Doggone it! Readers share their pet peeves

BlackLabbie

This is probably one of the MOST annoying websites I have ever seen dealing with dogs....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14079757/

...some of the complaints are legit, but some are out of this world annoying, IMO. Especially this one:

I can't stand the people who insist their dog "won't bite" when my twin 5-year-olds go running over to pet them. How the hell do they know if their dog will bite? It's an animal, for God's sake, and there's no way to predict what it will or will not do. I'm a cat person and really don't like the fact that all of our neighbors on the cul-de-sac have acquired dogs. Two houses away from us is an enormous German Shepherd and the owners scold my kids for not approaching the dog correctly. I started picking my kids up at school so we wouldn't have to deal with all the dogs the parents brought to the bus stop. Why are dog owners so sure that everyone loves dogs? I also wonder how much pleasure these people really get from their dogs which they have to constantly walk and dutifully pick up huge piles of crap. Yuck. I'll take a kitty over slobbery dog breath any day.
— Anonymous, Md.

Boy is that woman setting her kids up to be bitten.... 

Hey, here's an idea lady--DON'T LET YOUR KIDS JUST RUN UP TO DOGS!!!  Then you will not have this issue.  Why is SHE so sure that every dog owner wants her kids near their dog?

Sorry, but that is one of my biggest complaints of all time, not to mention one of the stupidest things I think I've ever seen parents do (aside from letting their kids run right up behind horses, or letting their kids stick their fingers in a horses mouth). 

We didn't have this issue so much with Sally because she is one of those "scary" dogs and when she has a GL on people think it is a muzzle.  Very few people just walk up to her without asking.  Then there is JACK.  Apparently because he is a chocolate lab, and EVERYBODY knows that labs don't bite, people think it is a-ok to just let their kids run up to him an pet, poke, prod, and generally maul him.  Luckily, Jack does not have an aggressive bone in his body.  If he did, there would be many unhappy children, because the parents don't even bother to find out if he bites, is aggressive, etc.

We took Jack to the county fair last summer with my parents and my mom was shocked at how many people would just let their kids run up to Jack and pet him, grab his face, etc.  She just kept saying, "Are theses people TRYING to get their kids bitten?!"

If possible, I try to nicely educate kids on how to approach him.  I show them the scars from when I was bitten in the face as a kid because I approached a dog without permission and hugged him.  The incident got me 21 stitches and 3 separate and visible scars on and under my chin.  This actually seems to have a great deal of impact on the parents.  I usually then just tell the kids that many dogs do like kids but some do not, and it is safe and good manners to ask first. 

Exactly what I thought....it sounds like the owners of the GS tried to tell the kids how to approach the dog correctly, but they didn't listen, so now the owners get upset with the neighbors kids. I think many of us would.

Forgot to add, I don't think it's OK for dog to go *everywhere* with their owners, especially uninvited like in some of the stories. IMO, I do not think dogs should be at fancy restraunts ever, well behaved or not (unless service dogs). We have to remember that some people are honestly afraid of dogs and I don't think they need to be subjected to my dog while dining out. Now, if they went to a park or something where dogs are allowed, that would be a different story.

BlackLabbie

Exactly what I though....it sounds like the owners of the GS tried to tell the kids how to approach the dog correctly, but they didn't listen, so now the owners get upset with the neighbors kids. I think many of us would.

Forgot to add, I don't think it's OK for dog to go *everywhere* with their owners, especially uninvited like in some of the stories. IMO, I do not think dogs should be at fancy restraunts ever, well behaved or not (unless service dogs). We have to remember that some people are honestly afraid of dogs and I don't think they need to be subjected to my dog while dining out. Now, if they went to a park or something where dogs are allowed, that would be a different story.

I don't take Jack to peoples' houses uninvited and have no desire to take him into a restaurant (although I think I would take him to outdoor dining if he was allowed), but I do take him to pretty much any festival/outdoor event that I can.  I actually took him into the gas station with me yesterday.  This was totally unplanned--I had gone planning to get a pop out of the machine next to the gas station, but it would not take my money.  I put him on a tight leash, slipped in, grabbed a pop and paid for it.  The girl at the counter was cool with it and he was an angel--didn't bother anyone and didn't even give all the food at his eye level a second glance.  It's not something I would normally do, but I was pleased with his behavior.

Personally, I like seeing dogs everywhere I go.  I think it's interesting that people look at a dog in public and think their safety is at risk, when the truth is that the *humans* sharing the same public space are *far* more likely to pose a threat.  I do get that some people are afraid of dogs, my mom is too, but part of living in society is having to deal with things that may bother you.  Even though she is very frightened of strange dogs, my mom has no issue with a dog that is on leash and in control with manners--she just does not go near them.  I am very afraid of snakes, but if it suddenly became popular for people to carry their snakes in public, I'd just have to buck up and deal with it, wouldn't I?  Heck, people with out-of-control, rude, shrieking kids bother me (a lot), but that does not mean that I think people should not be allowed to bring their children into public....

I do also take exception to the person who bashed large dogs (as opposed to medium/small) as animals that should not be welcome in public.  Thanks, but my 55 and 60lb dogs have far better manners than many of the small/medium sized dogs i have seen out and about....  

I think that lady doesn't know much about the dogs/kids combo. EVERY child that interacts with Pirate is given the shpeil on how to say hi to a dog. If your kid wants to pet my dog, it's on MY terms. If you don't like it, teach your children not to run up to my dog. Then I won't say a word to them.

sillysally

 

I don't take Jack to peoples' houses uninvited and have no desire to take him into a restaurant (although I think I would take him to outdoor dining if he was allowed), but I do take him to pretty much any festival/outdoor event that I can.  I actually took him into the gas station with me yesterday.  This was totally unplanned--I had gone planning to get a pop out of the machine next to the gas station, but it would not take my money.  I put him on a tight leash, slipped in, grabbed a pop and paid for it.  The girl at the counter was cool with it and he was an angel--didn't bother anyone and didn't even give all the food at his eye level a second glance.  It's not something I would normally do, but I was pleased with his behavior.

