So the last few days I've been going around with wet socks and saying to myself - MAN, those dogs have really been slopping the water in their water bowl - my feet are wet all the time from the water they're spilling in that bowl! Well it turned out that it was not in fact the dogs' fault, but in fact the sink in the kitchen - the pipe had become disconnected from the drain and water was flowing freely every time I turned the tap on.I figured I could fix it myself, but my Dad was worried since he's not here to supervise, and my peeing receptacle in the bathroom has been acting up lately - so I figured I could also get that looked at at the same time - so I called this fabulously named company called "the Drain busters" - and in came a plumber this morning.
Isn't he cute? haha! This time I took a different tack and did NOT separate the dogs. And guess what. No problems. The 2 below pictures are where the dogs spent all the time he was fixing the plumbing problems. And that is exactly where they were if the cable guy would've let them be around when he was at the house.
Marjorie really IS right on some levels - other people's paranoia should have nothing to do with me and my dogs. The big question is - how do we convince the paranoid people of this?
hehehe...You're far too flattering, Joan. (blushing) ...Unless that was sarcastic... (wink)
ReplyDeleteBut don't misunderstand. I don't force my dogs on anyone. Ever.
I don't expect anyone to like my dog. I certainly don't expect anyone to have to touch her or know how to interact with her. She's my dog. I take care of her. I direct her actions.
Think of my dog like my shoes.(No...I don't think of my dog like my shoes...it's just an analogy.)
I'm out in public, and so are my shoes. They're on my feet and not bothering anyone. Would it be reasonable for someone to come up to me and say, "Don't walk on the sidewalk with those shoes on. I'm afraid of them"?
What about if someone comes to my home? Imagine my dog is a vase of flowers. Can you imagine someone saying, "I'd prefer not looking at that vase of flowers. Could you please put it outside?"
If you can't get beyond the use of inanimate objects as analogies, then just replace my dog with my child. "Uh...I've been kicked by children and had my hair pulled by children. Could you please lock your (perfectly behaved) child in the basement while I'm here?"
It's ludicrous!
My dogs have always been well-trained. They aren't a danger to anyone (human or animal), as anyone who's come in contact with them would assuredly attest.
For instance, when they're heeling, they're not allowed to reach out to passersby, with a wet nose. For winter, when sidewalks are narrowed by snow banks, I have taught them the extreme heeling command "close", where they're pressed right up against my left leg; giving any passersby as much room as possible.
I really don't see myself any differently with my dog, than I am without. I pay taxes (a lot of taxes!). I obey the law. I don't intrude on anyone else's freedom, inasmuch as is humanly possible.
There is no reason in the world another citizen has the right, or even the privilege, of suggesting that I restrict my actions, much less demanding it.
I said as much when some freak at an off-leash park "asked" if I'd leash my dog. I was in the middle of a conversation with a gentleman, so I quickly said, "There's no scenario I can imagine where I'd leash my dog in a designated off-leash area," and went back to my conversation.
The psycho, to her credit, calmly tried to explain her "reasoning", in that she was afraid of being bitten. Somewhat exasperated by yet another interruption, I reminded the woman that the leash-free area was clearly defined, and she shouldn't be in it if she doesn't like to encounter off-leash dogs. I hinted that I'd consider leashing my dog if there was any danger of her biting...and again tried to go back to my conversation.
The woman was now quite angry. (I'm sure many dog owners acquiesce to her demands.) She hissed something about it just being polite, and finally continued her run.
My dog had been sniffing something on the extreme left of the 12' wide trail the entire time. As the woman ran by her, she didn't even raise her head.
Yep...really relevant request on her part. Maybe she'll learn to stay out of the leash-free park or, barring that, save her insulting requests for the owners of badly behaved dogs. At least they'd deserve it.
Here's my point. I've been training dogs for 30 years. Would I take someone's advice about how I should control my dog? Maybe...if it was a trainer I respected and there was an actual need for me to do something. Would I ever take the advice of some hysterical loser who clearly knows nothing about dogs? Of course not. Don't be silly. :-)