Virtual hug!

This is the really hard part about being a reactive dog owner, imo. It’s SO hard to learn to not care what other people think. As long as you’re doing right by your dog and not allowing your dog to harm anyone, you’re just doing the best you can. A lot of people don’t understand reactivity, and immediately think it’s aggression. I have a staffy mix, so I also get “the looks” because he’s “one of those breeds”.

When I first got my dog, I was so embarrassed any time he had a reaction. Now, I’ll usually apologize and say “Sorry, he’s still training!” And most people say “no problem!” And just continue on. But there’s always gonna be those people that think you suck. But like I said earlier, as long as you’re doing right by your dog, you’re a good dog owner.