Archive for the ‘Bad Dog’ Category
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I love dogs, but I can see why some people don’t. Most dog owners just don’t control their dogs, and that makes it really easy for others to continue disliking, fearing and misunderstanding dogs. Everyone who reads this blog loves or at least tolerates dogs. But that’s just it, we tolerate dogs owned by our friends, family members and neighbors because we love dogs. Imagine what it’s like for the people in our lives who don’t love dogs. Last week I asked you what you tolerate from your own dog. But now I want to know what you tolerate or don’t tolerate from other people’s dogs. Even as a dog lover, I get annoyed with dogs all the time. For example: Big dogs that jump up at my face. In most cases the owners have done nothing to teach the dog not to jump. Instead they act annoyed, like it’s the dogs fault. And although little dogs are more likely to jump on me, it’s the big dogs that test my patience. It’s probably because I assume a small dog will jump. We all know it’s highly unlikely that the owner of a small dog will teach the dog any manners at all. Dogs that lack any self control. When friends or family members visit with their dogs big or small, the dogs typically run all over like they own the place, including the furniture. When I visit them, the same happens in their own homes. It’s chaotic and stressful for everyone. Dogs that chase my cats. I understand why dogs want to chase cats! But it’s a big pain in the ass to feel obligated to lock my cats up when someone’s dog is visiting. How about you? What is most annoying about the dogs you know? Friends and family of mine who read this are strongly encouraged to rip apart Ace and I. Believe me, I know my mutt is far from perfect. The same is true of his owner. Email your dog-related question to me at Lindsay@thatmutt.com, and I’ll post it for others to answer. Click here to read all my weekly question posts. (Image from flickr.com. I steal photos from Flickr all the time. If people don’t want their photos used, they shouldn’t post them on the Internet.)
The list goes on and on for me. I’ve been working on Ace to change many things, but there are others I just tolerate. Here are a few: This mutt walks while he poops! If I am holding the leash, he makes a ring of shit around me! He is constantly flinging drool all over the walls and on other people. I should probably do a better job at cleaning up after him and apologizing. He will always, always love to play fetch no matter what. I can expect to receive random pieces of trash, hair ties, crumbled up pieces of paper, sticks and toys shoved onto my lap for as long as Ace lives. But I will always challenge him by limiting the fetch playing and working with him to control himself around a tennis ball. Ace will puke up water at least once a week. I could put him in his kennel after he drinks or give him tiny amounts of water at a time. I could spend a lot of time teaching him to drink slowly. Instead, I just accept there will be puke to clean up at least every few days. It doesn’t even faze me anymore. What do you tolerate from your dog? Don’t forget that the top commenter between last Friday and this Friday will win a copy of “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Loving Our Dogs.” Email your dog-related question to me at Lindsay@thatmutt.com, and I’ll post it for others to answer. Click here to read all my weekly question posts. (Image from flickr.com)
I’ve been bitten by at least five dogs bad enough to break my skin, but that is because of how much time I’ve spent around so many dogs. The chances of a dog biting me are much higher than a dog biting an average person. When working at places like boarding kennels, grooming shops and shelters, there are so many stressed out and overly excited dogs in a small area that sooner or later a bite will happen. But out of all these dog bites, none required stitches or a hospital visit and all could’ve been prevented on either my part or the dog’s owner. I never blame the dog. For example, the fearful-aggressive bichon that bit my hand while I bathed her should have either been muzzled or not taken to a grooming shop to begin with. I recognized the warning signs, did not muzzle her and she bit. Another case was while I worked at an understaffed boarding kennel. A yellow Labrador was boarded even after his owner admitted his dog had “a history of aggression towards people.” I was working quickly in the kennel and did not take the time to react to the warning signs from this dog: a raised tail, excited barking, staring eyes. I was hurried, excitedly trying to get all the dogs in and out and fed as fast as possible. Looking back, it’s not a surprise at all that this dog reacted the way he did. Statistics and news stories are everywhere reporting dog bites, dog-bite fatalities and “dangerous” breeds. We all hear about what dogs are capable of, but we often forget common sense when we are around animals. Really, any dog will bite under certain circumstances. It’s up to us to protect them, ourselves and others. What about you? Have you been bitten by a dog? Email your dog-related question to me at Lindsay@thatmutt.com, and I’ll post it for others to answer. Click here to read all my weekly question posts. (Image from thechihuahuaguide.com) |
