Do you ever wonder if...

On days like today, I think so.   I just got home from the dog park and 4 different people had absolutely no idea how dogs play and couldn't understand that our dogs were playing really well together and having fun.    One owner came around and realized that the playing was fine, but the others just dragged their puppies off just because my dog is smaller.   But other days, I meet so many incredible people who adore and understand their dogs.    I don't know what they feed or how they vaccinate, but I admire their relationships with and understanding of dogs and that is the most important thing to me.

Edit.   I rarely see people behaving just plain badly with their dogs, although that's completely a comment in the type of neighbourhood I live in.   The worst I've seen in a man giving totally unfair and severe leash corrections to a dog that clearly had no idea what the man was asking for.    I guess I'm incredibly sheltered in that sense - I know all these horrible owners exist, but I don't see them.    Last week I was upset because a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever was in the park and BEGGING me to play fetch with it because its owners hadn't brought anything to play with.   I played with it forever and it was SO happy and I secretly thought they weren't the greatest owners for not getting how this dog wanted to be exercised.    But, god, how totally privileged to be able to pick on such a thing!

Yes, I feel this way ALL the time. I love the people here in Puerto Rico and I feel bad for putting down my home island but most people here have a 'i-dont-care-about-dogs' attitude and it still bugs me.
 
People buy a gorgeous pup and tie it outside and forget about it, never take it to the vet, if its a bitch they dont even bother isolating her when shes in heat, accounting for so many homeless dogs. I know very few people who truly care about their pets and those that do still irk me alot.
 
Ive learned to shut up a long time ago because people will look at me weird when I say my dog sleeps inside, that she is housebroken, that I paid X amount for her, that I order her toys online, etc. I get weird looks whenI say dont buy from pet shops, etc.

So ive just learned to shut up and I only advocate on truly wrong things like this guy at work was discussing Pit Bulls with me and he kept asking me 'Pit Bulls are the most dangerous dogs around right?' So I actually said something, but on everything else I dont really bother anymore.
 
One thing though, I will NEVER change my beliefs. My dogs will always be inside, well fed, taken to the vet and pampered to the fullest no matter what anyone says

Yup, I fell like that ALL the time...
I don't know what I'd do without Bailey. I could never even think about having him live outside. Just because they're dogs doesn't mean they don't need to be cared for. We take them to live with us, so its our job to make sure they're happy. Sure they're not people, they're dogs, and always will be, but they ARE part of the family ("pack", to them) Would you tie your kid on a chain in your backyard, I know I wouldn't.

I agree with you.  Even when people ask me what do I feed Romeo because he looks so good for his age, blah, blah.. I just say: dog food and when they ask what kind my reply is "whatever is on sale."  My mother thinks I am rude, but it would make me so mad that people would ask and once I started telling them, I would get laughed at, or stared at as if I am from Mars.  And don't even get me started how they react once they find out Romeo goes to daycare, has a pet sitter, or that I arrange play dates for him and he gets invited to birthday parties. 
 
My family is from Spain and when they come visit, they make fun of me because Romeo has a CD of his own.  Romeo loves Nat King Cole, what can I say he has great taste in music, and if listening to that CD means I have a calm dog during a storm, well I play the you know what out of the CD. 
 
I love my dog, he is my family, my friend, companion, confidant, the reason I get off from work with a smile on my face, because I know he will be waiting and the first thing I am going to see when I get home, is those chestnut brown eyes that make my heart melt every time they look up at me. []
 
Sorry for the long post.  I don't humanize my dog in any way, but he gives me so much, that whatever I can do to make his life comfortable and happy pales in comparison. []

I agree to an extent.  Luckily, most people I know personally take wonderful care of their dogs.  However, I do see the bad pet owners out there.  As I type this, I'm listening to the dogs across the street from the office (I'm at work) yelp and bark.  I've never gotten close to them, but I think there are two rots, and most of the time they are tied outside (I don't think they even have shelter).  Once in a while I see they get off thier tie outs or get out of the house somehow, and I'll see them bolt down the street as fast as thier little legs will take them, and it usually takes the owners hours to find them.

