My mum has always had rescue dogs. Odd little terriers usually. Sadly her 'parenting' skills as a dog owner leave much to be desired, which results in her dogs becoming even more dysfunctional and irritating over the years she has them. Some of the things she does:
- rewards them for jumping all over her/everyone as they come through the front door by giving them biscuits EVERY TIME she comes into the house. And usually when anyone else comes into the house. She insists that you greet them first. Result? The dogs indulge in frenzied barking and hurling themselves all over everyone as they come through the front door.
- gives them titbits off her plate/your plate/out her mouth while she's sat at the dinner table, so all her dogs have been hideous nuisances at the table. My very greedy Labrador has never been given a share of our meals, and knows better than to beg at the table. If I go to my mum's she insists on feeding my dog off her plate and encouraging her to beg. Aaargh! And then allows them to lick the plates clean after we've finished eating. boak!.
- takes her insane staffie/jack Russell/Christ knows what cross out without a muzzle. Dog isn't usually aggressive with humans but has on more than one occasion launched itself on someone elses dog without any provocation. My mum insists it's the other dog's fault EVERY TIME.
- smacks them (not violently, but still....) when they are doing the things she's bloody well encouraged them to do (like jumping up, barking and stealing food) with her bad dog handling
She also insists that they get the best seats in the sitting room, and gets miffed if you move them off the sofa or chair. The result is that when you go to move them they growl at you.....
She can't accept that a dog is a dog is a dog, and needs to be treated as such. She thinks I'm hard about my dog because I make it sleep downstairs, don't allow it on the sofa, and don't give it something to eat every time I give myself something to eat. And the weird thing is, that my dog is very well behaved, EXCEPT towards my mother. My mother is the only one my dog 'mugs' when she comes in the house. (by mug I mean my dog is all over her, bugging her, sniffing in her handbag, shoving her nose into my mums hand, jumping up).
I think rescue centres should insist that people who take dogs do a short course on the basics of dog behaviour, and make them understand that if they treat their dogs like children, they're going to end up with a really dysfunctional animal.
Ah, rant over.
That feels better. 