A woman explained her reasoning as to why she takes a new route every time she walks her dog—even if she has nice neighbors. In a video with over 49,000 views on TikTok, Alexa Abney (@alexaabney69) discussed her safety precautions while walking her pet.
“I take my dog for a walk every single night for 45 minutes to an hour,” Abney said. “I walk from a different route every single night because I don’t want someone to learn my route and follow me.”
“There’s this old man in my neighborhood that’s so sweet, and he always has treats, and he always gives all the dogs walking a treat,” she said. “In my mind, he’s a nice man that’s giving my dog a treat.”
However, Abney said she also realizes in her mind that this man is “befriending” her dog, which can be a red flag.
“He’s befriending my dog so that my dog associates him with treats so that when he breaks into my house to murder me, my dog doesn’t bark [or] throw a fit,” she said. “He already associates him with treats and he won’t attack him.”
While she admits that it’s a “stretch,” Abney said it can happen.
Viewers affirm her concerns about dog walking
Viewers were quick to affirm her feelings, especially given how dangerous the world can feel for women.
“I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but also I don’t trust people by default and that has kept me/gotten me out of many bad situations,” one commenter wrote. “One of the main reasons is not accepting things from people I don’t know or engaging in conversations with random people coming up to me. While the treats are a nice gesture, you can buy your dog their own treats yourself.”
One viewer added that distrust is often necessary. “Paranoia is an unrealistic trust. It is realistic to not trust a man,” they said. “It’s not a stretch, it’s your brain functioning properly. If those thoughts are coming up it may be your intuition telling you that man is off.”
Another commenter said, “It’s not paranoia, you’re smart and proactive. Many many many many people are not here because they did not think this way when they should have.”
What’s the Idaho 4?
One viewer referenced the “Idaho 4,” the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students. The victims, Madison “Maddie” Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, were killed in an off-campus home on Nov. 13, 2022.
Authorities charged Bryan Kohberger in the case, and he has since pleaded guilty to killing the four students “willingly, unlawfully, deliberately and with premeditation and malice with forethought.”
For many TikTokers, the reference underscored how easily people can exploit others’ trust. They noted that caution, even when it feels extreme, can protect people from harm.
@alexaabney69 you can never be too safe really #fyp #dogwalking #paranoid #fy #relatable ♬ original sound – alexa ??
The Mary Sue has reached out to Abney for more information.
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