Stormtroopers around dogs

[Brent]

My wife and I had some friends that are huge Star Wars fans over for dinner. The friends had brought their black lab over, a very friendly and excited dog.

 

Having just finished my TK, I stepped out to demo it as a surprise. I came out of a door while everyone else was talking at the dinner table. One of the friends had her back to me, while her husband and the dog saw me immediately.

 

I was expecting some surprise from the people, but I hadn’t thought about the reaction from the dog. He immediately started pointing and barking. The wife was trying to calm the dog down, completely unaware that a stormtrooper was standing right behind her. The husband thought this was pretty hilarious and eventually clued her in that the dog was legitimately concerned about the armed stormtrooper standing just behind her and not just making noise for the fun of it.

 

It then took a few minutes of calming the dog and me taking the helmet off before it was able to calm down enough for us to move on. The dog continued to keep its distance as long as I was in costume. After I changed back the dog greeted me like I had been gone the whole time and had missed out on the whole event.

 

Anyone else have a similar experience? Does anyone ever have problems trooping with animals around? I was certainly happy that this dog is all bark and no bite, because I really didn’t want to test the strength of my armor.

[RedSpecial[TK]]

Thankfully all the encounters Ive had in armor with dogs have been pleasant ones, some have been a bit timid but generally they seem more curios than anything.

My squads Vader on the other hand is another story

 

Ive got two dogs myself and they're fine with it.

The oldest one likes to just sit and tilt his head when i wear it while the younger dog tries to peak inside to see where the noises are coming from

[Arnie_DK[TK]]

Had a complete opposite reaction, when I was handing out flyers wearing my TK, in my home town, some time ago.

 

A pedestrian with a big saint bernard dog walks by me, and the dog just looks calm and curious at me. The owner of the dog stops and tells me that normally the dog will bark and snarl if anyone is just wearing a scooter helmet with a clear lens in it, so he was quite amazed that the dog reacted on me(or didnt) as it did.

[bluehickey]

when there has been dogs at events I've been too, they have been pretty calm and generally not interested in us.

[Griffin-X[TK]]

I have a large Blue Healer and he does not like a "hidden" face. Typically, if they cannot see your eyes, it's hard for them to read you or figure out friend from foe. Mine will just sit there looking at me funny, but knows it's me. I've been to a few events where dogs got a bit anxious. All dogs are different...

[tkrestonva[TK]]

I had a similar reaction at a troop a couple of years ago. I was outside in a semi-crowded area, and I heard growling and snarling at my feet behind me. I turned around, looked down, and saw a small-breed dog looking up at me barking and growling. I took a step toward it and it immediately started backing up - barking and snarling the entire time.

 

Clearly it was afraid of me (don't know why ). The dog was leashed the entire time and the highest it would have been able to reach is mid-calf, so there was never any danger. The dog's owner thought it was pretty hilarious though, as did I.

[Mongoose[TK]]

My cats just look at me weird. I'll be encountering dogs in the next day or two, they are family members and are well trained so I'm not too concerned.

[Brent]

I guess the takeaway for me is to be prepared for unexpected reactions. I think this dog was mostly surprised since I came out of nowhere. I doubt it would have been concerned if they had approached me.

[daennika]

My dog pay no mind to my armor and behaves no different than if I was wearing regular clothes

 

Was getting my clearance pictures... and he kept getting in the way for attention.

 

[RedSpecial[TK]]

Hehe gotta love em

[Amplexor[TK]]

I have met some dogs while in costume, and have gotten different responses. Both good and bad.

The bad one was last year when I saw a Labrador, and tried to say hello to it. It totally freaked out, barking, shoving its teeth, and backing away. This was in a big crowd of people.

 

Another dog I tried to talk to, started looking around, not knowing where the sound came from, apparently not recognize me as a human. Another acted quite normal though and let me pet him, so I guess you never know. Just be careful, and see how it reacts before you get to close.

[YouCantBe Sidious[TK]]

My dog isn't bothered by my TK or WIP Death Trooper...