Just fucking sick of dogs

[crazyaginglady]

Sorry but I am. I was cycling home from
picking up DS from school with him on the back and a dog came running up beside
me snarling and snapping at my feet on the pedals. I nearly bloody went over but managed to keep my balance and get past it (electric bike). Owner called an apology and I just rode on as it was still off the lead and I was worried for DS.

This is a national cycling path and much used school route so there are always bikes and children 8-9 and 3-4.

A sausage dog decided to bolt towards my 2 year old last month in the park for no apparent reason and I had to scoop him
up to avoid contact.

And don’t get me started in the ‘oh he’s just being friendly’. I don’t want your fucking dog jumping on me or my children or scaring my kids when we are just going about our day.

They should ALL be on leads unless they are in a dog park/field.

Clearly you do not realise that sociopathy is not diagnosed by how you as an individual view people and their opinions unless you happen to be qualified to do so and then you would need to meet and diagnosed each of them. Have you done that ? No of course you have not. Just because you can Google what constitutes a sociopath does not give you the right to label people because they don't agree with you

To answer both your points - I used "random" phobia meaning one that hasn't arisen from a specific event, such as a dog attack. I wasn't belittling anyone's fear.

My dad was in a care home for a year during covid. I was allowed to see him maybe 8 times before he died. He hated being in there, wasn't a social person and refused to leave his room. Literally the only thing that brought him any joy was when some of the carers brought their dogs in to see the residents. He wasn't even a dog owner previously. If that's selfish, I'll take that.

Do your friends know you think they're selfish and cruel?

Well it IS belittling. Phobias don’t require precious trauma.

That’s lovely for your dad but it doesn’t take away from the fact owning a dog is a selfish and cruel practice. Humans kid themsleves into thinking the dogs love that lifestyle. When actually they’re just reliant on the person who feeds them.

Incidentally I don’t think places like care homes are places for dogs and no one EVER thinks of those who have allergies or phobias. That’s another thing that riles me about the Dog People - the assumption that everyone wants their dog around.

I don’t need to share everyone opinion with them so no. The practice is absolutely selfish and cruel and it’s even more selfish and cruel to get a dog and not train it properly, keep it in a flat, never worn or groom it and get one without knowing how you’ll afford to pay vets bills. These people are in the majority it seems

@CellophaneFlower that's lovely about your dad, and the home making it possible for the elderly residents to have that physical connection. My dog is firm friends with a local man who is now confined to a wheelchair after his stroke. His wife waves her arms at us till I bring her over. Their own dog died last year and when my pup comes and licks his hand and puts her muzzle on his leg, he is tickled pink. She's so incredibly gentle with him despite being still firmly in the large bouncy puppy stage, hence the lead. (I then pull her away before she notices the irritating and very barkable-at flashing light on the back of his chair.😆)

😂 That's so lovely! I was shocked my dad took so much pleasure out of the dog visits but I guess as he wasn't allowed to see his family he was just grateful for any visitor he got! Dogs help so many people therapy wise in all kinds of situations ❤

I would certainly not say the majority of dog owners mistreat them.

Most owners treat their dogs like children... I don't think those pampered pooches will be on speed dial to the RSPCA anytime soon.

Any care home who care enough to use dogs as therapy I assume would allergy check and only include residents who are willing. They don't just thrust a pack into the day room and leave them to it. Why should people who gain comfort from dogs be deprived of them because others who won't come into contact with them aren't keen?

I wasn't belittling phobias. People that have them can, and absolutely should, take steps to overcome them as they really do take over your life. I myself attended a course at London zoo for my arachnophobia.

When actually they’re just reliant on the person who feeds them.

I am the only person who feeds my pup. She absolutely worships my partner and children so I'm not sure that's true. She is happiest when she's thundering round the garden with her human brothers. There isn't a person in the world that can tell me she isn't loving her life. She's a bloody good actress if she isn't!

