I have a question. Is it socially acceptable to bring your dog shopping with you to a clothing store? I ran into some seemingly self entitled woman waiting in line for the dressing room with her Chocolate Lab.

If the store doesn't sell food, it's at the discretion of the management whether to allow dogs or not.

A woman asked to take a picture of my dog, and I said yes. It was a very easy transaction. She was a graphic designer or something and my dog is particularly adorable, so why not? However, I'm not a raving lunatic, so that situation may have turned out very different if I were.

If he doesn't want people taking pictures of his dog, he should just get one of the invisible ones from the improv everywhere crew.

Love hunter.blatherer. You make perfect sense. The nut-case's little dog will probably eventually pay dearly for his owner's stupidity and boorish behavior if he continues to walk the pooch off-leash and act out irrationally. That is the actual issue, not whether Melissa disobeyed some obscure rule of civility - which, in my opinion, she did not, certainly not intentionally. But even if she did, his behavior toward her was so egregious that her "offense" pales into insignificance.

This guy is actually a somewhat known disturbed person, I could tell it was him right away because he always has that hat on, and the bluetooth headset. That dog of his always has on different pairs of booties every time I've seen him in the park. I saw him in Central Park one weekend and a parks department lady asked him to put a leash on his dog and he exploded into such a frenzy I thought he was going to hit her.

Kazubes,

If you happen to see this guy again, feel free to make him bite the curb and step on the back of his head American X style. Tell him that its from the guy who works the rice paddys.

If I happen to see him again, which I really wish i do, I will cut his leg off.

Melissa, if you happen to see him again, just take the dog's bootie and throw it in the sewer.

I'm the Russian that Shin just mentioned, and can totally corroborate his story. This was the most ridiculous/bizarre thing that has happened to me in 20 years of living in New York! I promise that none of us had any cameras, and the result was the same - well, actually, a little worse for him. We ended up laughing at him and getting him even more riled up. I think his parting words had something to do with us needing to come to Texas so he could show us "how its done".

So, either this guy is the most miserable person we've ever met or( and I haven't ruled this out yet ) we were on candid camera.

Holy SHIT!

I ran into the same douchebag who claimed to be dressing this rat with a million dollar necklace and that that's something a billionaire "can do". Then he proceeded to tell me that though he assumes I'm a doctor, i wouldn't know that a dog's paw shouldn't be touching the city streets and that wouldn't be something I would learn while working on a rice patty!(I'm asian).

Our group of friends, mix of white, russian, myself and a half mexican, couldn't stop laughing at this guy's tirade.

This guy went off, not because he was pissed at you, but he was just clearly out of his mind.

The plot thickens...

No one has pointed out the obvious. That's a piss poor photograph.

You should always ask permission and most people will give it. I have two beautiful spaniels and they look cute and cuddly. They are as sweet as can be with "the family" but they do not want to be approached by strangers and would react badly. So my reaction, if somebody gets too close, is to warn them. I'm thinking of their welfare.

She should know better than to photogrpah someones dog.

Are you all insane? The comments are CRAZY! You're all suddenly privacy experts? Well, legal bigshots, I'm glad your Judge Judy law degree overrides civility -- "all's fair, 'cause it's legal, baby!" So if I walk up to you and your date and flash your picture a foot from your face, that's OK because you are in public and relinquished your privacy? So you don't have to ask yourself, "how would I feel if someone did this to me…" anymore? Ohhh, poor, tiny, little wispy thing of a girl gets (supposedly) yelled at by the big, awful man and since she posts her "victim" story you're spouting homophobic comments about this guy? How about if she had said to him, "Hey, you're right, I'm sorry. I should have asked. I was so impressed by your dog that I forgot. Please accept my apology." Wow. Wouldn't everyone have gone home happy then? No, you all have to go public. Tell the world how unfair life is to you. Grow up, lady. Did this approach work with daddy and now you want the world to mollycoddle you too? Lady, you know you were rude, so no matter how many people cut this guy down, you know in your heart: You Were Rude and you didn't have the b*lls to apologize.

Yes, everyone else is crazy and your above comment is the only sane, reasonable one here. No one else understands privacy but you.

PS: If you look as crazy as you write, don't go out in public. Because I will photograph you.

Sounds like somebody needs a vacation.

But what did Viane Delgado say?

Crazy Man + Crazy Woman + Internet = yawn

I usually always ask people if I can photograph them if I am near, however, constitutionally, with the exception of shooting through and open window, the rights of who to shoot, how close etc, are on the photographers side.

I don't think he liked her taking pictures of his boyfriend.

tru fax

Just don't take pictures of people walking their cats. You'd be in for a heap of trouble.

Dogs are fair game, a polite reciprocated nod is polite. if close enough to ask without shouting, just say may I?