A few months ago, while walking down a street near my home, I noticed an elderly lady walking her dog on a leash in such a way that the animal was unable to urinate, let alone calmly sniff around its territory. The lady was walking quickly, paying no attention to the dog’s needs. And whenever the dog stopped for a second and raised its leg, before it even had a chance to urinate, it was jerked and forced to continue walking.
So it stopped more and more often, began to resist, and then the woman, cursing, pulled it even more brutally.
And that was the moment when I reacted. I pointed out the whole situation to the woman, and I did so in a very decisive manner.
Her reaction: slight confusion and an explanation that “the dog is always sniffing.”
Well, of course, because that’s his natural instinct and need!
A woman passing by heard part of the conversation, took out her phone and started recording the struggling dog and its owner. She also said she would call the police if the woman did not stop treating the animal brutally.
Eventually, the dog’s “carer” calmed down, and we continued to observe her behaviour for some time.
It wasn’t the first time I had witnessed such a situation. I remember a small bulldog that, trying to stop, with its rear end dragging on the pavement, kept pooping while running. I couldn’t take it anymore. The man didn’t say anything, he just stopped and waited for the dog to finish.
Or a micro dog that lost its balance and fell over every time its owner jerked the leash.
When I see a dog owner walking alone with their dog, I wonder why they decided to take care of a dog in the first place.
Pulling a dog on a leash is common. And I’m not talking about situations where the dog is energetic and pulls away.
I’m talking about older dogs that clearly walk more slowly, or small dogs for whom keeping up with an adult walking quickly is a considerable effort. I’m also talking about those dogs that, following their instincts, need to sniff around and check every corner.
And what does the person do during this time?
I see this often: they walk along and pay no attention to what is happening at the other end of the leash. They are busy talking on the phone or fiddling with it. They rush. Or they pull on the leash every time the dog wants to sniff something.
They don’t talk to the dog — they just pull. They constantly PULL.
It looks as if walking the dog is an unpleasant chore that only causes irritation and anger.
The dog may pee in a hurry, poop in a hurry, and then politely walk on the pavement beside the person and return home.
Do dog owners who exhibit such behaviour have dogs, but don’t really want them? Are they unaware of their pets’ needs? Where is the place for loving care?
Why are these behaviours so common?
The photo illustrating this text comes from a short series I took in 2006 at a shelter for homeless animals in Gliwice. And yes, those dogs had it worse. But I’m not interested in comparing downward.