I love talking to strangers in the mall...
By Toni
@toniganzon (74957)
Philippines
March 17, 2026 11:53pm CST
When they have dogs with them. I'm actually after the pet and not the human! 
Majority of our malls here are dog friendly and there's even a dog park in it. So most of the people bring their dogs to the mall and not the park.
I never touch without permission. I always ask permission. Even when taking a photo, the handler/pet owner's permission is a must. I would then have a friendly conversation about their pets, only about their pets.
The dogs love me of course and sometimes the owner would be surprised coz the dog isn't normally friendly to strangers.
Guess I'm simply irresistible!
Here's a photo of Chloe, a jack russell. Met her in one of the malls. She's a service dog, serving an American guy who was here on vacation with his girlfriend.
Majority of our malls here are dog friendly and there's even a dog park in it. So most of the people bring their dogs to the mall and not the park.
I never touch without permission. I always ask permission. Even when taking a photo, the handler/pet owner's permission is a must. I would then have a friendly conversation about their pets, only about their pets.
The dogs love me of course and sometimes the owner would be surprised coz the dog isn't normally friendly to strangers.
Guess I'm simply irresistible!
Here's a photo of Chloe, a jack russell. Met her in one of the malls. She's a service dog, serving an American guy who was here on vacation with his girlfriend.5 people like this
7 responses
@toniganzon (74957)
• Philippines
8h
I guess I do that because seeing someone with a dog means we have something in common to talk about.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (495745)
• Italy
7h
@toniganzon - It is very possible, I love animals, so I tend to feel closer to those who love animals also.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (74957)
• Philippines
6h
@LadyDuck It is the same for me. People who love animals have tender hearts.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (170212)
• United States
10h
There are no malls close to where we live. I'm not really interested in the pets but I will talk with kids and their adults when we're in line at a cash register. I like talking with the kids but make sure the adult(s) can hear what I'm saying when I'm talking with kids. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings when I'm talking with kids.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (74957)
• Philippines
10h
For sure. A misunderstanding could cause a huge problem.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (74957)
• Philippines
10h
@DaddyEvil Gone are the days when we don't see any danger when strangers talk to our kids. I remember when I was. a kid my parents never warned me against that. I talked to a lot of people I don't know when I was a kid. Nothing bad happened to me though.
When I was in high school, my sister warned me against talking to foreign guys who were here as students. I didn't ask why. But I disobeyed her anyway and made friends with some of them.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (115290)
• United States
7h
I always ask permission too, and it bothers me when someone tries to pet my dog without asking first. My dog is very wary of people, so she might nip at you if you pet her. I don’t want anyone to get nipped at, but she’s so little people assume she won’t do anything. Now, she’s much better than she used to be. My neighbors have commented she’s much friendlier than when I first adopted her. Still, people need to ask.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (74957)
• Philippines
6h
No matter how small or friendly looking the dog is, it's only polite to ask the owners first. When I bring my fur babies outside, I always tell the people that it's ok to pet them. I do so in advance because others might hesitate and I don't want them to be afraid. Sometimes the children would just suddenly run to to my fur babies and give them a hug so I immediately tell the parents it's ok.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (74957)
• Philippines
10h
I'm not really one to approach strangers at all unless they have dogs.
@sathviksouvik (22605)
•
5h
in india people hardly like strangers talking to them. I tried many years to utter dissatisfaction of the strangers
1 person likes this