I didn't direct the "Forgot to add..." part of my post to you. I just meant, if you read some of the stories, that I don't think it's OK to bring your dog, uninvited, to a formal dinner part thrown by your boss. And I don't think it's OK to bring your dog to a fancy, formal, high end, restraunt.

BlackLabbie

I just meant, if you read some of the stories, that I don't think it's OK to bring your dog, uninvited, to a formal dinner part thrown by your boss. And I don't think it's OK to bring your dog to a fancy, formal, high end, restraunt.

As for the lady quoted in the OP, she blew my mind a little.  No, she shouldn't have to be subjected to dogs if she doesn't like them, but it definitely didn't sound like people were forcing them upon her.  As long as your dog behaves, I don't see anything wrong with bringing him/her along to pick up kids at a bus stop.  And kudos to the family with GS for trying to educate her kids on how to approach a dog.  Some people don't like unsolicited advice, but it sounded like her kids needed to learn more about approaching dogs.  Hopefully her kids took the advice to heart, and now have a decreased chance of being bitten by approaching correctly.

 Having a dog who is terrified of kids, my #1 pet peeve is parent's who don't control their kids and think that it's my responsibility to control my dog even if their kid comes running up into our space when we are moving away from them.  Then when I stop them and say don't come near us because he's afraid of kids (the running, screaming, poking type!) the parents give us dirty looks like we shouldn't even be out in public if he's not comfortable with their tazmanian devils descending upon him! 

Then again, alot of my pet peeves are kid related.  I'm not crazy about staying in a retail establishment (either shopping center or restaurant) where parents insist on remaining with their shrieking kids.  Not everyone wants to participate in parenting lessons where you allow your kid to scream holy murder while you shop for those jeans just to teach the kid it's not going to get its way.  I listened to enough of that during the first 10 months of my colicky kid's life, I don't need reminders! 

sillysally

Heck, people with out-of-control, rude, shrieking kids bother me (a lot), but that does not mean that I think people should not be allowed to bring their children into public....

Yeah.  That.  ^ ^ 

BlackLabbie

I also wonder how much pleasure these people really get from their dogs which they have to constantly walk and dutifully pick up huge piles of crap. Yuck.

I've picked up dog crap and I've changed a baby's poopy diaper. NO contest! Give me dog poop any day! LOL  

FourIsCompany

I've picked up dog crap and I've changed a baby's poopy diaper. NO contest! Give me dog poop any day! LOL  

LOL!  No kidding!  And dogs tend not to "play" with their poops and do wall paintings with it during naptime!  

My dogs also have never thrown up in their eyeballs on my birthday, which my kid has done!  

I'll take dogs over young kids any day of the week! 

I hate it when parents don't control their kids around dogs, and it really sounds like that is the case with this mother. It's so important to teach children how to properly introduce themselves to a dog. It's not really fair to the dog to expect him to be okay with a child running toward him and poking at him.

One time we were at the farmers market with Salem and this little girl (really young, maybe 2-3 yo) came running up to us out of the blue and threw her arms around Salem and then proceeded to grab and squeeze his privates! I didn't even see her coming toward us, and her mother who was at another stall was completely oblivious to the fact her child was even missing. One of the workers there saw where she came from so I took her by the hand and walked her back, and told the mother that she should teach the child not to run up to strange dogs. She shrugged me off and said people wouldn't take mean dogs out. Honestly, Salem loves children, but had this have been another dog I can't say this little girl wouldn't have at least been growled at for grabbing at private parts. This was before we had Cheza, but had it been her and not Salem she would have freaked out.

BlackLabbie

I can't stand the people who insist their dog "won't bite" when my twin 5-year-olds go running over to pet them. How the hell do they know if their dog will bite? It's an animal, for God's sake, and there's no way to predict what it will or will not do. I'm a cat person and really don't like the fact that all of our neighbors on the cul-de-sac have acquired dogs. Two houses away from us is an enormous German Shepherd and the owners scold my kids for not approaching the dog correctly. I started picking my kids up at school so we wouldn't have to deal with all the dogs the parents brought to the bus stop. Why are dog owners so sure that everyone loves dogs? I also wonder how much pleasure these people really get from their dogs which they have to constantly walk and dutifully pick up huge piles of crap. Yuck. I'll take a kitty over slobbery dog breath any day.
— Anonymous, Md.

Wow, this person must be a pleasure to be around [sarcasm].  They should be glad people are picking up their dogs' poops!  If this person were my neighbor, I might "accidentally" leave my poo bags at home when walking Harry by their house.  Mwahahah.  

"Running over to pet them?"  Mmmhmmm.  So this person can't control his/her kids, yet holds such a high standard to people to control their dogs?  Interesting. 

My pet peeve?  People with that kind of attitude.

The lady just doesn't love dogs...

And I don't like people like her...  

sillysally

Hey, here's an idea lady--DON'T LET YOUR KIDS JUST RUN UP TO DOGS!!!  Then you will not have this issue.  Why is SHE so sure that every dog owner wants her kids near their dog?

Exactly! I hate when parents let their kids do that. I'm not a huge kid person, and would prefer left alone when out with my dogs, but I don't mind the kids who come up and ask "can I pet your dog". I like that, the parents taught them manners and to ask and not just run up and pet a dog. (Not to mention its for the kids safety as well). The kids that do it without asking really bug me!