[BlackAndTan]

Lots of interesting comments.

First to Mom2Cavs regarding the Therapy Dog vests, you’re right: no one should put fraudulent tags/ clothes etc on their dogs… or their houses… or their cars. Etc. Totally agree. However, one can order a vest that simply says: “IN TRAINING” or “DO NOT APPROACH” etc. This sends the same message to silly people who do not respect boundaries, but isn’t claiming the dog or handler is something it isn’t.
Just one interesting thing to add: I know people who take advantage by having their dogs certified! I know one woman who is extremely, neurotically attached to her dog. They are codependent. So she had the dog certified so she could take it shopping and out to eat. She also walks this dog off leash everywhere, ironically, convinced nothing will ever happen. This all disturbs me quite a bit.

In terms of dog owners taking strict and full liability for their animal’s actions, this is only reasonable **IMO** if we assume 1) an owner knows all of their dog’s issues 2) there is no contributory negligence. IMO, dogs off leash on the street, antagonistic yappers, humpers…. owners of these dogs MUST accept liability if their dog is injured. I believe this should extend to people, too: trespassers, joggers in off leash dog parks, solicitors who show up when you have ‘no solicitor’ signs, kids running amuck at dog obedience meetings, etc. To say the owner must be responsible, period, completely removes accountability from dog owners who break rules: laws, bylaws, and basic decent common sense.
Returning to my point about a dog owner knowing their dog’s issues. Often, we don’t learn our dog has a problem until s/he’s done something problematic. There are many dogs that lunge. Not all of them will lunge and eventually bite. Some will. Should owners assume that if a dog shows the first sign on the aggression spectrum, s/he will inevitably go further to nip < snap < bite < bite hard < bite repeatedly , maul?? (I use the < sign just to indicate this is a big, wide spectrum).

Some people might say yes, owners should assume the worst. I don’t know that I definitely disagree on this, but what I do know is that if you live anywhere other than the countryside with an in-call vet, it is just about impossible to completely avoid potentially troublesome situations. And this is why we need EVERYONE to be accountable.