Was there ever a time when you casually walked in the mall or on the street and saw a dog with a yellow ribbon tied to its collar?
Were you curious as to what it meant? Could it be just for design or cute fashion?
Well, we will tell you all about that yellow ribbon.
A recent movement has been rising for the past couple of years. In this movement, dogs that aren’t the most relaxed, in short, nervous and scared little fellas, are placed with a yellow ribbon. This movement is called the Yellow Dog Project.
The movement aims to keep a safe and relaxed environment for a shy dog. The yellow ribbon should signal to the people around the dog that they should keep their hands away from the dog unless permitted by the owner before approaching.
According to the information posted on this movement’s website, dogs with yellow ribbons require some personal space.
This does not automatically mean that these dogs are aggressive or untrained dogs that might harm others. Still, it just means that these dogs have problems interacting with others, so they might fear being surrounded by too many people or being touched by others.
Or they might have had a recent surgery that needs time to heal or a rescue dog that hasn’t been fully trained to interact with others. These are just some of the many reasons a dog may have a yellow ribbon.
Of course, dogs, no matter their personality or whether they are shy or not, still need some exercise. One of the exercises they enjoy is walking.
Some people sometimes want to pet a dog on the street even before asking permission from the owner. The yellow ribbon should limit unwanted stress for the dog, given that it signifies this dog cannot be immediately approached as most people do with other dogs on the street.
Yellow dogs are placed on a leash to keep them from getting into uncomfortable situations. This also means that even your dog should only approach the yellow dog if given permission.
However, the most crucial reason this movement is necessary is that the Yellow Dog Project allows owners, especially those with rescue dogs, the assurance and authority to train the dogs outside the four walls of their house. This will enable them to enter the real world without fearing their dog being approached randomly. This gives the owners confidence and gives the dogs a sense of peace.
Those of you considering putting a yellow ribbon on your dog do not feel this may be an excuse not to train your dog some social interaction skills. Instead, consider it an action to make your dog’s space safer and more comfortable.