02/06/2026
I can. But I’m not going to.
I don’t want your dog to shrink away while I insist on ruffling their hair up.
They don’t need me to touch them to prove “I’m safe”.
What they actually need is for me to keep my hands in my pocket and wait for some signals of consent.
We have a tactile “obsession” when it comes to dogs.
Maybe it starts when they’re puppies and their squidginess draws our hands in.
100% their fur and wee fat rolls combined are irresistible.
From there though, it can become a habit.
We see a person up the street we haven’t seen for a while, stop for a chat and our hand goes down to pat while we say “Aww whose this wee girl”.
That’s how easy these habits grow.
They’re ingrained.
How about we start to normalise not touching?
And start normalising watching for consent.
