stupid people at the pet store

Okay, I just have to rant now, so bear with me.

I took Carter (foster dog) to PetsMart last night. They must have been having a costume contest and apparently only people with teeny dogs do it, because the store was full of people with very small dogs. They were clogging the aisles just standing there talking, which made it very hard to get through them with a big, curious, untrained foster dog. So I was already frustrated and short on temper.

So then I stopped to look at some products, and this lady lets her teeny dog come sniff Carter. I didn't like the way they looked together - they were too stiff. So I brought Carter closer to me. She said, "Oh it's okay. She's fine." So I said, "Well this is a new foster dog and I don't know him well yet, so I don't know if he is fine or not." To which she replied, "Oh well it's okay. My dog is fine." Grrrrr. So I said, "SHE may be fine but I don't know that HE is" and then I just turned away from them. She then snottily says, "Well she has a 200-pound lab she plays with at home." Then she kept noisily telling her dog that it's not her fault she can't go meet my dog.

Arrrrrgh!! What the heck is relevant about the 200-pound lab?! Does she honestly think that because they get along, that means it is safe for her dog to be around any other 200-pound lab?! Or any other dog, for that matter. That little dog is going to get eaten someday because of her ignorance. She was NOT relaxed.

Moron. :x

 

200 lb lab needs a diet LOL
I knew some people with a little Carin Terror (terrier) and they used to laugh at how this little dog would stand up to large dogs.
Then I told them my story about my mal/shepherd mix and what she did to little dogs. I told them it wouldn't be so funny if their dog ran up against a large dog with a very strong prey drive. They'd be in tears, and upset, instead.
There's nothing cute about a little dog that thinks it's tougher than a large dog...and nothing funny about what would happen to the large dog if it should give in to its instincts.

 

Exactly! I just get so tired of ignorant people. There was a lady at the adoptions last week that was making me laugh, but at least she was harmless. She ran up to Carter and said, "Well this is definitely a lab!" I told her that actually he is a Sharpei mix. So then I pointed at one of the other dogs that is a lab mix (looks just like a black lab) and told her THAT is a lab. She said, "Really? That one?" So then she says she HAS a lab - but I guess he is one of the shorter, stockier types. So I explained about the variation in labs, and also said that most likely our girl was a mix. Then I got, "Oh really? What is she mixed with?" I, of course, told her that I have no idea.

So she moved on to being amazed that these little collie puppies we had there were from the same litter. They do look a little different, but they are both definitely collies. So I mentioned that we know the mom is a collie (probably a mix) but the dad could be anything. So she wanted to know if we "figured it out." And then went on to tell me how amazed she is that shelters figure out what breed everything is. So I told her that they just guess, based on appearance and personality. And THEN she says, "So were they right? Did they guess correctly?" :shock:

I tried to explain to her that there is no way to find out if you are "right." Does she think the parents will stroll into the shelter and claim their puppies and tell us exactly what breed mix they are? How the heck would we ever know if we are "right"?! ](*,)

 

I know how you feel....I dont know many times Ive had to deal with this especially with dogs in training. We would take them into stores to desensitize them, get them used to 'going shopping', being in areas with people and dogs close by.

One day I was in 'a' petstore, this particular store has its own trainers in there but we stay out of the way and just walk the dogs up and down the aisles, have them sit or lay down etc....discreetly. So there I was with Pumpkin, a stocky white Pit Bull, and the trainer....of all people is walking around with 2 dogs in the store off leash, I asked her to take the dogs away or at least put them on a leash, I moved Pumpkin as far away as I could from them and betwen myself and the shelf but being dogs they insisted on sniffing her, one at each end then circling her, more than enough to send a leashed dog in a confined area into a tizzy.....Pumpkin actually did great though thankfully but how can anyone be so stupid.

 

What is irritating is that if something had happened it would have been your fault. Legally I mean.

I also share this little dog owner gripe. I know all ppl with little dogs are not like this but there must be a lot cause god knows I've met a bunch.

