Hurtful Comments....

janetmichel3009

 he will also give me weird facts about dogs.. i just nod along... lol

Sounds awfully familiar.

 I don't get many comments around here because for some odd reason nobody seems to walk their dogs or don't walk by where I go with Shailer and the pups. My parents have changed their attitudes since I had Shailer. Shailer was 100% an outdoor dog for about 3-4 yrs of his life. Once I got intune with dogs and started to learn more about them I started to do things differently. Around 4 or 5 I brough him in the house without my parents knowing. Recently he has been allowed in and I try to bring him in the house when we have visitors so that my mother can brag about me and Shailer, lol. If she has a friend or two she is like "Nena, show so-and-so how Shailer does a circle on command, or how he sits, lays down, speaks, etc." Its funny but I like doing it so that the people can see that he is not a mean dog. Mexicans still have to learn a thing or two though about dogs lol (that includes everybody in my household lol). Can't wait to move to Mexico............

I get quite a few with the papillons... not so much with the shelties.

Recently Summer and I were hanging out at a gas station after driving across two states.  We were sitting at a bench and she was in my lap being a good girl and enjoying out of her crate time.  These two idiot 20 something year olds come out and start laughing at us.  The one scoffs and says "My pit bull could eat that dog.  It wouldn't even take a bite." He emphasized pit bull like I'd run off shaking in fear or something.

 Next time I think I'm going to squeal and be like 'Oh you have a cute liddle widdle pibble!  I LOVE pibbles!'

I get a lot of people who see my dog then just say 'I'd never want a dog like that.'  Okay, then why did you come talk to me?   Specifically to bring up that you don't like dogs that size?  I don't get it.

Lots of 'get a real dog' or 'look at the rat dog'! I've had toy dogs and plenty of rodents.  Love them both, but sorry papillons are nowhere like rodents.  As far as a 'real dog' my dog does agility and therapy work.  What does your 'real dog' do?  Usually the 'real dog' people are bubbas whose dogs are left outside alone all day.  Yep, I'll take my fake dog.

 Similarly the 'why don't you just get a cat if you don't want a real dog?'  Maybe because a cat's a cat and a dog's a dog and I want a DOG, not a cat.

 'Nasty little ankle biters' is another common one.

A lot of 'whoa, look at that dog's ears!' or 'your dog has HUGE ears' but I take these as compliments since they're papillons.  ;)

Both Nik and Summer get comments on their weights.  Nik is too fat and Summer is skinny (but at a good weight!)  I try to explain that Nikki is 12, lame, has a thyroid problem as well as heart and kidney problems and she's been losing weight but since the vet screwed up her meds it made it really hard.  I'm just glad she's alive.  Summer is 'too skinny' but she's a fit little girl and an athlete.  I know she's not underweight.

Another thing is hearing how 'useless and inbred' purebreds are.  Specifically owning a show dog- he must be useless, right? 

Honestly, I ignore most people. 

 Happy Gotcha Day Willow

I get a fair number of "ooh, a Lassie dog!" (fewer with Mal than either Wings or Kaylee, and Kaylee gets fewer than Wings did.) which isn't really negative or positive. I get the MOST nasty comments from fellow dog people- mostly aussie and BC people who, when they hear I got a collie as a service dog prospect, want to know if I wanted a REAL working dog why didn't I get an Aussie or a BC? I don't mind the ones who are genuinely curious (Main reason is I *like* the moderate energy level of the collies, even if I *do* have to wash dogs out for lack of work ethic. If Kaylee washes out, maybe I'll try something else (probably an English Shepherd or a GSD- still wouldn't be a Aussie or BC!) but what pisses me off is the agility people whose idea of a 'working dog' is a psychotically hyper go-go-go dog that would go INSANE being asked to sit under my desk for 6-8 hours a day with just an hour break at lunch (unless I spent that hour throwing the ball or letting them play with sheep.)

Laurelin_429

A lot of 'whoa, look at that dog's ears!' or 'your dog has HUGE ears' but I take these as compliments since they're papillons.  ;)

 

I get a lot of ear comments too, the most common though seems to be people randomly coming up and asking me if I've seen the movie Gremlins because  that's what the huge pappy ears remind them of.  I always respond that Kirby must be part Gremlin cause he hates getting wet.

