Twice a week, I walk two 100+ pound dogs together.
I am 130 pounds, and one of the dogs weighs the same as me.
The dogs are not perfectly behaved, but they heel at my left side on training collars. They sit when told for the most part and react to very little (skateboarders are the worst!).
Almost weekly, I get a comment from someone along the lines of:
“Who’s walking who?”
These two dogs are always, ALWAYS at my left side because when they’re out in front I don’t have control. For safety, I keep them at a tight heel, and they walk beautifully.
I’m very proud of these two dogs and myself. I can literally hold their leashes in two fingers, like I’m guiding them with a piece of string. If I were to drop the leashes, they would just stand there.
But still, the comments.
“Who’s walking who?”
Please stop asking ‘who’s walking who?’
Blogger Jen Gabbard from the blog Puppy Leaks wrote an interesting post on this topic.
Apparently she hears this comment just as often as I do, and I had to laugh when she wrote:
“So please next time you want to yell out the car window ‘who’s walking who?’ just remember that your little comment is far from cute or original; it’s been heard thousands of times before.”
Oh boy, it sure has.
From Puppy Leaks:
Nearly every time I’m out walking Laika someone has to ask “who’s walking who?” What makes it worse is that it’s usually someone yelling out their car window which is always a bit startling to say the least. And guess what? It’s getting old. I’ve heard it before, and most likely you’re the 7th person I’ve heard it from today.
Every time someone asks me “who’s walking who?” I want to scream. It’s like telling the cashier at the gas station “you’ve got the good job, you get to take all the money,” it’s far from true – and trust me, she’s heard that little comment thousands of times before.
I can so relate!
People stop their cars beside me, too, to roll down their window and ask me the same damn question.
“Who’s walking who?”
I get that they think it’s a cute thing to say and that they might be impressed to see me walking two 100-pound dogs (there were three, but one has passed away).
But what they’re also implying is that I’m not controlling the dogs, even though I am. Or that the dogs could take off down the road dragging me at any moment, even though they won’t.
I am very much in control of these two dogs, even if they get a little rattled by a skateboarder. I’m able to turn into them and back them away with my body. Their collars are kept high on their necks for this reason. We practice “sit” for treats. They make eye contact. They pay attention.
No, I’m not perfect. Neither is any dog.
“Who’s walking who?”
Such a silly thing to say.
Don’t say it.
Has anyone ever said this to you or something similar?
Let me know!
Related posts:
How to walk multiple dogs at once
Marie
Thursday 24th of December 2020
Went looking on the internet to see if others have dealt with this. I have a 6 year old rescue Redbone Coonhound that was never on a leash before I got him. We have made HUGE improvements on getting his to stop pulling, but every walk is still a fight at the beginning with a lot of starting and stopping. I have heard this comment so many times, and today, after 6 months of training him, and 6 months of hearing it several times a week, and after he has had a small relapse in his behavior, I exploded. I yelled an obscenity at the old man that said it to me.
I see how many people who have commented here are women. I think this comment is incredibly rude because it implies that we (1) don't have control over our dog, (2) are not strong enough to control a dog, and (3) need to hear flippant criticism from strangers about the lack of control.
I know that I should be kind to strangers who are just looking for human connection. But I am sick of strangers who seek connection through criticizing comments for which the only polite response is a smile accepting the humiliation.
Rebecca
Thursday 11th of January 2018
The world is filled with snarky comments. I'm 5'1" and when walking my Great Dane make quite a picture. We are hard not to miss and hear all kind of different comments which I won't bother going into. I'm very proud of my well mannered baby and even prouder of myself for taking the time to apply training tips to get her to this point. Silly comments? Brush them off, hold your head high, and smile within yourself knowing that your baby will feed on your positive energy! :)
Diane
Thursday 11th of January 2018
Yes, I have had this comment made to me. Of course walking an 80 lb. dog who likes to pull at times isn't very easy. Yes I probably deserved the comment, but really didn't need it said out loud.
Jill Harris
Thursday 11th of January 2018
I have two large rescues... lab/pit/hound mixes. They are amazing dogs... and both CGC certified. I let them on a long lead and away from me to sniff when walking on trails and away from crowded areas. When someone approaches, they respond to "in a heel" and come right back to my side on a loose leash. I get this comment all the time and always wish I had a lighthearted funny response that would be appropriate. I think we should all try to use this interaction as an opportunity to let these people know that our dogs are one of the best things that ever happened to us... they keep us healthy in SO many ways and teach us lessons that human interactions often miss! Let's all come up with a response to these comments that would turn their foolish comment into a positive that would promote our pets! Any ideas?
Carolyn
Thursday 11th of January 2018
My Borzoi and Rottie are very large and very well behaved but like you have heard this many times. The other thing that bothers me is when people try to tell me what kind of dog the Borzoi is. Duh, I know what kind of dog I have, if you don’t know ask.