I have seen some bad dog owners who don't know how to treat their dogs. Those dogs think they're the sh"t and want to bark and attack everyone. WTH.
The other day I just had a "discussion" with our building's security because they handed me these "guidelines" that more or less should be followed. You have to muzzle your dog, hold him in the buildings' public areas, and keep them on leash. The security girl actually said that you can't guarantee that the dog won't bite anyway. I said I can't guarantee my neighbor won't stab me with a knife either, should we tie his hands up too? She couldn't understand it, but oh well.
The office's explanation when they called was that there was a previous incident of dog on dog attack. But she again repeated to muzzle to protect both dogs and people. I felt like my 10 lb dogs were really lions that love to feast on children. These people who make the rules must be one of those people who are afraid of dogs.
And yeah, I've had multiple occasions (not often but I remember them) where there was a lady in my last building that would hide behind her husband whenever she saw my 10lb dachshund. She was in serious fear. I just wait for the next lift. Generally, you can tell that HK is not very dog friendly. Parks are not dog friendly, there are way too many people to really walk your dog in some areas.
I also see a lot of large dogs. They're not any less common from what I see in the states. I don't see very many large dogs at the dog park I frequent though. Probably cuz the small dogs sometimes get yappy at the large ones. I'm not sure if it's expats bringing them here or them just getting them. It's strange since most units here are not that big at all (even 2000 sqft is nothing for them, not to mention even 1000 sqft, or even "tiny" 500 sqft units), and big dogs need large spaces.
My little tiny chihuahua scared a lot of people .. Basically I admit, small dogs love to bark n show unfriendly face, because they are too small. But whenever I see those fear face from other people looking at my chihuahua, it's real funny. If happen that my chihuahua can attack, that tiny paw and teeth can't bite your jeans into pieces. Just relax...
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I handle using the lift with my two (exceptionally well-behaved) dogs this way:
If I'm first into the lift and people don't want to join us, they can wait for the next one.
If people are already in the lift, I ask them if they mind me joining them. I'd say where I live, 99.9% are fine with it, for the remaining few, I respect their choice.
Just prior to my trip, I was bitten by my neighbour's dog, which I was supposed to have dog sat for that day. It was quick, but bloody well hurt, and I ended up at my Dr's for treatment. ( course of antibiotics and antibiotic cream such as Fucidin) my neighbour was incredibly apologetic, offered to pay for treatment ) I declined as the dog is not really socialised with other people, and is incredibly possessive of its owner, and I am covered fully by insurance. I knew the dog prior, but as soon as my neighbour was leaving, the dog went ape.
Many dogs are not socialised, resulting in dog bites. Usually because they are possessive of their territory, espc their owner. We have had so many report from western expats in my community where I live, re aggressive village dogs. So far, I have been barked at but no further incident, so I wonder why so many feel that ( and I hate to say this, but it is true) the dog/s should be out down for barking or defending their territory.
I agreee that dogs should be kept on a leash regardless of size, but muzzling only for dogs which the owner knows can be an aggressive breed. I have known locals to be scared of cats, small animals, reptiles and even small spiders and cockroaches. OP, their arrogance is probably a front for their ignorance. At least you have your dog on a leash. Yes, dogs bark. Their way of communication, but bark is much better than bite. A dog doesn't have to bark before it bites. BTW, there are plenty of parks around for you to walk your dog and meetup groups for fellow dog lovers to meet up.
Arachnophobia isn't very common I think, but dog "phobia" seems to be pretty common here. And you can kinda tell by how the parents guide their children. Frequently I'll see some kids say doggy, and so cute, but won't pet which is fine with me since my dogs don't really want random people petting their head anyway. Some parents will guide their children behind their back and tell them don't go near them they will bite you. If my mom was telling me that throughout my toddler stages, I'd start to believe that subconsciously too.
And in reply to another poster, people can dislike many things, but they don't/won't act out or act against them with laws. That's discrimination. Screaming and yelling when you see a dog is not the same as a simple dislike.
Granted, if you train your dog "properly", they don't bark at strangers and definitely won't bit unless they are cornered and stressed. Unfortunately many people don't do that. Many dog owners here (from my own anecdotal experience) tend to feed their dogs cakes and other human food scraps. They are surprised when my dogs are 8 and 13 and are a) alive b) still active. Some like to treat them as little dog people. Those are usually the ones who get all territorial and aggressive. Even if my dog wants to bark at another dog for no apparent reason, I'll firmly tell them no to suppress their bad behavior. I've seen an owner at a dog park just let their dog run around terrorizing other dogs. Needless to say I had a talk with them and they thought I was a jerk and just stayed away.