Contrary to what you might think from my last post, I absolutely love dogs. Which is why I only want them to be homed with people who are willing and able to train and care for them responsibly. If a person is not willing or able to invest the time or money required to prove their suitability then they should not have a dog.

No I dont want dogs taken everywhere humans can go because it is often very stressful for dogs. A shopping mall close to me recently trialled allowing dogs in all areas. The amount of pee and shit everywhere got so bad that the cleaning staff refused to continue to clean it up and the mall had to stop the trial and ban dogs completely. Restricting dog ownership to the kind of people who can and will clean up its shit will only serve to improve things for both dogs and humans.

The allowing all dogs onto malls and shopping centres is definitely a bad idea if they aren’t impeccably behaved and walking to the side of their owner.
Sniffing produce is bad, peeing and poop is REALLY a bad, but have seen dogs do this in shops and the owners just leave it.

An impeccably trained guide dog 🦮 wouldn’t do these things.

In USA the service dog thing has got way out of hand with a pit bull “ service “ dog mauling a staff member in a Library ( video online) and snappy dogs in airline cabins.

I have a ‘mum’ friend I now don’t see very often because her dog hates human visitors to the house and barks and snarls at them. I’m nervous of noisy dogs and can’t relax around them.

Incidentally I don’t think places like care homes are places for dogs and no one EVER thinks of those who have allergies or phobias. That’s another thing that riles me about the Dog People - the assumption that everyone wants their dog around

I agree. I hope I'll never need a care home, but I also hope if I do, that the dog craze will be over, because I'd hate to be stuck there when they bring dogs in!

Why should people who gain comfort from dogs be deprived of them because others who won't come into contact with them aren't keen

Hmm but if you are in the same room you will come into contact with them won't you? I am thinking dementia patients who can't necessarily advocate for themselves, but you might have also had a stroke. I'd hate to be sat there having my face licked and nothing being done about it, because it's all lovely and isn't it sweet. No, it isn't. It's horrible.

Take people to dogs, not the other way round. And only those who've expressly said they want to be with them, or their families have said they would want to (preferably with some evidence they were lifelong dog owners or similar).

Hmm but if you are in the same room you will come into contact with them won't you? I am thinking dementia patients who can't necessarily advocate for themselves, but you might have also had a stroke. I'd hate to be sat there having my face licked and nothing being done about it, because it's all lovely and isn't it sweet. No, it isn't. It's horrible.

This would be a care home problem, not a dog problem. In my dad's home, the dogs were taken round to the residents rooms - if they were willing. Any carers that would impose a dog on a non verbal resident, or similar, would not be very good at their job and I'd assume a dog lick would probably be the least of anyone's worries in this scenario.

The dogs that go into care homes are assessed to be suitable to do so, and they certainly do not lick people.
It is also not a craze to allow them to visit. Pets as Therapy dogs has been going on for a long time (40 years). I used to work in a kid's hospital, and we had a lovely lab who used to come visit the patients.

I honestly do see a lot of this behaviour from people's children. Its more common to be disturbed whilst out and about by unruly kids than unruly dogs

You see a lot of children shitting on the pavement? REALLY? Where? What age? What do their parents say?

I don’t mind dogs themselves but I don’t think they should get special treatment. I wouldn’t let a child poo in the street even if I were going to pick it up afterwards so I don’t want to see a dog doing it on the pavement either! Let it go before you go walkies or maybe a dog nappy or something.

FFS a dog nappy 🙄

@DonnaBanana it's so true!

Children and dogs are different. Children are brought up to learn that pooing is something you do in private and somewhere suitable.
Dogs... no. They are animals and animals go when they got to go. A responsible dog owner will pick up after their dog.

You can get dog nappies, but they are for poorly/incontinent dogs (so to prevent accidents in the home), or bitches that are in heat... not for general use to prevent mess when on a walk.

That what I should have said, I know you can get them for poorly incontinent dogs. But what pp suggested was for dogs to wear while on a walk.