 I got one that was like "Did you know your dog has really big ears'?

 

 You know what... I NEVER noticed.  ;)

 My roomie has taken to telling everyone that 'papillon' is French for 'big ears'
 

This is a tough question. I used to allow people to get under my skin so much that I figured I was being too sensitive. These days, I realize that when somebody makes a derogatory comment about one of my dogs I need to first consider the source.

I allow very few comments about them to get under my skin but here's a few: my dogs love to nuzzle (my own doing) and Willow was accused of being a crotch sniffer, as in "no thanks, move away, crotch sniffer!" Another time when we were walking Willow, many moons ago, a woman standing in a store doorway said, "there's a Golden" and proceeded to make a goofy face and act obnoxiously silly, all in an imitation of Goldens, right in front of us...she was being a baboon's BUTT. Nothing in regard to Oakley that has crossed my ears.

I've had one person look at me and say that Myrika looks mean, who at the same time happened to be petting my Goldens. Myrika backed up, out of this woman's reach, and did not take her eyes off of this woman...I felt better! I was thinking to myself, "mean? ...you must not be looking at MY face then," LOL!

In regard to Goldens (or Labs) being dumb....all I can say is that it takes intelligence to recognize intelligence. What breed of dogs are these people comparing Goldens and Labs to? Yes, they are so dumb that they are used to sniff out cancer cells, SAR, Therapy, Assistance, Service, etc...job requirements, stupidity. I believe that all dogs are as smart as we give them credit for.

Oh I've gone home crying a few times before. People can be so nasty but now I just laugh it off and set an example with my dogs.

I mean do I look like a dog fighter?

What part of me looks like a thug?

So when asked "Ooh are those fighting dogs.....do you fight your dogs"?

I reply....

"yup, right after we get mani's and pedi's, LOL"

Maybe its the tattoo, LOL

the only thing that ever really bothered me was when my parents said they were afraid of amelia... with no real basis for being afraid of her. 

cyclefiend2000

the only thing that ever really bothered me was when my parents said they were afraid of amelia... with no real basis for being afraid of her. 

 

Yeah my MIL told me she will never trust any GSD b/c one time she went to someone's house and there were two that sat across the room and "watched" her.  Um....OK?  If you don't like my dog *looking* at you ever then you can stand outside I guess.

My roomie tells me that Summer stares too much. It's weird. A dog looking at me has never bothered me.

I used to get comments about my Appaloosa horse like..... Apps are stupid,stubborn,hard to train etc.My favorite response is "Your comment says alot more about you than it does about my horse."

Tena

luvmyswissy

I think most people who say anything negative about a dog due to their breed are not dog lovers really.  They like some dogs and their own dogs but they are not dog advocates.

 

you got it in one... thats exactly how i feel about it. sometimes i wanna thump my DH on the ear because of his comments. yeah, my own husband! he had a couple of dogs in his life - one was a GSD mix that lived to be 17 - they owned him since he was a five week old pup, yes.. five. this was before people knew better apparently.- the dog was a MONSTER! makes my Kaydee look like an angel, as pure as the driven snow!
And DH can only think about the horror stories people he's MET have said about bulldogs. one of his stories about a family outside with kids, with their old dog, they'd apparently had the dog several years and it loved the kids. "but one day the kid wandered over to where the dog was tied" i told him to stop..... just... stop. dont even continue that story because you just said the #1 cause for a dog bite incident... TIED... #2..  is a kid... wandering ... he tried to persist with his story and i finally had to tell him to shut-it and i wasnt interested. these people werent responsible dog owners OR parents.

When we first moved here two years ago we didnt have a fence. we CAME from an area with a fenced in acre and our dogs were happy. but for the first year out here we had to cable them until we could afford a fence of some sort. Kaydee suffered a major attitude defect. her prey drive sky-rocketed. and she became, not only over protective, but down right vicious towards strangers. she had met my uncle manymany times at our old house but when he came to visit us here one day she nearly took his hand off. I got tired of the "raging bull" syndrome and ordered the invisible fence... unfortunately it didnt come in the mail until the week after she had broken her back. i firmly believe that damned cable is why she hurt herself. And before you point out the what i did wrong I would prefer you PM me and i'll explain the whole situation rather than explain here.

