Ignore my dog
One day Lewis and Hannah were talking on the phone about how if everyone just ignored dogs more in public, we’d likely see a massive reduction in problem behaviours and a significant reduction in dog bites too.. a couple of hours later, Ignore My Dog was born as an educational campaign and clothing line to help spread the message.
As Jean Donaldson once noted
"Just a generation ago if you went near a dog when he was eating and the dog growled, somebody would say, 'Don't go near the dog when he's eating!, what are you crazy?' Now the dog gets euthanized. Back then, dogs were allowed to say, NO. Dogs are not allowed to say no anymore...They can't get freaked out, they can't be afraid, they can never signal 'I'd rather not.' We don't have any kind of nuance with regard to dogs expressing that they are uncomfortable, afraid, angry, or in pain, worried, or upset. If the dog is anything other than completely sunny and goofy every second, he goes from a nice dog to an 'AGGRESSIVE' dog."