Page 39 - Dainfern Precinct Living June 2022

Lifestyle

Whether it’s going on

a Parkrun or taking the Image: Mark Timberlake

‘family’ to watch a club

rugby match, it turns out

taking pooch along is a

great ice-breaker when it

comes to engaging with

complete strangers. And,

as I found out recently, one

can learn a lot from other

dog-lovers.

y significant other is since passed on to the Happy Hunting
BY CA SEY BROWN passionate about his Grounds, but while he was with us, he
club rugby. He’s also very certainly did enjoy those walks and the
Mprotective over our 2-year Parkruns, securely attached to one of us
old (teenage) puppy who’s almost never by that same trusty red leash.
left alone at home. She falls into the
category of being a power breed – and But now that I’ve heard about the
you may have guessed, she’s a Pitbull colour-coding, it does make me wonder
– an innocent, non-aggressive, very – was the red leash in fact strong for a
indulged princess. Other breeds that different reason?
fall into the category of being a power I find it strange that the staff at pet Image: Catherine Merlin
breed include Mastiffs, Dobermans, stores have never mentioned this
Rottweilers, Bull Terriers and Staffies, unspoken code before, but for the
amongst others.
uninitiated, these are what the colours
Taking a power breed to a rugby match mean – used for either collars or leashes,
always causes a stir, but what I didn’t or both:
know is that we were inadvertently RED – this dog may be aggressive and
transmitting an unspoken signal that we one should not approach or allow other
were completely oblivious of, until one
of our club members stopped to chat dogs to approach it.
(pretty much every time he walked past ORANGE – likes people, but does not
us!). get on with other dogs.
I must admit, I was puzzled by the DARK YELLOW – up for adoption.
behaviour of some of the home
spectators (ours were the away teams), LIGHT YELLOW – this dog is anxious
who stopped dead in their tracks the and needs to be left alone.
moment they saw us, and turned around
and walked the other way. Our chatty GREEN – friendly and sociable.
club friend asked if our pup was vicious BLUE – service dog in training.
– to which I replied, “No, not at all.” But it
appeared that the sturdy red leash that PURPLE – do not feed.
we had her on was indicating otherwise.
WHITE – the dog is either deaf or blind.
As a kid, my family always owned dogs.
Yet, this was the first time that I’ve heard The advice of all authorities on canine
about the colour-coding of leashes. behaviour is to always ask the owner’s
permission before approaching a dog to
We had bought the red leash when pat it. It is actually good manners, in any
our pavement special Canis Africanis, event, but it may also avoid those nasty Image: Jaycee Xie
acquired from the ‘mayor’ of a squatter surprises, if by any chance it turns out
camp for R30, grew into a really solid, that the dog is not in the right mood to
but placid, Mastiff/Labrador. Max has be petted by strangers.

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