"TIE a yellow ribbon 'round that ol' oak tree."
It's an oldie but a goodie by Tony Orlando (Google it if you are too young to remember) and is the song that immediately popped to my head when I first heard about the Yellow Dog Project.
The Yellow Dog Project is a collective initiative to bring awareness within the canine community for dogs that should not be approached or should be given space, for whatever the reason.
If you have a friendly, social dog that gets along with everyone, you might find it hard to understand that there are dogs that cannot and should not be approached by other dogs, but there are.
These DINOS, a fun acronym for Dogs In Need Of Space, are not bad dogs, they are just dogs that need space. The reason that these dogs need space could be due to medical reasons such as recovering from a surgery or illness. The dog may have arthritis or hip dysplasia and the constant pain they experience and lack of adequate mobility - like the ability to flee or fend for themselves properly- makes them feel very vulnerable and insecure around rambunctious dogs who invade their space uninvited. As a result, they might react in a self-protective (often mislabelled as aggressive) manner. The dog could be going through a training or rehabilitation session where it needs to be around dogs but not have any social contact with them due to improper socialization as a puppy.
The dog could be reactive around other dogs and get over-stimulated because it has not been taught the value of calm passive behaviour. Or it could be an aging dog that simply does not tolerate other dogs in its space any longer. Whatever the reason, the yellow ribbon is saying, "please do not approach my dog with your dog."
Responsible owners of such dogs are encouraged to tie a large yellow ribbon on their dogs' leash as a signal that their dog is in need of space and responsible owners of approaching dogs are asked to respect the signal that is being silently relayed to them by that yellow ribbon.
The Yellow Dog Project was established in Sweden and is quickly expanding worldwide. There are websites and Facebook pages for both the Yellow Dog Project and DINOS for those wishing to join the conversation. Those who have a reactive dog know that it is not easy on the best of days and downright miserable on the worst, mainly because other dog owners do not understand the predicament and often label the dog as aggressive and the owner as irresponsible.
All dogs deserve to go for a walk, even the sick, injured or behaviorally-challenged. But some owners are reduced to walking their dogs in the wee hours of the night/morning to avoid dog altercations. The yellow ribbon makes it easier for owners to take their dogs for a walk during daylight hours while preventing altercations between dogs.
Altercations that often undermine any rehabilitative efforts an owner of such a dog may be attempting.
If the whole canine community jumps on board, the Yellow Ribbon Project will help keep all dogs and their owners safer.
And helping one another is not a bad thing at all. Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for over 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her