I've been more than lucky with my dogs though. in spite of her attitude - it only came out when we had company, especially the men who were working on our house-  There was one man who was a bulldog freak like me. i had her on the leash talking to him about bulldogs while he was taking a break. he bragged about the one he had, how much he missed her and he wanted another one. said he was mugged and beaten by some local thugs.. but if he'd had his dog it never would have happened.... Kaydee, the whole time was just statue still watching him. he reached down to pet her and she growled like a bear at him. he thought better of it, but wasnt offended in the slightest. in fact he praised her for "protecting me"

Which is what Kaydee does best.. you dont come near me with her and i kinda like it that way. i dont encourage it, but i dont discourage it either. if its someone i want to approach i tell her "easy", which is all she needs to know. she'll relax but still be alert. Kaydee is my first bulldog.... my grandparents owned them when i was a toddler and i have fond memories of them.... and i'm happy as a lark with my bulldogs. i wish i had gotten one sooner! but then again.... Kaydee is one in a million. once she's gone i dont know if i'll find another like her.

So... no, i've never been insulted with comments about my dogs. the most i get is "wow! are you gonna breed her??" .... no.... but thanks anyway lol sometimes i wish i could have a little Kaydee... or two.... or three.. but no. Kaydee's kinda like the highlander. there can be only one.

 

Now, the oddest thing is my grandmother though. she loved her bulldogs, pit bulls, and rotties, but she HATED dobermans!! apparently there is a distant cousin in my family that was mauled by a couple of dobermans. again.... lone kid, outside.... and a male and female doberman from nextdoor attacked her. she was ok, she survived and is ok to this day. but no one knows why these dogs attacked. and no one will ever know because the girl was three at the time, and she was outside ALONE.
I owned a doberman/aussie/pit mix that, when he was 6 months old was a uniform black and tan. my grandmother said he looked part coon hound with his markings. i told her no... his dad is a purebred doberman. she said "Like hell he is!"... "but granny.... his dad lives nextdoor! the landlord owns his mother and saw the breeding.... thats his dad over there." she said " i dont care what your landlord saw, that dog is part coon hound!"

lol i just laughed and gave it up.....
 

DPU

 Wow! I just can't comprehend people making such comments.  NEVER has anyone made such comments to me and I, my residence dogs, and my foster dogs are out quite often mingling with the public.  Well maybe with 300lbs of dog in tow I don't think people would have the guts to approach me with such comments.

I was amazed to read that no one has yet to comment on your big guys.   We use to take our two Danes out every night to our local boardwalk for walkies and ice cream... (they only got small amounts... )  The majority of people used to comment on their size (It looks like a horse? Is that a Holstein cow?  Can I put a saddle on it and ride it? How much does it eat?) or about how beautiful they were, some even asking to take pictures.  We had some people ask if they were Marmaduke dogs?  Or... I've only seen them in the tan color, I didn't know they come in other styles?  But with all of the good, weird, funny or ignorant questions, we did have quite a few people say rude or hurtful comments.  Some pushing people to get out of their way, or people saying "How can anyone live with something so big?"  We just shrugged the comments off.  

My favorite comment of all time was this:

I was walking my Dane Cleo down the boardwalk, eventually taking her over for an ice cream... As we were about to cross the road, a guy stopped us to ask about her.  This is mostly how the conversation went:

Man:  That's a nice looking Sheltie you have.  I've never seen one that color before.

Me:  Um, I'm sorry, did you say Sheltie?

Man:  Yeah, isn't that what she is?  A Sheltie, like one of those smaller Lassie dogs?

Me:  No, Cleo is a Great Dane!

Man:  Oh.. I could have sworn that she was a Sheltie?  Great Dane eh?  Wouldn't have guess that. (Walks off)

I have posted a picture below of what Cleo looked like... Does anyone see Sheltie?  And yes the guy was serious! We still laugh at that one years later...

 

 

 

  Next time I think I'm going to squeal and be like 'Oh you have a cute liddle widdle pibble!  I LOVE pibbles!'

 
That gave me the best laugh I have had all week :) I luv pibbles!!