Tie A Yellow Ribbon

I learned something recently that is probably common knowledge to a lot of people but new to me. I am not even sure that I have seen one in real life as of yet, but if I do - I will know what it means.

A Dog with a YELLOW ribbon around his neck or tied to its collar. 

A friend and I were talking the other day about our dogs and she has 2 Rottweilers. I asked her if she would be interested in meeting at the dog park so we can let our furkids play. Well, her answer was no. The reason being - they are dog aggressive and they are people aggressive and that is what they have trained them to be. They are their guard dogs. So I asked her if they ever have the chance to get out of the backyard and walk or play and she told me yes, but she ties a yellow ribbon around their necks and she walks them during off peak hours so it is less likely they will run into other dog walkers. 

I had not heard of this. If it has been in my studies I must have missed it some how. Maybe I just haven't gotten to that part yet. I don't know.

Anyway  - I started reading up on the idea and it is a very common practice. Not only for dogs that may be aggressive, but for dogs that are not child friendly, may be hyperactive or anxious. They can be recovering from a surgery or have an injury. It is a way to identify that that dog should not be approached, especially by children. 

There is even a non-profit website dedicated to this practice called The Yellow Dog Project and it has some very good points that every dog owner should know as well as anyone with children who come in contact with dogs. It is a good read and I encourage you to check it out if you are like me and this is new news.

*Photo from The Yellow Dog Project.