My Friendly Pets

We all think our dogs are special and that everyone should love our dogs as we do, but the reality is, like children, we will never love anyone else’s dog like we love our own and we should not expect others to love our dogs as we do.

It is not cute for some people to come to your home and have your dog welcome them with wet doggie kisses. We might love it for our dog to show us how happy he/she is to see us, but most people don’t want doggie kisses from another dog. Its not personal. Our dog was definitely a kisser. He couldn’t wait to jump on the couch next to a guest and spread his wet approving tongue all over them. It was amusing at first, but when I began to notice the obvious discomfort that some people had with this, I had to quickly curtail that behavior. Our Geo was such a lover, and truly believed that people were there for him to kiss, so as long as they were welcomed into our home, he let them know how happy he was that they were there.

We have a local railtrail in our town which had at one time been an old railroad line and when the tracks were removed, they paved the entire trail and it is a great place to walk, ride a bike, roller blade or walk your dog. There is a local leash law and a requirement that dogs on the trail be on a leash. It amazes me that so many people ignore this requirement and as people are riding or blading down the trail, some of the dogs become excited and even start to chase the individual on the move. So many of the owners simply glance over and say, “Oh, he’s harmless, he just likes to chase the bikers” That is rude and inconsiderate to those trying to enjoy their day on the trail. How do I know that your dog doesn’t want to bite me? I don’t and this can then become a dangerous situation. Leash requirement means the dog should be on a leash, no ifs, ands or buts about it. How about the dog that is truly antisocial with other dogs? Many people bring this dog to the trail and the owner has to strain to hold the dog back everytime another dog goes by. Usually the bully dog is also barking incessantly, which is disruptive to others on the trail.

Last, but by no means least, is the dog owner who feels that when the dog has to relieve themselves, (meaning number two), that the dog can do it anywhere it wants, as long as it is outside. I can’t tell you how many times I have been on the railtrail or elsewhere in an outside venue, and have come across the remnants of a dog’s, for the lack of a better word, doo doo.
Don’t those owners realize, that other people will be walking in those same places? I applaud the dog owner who takes responsibility for their dog and has a bag to pick up what the dog might leave behind. I didn’t like to clean my dog’s stuff, but I did it, because it was the right thing to do. But I surely don’t want to clean up after someone else’s dog, especially if cleaning up means scaping my shoes clean!!! (UGH!!!)

So let’s not necessarily blame our dogs for bad manners, because they take their cue from us, their owners, and if we’re not responsible, how can we expect our pooches to be?

Let’s not forget that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!!! There is some great clinical and personal information that can be found at:

http://www.discussingbreastcancer.com/