This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Dog Owners On Appleton Street In Cobblestone Side

I live on Appleton, near the Appleton Bakery, I see, interact with and know many of my neighbors, mail people, dog walkers etc. 

This issue I bring to the Patch today deals with a dog walking service. I have noticed one specific dog walker, who picks up a dog or dogs on Appleton street where the street is cobblestone next to Dartmouth St..

She has long dark haired, maybe late thirties early forties, normal build, who drives a dark colored SUV, maybe dark green, but I am not positive, though it is dark, and there are no signs indicating that she works with a dog company or herself on the vehicle.

However, I think she works for "Doggie Day Trippers" located on Shawmut and East Berkely because I have seen her and others, in the past, pick up other dogs who live on the street that I know for certain work there. One being a dog named Reggie, a little dark wiry haired friendly terrier owned by a young couple across the street from the Appleton Bakery.

On more than one occasion I have seen the woman I mentioned, slam on her breaks, turn around, and start screaming as some dog is barking aggressively, I assume towards another dog. 

This happens usually as she is driving towards Dartmouth coming down the cobblestoned part of Appleton street. Today I saw her on Appleton where it meets Clarendon St.

But seeing as it usually happens on the cobblestone part of Appleton, I am assuming it is after she picks up a dog there, it's happened too many times in that area to be just a coincidence.

I have a dog, and would not want my dog picked up and put into a vehicle where there is an aggressive dog that causes the driver to stop abruptly turn around and start screaming. I've heard this even when the windows are up. 

The aggressive barking or behavior can turn another dog into a fear aggressive dog, meaning she would not be friendly and act aggressively towards any new dog she meets and/or when playing with other dogs if it gets too rough, instead of the usual "I said enough!", she'd jump right into to no warning mode and just attack, which can end up leading to a dog fight. So allowing an aggressive dog to act so much so effects other dogs in a very negative way.

I've known dogs whose whole personality changed if they have been bullied, even after few times. I think that what is happening;

1) There is an aggressive dog in the car and the woman brings a new one one and she gets bullied 

2) The woman picks up an aggressive dog that starts to bully the others when she enters the car. 

Either way it's not good for the dogs!

I would want someone to tell me if my dog was involved!

 So if you or someone you knows has a dog on the cobblestone section of Appleton street that uses a daycare that comes and gets them, please stop using them if you have noticed your dogs personality changing, or little bites that you may assume come from rough play fighting which is normal but not the same as being nipped at aggressively by another dog leaving similar little marks. 

Dogs lives are too short to be allowed to be ruined by those who don't think these are big issues. I know a dog that was once friendly who became aggressive after being bullied too much so much so be has been quarantined by the city twice, (Golden Retriever, so you cant assume anything) because his reaction to new dogs, most likely out of fear aggression because of being bullied, aggressively.

Please share this. 

Thank you. 

Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you know of the dog but don't want to get involved, I will, and leave anyone else out. No names mentioned, plus I am the one posting this and I am the one who had witnessed this.

ps: this is so long because I wanted to make it very clear about where this happens and who, I don't want anyone to be falsely accused of something.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from South End