Dear Annie: Dogs Everywhere

[cereta]

Dear Annie: I love most dogs and have had pets all my life, but there are times and places in which pets should not accompany their owners. Of course, trained service dogs are the exception.

I am seeing so many dogs being exposed to crowded stores and outdoor festivals and sales. They are generally on leashes, but some breeds are so protective of their owners that they can become hard to control when another dog is present. I recently saw a woman who had her medium-sized dog riding in her grocery cart -- a cart that others would eventually be using for food.

I think that most dogs are more comfortable in their home environment and should not be exposed to crowded areas. It will probably elicit some angry responses, but please give your thoughts on leaving the pets at home. -- Don't Bring Fido

Dear Don't Bring Fido: If one's dog is well-behaved, it is a nice treat for the owner, the dog and the people around them -- the ones who like dogs, anyway -- for the dog to go on adult excursions once in a while. However, I totally understand your concern, and I agree that dogs should not be put into food carts.

There are benefits to being around friendly dogs. Petting them is a known stress soother. It feels good and can lower your blood pressure. Studies have shown that petting a dog or cat helps your body release a relaxation hormone and cuts down on levels of a stress hormone. So why not wag more and bark less? I say that because having a dog at a social event gives people the chance to pet the dog when maybe they can't afford a dog or live in an apartment that does not allow dogs. Dogs are domestic and social animals that love to be with their owners.

Comments

[cereta]

(Trained service dogs obviously excepted from the following.)

Annie, please, please do not encourage entitled dog owners (not to be confused with all dog owners). I know it's practically treason not to like dogs in this country, but not everyone wants to be around dogs all the time, and "well-trained" is often a floating signifier. It's one thing if a dog is brought to an outdoor gathering with lots of space (although even then, it should not be allowed to roam freely), but unless the owner/host is sure that all the people involved are okay with it (and that one person won't be made to feel like a party-pooper if they're not), then dogs do not belong at anyone's home but the owner's. And outdoor markets/events are only okay if the owner is (a)sure that the dog can be calm and well-behaved, and (b) prepared to keep at least some attention on the dog at all times.

[lemonsharks]

Hear, hear. I'd hazard that a dog who can't reliability sit, lie down, stay, come, leave it, and heel in crowded and distracting environments is insufficiently trained to be in crowded, distracting environments -- even if it's friendly.

[delight]

Even my service dog has a 'too many people' threshold where he gets too stressed and starts crying because he can't adequately work with all these humans around. It's not always a good thing for the dogs, let alone any people.

[commodorified]

I was about to say that. I have a cute dog with an appealing, mildly tragical sort of face. This isn’t me saying this, it’s a thing people say on the street.

Many people want to touch him. He’s extremely head-shy and when on-leash is wary of strangers.

Because I didn’t have enough sense to be rude to grabby people a year ago, I am now trying to undo the very bad habit of nipping at strange hands that reach for him, or that just get too close.

[jadelennox]

yes yes yes this. (With the obvious exception.)

Most dog owners think their dog is well-trained. Many of the people who think that about their dog also think that reasonable allergies or phobias are imaginary, and everyone should love to have their dog all over them.

I had a doctor in her office in a hospital ask me last month if I minded having her large dog in the office for our consult. Answer: Hell yes I minded, because I am allergic to dogs, which I tried to say as humbly as possible because who wants to piss off the doctor. And then the appointment was in an office full of dog hair. After I said I have allergies.

[minoanmiss]

JFC. That should be reportable. I am so sorry. Ugh.

[cadenzamuse]

THIS THIS THIS

[julian]

Me, I love dogs.

But however, many people *don't*, and there are people who are *allergic*, and also, on the other end of this, many dogs don't like crowds.

So while I enjoy dog-enabled situations, I think Annie's being too lax here; choose the situations where you bring dogs carefully.

(My new church lets people bring dogs to social events and it weirded me out at first; I've concluded it darned well should weird me out, actually.)

[wolfshark]

I have a lovely dog. She is sweet and wants nothing more than to love you and be petted and get attention.

And when I have more than two or three people over to my OWN FUCKING HOUSE, I board her, because I am not able to pay enough attention to her to make sure that something unfortunate doesn't happen (Not biting - I'm certain Ivy would never bite. But she's fifty pounds and likes to jump up sometimes, so knocking over is a valid possibility)

[minoanmiss]

Thank you, a LOT, for doing this.

[minoanmiss]

I wonder what Annie's response to someone allergic to dogs would be. "Then perish," probably.

[lilysea]

1. Obviously service dogs should be welcome anywhere that the person they are assisting is going.

For NON-service dogs:

Owners need to be more mindful about where they take non-service dogs.

I use a power wheelchair. About 5-10% of all dogs will freak the fuck out at the sight/sound of my power wheelchair and try to bite my ankles, etc. One dog even went for my throat!

I like most dogs, and I don't have a dog phobia, but if you are taking your dog out in public:

- make sure you keep it on a leash;

- make sure you give wheelchair users plenty of physical space (one metre to two metres or more) because some dogs react VERY badly to wheelchair users

- don't let your dogs jump people, as some people have allergies, phobias, balance problems, chronic pain

[commodorified]

My dog reacts to (some) power chairs that way. I conclude that they make a strange and possibly painful noise, as one of the people he loves most is Naomi down the road who uses one and as soon as she parks he’s all love.

Meanwhile I close-leash him when we are going to pass a chair.

[mommy]

I expect to see dogs in pet supply stores. I do not expect to see dogs when I'm at the deli counter at my grocery store or browsing at a clothing store. There are situations where dog fur isn't appropriate.

[ysobel]

"it is a nice treat for the owner, the dog and the people around them"

aaaaaahhhhhhhhh nononono!

I love dogs. I love being around (well-behaved) dogs. And this assvice is HORRIBLE. Allergies! Fears! Badly behaved dogs with oblivious owners! So much wrong.

As a service dog owner I still feel bad about "inflicing" him on other people. I still bring him with me, because service dog, but I try to not be an ass about it. And I don't bring my *pets* places.

FCOL.

[lilacsigil]

FWIW I do have a dog phobia thanks to a childhood incident, and service dogs don't trigger it because they're always focused on their job, calm and not roaming freely (or going to run at me until their leash stops them). So even for somebody who really dreads dogs in public, you are not "inflicting". Even my phobic brain can understand they're an entirely different class of dog.