Beautiful day off today and the CFH family enjoyed it by hiking and back packing with the dogs at Minnewaska state park. It was hot, but we found a shady trail and enjoyed the wild blueberries at their peak. The dogs had a little swim and everything was right in the world, for a moment. When we had hiked our trail and returned to the parking lot, another dog owner with a Manchester Terrier was just arriving. His dog barked at ours. The owner then grabbed the dog by the back of the neck and slammed him onto the gravel, the dog tried to resist and the owner pinched his ear, lifted him off the ground by his collar and slammed him again into the gravel as we passed. WHY did he publicly abuse his dog? Because that's what he learned on TV! What lesson did the dog learn from this? 1) Strange dogs approaching really upset my owner. I must NEVER let a strange dog approach! 2) I must never trust my owner when he reaches down to me,sometimes it hurts and I may need to defend myself from his attacks. What would have been a better option? Allow my friendly dogs to approach at a safe distance. Offer treats to every one and make this meeting and EVERY meeting, a super happy occasion.