I guess i notice it more b/c I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum with the giant breed dogs. I am always extra careful with my dogs b/c they do have the potential to do a lot of damage.

But some ppl with the little dogs seem to think that just b/c they are so little, regular dog rules don't apply to them. Like, they don't have to keep them on leashes b/c they are so little, what could they possibly do. Ugh. And there is a woman at the dog park who lets her little pugs bite and basically attack Indy and she thinks its funny. I don't find it funny at all. Indy doesn't know what to do. They're not really hurting him, but I don't want him to get the idea that this is acceptable behavior. If Indy did that, to any dog, all hell would break loose. But b/c they're little, and he's so big, its cute. Um....no.

And then there are those with the opposite problem of your situation, ppl who don't want Indy near their little dog b/c he might be vicious or something. Like I don't have a right to take him out the house.

Ok, enough little dog owner griping for now.

To those with little dogs, this was not meant to offend. I know its not everyone.

 

Jamiya, I had the same experience as you, only not with a little dog. I was walking my Australian Shepherd, who is dog aggressive, especially on a leash. Anyway, this lady down the street has her golden retriever out. It was a puppy, but almost to it's full size already. This dog isn't on a leash and doesn't listen very well. I get my dog down there (because I hadn't seen this dog, otherwise I would normally cross the street) and this golden retriever starts coming up and since the owner isn't doing anything I'm yelling "NO!" to this dog, like everybody says you're supposed to do if a dog starts coming at you. Well, this lady is all "It's just a puppy, it won't hurt her." And I tell her "You're dog is just a puppy and probably sweet, but my dog isn't" and she's like "Yeah, but she won't hurt her" and I say "your dog won't hurt My dog, my dog will hurt your dog." The lady still didn't listen and so I ended up having to drop my dog's leash hoping that she would be less aggressive if I wandered off and she didn't have to protect me. Thankfully, it worked, and the lady finally called her dog back. But that really annoyed me.

 

Gah!! Stupid, stupid people. I'm glad I'm not the only one that finds these things annoying. I was already exhausted before this encounter yesterday. My husband was working late (without telling me to expect him late) and I was frazzled and then when I got home, he was finally home but headed out with my son for an activity I didn't know about, and THEN he failed to go get milk so the kids could have cereal for breakfast this morning. I just sat and cried and my doggies licked the tears away. Except for Carter, who kept jumping on everyone's heads.

 

this reminds me of a dog whisoere episode I saw once, where the littlw dog "bubba" would attack people whenever they tried to exit. This dog was brought to their workplace and would do it to customers also! Bubba would attack other big dogs walking down the street and the lady kept saying don't worry he won't hurt you (your dog, or whatever Bubba was attacking0 But she pretty much explained to Caesar that it isn't a problem bc Bubba is a small dog and wouldn't really hurt anyone/anything. This was also after Bubba had attacked her and broke the skin on the show! Caesar explained that is was harmful and another dog or customer might not think it is cute.
BTW 200 lb Lab!! that must be the biggest fattest lab ever! I have never heard of one being that big!

 

LOL, no doubt. I bet she was exaggerating. I hope for her dog's sake that nothing bad ever happens due to her ignorance.

 

I know we all agree here on this issue. One episode of the Dog Whisperer dealt with this very problem. A lady had the meanest most viscious tiny dog I had ever seen. It even bit Cesar on the hand as he was trying to control him. The lady told Cesar that her dog would "go after" any big dog but she "knew" that her dog wasn't "dangerous". Cesar said that the dog was very dangerous...to himself. If the dog ever "attacked" a bigger dog it would be maimed or killed.
I once had a friend who had a Yorkie that would try to attack the neighbor's Chow through the chain link fence. That dog would be snarling and bitting the fence while the Chow would just stare at him. My friend thought it was hilarious. We all know what would have happened if that Yorkie had managed to get under that fence. :mrgreen:

