those people! Most people I encounter want to pet them and just want to be sure they are friendly. As Glacier pointed out, there is some prejudice by some, but not all, insurance companies. But at our previous house, before they would insure us, they came out and took photos of Star and Rosie, my RB rotti-mix, "just in case".

[shihtzulover850]

I hate it when people say those things. Your Gracie from what I can tell by you sig is one of the sweetest looking dogs I know. What is with the people at your dog park? Here you can take a huge dog like that and all the people will love it. If I saw you I would pick my dog up because she is afraid of big dogs. I would let her get used to gracie. Then she could do whatever. I am glad you won't stop walking. You shouldn't. And those people need some serious education on dog breeds.

[Suki Wingy]

tHE NERVE OF SOME PEOPLE! First of all, they have no right whatsoever to say anything if you were obaying all laws and your dogs was perfectly behaved. You should just come live in my neighborhood. The neighbor's sibe is one of the most beloved and well known dogs in the neighborhood! They really mostly are even fine with the bullmastiffs, American bulldogs, and few pitties.