I took Tasha with me to PetCo. She loves going places with me and she loves sniffing and checking out everything at the store, and then getting a treat at the checkout counter. Well I was looking at some bird stuff and this boy came over.. I'd say he must have been around 10-12, and he asked if he could pet Tasha. I politely tried to explain to him it wasn't a good idea. Tasha is wary of strangers and she feels most threatened when someone leans over her and tries to pet her.

Well the kid just ignored me and started coming towards her with his hand out, Tasha laid her ears back and crammed herself against my legs I started getting more forceful and telling him not to pet her. He kept coming and was reaching towards her back/rump area to pet her and I could hear Tasha growling in her throat and as he got closer the growl got louder and I grabbed her head and shouted at the kid "DON'T!" and he finally stopped and said "don't pet her?" and I said "Don't pet her!" and he walked away.

A couple minutes later I went to the checkout and was just wanting to get out of there and he walked by her again and she lunged at him. She didn't growl and didn't bare her teeth that I saw but he was staring at her as he approached and then he jumped as she lunged in his direction (I had a tight hold on a short leash at that point).

I was so shaken up when I got home I was in tears. You know the saying "I saw my life pass before my eyes" well I felt like I just saw Tasha's pass before mine. It wouldn't have mattered how much that kid provoked her and how much I told him to stop it, if she had bitten him that could have been the end of her. I will never take her there again because I don't even want to take the even most remote chance, and I know now I would be nervous every time a kid approached her and Tasha would sense that.

At the checkout the lady handed her a treat and she wagged her tail and took it. She's never minded being around a lot of people, she does beautifully at the Companion Walks every year, it's people that are just DETERMINED that they MUST pet her where she feels cornered and threatened. Why must people be so pushy?

Still just very shaken..