People who allow a dog on a leash to "greet" another dog are asking for trouble. The obedience trainer that led Freckle's class said to NEVER allow your dog on a leash to touch noses with another dog. It's amazing how many people don't know that.
One more vent on this subject now that I'm started. I once had Duke tied up to a bench outside of the dog park while I dried him off with a towel. The elderly gentleman came down the walk with a large dog that was pulling him along. As soon as it got close to Duke they started a fight, not a serious fight but one of those "I'm the boss here" confrontations. When I finally got them apart, somehow, Dukes leash had become unhooked and re-attached to the other dog.
I hate to see people come to the park then walk their dog around on the leash "to get them used to the other dogs". More often than not they end up with a fight on their hands and they then think that dog parks are bad.
We actually have a sign at the dog park entrance gate telling people to unleash their dogs once they clear the second gate. Some people just ignore that rule.

 

I own two big dogs dressed in little dachshund suits lol. They think they're big so I always avoid other dogs because I know they're not trained.

And on another note, how about folks that just run up to your dog and pet it without asking? I had my two and one of my mom's poms at a rest stop once and I couldn't even eat my lunch because people kept coming up to us! Like we were a petting zoo or something. I had to hold Brie back and tell them they could pet the fuzzy one but please stop trying to pick up the weenie. People would just laugh when I'd say that Brie will bite.

 

oops. double posted. i meant to say that my girls aren't trained.

 

My current obedience trainer says this also. I didn't really know it until last year when Indy got into serious trouble b/c of this. He was at his obedience class and was meeting a dog who was in the next class. They were both really friendly, that wasn't the problem. The problem was, they did that "lets sniff around in a circle thing" and I'm not sure how it happened, but the woman's leash became attached to Indy's collar also. That was the trouble. They both had on choker chains (I will never put another choker chain on Indy) and the other dog started to freak b/c he pulled back and of course he was then attached to Indy and it started choking them both. The other dog just went nuts and started jerking back, and wiggling around, etc. It took about 3 or 4 people to help us get them unhooked b/c once they started pulling, it was almost impossible to get them unhooked. I had to get on top of Indy, two people had to get on top of the other dog just to keep him still, and more people had to work to get the leash unhooked. Total nightmare. It's a wonder they didn't kill each other.

 

Many trainers say not to let dogs meet on leash. The trainer at the shelter that I have been working with doesn't worry about it. He's quite cavalier, although very good at what he does. He can get the dogs in 5 kennels to sit and wait for him to let them out the door, with their doors hanging wide open. Now these are SHELTER DOGS - sitting inside their kennels with the doors open, waiting to be released. And he can accomplish it in about 5-10 minutes or less, depending on the dogs.

Anyway. He says we cause the dogs all sorts of stress and anxiety by freaking out about them greeting each other. He just lets them say hi and if they have a problem, you can use the leashes to pull them apart.

We are also taught when setting up playgroups and introducing dogs on leash, you always keep a loose leash. A dog MUST NOT feel trapped or fighting becomes the only option. Both people holding the leashes must be trained to keep them loose and not let them get tangled. It takes some fast work and handing of leashes back and forth sometimes, but then at least you do have a handle if something happens.

I go with the middle road. I assess each situation on its own. If the dogs' body language says everything is okay, I let them greet. At the first sign of stiffness or hard stares or curled lips/growls, I turn and walk the other way. I am particularly careful with fosters, because you never know what issues are lurking.

 

I know how you feel

I know how you feel about the whole dog thing. I went to the pet store on Friday to get some things for both of my dogs. I have a JRT and german Shep that belongs to my husband. Well there was this lady that had a small dog with her. I was walking around the store and stopped and looked at some treats for the dogs. Will she let her dog run around the store and the employes we're telling her to put her dog back on the leash. Of course she thinks that her dog isn't going to get hurt. Will i went to turn the corner and this little thing is coming right at us in a playing mood. Well the German Shep is K-9. And dosen't like that very much. I'm just standing there hoping to god that he doesen't go into attack mode. And he didn't thank god. Just because there was a guy there that was turing the corner and his Great Dane got to it frist. I felt bad But i hate those kind of people that think the rules don't apply to them until thier dog gets hurt.

