"Can I Pet Her?"

I was out walking Molly this afternoon around the apartment complex and I saw a mother and her three-year-old son coming out of their apartment. I was busy texting on my phone and did not realize how close the little boy was until it was almost too late. The little boy had walked awful close to me and luckily he spoke first. He says "Hello. Can I pet her?" I immediately apologized to him and his mother and I told them Molly was just not friendly and I gave all of the excuses as to why. I explained all of this to his mother because by this time the little boy had already lost interest and had moved on to Plan B which was riding his little scooter. I felt so bad that it literally brought a tear to my eye.