19/07/2026
Friends, I’ve brought an interesting topic for us to discuss today. Children and dogs.
To be more specific — young children walking dogs completely alone.
A few days ago, I ran into a situation where a little girl, maybe 6 or 7 years old, was walking her dog. It was a small breed (I don’t remember exactly, maybe a Maltipoo). She was all by herself, without her parents, and she was definitely having fun! Honestly, it looked really cute at first.
Until I realized that she had absolutely no control over her dog. It kept running and pulling toward other dogs, probably just trying to play. The dog wasn't aggressive at all, just super curious.
I was out with Timon and Juno. Naturally, I notice this kind of behavior from afar. Unfortunately, there was no way to turn around; we were on a straight road. I know my dogs and I know what to expect from them, so Timon and Juno were immediately put on a super short leash. But that little dog was determined to get to us.
Thankfully, the situation ended well. The girl did her best to hold her dog back, while Timon and Juno sat nicely, waiting for their treats as that sweet couple passed right by us.
But not all situations end like this.
On my way home, I had only one question on my mind: Why do parents allow this?
On one hand, I understand they want to teach responsibility, but what about safety? Just because your dog is friendly doesn’t mean every other dog is. I don’t even want to imagine the bad things that could happen.
When Juno was a puppy, she was attacked by a big dog. It was an accident. She was on a leash, that dog was on a leash... but sometimes, a single second changes everything. I still remember how my hands were shaking. I was 25 at the time, and I was crying because I was so frightened. Can you even imagine what would happen to a small child in a situation like that? Of course, adults walking their dogs will do everything to avoid a fight, but still...
That's why, to be honest, I usually get super nervous when I see kids walking dogs without their parents around.
But then I think... what if I'm just overthinking? Or what if it's just my own past trauma speaking? Plus, let’s be honest, we have dogs that aren’t exactly super friendly with everyone.
What are your thoughts on this?