Of course she made it seem like the guys dog was off the leash and not hers. Until the store employs said something.

I hate to see a dog get hurt. But i see it as if you had a little kid would you let it go up to any dog. Small or big of course not. Just like you need to think the same way with a big dog or small dog. Dogs are all differnt. I know i don't let my kids go up to any dog just because they live around two dogs.

 

I totally agree with all this. The part I 'bolded' is the key and it is much harder when your with a dog you dont know very well.

If ever Im with my own dogs I know them well enough to know....or at least be 99% sure of how they will respond to meeting another dog on a leash (they could always have an 'off day') so while I do still watch them Im more concerned about watching the other dogs body language as its approaching and once they meet, most of the time there isnt a problem unless the other person tighten ups on the leash, sometimes this happens when they just want to walk away and they pull the dog, I try and head this off by just calling my dog so they can part while the leashes are still loose.

Whats annoying me lately is thos retractable leashes, it seems that everyone here uses them and so once youve walked away, Fifi from down the street is still with you for another 50 feet.

 

I use the retractable leashes sometimes, depending on whether I feel like working out my arms and my legs or just my legs, lol (we're finally getting heel! hooray!). But when I use them, if my dog's meet another dog while on those leashes, I use the wonderful little lock button to get my dogs following me again, instead of the other dog across the street. It seems like a lot of people though are oblivious to the little lock button and just constantly let their dog have the full run of the leash. Yesterday when I was at petsmart some lady with a little pomeranion i think (one of those little fluffy dogs) on a retractable and let it come over and say hello to ranger and snickers. thankfully, ranger and snickers are very sweet dogs, and so was hers, the part that bothered me was that a: she did ask and b: she let her dog just wander across the parking lot to say hello while she locked the door. my dogs have to sit and stay right next to me while i lock my doors, i don't want them greeting people or dogs without my knowledge and consent. my problem with little dogs isn't really the dog, it's that a lot of people who own them (not all, simply a lot of the one's i've met, even some good friends) think that because they're small they don't need to be trained. my friends bichon will very reliably "bow" and "shake" but not sit, down, stay, or come. she also doesn't heel, which isn't that bad, the only bad part is that they still claim to get dragged down teh street by her, but she's only about 10#. anyway...it's nice to have somewhere to gripe about this with people who understand what i mean.

 

Sorry, its just a personal 'pet peeve' of mine with those leashes.....actually the leashes, theoretically are a great idea but I really think 'some' people should have to pass a basic 'common sense' test before theyre allowed to use them. Its no fun when a dog runs past you in the grass and before you have chance to see the long thin line theyre attached to your flat on your face eating dirt :shock:
I also dont know how many times Ive seen someone walking along a pavement, 3 or 4 feet away from a busy road with at least 10 feet of leash between themselves and their dog.....unbelievable, there is nothing stopping the dog running out into the road if wants to. :x

I have seen many people use them properly though......I just cant help shuddering when I see one.

 

I don't like those retractable things either. I thought they were neat at first, but never got to use one b/c they don't make them in 'our' size :mrgreen: . They do have some that Indy is at the very top of the weight range in, but then it is this little cord that is holding him. HA! I could just see it, one unusual thing would happen, maybe a cat or squirrel dart out, he'd lunge and snap goes the little cord. Even the guy at the pet store said I shouldn't get one. I use those leashes that are made out of rock-climbing rope. Nice and sturdy.

I could see them being used walking in a park or field or outdoorsy place, but in a street/neighborhood. Please. That is trouble waiting to happen.

 

My husband likes those leashes, but I can't stand them. I feel like I don't have any control. I mean, it's nice that the dogs don't get tangled in the leash as much, but I am constantly locking it so I figure why not use a regular leash? I can't even find the retractable one anymore.

I also know someone whose dog was run over while ON LEASH while she was walking him. It was a retractable leash and she was walking two dogs, and he ran out into the street and was killed. She was devastated. I of course didn't say it, but it was so her fault.