I also used to have a neighbor (when I was a kid) who had a small mixed breed dog of somesort (he was on the larger end of small), and he's never EVER lived inside.    He was always out on the chain, NEVER paid attention to, and he was very poorly kept.  I think he got the grocery store brand of food, too.  I still feel bad for him.  Sometimes when they weren't home I'd sneak over and play with him. They moved to another part of town...I'm pretty sure they still hvae him, though he's getting old...he's still outside on a tie out, and I have little faith that they pay any mor eattention to him.  

ORIGINAL: Xerxes

Do you ever wonder if we are in the absolute minority? 

 
I don't wonder, I know--lol.  You should see the looks I get from my family and co-workers sometimes.  By now, most of them pretty much accept that I am "special" and just let me go on my merry way.....

ORIGINAL: Xerxes

Do you ever wonder if we are in the absolute minority?  Dog owners that try to do the right and responsible things for our dogs?  Things like researching nutrition, behavior issues, temperment testing, and letting our lives revolve as much around our 4 legged family members?

I just feel overwhelmed by owners that take a lack-a-daisical attitude about their dogs.  That doesn't mean that I won't continue doing what I'm doing, but that I don't feel like preaching anymore to people that don't care.  I'm at the point where I won't volunteer any info to people anymore.

Does anybody else feel this way?

 
I do find myself getting annoyed at people that aren't "into" their dog/cat/pet.  When I got our dog, even before, I knew that he was going to be a part of our family.  Not just something to look at or laugh at, but a part of our family.  I knew I was going to love him and hold him and hug him and feed him and take care of him, just like I do my family members.  Sure, he's fuzzy and he runs HELLA fast ( [8D] , but he's just like one of my human kids.  I take care of him as such.  I had no idea how many food choices there were for dogs, but now that I do know, I want the best for him.  I had no idea there were holistic vets, but it's something to consider and research.  I had no idea about grooming, but I researched, asked around and found one that I enjoy. 
 
There are so many things done getting ready for a human baby coming into this world (BTDT twice and hoping for at least one more go at it!), but not so much for dogs/cats/pets. 
 
What gets me is that those that love their pets unconditionally are thought of as odd for loving their "animal" as if it were human!  What the heck?!  Why can't we love them like that?  Just because they are animals, doesn't mean they don't feel and love! 
 
I like Sammy more than I like some people!  He's fairly honest and he doesn't backstab and undercut me. Hahahahahaha! []  Enough of my tirade... I hope you got some of the jist of what my heart was saying.  Sometimes, I confuse myself. Hehehe! []

One more thing... our neighbor behind us has a beautiful dog.  She looks to be a german shepherd mix, but I can see her ribs.  She's not malnourished, just not exercised at all.  She's a pretty big girl and she's really not socialized.  Sammy goes out back to go potty and play with his plethora of toys, and her and him race back and forth along the fenceline.  They really dig each other and I wouldn't mind them playing sometimes over at my house, but her family doesn't play with her much and they're not that friendly to us.
 
Everytime we're out there playing with Sammy, she's out there looking lonely and hiding under their trampoline they have out there.  I feel so bad for her.  They leave her out there for hours and I see no water bowl.  I have figured out that she likes ice though. []  And if I back away, she'll eat the treats I give her through the fence holes.  Poor thing is scared of anyone but the people she lives with.
 
That makes me angry.  I'd love to go back there and get her, so she can have some fun and some loves, but I can't.  It's hard to watch her sometimes... she really should have a bit more muscle than she does. []

Sure, he's fuzzy and he runs HELLA fast ( ), but he's just like one of my human kids.

  -- ABSOLUTELY agreed! 
 
