Dog Flags let canines show their colors
There’s a new product on the market called “Dog Flags” — designed, their maker says, to “simplify the relationship between dog owners and the public at large.”
They come in five colors, with five labels — “Please Don’t Approach,” “Friendly,” “I’m in Training,” “Special Needs,” and “I’m Shy.”
You attach them to your dog’s leash. They cost five bucks. They also come in bandana form.
“With over 80 million owned dogs as pets in the United States alone, being able to know at a glance which canines you can approach and which ones you should leave alone goes a long way to avoiding unwanted incidents,” the company behind them says.
The flags may not be an entirely stupid concept. But they do over simplify things. Flag or not, it’s still best to ask the owner. Dogs, like humans, can be friendly one day, shy the next. To put a “Special Needs” label on your dog would seem to raise more questions than it answers — not that there’s anything wrong with that. And as for “I’m in Training,” aren’t we all? Pretty much always?
As for those dogs who need a red flag, some of them shouldn’t be out in the park/streets/coffee shops in the first place — at least not in those cases where they are still under the guardianship of the human who most likely turned them into a red flag dog. Then again, those humans aren’t likely to purchase a flag for their dog, anyway.
The tiered color system is similar to that used at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, but that’s a special environment where dogs are being rehabilitated. To suggest that all dogs in society should bear temperament flags (though nobody is, yet) is a little too Big Brotherish for my taste.
While there may be situations in which they come in handy, Dog Flags seem a shortcut to a more desirable scenario, a public — and I’m talking about both dog owners and non-dog owners — that’s more educated about dogs and how to approach and treat them.
Planting flags on dogs — “I hereby proclaim you … Shy” — seems a tad paternalistic. As with shock collars, my opinion is, unless you’re willing to try one on yourself first, don’t subject your dog to it.
Then again, Human Flags could come in handy.
I would probably get a yellow one — not for Ace, but for myself — and perhaps a red one for times I want to be alone, and maybe a green one for when I’m feeling frisky.
If they ever come out with a purple one that says “Freak,” I would probably get it, too, for there are times — rare though they are — that I feel like letting my freak flag fly.
If I did get one for Ace, it would have to be the green one. Sometimes, people veer away and cross the street when they see him. People often assume because he’s big he must be mean, or at least don’t want to get close enough to find out. But I’d probably rather a select and interested few take the time to slowly approach and get to know him than slap a “friendly” label on him and have children start climbing aboard.
“With … dogs increasingly going to human destinations, such as coffee shops, and cafes, Dog Flags become an important tool in preventing unnecessary incidents,” the Dog Flags website says. “… When your dog is wearing Dog Flags, everyone will know what to expect.”
It’s not that quick and easy. One can never totally know what to expect, with dogs or humans. So we suggest approaching both with a little bit of caution — no matter what their flags say.
Posted by jwoestendiek February 17th, 2012 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animals, bandana, behavior, blue, colors, dog flags, dog products, dogs, flags, friendly, green, humans, i'm in training, labels, leash, orange, pets, please don't approach, products, public, red, relationship, shy, special needs, tags, temperament, warning, yellow
Comments
Comment from Louisa Golden
Time February 17, 2012 at 10:16 am
It would be great if the public understood they should ask permission before approaching any dog, but too many people don’t. Maybe these flags can help teach the public to think and ask before acting. I wish those stupid lawn signs asking dog walkers to leash and curb the dogs were not necessary either, but they are (sigh).
Comment from Miss Jan
Time February 17, 2012 at 4:54 pm
A universally accepted “red flag” among us horse people is a small red ribbon tied at the top of a horse’s tail to show guess what this horse KICKS. People who show horses, trail ride, endurance ride, ride to hounds, etc. anywhere there’s a group of horses that red ribbon signifies stay back this horse kicks. I think bandannas and flags for dogs are an excellent idea esp. when kids can be taught red flag keep your distance, yellow flag…etc. etc. easy to relate colors to desired behavior. AND a reasonable price!!!
