It is very rare anyone appoaches us lol, usually people cross over the road or children get scooped up and little dogs too .
If i had a pound for everytime i have said 'its okay he is friendly' i would be very rich !!!
My dog is soft as a bun and loves everybody

If he was a bit skittish i wouldn,t hesitate to tell people not to pet him, i have owned a aggressive dog in the past so can see both sides
I think people should respect it if you say please don't pet my dog for whatever reasons but there are some numptys out there who don't listen