Dog Park Rationalization Lady Who Can Go Get Bent

[33anda3rd]

i would not pet a strangers dog, leash or no.

im sure i sound like a jerk. im being a bit facetious. i like dogs. however, i do feel like (more times than not) their owners assume "well my dogs nice, he's not gonna hurt anybody" and think letting the animal run around is completely fine. he may be nice, he may never hurt anything but i find it a tad annoying. the assumption. ive had numerous times walking in the near by park where the dog is friendly but hes getting his muddy paws on my shirt/shorts, etc...its visible and the owners just kinda laugh it off as "dogs being dogs".

it seems similar to the assumption that 33's rival dog owner assumed that his dog was not up to par to be in the park.

You're absolutely right, and I experience this with my dog every day. She's a pup, 5 months old. She's also very very friendly and has a big open heart, and she wants to say hello to every person, child, and dog she sees on the street. It's kind of absurd and unnatural to her when people don't want to stop and say hi, and she can get jumpy when people do stop to pet her.

We do not pet her--ever, under any circumstance--when all four feet are not on the ground. We do this to try to teach her that this is when she gets some love, when all four feet are down and she's being good. Problem is that we live in the city with a lot of people and kids around. Two little girls at the corner, Maddie and Olvie, go ape [expletive] whenever they see her. She jumps. I have told the girls "you want to help me train Frances? Only pet her when all four feet are on the ground." Doesn't work. They're like 6 and 4. They just want to play with her. Strangers see her, she's a puppy, she's cute, they ask if they can pet her and I say sure and sometimes she gets jumpy. I tell her 'down' or 'off' and they say "oh it's ok. I have a puppy at home/I don't mind/she's just a puppy" and act like it's fine. It's not, and it doesn't reinforce what we're teaching her, and it makes it harder to keep her from jumping. She'll learn, but it will take longer.

[thrill]

She's also very very friendly and has a big open heart

I'm sorry, but every time you say your dog has a "big open heart" I make a big farting noise with my mouth. People in my office are getting suspicious. Please stop.

[cardsfansince82]

I'm glad I'm not the only one creeped out.

[wart57]

My dog has a big open heart!

My dog has a big open heart!

My dog has a big open heart!

My dog has a big open heart!

[33anda3rd]

She's also very very friendly and has a big open heart

I'm sorry, but every time you say your dog has a "big open heart" I make a big farting noise with my mouth. People in my office are getting suspicious. Please stop.

Fair enough. The point i wanted to make re Jo's comment was my dog isn't out to jump on people to maul them. Her #1 goal--because she is how she is--when we're out on a walk is to meet as many people, kids, dogs, cats, etc. as possible. And while it makes her sweet and makes me gush about her on anonymous internet message boards in a way that comes across as too much, I'm wholly respectful to the fact that some people want to keep walking right on by and not have her jump on them, which is a challenge with a puppy who is as social as she is.

[thrill]

You could be describing almost every dog in the world.

I'm glad you have a good one, though. The anthropomorphism common to dog owners is just a bit much.

[lukethedrifter]

The anthropomorphism common to dog owners is just a bit much.

You can say that again.

[jim]

i would not pet a strangers dog, leash or no.

im sure i sound like a jerk. im being a bit facetious. i like dogs. however, i do feel like (more times than not) their owners assume "well my dogs nice, he's not gonna hurt anybody" and think letting the animal run around is completely fine. he may be nice, he may never hurt anything but i find it a tad annoying. the assumption. ive had numerous times walking in the near by park where the dog is friendly but hes getting his muddy paws on my shirt/shorts, etc...its visible and the owners just kinda laugh it off as "dogs being dogs".

it seems similar to the assumption that 33's rival dog owner assumed that his dog was not up to par to be in the park.

Owners that do that are insensitive. I love dogs, but I understand that not everyone does. My last dog was extremely friendly to people, but I never let her loose to go up to someone so they could pet them. When kids came by, and they were drawn to her because she was the most gorgeous dog I have ever or will ever see, I would make sure she wasn't going to jump on them. When kids go to pet a dog, especially a dog that weighs more than them, they don't usually like it when the dog jumps on them.

The converse is also true - I always ask permission to pet a dog. One I want to verify the dog is friendly, and two if the dog just ran through some mud and is prone to jumping up on people, I want to know that.

The only thing that I did that may have annoyed people occasionally was this - we had an electric fence and DIzzy was trained very well. When people walked by the front, she really wanted to go out and greet them, but knew she couldn't. Her response was this loud, almost alarm style bark. It was a frustration bark, but if you didn't know her you wouldn't know that. It was loud. Everyone in the neighborhood knew her, so it wasn't a problem for them, but other people were intimidated. I never went to go get her, if I was out I would just wave and say "She can't get out, and she is friendly" but some didn't trust that. Once in a great while I would get a dirty look, but I just felt like [expletive] you, she is contained even if you can't see the fence, and I'm not going to go grab my dog that is in my yard who wouldn't hurt you just so you feel comfortable walking on the sidewalk in front of my house. Although having said that, I did understand and sympathize a little.

[jim]

The anthropomorphism common to dog owners is just a bit much.

You can say that again.

No [expletive]. The creepiest is something I learned last year when we had to put Dizzy down, they asked us about remains. Huh? Excuse me? Urn's for dogs remains? That's [expletive] weird. Seriously if you have your pets remains in the house somewhere you ought to go get your head examined, that is not normal. There is something wrong with you. It's a dog, not grandma.

Although I did accept the paw print in clay that they gave us for free. I also have kept her collar, I sometimes pick it up and jingle it and the sounds it makes bring back memories of her walking through the house.

[lukethedrifter]

I believe my ex wife might still have the cardboard box with Leon's ashes in it on top of the refrigerator 15 years later. Unless she got a new fridge