Comment from Lisa Johnson
Time February 17, 2012 at 5:44 pm
John, I would take issue with one thing in your blog post. I was thrilled when I saw the “Special Needs” flag, but you wrote: ” To put a “Special Needs” label on your dog, on top of stigmatizing him, would seem to raise more questions than it answers.” Au contraire! Four of my five dogs are special needs. I take all four of them out in their Radio Flyer wagon (trust me; it’s easier than trying to manage them on leashes) and we do humane ed programs around the community and in the schools. Everyone does the “ooo” and “ahhh” thing and then the questions come: How did Helen go blind? (PRA) Why does Rosalie walk funny? (Eight years in a puppy mill in a small crate) Dogs can have dwarfism? (Johnny donates blood, too, in an effort to help isolate the cause of dwarfism in miniature poodles) How did the Chi puppy get blind in one eye? (salmonella poisoning) I have an invaluable opportunity to talk to people about puppy mills, good and bad breeders, the difference between the way animals and humans adapt to changing life circumstances, that you can look different or walk different and still be ok, that dogs with special needs can be wonderful companions — my guys are MAGIC. There is no stigma there, John, and I would refuse to accept it if there was. I talk about how they help me battle my depression, too – and refuse to accept that stigma, also. I would fly the Special Needs flag proudly for my guys, just as I am thrilled to talk about them and sing their praises as brave and adaptable and loveable and loving. If people don’t want to take the time to answer questions – ok, I can see that, but there is no stigma attached to special needs dogs, John. There can’t be. They are miracles.
Comment from Sarahkate
Time February 17, 2012 at 8:16 pm
Your post is wonderful Lisa but John is right too. Sadly, not everyone is as “curious in a positive way” and responsive as you have found your audiences to be. Could be that when they are in an audience situation they know they are there to learn and hopefully have a little more openmindedness than some of the jerks I often see. And what do I see, yeah, plenty of: you are being cruel to your dog keeping him alive if he’s blind/deaf/on wheels, etc. Wassamatta cain’tchu afford a REAL dog and similar comments; if you can’t afford a vet for that dog you shouldn’t have a dog, and similar comments. Lisa – I SO wish that people were all as receptive to the messages about physical and mental challenges in people as well as animals. But the very sad fact is this – though you are both “right” here, there are an awful lot of folks who are “wrong”-headed about these things. It is wonderful you have the courage to speak out about your own depression and repeated speaking out about these issues really is the only way to gain acceptance – by tiny steps, one on one education, etc. But I am equally sure you have experienced the wholesale victim-blaming that goes on, people who think they are just fine acting superior and judgmental toward those who are less favored and frequently with the sort of slant that generates remarks like “oh snap out of it” or “you could lose weight if you’d just stop bending your elbow” (to poverty area food desert residents, for example) or “if you didn’t smoke you wouldn’t have lung cancer” (said to a person who was dying of lung cancer caused by radon, for another example).
I yearn for a society where every life is precious. Dog, cat, bird, ferret, horse, human – all should be valued and cherished. Useless dream given the kinds of pseudohumanity roaming the planet today. Still, I dream.
Comment from Sue
Time February 18, 2012 at 6:11 am
Right. And “the public” would actually take note of and read these flags? I doubt it. And I’m just cynical enought to suspect some government entities that would think this flag system is a great idea…and then require certain dog breeds to wear the red … Dog flags? No thanks.
Comment from jwoestendiek
Time February 18, 2012 at 9:50 am
Lisa, Sarahkate, etc… What about the idea of flagging Internet comments — “Asinine,” “Insipid,” “Vitriolic,” “Hateful,” “Unintelligible.?” We get a lot of those on ohmidog! Fortunately, as in the case of this post, we also get a lot that are thoughtful, reasoned, articulate, civil and advance the discussion. So, thanks for all of them.
john / ohmidog!
Comment from Jessica
Time February 18, 2012 at 5:41 pm
I think these are a great idea – many groups use the color system to facilitate safe and comfortable interactions. Training groups, dog walking social clubs, camps, and even some dog parks use this system. If more people recognized red as a sign that they needed to give that dog space, it could be a terrific tool. Of course, people should leash their dogs and learn to ask permission to approach strange dogs first, but they often do not, and a color system might be one more way of helping our dogs communicate their needs while out in public.
It also needs to be said that “red” dogs have a right to be out in public with their responsible owners. Whether they are leash reactive, fearful, injured, working, old, in training, or ill, there are many reasons a dog might need space from others, but they still have a right to take a leashed walk, properly managed, in public. I think it was rather insensitive to write “As for those dogs who need a red flag, they probably shouldn’t be out in the park/streets/coffee shops in the first place, and chances are their humans — to whom any meanness the red flag dogs harbor can often be attributed – shouldn’t be either.”
You missed the point – just because a dog needs space and doesn’t want to be approached, doesn’t mean the dogs or the humans who own them are “mean.”
