do animals prefer you?

The thing is, dogs are in public spaces and therefore occupy the same space as people going about their business, who might not want someone's  salivating beast drooling all over them. If I don't like rabbits or hampsters, I am under no obligation to visit someone who has these pets. But I cannot choose to avoid dogs because they are everywhere.

Now, I am not a virulent dog hater, and I do like some dogs and form attachments to them; but there are too many dogs that behave in a threatening way, too many owners who refuse to stop their dog from sniffing my legs or invading my space; 'oh, he's friendly, he won't bite', they say, which is beside the point. A good owner, and there are too few of them around in my experience, will not let their dog so much as touch me. I don't want strange people touching me, I don't want strange dogs touching me!

The thing is, dogs are in public spaces and therefore occupy the same space as people going about their business, who might not want someone's  salivating beast drooling all over them. If I don't like rabbits or hampsters, I am under no obligation to visit someone who has these pets. But I cannot choose to avoid dogs because they are everywhere.

Now, I am not a virulent dog hater, and I do like some dogs and form attachments to them; but there are too many dogs that behave in a threatening way, too many owners who refuse to stop their dog from sniffing my legs or invading my space; 'oh, he's friendly, he won't bite', they say, which is beside the point. A good owner, and there are too few of them around in my experience, will not let their dog so much as touch me. I don't want strange people touching me, I don't want strange dogs touching me!