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.

It’s a fucking dog.

it probably has four brain cells and they are all concerned with food, wee and chasing the cat. There really isn’t any more capacity there for anything else.

We had a sexist and beardist dog once. She came from a rescue centre and they had a few long conversations with us about how we had to watch her with men, especially those with bushy beards.

Not a wind up, our dog was like this but it’s improved since she has seen black people on tv and things more! But we can’t watch things with animals in it without her going bonkers.

Remember the racist goose on the news a few years ago?

Anyway, having had a pet that was sexist, a lot of it is just building trust over a prolonged period of time.They've generally had a bad experience with someone that looks like you so are scared. You hear it a lot with beards especially because, to them, people all look pretty similar. If you go slowly and carefully you can help a scared little doggy feel safe.

Personally I'd just file it under not my problem and meet up away from the dog.

Dogs react to things they are not used to whether it's skin colour, walking sticks or clothing. My dog went berserk the first time she saw a man pushing a wheelbarrow. They don't have to think it through.

Honestly, this is not a windup. I said i would like to come visit her. She was enthusiastic but she said, I am worried about my dog. He seems racist as anyone who isn't white - on tv or in person - he goes mental at.

I don't think it's relevant, but she is 'Up North' and i am 'Down South'.

She was 100% genuine in her concern!

Close - they can see blues & yellows

OP I’m sorry nobody is giving you advice but without knowing the dog it’s difficult.

The only thing I would suggest is meeting the dog on neutral territory and seeing how it responds to you.

This thread is barking mad!

I know a dog who is the same. The owners grandchildren are mixed heritage. It's odd

😂

We had a dog next door like this. My only theory is that dogs don't see a full spectrum of colour like we do, they see almost in black and white. Possibly with dark skinned people they look almost featureless to them and it freaks them out. Especially if the dog maybe doesn't have great eyesight to start with.

The one I knew didn't. He went absolutely batshit at me in my work uniform which is completely black but would run to me if I was wearing anything else. I think its something to do with their vision tbh.

Our dog used to be the same but I think it's just a reaction to seeing something they weren't used to - they also bark at children, hi-vis jackets and joggers!

Have you considered sending the dog to inclusion and diversity training?

Is it only race the dog has an issue with? How is he with trans people or people with disabilities?

My dog also barks at black people, mainly men, and we live in a very multi cultural area, and mine own children are mixed race (white /Asian). He’s fine in a few mins so wouldn’t stop me inviting someone over. Once he knows they are ok he’s their best friend

It's Northerners the dog hates.
Practise saying "not bloody likely!" and "ow much?!" just to let her get used to it.
A diet of pork scratchings and warm beer may also help.
You're welcome.

My friend had this issue with a dog and spent a fortune on behaviourists trying to sort it. Things improved but were never totally fixed. It was okay with specific indivuals with gradual introductions and that person feeding them lots of treats etc. Obviously it's not the dog being racist, but having been poorly socialised as a pup and not having seen enough non-white people in the early socialisation period.

I have another dog who loves people in mobility scooters as my dad had one and always had treats.

Jehovahs witnesses our old dog went INSANE when they came knocking we knew she was wary of young children she would shake in fear so we would keep her away from them but everyone else from about age five upwards she was fine with then we had some witnesses knocking suddenly my calm dog turned into a snarling mess I could barely hold her and they legged it down the driveway as soon as the door was shut she stopped it was like a switch was flicked never saw her that way again no clue what it was that set her off this dog loved everyone who came to the door religious or not it was the oddest experience

Bonus was we were blacklisted for about 15 years so no-one knocked until they were SURE she had passed

That’s nothing - my dog is a pedant and constantly correcting my grammar!

😂😂😂

My dog hates white people ! I think because from a puppy till age 1 he only saw black and brown people so to him white people were different and scary ! Even our vet was black ! He goes mental each time he sees a white person barking and shaking !

It's a nightmare, isn't it? I renamed my dog LGBTQ just so that he would get used to it.

My old dog wasn't racist, but she did hate men, older men in particular. She also had a special hatred for men wearing hats, and people riding scooters. She also despised balloons. She was a rescue, a little bit bonkers but very lovely. I always wondered what had happened to her to make her have these specific hates (and they really were hates)

Dogs are strange.
My aunt's dog hated anyone wearing jeans. She was a rescue and they think she was abused by someone in jeans. Rather difficult though as most people wear jeans especially in places like parks and woods where you walk dogs!

We had a dog who has a thing for teenage boys ( the smell of lynx we think was his association) he got so excited and desperate to get near them. Not good when I was a teenage girl trying to walk the normally perfectly behaved Labrador!
We think he developed this as a puppy when he spent the wold cup surrounded by my brother's friends watching TV and probably being given treats.

Go to your friends with treats. If dogs do judge in skin colour you just need to teach it a good association ie food.
But do they discriminate? dogs come in all colours and I have never seen a dog be funny about the colour of a dog. I have about breed of dog or size but not fur colour ??