Can't visit friend as her dog is racist

[CaliforniaCookie]

I was making plans to visit one of my best friends.
She is white and I'm mixed race.

She told me she was concerned as her new dog who i haven't met, is racist.

Anytime he sees a person who is not white he goes mental.

This is honestly not a fake post.

Not sure how to respond. Advice welcome.

My ex's rescue dog was really scared of white youths, she had been abused and we assumed that it had been done by young white males. She wouldn't bark, she would just cringe and try to make herself look small if she encountered any. It was upsetting to think of what she must have been through. She did get a lot more confident when she felt safe and loved and stopped the cringing.

Our dog is black and we recently encountered another dog whose owner apologised when her dog went mental on meeting ours. She genuinely said that her dog hates black dogs. Not sure if this helps the OP, but dog racism is a thing.

My old dog hated fishermen. 🤷‍♀️

I sometimes think it must be shit being black on Mumsnet. So much bollocks to tolerate.

It’s hilarious. I love it.

Apologies, I haven’t RTFT, but I just wanted to back you up OP with artistic references.

Celebrated French novelist Romain Gary, who was also a diplomat posted in the US, wrote a novel called Chien Blanc (White dog) about an otherwise placid dog that attacks black people in LA in the 60s.

Larry David’s sitcom Curb your Enthusiasm also has an episode about a dog that only attacks black people. Rather inconvenient when he welcomes a black family to his house after hurricane Katrina.

I’ve also come across dogs (including black dogs) who are scared/aggressive only towards black dogs. So it seems “racism” transcends species, and even the colour of the dog itself.

Good luck with the dog training, it sounds like you are doing the right thing helping your friend and her dog.

Right? Lots of comments are just thinly veiled racism but using their dogs as an excuse. Ffs.

I think racist is the wrong word but yes dogs most definitely can and do react aggressively toward people of a race they aren't used to seeing. Growing up our placid golden retriever used to properly go for black delivery men. She was completely fine with white ones. I think they were the only black people she had ever met. Mum was properly mortified but we had no idea how to fix it.

Those would seem examples of cultural racism more than anything else

@KikiShaLeeBopDeBopBop and how do you suggest broaching cultural racism with this particular dog?

We had a dog who was a misandrist - no back story as she was born at our house, so never suffered any abuse. Absolutely hated every man except my Dad. No problems with strange women.

A friend of mine has a young Border Collie bitch who is currently in a phase of going berserk at people with mobility aids such as wheelchairs, canes, walkers, crutches etc.

Having an apparently ablist dog isn't a great look. He's trying to socialise/desensitise her, but it's a bit tricky.

@Oakcupboard I read that parrots are also fixated on a specific sex - some only like men, others only women. It’s a big problem as parrots live very long lives and very few men now want to rescue birds, so there are lots of lonely parrots looking for re-homing with a man 🙁

My dog HATES trans people. Its awkward when we’re in female toilets sometime

Also my boyfriend had a dog who only went for junkies - don't know how he knew he just did lol

I have a friend of colour come visit and yes the dog went bananas

Because I live rural, very rural, where everyone he had contact with till that point had been white

All my other dogs which I had whilst living in London were fine. Sometimes we came up against something new and they would cower or bark - daft things, concrete bollards, a wheel chair user - things they werent used to seeing and we hadn't come across when socialising

Hes fine around people of colour now, not that he sees that many. Dog next door shyed away from me one day, cos I went to stroke her with my thick winter gloves on, she had never encountered those before

Dogs need socialising very early in life. Even before they are innoculated, they need to be carried and taken places to see different from their norm and if that doesnt happen there will be mistrust until they are taught there is nothing to fear

But racist dogs??? Heard it all now

What a load of rubbish!!! Visit your friend

Some dogs don’t like men or don’t like women but it doesn’t mean the dog is sexist 🤣 Dogs don’t think like that they just like what they like and don’t like what they don’t 🤷🏻‍♀️If your friends dog doesn’t like the colour of your skin then your friend could do what they would do with anything their dog doesn’t like…they would keep their dog away from that thing. Your friend could put the dog in another room when you visit but if she doesn’t want to do that then don’t visit her. But Dogs aren’t racist or sexist or anythingist 🤣 Only humans do that stupid stuff ☺️

Did your dog hate Fisherwomen as well 😏 or was it sexist

I'm just imagining a labrador getting pissed on Carling and going on a Tommy Robinson march now.

Maybe he's got a 'stop the boats' poster in his kennel?

Sorry not rtft but the Guide Dogs association put this out earlier this year

https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/blog/bearded-and-tattooed-volunteers-helping-to-socialise-the-next-generation-of

😂😂😂❤

I hadn't heard of this until my sister said yesterday that her dog always barks at black people. Again, it's probably lack of familiarity.

Hey.
Dogs dichromatic vision. People of darker skin makes it difficult for them to read facial expressions and pick up on ordinary visual cues they would in lighter skin people.
does the dog react the same way to black dogs? my dog did, and responded with anxious agression. as they can’t read expressions, it puts them in a state of uncertainty, which for this dog is fight rather than flight.
gradual exposure to ensure they can become familiar with you and your scent, rather than just the colours they can’t interpret could help.
begin by meeting in. Public place, with high value treats. Let the dog associate you with something positive. And then move onto the dogs own home, again with the same high value treats. It shouldn’t take long to correct this behaviour, but ensure the dog is kept on its lead.

Agree with this post. Please take a toy and treats to make it a positive experience rather than negative correction spray 😬