If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, I doubt Ollie needs an introduction. If you walk past us at the park, he most certainly does and it’s usually along the lines of…
Sorry, he’s a barker.
Sorry, he doesn’t like kids.
Sorry, he’s not very friendly.
Sorry, he’ll pee on you. (This one works especially well for keeping small children at bay.)
He’s not any of those things (okay, fine, he is a barker) but he does need his space. He’s small and fuzzy with big floppy ears and people want to cuddle the shit out of him. I can’t blame them, I do it every day, but Ollie is particular about who he snuggles with.
When I heard about The Yellow Dog Project at my vet a few months ago, I couldn’t have hopped on board any quicker. If you have a dog that needs some space, attach a yellow ribbon to their leash as a signal to others to BTFU, and tell everyone what the yellow ribbon means when they ask. Just because a dog needs a little room to breathe doesn’t mean they’re a bad dog, they just need a little more consideration on the walking path for any number of reasons — they could be training, or on the mend, or shy (or just a really good judge of character).
I love The Yellow Dog Project and think it’s a genius way to keep everyone — people and pets — safe and calm. Help spread the word and if you see a dog with a yellow ribbon on his leash, give them a little more room to pass and give their owner a thumbs up.
Do you have a persnickety pup?

























