20+ dog owners share their petting pawlicy from real life situations: ‘I had one lady follow me around the park telling me that “un-pettable” dogs shouldn’t be in the park’

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Mar 16, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

Howdy and good morning, animal fam. It seems like everyone and their mom has a dog nowadays. And that's great. We love that people are adding the joy of doggos to their lives. However, not all dogs come from pawfect situations and not all dogs are derpy golden retrievers that are literally bred to love you. Some of us (ourselves included) have a reactive dog - meaning that our dog reacts out of fear to certain situations. It is our job as their owners to make sure that they are safe, and the people around them are safe. That means that no, you can't always pet our dog, even if you really want to.

Yes, she is very cute, we know, but sometimes, she just doesn't want to be touched by strangers (or at all). That's fine! It's who she is. Not every dog wants that kind of attention, and it's impawtant that everyone understands that. To help you understand, we collected some responses from dog owners describing their petting pawlicies. They are both interesting and enlightening - enjoy!

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  • 01

    Is it r*de to ask to pet strangers dogs?

    Cheezburger Image 10479310848
    via cottonbro studios from Pexels

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Been doing this recently when I see a nice dog on a walk but some owners seemed to be a bit weirded out.
    via u/Food136
  • 03
    Perfect Barracuda442 I prefer that people ask.
    via u/Perfect_Barracuda442

  • If the owner says no, it has nothing to do with you (most of the time) - maybe the dog is overstimulated, maybe they just don't like being touched in general, or maybe they don't want to distract their dog from whatever they are doing. There are a million pawssible reasons, so try not to take it pawsonally.

  • 04
    mtn_viewer My kids have a good approach. Kid: "I like your dog" Owner: "thanks" Kid: "May I pet your dog?"
    via u/mtn_viewer
  • 05
    tmntmikey80 If you're asking, no. Just be prepared that they may tell you no.
    via u/tmntmikey80
  • 06
    It's only ride when you pet a dog. without asking (and it's quite dangerous as well). Some dogs (mine included) aren't fond of strangers and could be a bite risk. So always ask before attempting to avoid any conflict.
    via u/tmntmikey80

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  • 07
    alanmitch34 Most people don't mind if you just ask first. Even something like "beautiful dog ..may I say hi?"
    via u/alanmitch34
  • 08
    scrapqueen I have a hat that says " can I pet your dog?" I wear it when I'm on the beach. It has come in handy. Somebody's talking on the phone I can just point to my hat, and they nod and then I play with the dog.
    via u/scrapqueen
  • 09
    Maude007 I love it when people ask to pet my dog. Dog people are great
    via u/Maude007
  • 10
    L1ttleMonster I don't consider asking r de. I would much rather have someone ask, and I say no thank you, than someone petting without asking.
    via u/L1ttleMonster
  • 11
    Cheezburger Image 10479311360
    via Hemera Technologies

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 12
    SchemeSquare2152 Not at all. I actually will ask people to say hello to my Abby, she sulks if she doesn't get attention from strangers. She loves the world and so far the entire world seems to love her back.
    via u/SchemeSquare2152
  • 13
    aGoodSnifff No it's fine as long as you ask. I own a corgi and frenchie. Whenever I see another one especially at work I tend to chat with the owner and pet their dog
    via u/aGoodSnifff
  • 14
    noobpwner314 Not at all. Just don't ask the dog if you can pet the owner.
    via u/noobpwner314

  • Correct, we also do not advise petting the owner without pawmission. They might not bite, but you might get a restraining order or some serious side-eye. Better to stick to the doggo. It's softer, anyway.

  • 15
    Organomegaly Not r de, as long as you listen to the answer and don't insist on trying to pet the dog if the owner says no (not saying you would - but it happens to me with some regularity).
    via u/Organomegaly
  • 16
    bootyspagooti Mine has a bright orange vest with patches that say NO PETTING and a huge muzzle. People still walk up and try to pet him. I had one lady follow me around the park telling me that "un-pettable" dogs shouldn't be in the park, so now we only do late night walks.
    via u/bootyspagooti
  • 17
    anon_opotamus It's not ride. You'll always find weirdos who get annoyed but oh well. As long as you're not upset if or when they say no, you're fine.
    via u/anon_opotamus
  • 18
    I have a dog who I don't let strangers pet. We've been asked and I just smile and say "no, sorry, he's not friendly" by that time he's usually barking his head off anyway so it works out.
    via u/anon_opotamus
  • 19
    Cheezburger Image 10479311104
    via Enric Cruz López from Pexels

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 20
    BresciaE I would much rather you ask than not ask. My girl has the friendliest expression unless you're the two people she's growled at in her life. She's always happy to meet new people and adores children, however she's about 100lbs and I absolutely do NOT want her pulling towards every single person on the trail to say hi.
    via u/BresciaE
  • 21
    Part of my being consistent with her on impulse control training requires people to ask first. Then I have her sit and if she does a good job not dancing in excitement then she gets to say hi. If someone just approaches her, I will put her behind me and
    via u/BresciaE
  • 22
    we'll walk past without saying hi. Nobody is entitled to pet my dog without asking first. Those are the only people that me off, solely because they can ruin a week or two's worth of work in 10 seconds.
    via u/BresciaE
  • 23
    theEx30 My answer was always... his name is "Pluto," call him, and if he wants pets he'll come to you. Some people seemed baffled that they had to have the dog's consent
    via u/theEx30
  • 24
    Cultural_Side_9677 I don't think it is ride. I think there's been a cultural shift where people think they should pet all the dogs... some even feel entitled to it. I have three dogs, and none of them want to be pet by a stranger. Heck, none of them want to be pet by acquaintances.
    via u/Cultural_Side_9677
  • 25
    One time, I told someone no, and she wanted to argue with me. That dog is muzzled and is for safety reasons. She kept telling me that my dog was sweet. She's sweet to me, but she is not sweet to strangers. She thought I was being difficult. Please don't be like her!
    via u/Cultural_Side_9677

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aww petting dogs cute dogs adorable pets cute doggos doggo dog owners animals
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