Ask McFartnuggets: “Is it Bad to Pet Dogs You Don’t Know?”

Don't always assume dogs
or people want a massage.

Der McFartnuggets: 

Is it bad to pet dogs you don’t know? I always thought it was odd that people just walk up to dogs they’ve never met before and pet them, rub them, massage them, etc. Why do people do this and why do the dog owners put up with it? Dogs are basically your personal friends so isn’t it weird to have a stranger just walk up and start fondling them? I bet if you walked up to a person and their human friend and started massaging and rubbing their belly you’d get beat up pretty bad. Pet owners usually treat their dogs like people or children so why not when it comes to that? -- Bartholomew from Topeka, Kansas

Dear Bartholomew:

Generally speaking yes it is bad to pet dogs you don’t know. Talk to the owner first and ask if you can pet them. This goes with dogs or humans. The reason most people are okay with strangers petting their dogs is because the dogs are into it. Dogs are really only concerned with having fun and sniffing crotches and asses, which isn’t the case with most normal children. You should always ask if you can pet the dog because you never know, maybe the dog has issues and could be dangerous, maybe it has a disease or ticks. First and foremost it’s just good manners to ask someone permssion before giving them a full body rubdown.

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