Skip to Content

This Sidewalk Isn’t Big Enough For The 3 Of Us

Chicks Dig Me

People that have giant breed dogs often have to deal with some everyday things that many other dog owners never even think of.

One of those things is sidewalk space.

Leroy and I can barely fit on a regular sized sidewalk. We walk side by side and sometimes his swagger knocks me off.

We take up the WHOLE sidewalk. There is no room for anyone else.

Since I don’t know what the sidewalk protocol is when there’s not enough space for people to pass on the same concrete beside staying to the right, we normally just step off to the side if another person is walking towards us.

For instance, there’s a man that walks his 2 medium sized dogs everyday. He’s a fragile man, he walks slow, he has braces on both knees and he just looks unsteady. Luckily, his dog’s appear to be very well trained but whenever our paths cross, we step off to the side and give him and his dogs plenty of space. His dogs usually look Leroy’s way, give a bark or two and go on their way.  I don’t know what would happen if we tried to keep walking and I have no desire to find out.

We do the same thing when bikers or runners are in our path. We step off to the side and let them have the sidewalk.

The other day however, for the first time, and against my better judgement, I decided to stand my ground on the sidewalk. There was a teenage boy and his friend walking towards us and the one boy was walking in the middle of the sidewalk. He was looking directly at us and not moving an inch. I saw him and Leroy saw him.

We grew closer and the boy wasn’t budging. His friend had stepped off to the side.

Oh. He wants to play chicken.

We’re game.

The closer we got, the bigger Leroy grew because he was excited to make friends. His chest puffed out and his steps increased. We got within a few inches of he boy until he wised up and jumped off the sidewalk.

I could of been a complete ass right here, but since the boy stopped and asked if Leroy was friendly and obviously didn’t have any common sense, we stopped and chatted and he got a few pets in.

Do you ever have any problems on the sidewalk with your dog?

 

 

Sharing is caring!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

valentine

Friday 14th of April 2017

That is a pic for a magazine cover! When Mom walks the Basset, my minion, she steps off the sidewalk with her to let others by out of courtesy & to keep the Basset from jumping up with excitement on the person(s). The Basset can get a little goofy when she sees new people. Mew Mew!

Beth

Tuesday 4th of April 2017

People usually see Barley and I walking and cross the street or step off of the sidewalk themselves. Usually, I step off and we just keep walking but in the grass or on the road so we all have the space we need to be comfortable. The other day a young guy even thanked me for being so considerate. I just figure Barley's a pretty enthusiastic dog who thinks every person she sees should worship her, so it's better for everyone if she doesn't get the chance to make those demands.

Jen

Friday 7th of April 2017

That's what Leroy and I usually do too but this time was a little different, it was almost like the kid was trying to bully us off the sidewalk!

Pamela

Monday 3rd of April 2017

Bwa ha ha!

When someone is walking towards us with a dog, Honey and step way off the sidewalk. Or even behind a car.

I just assume the person is a responsible trainer and their dog might be reactive and I don't want to make things worse for someone. Yeah, I'm very optimistic about human nature. :)

Jen

Friday 7th of April 2017

I remember this one time when we were walking and this guy was coming towards us with a small dog and the dog was barking like crazy so I asked the guy if his dog was friendly and he didn't answer so Leroy and I stepped far off to he side. The dog was going nuts and the guy was doing nothing. He had no idea if Leroy was friendly or not and it blew my mind!

Kelli

Monday 3rd of April 2017

Never had that problem. People would see B and cross the street in fright. Whether of B himself or the drool strings, I'll never know. ? If then only knew how friendly he was.... He was always game to spread love and when people tried to shun him it only made him try harder. Haha!

Jen

Friday 7th of April 2017

That's how Leroy is, always willing to meet new people!

All Things Collie

Monday 3rd of April 2017

No, but what we have run into is broken glass on sidewalks. I wish people would stop throwing empty bottles out of car windows and smashing them on the walkways!

Jen

Friday 7th of April 2017

Me too. That is the worst!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Homemade Cranberry Dog Treats 20 Easy Halloween Pumpkin Carving Ideas The 4 Stages Of The Newfoundland Dog Homemade Apple Dog Treats No-Bake Pumpkin Dog Treats