What You Shouldn’t Do
When encountering a yellow-ribbon dog, avoid:
- Approaching the dog without permission
- Trying to pet it
- Reaching toward its face
- Allowing your dog to rush over
- Staring at the dog
- Making loud noises
- Making sudden movements
- Assuming the dog is aggressive
- Assuming the dog is friendly simply because it appears calm
The goal isn’t to be afraid of the dog.
The goal is to respect the space being requested.
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A Yellow Ribbon Doesn’t Automatically Mean “Dangerous”
This is an important distinction.
Seeing a yellow ribbon shouldn’t make you think, “That dog must be dangerous.”
A yellow accessory can be used for many reasons, including anxiety, fear, illness, injury, training, or reactivity.
In other words, the ribbon is better understood as
a request for space, rather than a warning that a dog is necessarily aggressive.
Every dog has its own personality and history.
