We often go for walks with the children near the local forest where also many people walk their dogs. The dogs usually run free. Some dog owners keep their dogs close to them or even on the leash when they see us, some just call ‘He/she doesn’t do any anything, don’t worry’. And in most cases they don’t.
I must say, the Witikoner dogs seem to be the most well-behaved dogsJ But I must also admit that I am a bit nervous every time I see a dog approaching us. I just don’t know how kids are going to react. Some start panicking, trying to hide or run away, some kids who have a dog at home tend to treat all dogs as their pets. And as persuasive the dog’s owner’s proclamation ‘he/she doesn’t do anything’ is I just don’t know how the dog is going to react to a panicking child or child who wants to immediately cuddle him. So as we teach the kids what to do when a stranger approaches them, we also teach them what to do when an unfamiliar dog approaches them.
We do it with a great help from Susanne Meier and her wonderful dog KIRA. Kira is a twelve-year-old mixed-breed dog, gentle and used to be surrounded by kids. Kira has been coming with Susanne for years now. Susanne tells us that it is very important to ask the owner first before we pet a dog. She tells us about different signals that a dog can give and what it means. We can take Kira for a walk, we can brush her and pet her and Kira shows us some tricks she can do. She is very good at finding hidden dog treats! She finds them every time! Kids even those who are scared at the beginning love when Susanne and Kira come to visit.
We are looking forward to seeing them again soon.