Interesting, I like experiments, a little disturbed by the racialized entry photo, but clicked on,

I noticed the photo's of the man with dog showed him interacting with the dog, was that part of the experiment? The "alone guy" was sitting and staring forward, was that what he was doing during the experiment?

If so, it would be interest to isolate "presence of dog" as the only factor, & having the human behave the same in both cases. Reading a book, poking at a smart phone, or just staring forward. I'd be curious.

I can see more experiments being done with race and breed respectively. The possibilities are endless.

As for conclusions, good stuff. I visit at a nursing home & bring my dog along--he's a bit shy and so am I but a dog certainly breaks the ice and is a great conversation starter. I'm pretty sure the good outweighs the bad, serial killers being thankfully rare.

 

Hi! Thanks so much for the feedback. The interaction factor was not originally meant to be part of the experiment, but dogs will be dogs and my pup just would not sit still next to the man.

I also think it would be interesting to see how people react with the man behaving the same in both scenarios. I wonder if the interaction makes a difference, or the simple presence of a dog can change perception of someone.

Bringing your dog to the nursing home is a perfect demonstration of the results in this experiment. Thank you so much for sharing.

Would you mind if I put the content you posted here on the website in the comments section? It is very thoughtful material and I'd like to preserve it there. Thanks again!

EDIT: I just replaced the beginning photo of a man. The racialization completely blew over my head. Thanks for pointing it out!

 

Yes, you can! & thanks for taking my comments as super-nerdy rather than critical. Human behaviour (sentient creatures in general) fascinates me.

Stillness, & staring, is pretty much a danger signal. I've set off dogs by simply sitting somewhere minding my own business, so what your guy was doing might make a difference.

While this would be a post-graduate idea (expensive, needs resources); I would love to see something similar done with a sociapath sitting with dog (subject free to interact or not) compared to a socially normal person with the same dog. Would observers pick up any cues and read them differently?

As for serial killers using a benign appearance, look up Bruce McArthur Toronto. Worked as Santa actor, had a very good congenial relationship with the neighbourhood.

Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka, Karla was a vet tech.

Kinda wishing I was in uni studying socialogy right now.

As for the racialized pic--I am disturbed by my own reaction too, as I'm not sure if it was just the "mug shot" (forward hard stare) that made my brain say yup, danger, or if race played a part too; that could lead to whole other set of experiments.

Science is awesome--not always comfortable--cheers!

 

Interesting subject this.
Me and my dog have a territory of about 4-5 square miles that includes a police station, a fire station, multiple apartment complexes, dog park, a 30 acre wooded nature preserve, a 1st-4th grade grammar school, several smallish city parks and a handful of neighborhood blocks of different economic, ethnic and racial classes.

We're out several hours a day for the last year and I know we are 'known.'
Cops wave hellos. Firemen wave on the way to calls. A couple postal workers know us and so do few Streets & Sanitation drivers.

I talk to anybody that feels like talking and make myself appear unthreatening, but still, I know for some folks, I'm the weird guy who's always walking his dog.

 

Puma pup's "relax" training make us look....

Interesting subject this.

I talk to anybody that feels like talking and make myself appear unthreatening, but still, I know for some folks, I'm the weird guy who's always walking his dog.

Similarly.....

I take my dog to work with me almost every day. We sit outside together A LOT just working on Puma's relax. She is so proficient at this relaxing that now she will lay down upside down in the middle of the parking lot. We call her Puma Plop N Drop! We do this outside my shop door, in the parking lot, on the path, in a garden in the center, basically wherever Puma chooses as long as we can still see my front door to my shop! Sunny spots are her favorite.

My point?? Because Puma is soooooo relaxed (kinda dead dog looking at times lol) people see us and some people think we are homeless! Or stranded. They offer us water, aid, a ride, etc.

Then they look at my nice arty stone jewelry I am wearing and laugh--- and many say "Oh yeah, you own that shop in the corner, right?!"

And then many folks ask me training questions about their dog since Puma is so chill.

But---from a sociological point, I always wonder how many people passing by us think we truly are homeless or stranded.....and say nothing?

 

Very interesting experiment. I made a comment.

 

It does sound interesting. I would comment if it were hosted elsewhere--I'm not a fan of that corporation, lol.

I did want to share why I was strongly advised against going with my first choice of breed (APBT) by another woman living alone with her dogs. Her reasoning was not that I couldn't afford a dog or that I wouldn't be able to find a rental and would just rehome the dog or abandon it at a shelter. I already knew people thought those things about me. She warned me that women living alone, as an already vulnerable population, would only be making ourselves more vulnerable by owning dogs that people were afraid of.

I didn't understand what The Widow meant because I hadn't gotten Laurel yet, but she gives good advice and her Mini-Aussie is sort of like my Fairy Goddog. I trusted her and ultimately wound up with Laurel, who did not get me evicted, is small enough to sleep in the back seat of a passenger car with me, and gets to go past the "no dogs or bicycles beyond this point" point on my shoulders with the Park Rangers' blessing. I love my dog and my dog loves me.

She's an excellent watch dog with keen senses of hearing and smell. Her natural, resting voice is high pitched and can carry well across long distances, but her lower register, which she uses to address threats directly, just sounds like the immature adolescent she is and would not disclose her size through a closed door. She can keep me safe.....ish......but anybody who ever tried to exploit, threaten, or harm me by falsely accusing my "vicious dog" of attacking them is just going to get laughed out of court.

That wasn't what I was expecting when I decided to get a dog but it works. I am not dead or in yet another abusive relationship, I have not been physically assaulted since I bought the puppy, and my car has not been stolen.

Maybe I'd rather be perceived as the tough-as-nails old bat with the Pittie than the ditz with the out-of-style "fur baby" but it's not the dog's fault that people are stupid.