If you see a dog with a yellow bow, approach it carefully: it means that it needs its space

Having a dog as a pet changes your life, and it certainly changes it for the better. Companion and friend of extreme sweetness and fidelity, a dog is very often treated as a toy by some families, as if it were used to entertain or fill a temporary void, only to be abandoned on the street at the first good opportunity. Being a sentient living being, the dog has its own needs and requirements, which is why the yellow ribbon initiative was born.

via Tractive

The Yellow Dog Project /Facebook

 And if you should meet in the street or in the park an owner with a dog at his side that has a yellow bow or a leash with this obvious color, you should neither alarm it, nor approach suddenly to pet it. The initiative introduced by the organization The Yellow Dog promotes awareness of those dogs that simply need space, and that for this reason must be treated with care, especially by strangers who would approach to pet it, perhaps with the best intentions. 

The Yellow Dog Project / Facebook

For this reason the yellow ribbon or bow are warnings but certainly do not indicate dangerous animals; therefore, if you were to meet a dog wearing this obvious signal, you should know that, for various reasons, that that four-legged friend needs space. The reasons could obviously be many, but in these cases there are for example dogs that are shy or fearful in nature, dogs that are too enthusiastic and that could jump on a stranger, or even dogs that have recently undergone a delicate surgical intervention or are undergoing training.

The Yellow Dog Project / Facebook

This certainly does not mean avoiding the dog wearing a yellow ribbon or bow at all costs, it's enough to approach with caution and delicacy; if we have a doubt when approaching the dog in question, we should ask the owner first, who will certainly be willing to explain the reasons for that signal and that color.

Moreover, it's not even that the dog does not want or cannot be stroked, if approached in the right and most cautious way; therefore, let's not back down but at the same time be careful not to invade the space of the dog that we want to greet!

The initiative carried out by The Yellow Dog is extremely useful and important, because it sheds new light on a problem that is too often underestimated. Our animal friends are sentient beings with emotions and feelings, and for that reason they must be respected accordingly.

 It simply takes a little more tact.