Love Them By Protecting Them. Protect Them by Training Them

We have a serial killer running rampant in Colorado Springs.

In the last month he has opened fire three times on apparently random victims in different parts of the city.

One died, one survived and the third was missed entirely.

The only common thread is the victims of this lunatic are friendly, off leash dogs that approach him.

According to Denver 7 news, the first dog was shot January 5 at Penstemon Park in Colorado Springs. Police say the dog's owner told police a man fired several shots at the dog, killing it and then ran off.

A second dog, an elderly bulldog, was shot at a week later on Shooks Run Trail. The owner heard the shot and saw a man running away. In that case, the dog wasn't hit. 

Then last week, Robbie, a stray that was cared for by several households on the same street,  was shot. He survived.

The shooter has only been identified as male.

I apologize for being overly dramatic, ah, never mind, I take that back. If this man is willing to shoot dogs in broad daylight, with their owners right there, it seems to me the dog owners themselves could easily become the next target. He has to be crazy. 

Each dog was off leash. They were friendly dogs, who felt comfortable approaching strangers. 

This is an accepted behavior for many dog owners. There are others who are more extreme. These are the belligerent, aggressive dog owners who demand the world love their dogs, whether they're humpers, droolers, jumpers,or even biters. If a person takes issue with being greeted by such a dog, then they are considered the problem, even in a public place with a leash law.

Owning Brockle has really opened my eyes to how dogs affect other people. He scares the crap out of many. 

It's not his fault, my fault or theirs. 

He is well-behaved and minds his own business. He wasn't always, so I've dealt with reactions to him on both sides of the coin. 

I've come to realize I don't want my dogs to scare anybody. I don't want anybody to feel threatened by them, unless of course they try to hurt me or break into my house. I also want to protect them from dog fights, cars coming from nowhere and getting lost in the mountains. Trusting they won't bolt after livestock, game or dogs, disappear on a hike or dart into the street is only possible if they are well-trained. The alternative is to keep them leashed. I go back and forth between leashed and loose, depending on the circumstance.

I have gone beyond a basic recall. I'm teaching all of my dogs to not approach anybody unless they are invited. Even then, I want them to stay with me until I say OK. 

It's not perfect yet, but we're closing in on it. Charlie and Brockle are about 90%, the other two, not so much.

I've always felt assuming  strangers love my dogs as much as I do would be presumptuous. I've always felt it is my responsibility to control all of my animals, and not put anybody other than myself in a position of dealing with them.

These days, at least in my city, doing anything else can get them killed.