We watched a man who said he had just flown in from Europe throwing a ball for his small dog to retrieve in one of the RCCs in ORD IIRC. When a staffer intervened the owner got quite huffy about it and said the dog needed some exercise - the concourse was apparently too long a walk.

We also had an experience in F last year or so of a passenger trying to calm her barking dog by standing in the aisle during boarding and letting the dog stick its head out of the carrier. It was not only barking at boarding passengers but volunteered a half-hearted snap at the fellow trying to claim his seat next to them. There were words between the FA and the dog owner but fortunately the dog and the owner both settled down after awhile.

I'm sure Robb and you are both far more considerate than that but some folks forget that not everyone is a dog lover (I am) just as not all parents realize that not everyone loves kids (unless they read FT ).