Speak Up or Stay Silent?

Venice Beach in southern California is a hot spot for dogs. The bohemian atmosphere and funky shops along the long stretch of sand attract all types of colorful humans proudly displaying their four-footed friends. There are muscle-bound guys swaggering along with huge pit bulls wearing studded collars, scantily clad girls prancing alongside small, fluffy dogs dressed in pink, and everything in between.

My husband and I spent a couple of hours there yesterday. Naturally, I couldn’t help but stop and pet some of the dogs. The blue pit puppy was adorable! The couple pulling the wagon with two large English bulldogs in it was an amusing sight. Now that’s transportation! When we sat on the beach to eat lunch a pigeon was brave enough to repeatedly take bread scraps held between my outstretched thumb and forefinger, which my husband found odd. Who knows--I’m no bird behavior expert. But I digress.

Unfortunately, there were also less positive encounters. It’s always difficult as a dog lover not to interfere when you see dogs being mistreated, mishandled, or simply in need of some water on a hot day when the owner seems oblivious. Years ago, I’d stride up to the family who was selling puppies out of a box in front of WalMart, and righteously “educate” them about spaying their dog. Well, educating is what I thought I was doing, yet in many cases, I'm sure I did nothing but annoy people. Nowadays I take a more tactful approach, and I suggest the same for anyone with the same genetic inability to stay out of things involving the questionable treatment of dogs: strike up a friendly conversation. No matter how appalled you are, walk up to the person, smile, and comment on how cute the dog is. Ask questions about the breed; get the person talking. Then gently introduce your concern in a non-confrontational way. For example, if the dog is being jerked constantly on a pinch collar and you’re a fan of head halters, you might tell the person, “Oh! I just got this great collar for my dog, it’s so easy, I bet you’d love it…” Or if the person is yelling at the dog to lie down while trying to yank the dog into position, you might ask if you can give the dog a treat, then say, “Could I try something?” and lure him quickly into a down, demonstrating how easy it is. The trick is to keep the mood friendly, light, and easy.

Now, of course, you can always just stay out of it altogether. There’s something to be said for not being the full-time Dog Police. But there are times when staying out of it isn’t an option. Our drive home from Venice Beach yesterday was one of them. The vehicle driving in front of us was a motorcycle. The driver was an older man with long, grey hair, and the passenger was a large white German shepherd. Yes, the passenger was a dog--and this wasn’t one of those motorcycles with a sidecar attached. The dog was lying sideways across the back seat right in back of the man, flailing and trying to hold on for dear life. No straps, nothing. Fortunately, my husband was driving, so as we followed along, I was able to call the Santa Monica police department and report it. Whether they actually did anything I don’t know, despite the fact that I was able to give them a location. Would a ticket stop the man from doing it again? Maybe not. But sometimes you just have to speak up. I’m guessing every dog lover has similar stories.