Our efforts to train Zorro to behave around other dogs have really paid off. The other day, when Denny was walking him, he sat down when he saw another dog, even before Denny gave the command. When other dog owners look approvingly at my well-behaved dog, my chest swells with dog-owner pride.
But today he was truly tested. We were just entering the path from our back gate, and a young girl approached with a brown, short-haired dog. I put Zorro in his sit, but I could tell he was tense. And for good reason: suddenly, the dog leaped at us, snarling and barking in a very fierce and aggressive manner.
Zorro showed what I considered admirable restraint: he didn't bark or snarl, although he didn't follow my "look at me" command either. The young girl apologized and they went on their way. I'm hardly in a position to criticize, since Zorro has his own rap sheet in the neighborhood. But I do question the wisdom of parents who would let a young girl walk a dog who is--in the politically correct nomenclature of the rescue world--dog-aggressive and reactive. I spent the rest of our walk looking over my shoulder, worried we would see them again. Luckily, we didn't.
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