When we got our first JR, Lucky, some 5+ years ago, he immediately took to my husband, who is a huge dog person.  I admit that at first I was a limited dog person.  I ADORE animals, don't get me wrong, but I had limited experience with dogs, per se.  Well, OBVIOUSLY, it didn't take but a flash in a pan for me to fall madly in love with not only Lucky but the whole of "dogdom".  There is NOTHING in this world like it and I wouldn't trade it for one single moment of freedom to come and go as I wish.  I adore having a puppy sitter and a "camp" we send them to whenever there is that miscellaneous place that we are not "allowed" to take our furry kidlings. 
 
I have a few friends who for various reasons don't have SOs.  I just tell them "get a dog".  Believe me, everything you need and could possibly want involving unconditional love is there right in those beautiful brown eyes. 
 
Since that time I have never looked back and yes, if it means that I have not taken empty test syndrome very well in some people's terms, then so be it.  My puppers ARE my kids.  They just walk on all fours, have fur and have a speech inpediment!  That's it![]
 
Sorry this is long!
 

Sorry I meant "empty nest syndrome"!   But then I think you guys knew what I meant! 

I do sometimes feel frustrated with people who don't put enough thought or care into dog ownership. However, the deeper I get into the "dog world," as it were, the more I begin to think that information can sometimes be a double edged sword. To be honest, I'm more frustrated and sometimes almost heartbroken by the well-read, highly involved dog owner who has come to see their own dog as a wellspring of potential Problems than I am by the lackadaisical owner who puts the dog out to potty and that's about it. It may sound crazy but I almost prefer the "just a dog" owner to the one who's hypervigilant for aggression and behavioral issues all the time... it's just so sad to see that adversarial relationship. Dogs are so adaptable, and more than once I've met a wonderful, sweet, happy family dog who really doesn't get a whole lot of attention but is content to hang around the house, being near his people and picking up the kids' dropped cracker crumbs... I think dogs can be overmanaged and over-"cared" for too, if they are barraged with discipline and order and not allowed to just be sometimes. Just some things I've been thinking about lately....

I feel like this often. It's very depressing. I've come to the decision never to take it for granted that people will have their dogs under control, or that the dogs will be well-mannered, or even well-socialised. People like to think they know how to do something so simple as raising a dog that people have done for thousands of years. But people have been raising children for even longer and look how often they screw that up.

At least you can find a lot of that minority in places like this forum.

I feel frustrated too sometimes, although there are some people around me who seem to get it. Max has one pal whose mom, although she doesn't eat meat, fed the dog before him meat (can't remember if she fed it raw or cooked it). She really hated doing it, so the current dog doesn't it get, but he gets a good food. I have one neighbor whose dog Max loves, but it can take days before we catch them outside with her. She is little, and they leave her in for long days. Max wanted to see her this morning because he heard her barking and whining in the house. They had a beagle before that they got rid of. This little dog has never been trained, and 2 or 3 times, my mom has come rushing in, asking me to bring Max out, because she has run out the door without her leash. If Max is there, she will stay with him (Max is on leash). Another neighbor's dogs have gotten out of his house a few times and I once spent 5 hours trying to find where they lived to return them. Another neighbor was helping me, and left a note in his mailbox to let him know about it. When my mom saw him later, he denied the dogs were out all day (one is a bichon and was covered in mud). It's not like I wanted a reward, just a thanks, or just for him to acknowledge it and let us know he was getting his door fixed (it blew open in heavy winds). However, the neighbor who helped me return the dogs is great. She has a pittie, who doesn't like many dogs, but she loves Max. Her and Max have been out to play together, which mostly consists of Max racing around her like a nut since she is older. But, the best part is the pittie sticker they have on their sliding glass door.
The worst neighbor happens to be a former Eagles player Vaughn Hebron. He has three dogs, a Mastiff of some sort, and 2 shelties. I have never seen them outside the fence. They don't even get the whole backyard, just a little side area. It's filled in with rocks, has no shade, and has poop all over it. I have never seen them outside the fence. They bark at everyone who passes. One time when I saw the owner out there as I walked Max, he looked at me like walking a dog was something he had never seen before, or like I was crazy. The guy has to have a lot of money, he could hire someone to walk his dogs if he wanted, but instead they just sit in that little area of the yard. He makes me hate football even more than I already do.