and it's a good thing. I feel sorry for dogs out there suffering because of their owner's ignorance, but I can't waste myself in an attempt to educate idiots.
A few days ago I was giving my pup some exposure to people and street noises, sitting on a bench at a local supermarket. On the bench beside me were a man and a woman, the woman being an employee of the place. I heard the man say to her with the air of an educator "Look at that dog (pointing to my pup), see the nice shiny hair he has. When they have nice hair like that it means they will get sick" The woman nodded in acknowledgement as he repeated the words of wisdom. I considered getting up and leaving but figured another 5 minutes for my pup would be best. The man then turned to me and said "That's a nice looking dog". At that point my anger focused and I said to him with obvious sarcasm "No, don't tell me that, that means he's going to get sick". The open mouth and wide staring eyes betrayed his surprise.
Yesterday I was at the park with my pup. An elderly man with a huge old golden retriever came by. I asked if the dog was friendly and when the owner acknowledged I allowed the pup to make contact. Followed the usual "synopsis without being asked for it" as the owner talked about his life with the dog, culminating in mentioning that lately the dog has been suffering from joint problems. I quickly weighed the pros and cons and decided on a minimal effort. I said "you know your dog is overweight and if you bring him down some it may make it easier on him". The expected response was immediate "I tried all different foods.." I said "how about simply less food". The rest was nonsensical so I wished him luck and walked away. At the end of such encounters I always direct my mind to the same thought "I'm sorry dog but there's nothing more I can do.".
I receive emails from a list that deals with rottweiler health. Today an unusual one came from an owner concerned about his rottweiler becoming aggressive with his other smaller dog. It was pretty clear the rott's prey drive was stimulated by the little dog. As usual I thought "should I bother" and wrote back a quick 2 sentence response mentioning the prey drive and the need to correct as soon as the rottweiler focuses on the small dog. Shortly after another list member replied with the following
Quote:
Have you had her at puppy kindergarten when she was
little and is she in obedience classes now? If not, start immediately and
find a good class that teaches positive motivation.
When I hear the word "positive" in the context of dog training I know to immediately withdraw from further discussion.
I would say the percentage of normal dog owners versus nuts is about %5 to %95. I find myself pleasantly surprised when I encounter a dog owner that appears to have common sense. I've also been duped by the first few words thinking I'm finally talking to a sane dog person, and dropping my guard too early was then hit with an inanity. I'm quick to turn my back and walk away without saying another word. Nowadays people with dogs have become something to avoid, you can hit your head against a wall only so many times.
As I read over this post it looks like "I don't bother anymore" is not entirely accurate. But it's good to see that I set well defined limits for myself to avoid wasting time and emotions on incorrigible fools. Still can't help feeling sorry for the dogs..
Haha, you can always hang in there just for the sake of the afflicted dog. I flat refuse to take my dog out in general population. Just not worth the angst, the general human IQ has definately dropped through the floor.
oh geez. I could write novels on this stuff, but I am at work and using my iFail to browse...
I long ago gave up on people altogether... as a species, we really suck... sure there are plenty of exceptions and if I can see someone is genuinely trying to put in an effort to learn I will help out where possible, but Joe Ignorant Public? no thanks...
my people skills are bad enough as it is... I've never officially been diagnosed with anything but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if I had aspegers or something similar... and these days I am quite the sociopath (note: sociopathy is generally considered learned behavior as opposed to psychopathy where someone just isn't wired right from birth)....
I will be picking up a new puppy at the start of April and am not looking forward to the people aspect of his socialization >_<
"Look at that dog (pointing to my pup), see the nice shiny hair he has. When they have nice hair like that it means they will get sick"
LOL... Sometimes you wonder where people get this BS... I have to agree that I tend to ignore people more than engage in conversation with them regarding dogs. It's just not worth the effort, especially when you know that it will get nowhere.
This is so true for me as well. You can get an extreme dose of it at Conformation dog shows. It never ceases to amaze me all the self proclaimed experts wonder why I bother...
I don't bother anymore
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