Yellow Dog scheme.

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

Seems like a good idea.

It is a great idea, my mum's dog has a yellow ribbon as she gets scared of small dogs which results in her being a bit snappy. Lots of people ask about it and it seems that it helps them remember to keep their distance when they see the ribbon, easier to remember than just the dog.

The problem at the moment is the people that will need to heed that warning already ignore clear signs - my dog is on a lead, by my side, possibly muzzled, it really doesn't matter if yours just 'wants to say hello'.

One of our fostered dogs had a feck off great neon jacket that said 'I need space' and was always on a lead and muzzled - I've lost count of the amount of times people let their small children wander up to give him a poke or let their off lead dogs bowl up (while they emerged slowly round the corner on their phone).
The people that would discuss this with me were the sensible folk who are already courteous.

It's a real shame that other campaigns (like Blue dog) follow the same pattern - responsible owners think it's a great idea and try to implement or advertise it, the crappy owners carry on being totally self-absorbed and rarely engage and the non-dog owning population are rarely accessible to the advertising channels.
I also think there is a reluctance to back campaigns around dog safety as anything that might imply 'dangerous dog' spectacularly backfires.

/rant. It is a good idea though.

Very good points Bursar, we are very lucky to live in an area with 99.9% wonderful and responsible dog owners, but I can imagine that it wouldn't do much to help against those who really couldn't care.

Mogz that sounds so lovely

I would really like to see the RSPCA step up in this respect, I have my own reasons for having a poor opinion of them but as such a recognisable brand and with significantly bulging coffers (centrally) they are in a great position to reach non dog owners. If you are not 'doggy' but have concerns or a problem with an animal many people will immediately think of them. They have the power of prosecution, they are on tv, the internet, it would be nice if they actually made their campaigns more visible.
Dogs die in hot cars is fairly well entrenched - although I have seen more from the Dog's Trust on this than the RSPCA - but others just don't seem to be promoted as well as they could be.

After all this is not 'just' a dog problem, if parents are concerned about dogs and child safety actually using the resources available would be sensible. If they know what, and where, they are.

I don't actually have a better answer to the problem than that though, maybe linking up with schools or children's charities? Unlikely.

Very much agree with the points made by Totally Bursar. We have a reactive, elderly greyhound who wears a yellow bandana (and we also make these for other dogs) - time and again, it's the offlead dog whose owner is half a mile away, deep in conversation on their mobile, and completely oblivious to their surroundings or what their dog is doing, who causes problems for us.

However, I think doing something is better than doing nothing so we keep sharing, and our dog continues to wear his bandana. We can all do a little bit - posters up in the vets, sharing messages on FB, posters at dog shows, training classes, feed stores etc. The campaign has been going for only a relatively short time, and is continuing to build and grow.