I think the umbrella and picking up your pup until the coast is clear are both great ideas. Even at my vet, all of the techs carry my pups and other small dogs when taking them to different areas because you never know when you'll bump into a larger dog coming around the corner or even just an anxious dog of any size and what the reaction will be.
I've had similar situations coming out of my apartment. Luckily the dogs were not unfriendly and my pups were on a short leash and don't just zip outside when I open the door. It's pretty alarming when something like that happens. |