Sometimes, a dog just needs space: http://youtu.be/BmQW723DBzo
Comment from jwoestendiek
Time February 19, 2012 at 10:04 am
Jessica, I agree with all of that — except when the red flagged dog has an owner who is of the red flag type. A leashed, properly managed “red flag” dog in the hands of a responsible person has a right to be in the park — how else will he ever graduate to green? I will temper/qualify that remark in light of your good point.
john / ohmidog
Comment from Lynn (in Louisiana)
Time February 19, 2012 at 12:17 pm
Jessica: thank you for posting that video link.
Comment from Jessica
Time February 19, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Hi John, I appreciate the response! I would add that some dogs never “graduate to green” and that’s ok. As long as all dogs are properly managed by responsible owners who obey leash laws and are respectful of others, we’ll all be in good shape (no matter what color flag the dog is wearing).
I’m not sure what you mean by an owner that is a “red flag type” – is that someone who wants to be left alone? Because “red” isn’t synonymous with “mean” – it simply signals that the dog (or person) would like to be left alone, for a variety of possible reasons.
Owners who do not properly manage dogs, of any color, are a problem for all of us. A green flag dog, with a green type flag owner, might be the kind of combo I see often: off leash dogs running loose in on-leash areas, with their owers shouting “My Dog Is Friendly!” as their out of control “green” dogs chase me and my “red” dog into the street. Many green owners seem to think leash laws don’t apply to “friendly” dogs. Certainly a problem, even though they’re both green : )
My only point is that we all need to responsibly manage our dogs, no matter their breed, behavior, or “color” and then we’ll all be able to enjoy our safe communities. Any tool that allows us to better communicate with one another and facilitates more respectful interactions is probably a good thing – we humans need all the help we can get!
Thanks for reading – Jessica
Comment from Melissa
Time February 20, 2012 at 12:20 am
Are you serious? Im a dog trainer and these flags are a great idea. Maybe you have a leash reactive dog and you do need a red flag. That in NO way means the human who owns that dog made them that way! And just because they need space they shouldnt be allowed to go places every other dog can? Are you serious? And maybe a dog is people shy a rescue perhaps and just to let pople know the dog may not want you to pet it it should not be exposed to the public so maybe it becomes not so shy? If a person buys a flag for there dog they are already showing they are a managing their dog.
Comment from Merciel
Time February 20, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Oh wow these are AMAZING, and so timely for me!
My dog is fearful/fear-aggressive. After working with him for a year and a half, we’ve gotten to the point where he can walk down the street and ignore the people he passes, but he still doesn’t take kindly to clueless “friendly” people coming up and shoving their hands in his face without asking. And, frankly, I don’t blame him; I wouldn’t tolerate people grabbing at my face, either.
Additionally, I sometimes foster dogs who, at least initially, have reactivity issues to strange dogs and/or people. The same clueless people often destroy days’ worth of training in a single dopey moment of walk-right-up-and-grab-the-dog-in-the-face.
So yeah, I think these flags are a great idea, and the notion that they “stigmatize” dogs is silly. If more people could read dogs’ body language and respect it, flags might not be necessary… but obviously they can’t, so I guess putting the message in BIG RED LETTERS is the next-best alternative.
Comment from Tina
Time March 1, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Love the post and the comments – and the flags!
If nothing else, it opens up a conversation between dog, dog handler and stranger – once people start talking, any ‘issues’ can normally be resolved.
If your dog has a red flag on, it doesn’t mean I’ll turn around and walk away – it means I’ll keep my distance, and if there are no other distractions and we make eye contact (person-to-person), I might ask the handler if I can help in any way – offer a ‘safe’ stranger to help work with the dog, if I can. If I can’t… no problem, I’ll keep walking.
A red flag would mean I’ll definitely keep my dog under control and far enough away to minimize any reactions.
My dog is friendly… but also shy… and always in training… do they have a rainbow flag??
Comment from Suzy
Time February 17, 2012 at 9:30 am
Hold on just because my dog doesn’t like strangers doesn’t mean she that either she or I or horrible people. My dog had lived in 7 homes before her first birthday and I have never ever once used anything but positive reinforcement on her. Just because she has negative reactions to people she doesn’t know does that mean she should never leave the house so I can never counter condition that response. These flags are an AMAZING idea. I will definitely be carrying them in my shop. Hopefully they can be one more step in teaching people that just because they love all dogs that doesn’t mean all dogs need attention from stranger.