I am so sorry you went through this... TWICE!

Just this weekend I was walking both of my dogs in our neighborhood when a dog reactive dog pulled toward them so hard the leash slipped out of the owner's hand. The dog grabbed my smaller dog, but eased up fairly quickly. I was shaken and couldn't stop thinking about the "what-if's" that could have happened. The owner did not say a word to me as she yelled at her dog and pulled him away. As I was walking away she mumbled under her breath, "sorry." My first inclination was to find this response rude, but then I shifted toward having empathy as it must be incredibly hard and, at times, frustrating to have a reactive dog. I know the heavy weight of disappointment I feel when my special needs dog does something challenging for me. I think she was just as shaken up as we were. Anyway, right there with you and these are fantastic tips that I will put into practice! Wishing you safe walks :)