I was a little bit miffed yesterday...

You know, i have the same problem as you all when it comes to walking Angel, My sibe. She's black and white, icey blue eyes too. Every one looks at her and gets extatic " OMG! I love your dog...It looks really mean though...like a demon..." I just smile and walk away. Then there are the other idiots who reach their hand out and are like " What's His name? oh angel? He looks mean ( even though angel is a SHE e.e you'd think the name would give it away. and the pink collar....lol!) can I pet 'im?" I normally say yes, but to dumby's like that im just like " I think it would be best that you stay away for now. SHE'S tired." I also get the " ohhh your dog looks like a wolf! Can i pet it??" yeah....ok loser. Lol
We took angel to one of the Medieval festivals, lots of dogs there every year, and some kids actually thought angel was a were wolf![] My oh my..what do parents teach their children today??
-shakes head-
 
 

I ran across this thread while looking for something else and just had to reply even though it's a little old.
 
Not long after we got our first two chocolate Labs (16 +/- years ago when chocolates were not as common as they are today) my husband had them with him at a gas station and someone asked if they were Rottweilers.  Can you imagine?  Even though chocolates were not as common, how do mistake a Labrador with a Rottweiler?
 
This kind of thing drives my sister and I crazy.  We have a saying.  People are stupid.............and they really are.  It's amazing.  I don't expect everybody to know the AKC book backwards and forwards but anybody with any common sense should be able to tell the difference between a Lab and a Rottie.  And for that matter, even if they don't know what a Pharoh Hound is, they should be able to look at one and know it's not a Doberman!  Dobies aren't mean dogs anyway!
 
Ugghh!  People are stupid and they drive me insane!  Maybe I should get a "mean" dog to keep all the stupid people at bay. 

People are stupid.............and they really are. It's amazing.

 
Yes they are and often can't wait to show you just how stupid they are. But it starts with the childish notion that all dogs are comparable to one breed, such as a Rottie or Dobie and assume any dog seen is a variation of that.

i go through this crap almost everyday. People will go to the other side of the street or walk way far around me when i'm walking Kaiser. Sometimes someone will ask me if he's a lab and when i say he's a GSD, they will no longer want to pet him. A lot of people also think that Wyatt has his hair spiked up because he's mad. I actually don't even take Kaiser in petsmart anymore because of how afraid people are of him. It's a shame too because he really is a sweetheart.

And I get the total opposite reaction.  Apparently there is just something about Tyler that invites people to come and say hello.  At all other times he has the typical gsd aloofness, but when he is working, he is quite welcoming to strangers.  Once I tell him that it's ok to make a new friend, he does.  Having a stranger pat his head does nothing for him, but boy oh boy, scratch his ears and you're a friend for life!
 
However, if I'm walking 3 gsds in town, yep, folks often cross the street!

See, I am one of those annoying people who wants to pet every dog I come across. I always ask for permission though and if the owner says no, I ogle from a distance.
 
 
I have also had people be afraid of Romeo, and others who start petting him before I have the chance to say yes or no, and the first thing they do is hover over and pat his head. [:@]   I ask them to stroke him on the sides or rub his chest, and they still pat his head.  I politely say thank you and walk away.
 
 
 
 

Well everyone wants to pet Tasha because of her coloring and while she's gotten better through training and exposure, she's still my "risk" dog, so I'm vigilant with her.  I had her in Lowe's one day with me and had a mom and child staring at her.  They did actually ask to pet her, which was nice, so I walked Tasha up to them and asked the little girl to scratch her chin.  It was good for her. []

So yesterday I'm out and about, we walk up on a group of 4 young boys....4-7 year olds, I've got Xerxes on a heel.  Two of the boys approach "ooooh doggie...hi doggie."  The eldest boy says "Don't touch him, you gotta ask first." (Woohoo!  Good Job kid, someone taught you right!)  Another says, "Can I say hi?" 
 
At this point I'm incredibly pleased with the kids, but they're fast moving little boys and I tell them, "The doggie says hi, but wants to keep walking" and the kids response "Okay, bye doggie."
 
No hurt feelings, and everybody left happy.  So it was a good experience!  WOOOHOOOO!![][][]

I have a pointer mix.....EVERYONE wants to pet her.  I'm not at all worried  about her biting or anything like that, but what does bug me about people that just run up and pet her without asking (which is what most do), is that she gets over-excited when it comes to greeting people, and I'm still trying to train her to greet politely.....people just running up to her doesn't allow me to do that.  She pulls at my leash, doesn't listen to me AT ALL, and gets a bit jumpy.  So if she ever hurts someone, it will be because of jumping on someone that ran up to her.