pet peeve... LITERALLY! (1 Viewer)

[Dave Mack]

I have a pooch. A wiener dog to be exact. She is INCREDIBLY cute and gets ALOT of attention when we are out. My pet peeve is when someone who has engaged me in maybe 20 seconds of conversation which was NOT initiated by me asks if my dog is "fixed". Then they proceed to ramble on about overpopulation and the health of the animal, etc...
Bottom line is, it's none of their DAMN business. We've spoken for maybe 1/2 a minute, they don't know the slightest thing about me and now they're asking about the reproductive capacity of my pet and if I intend to sell any offspring.

Another one is when people make barking noises at her (I never understood this and can only IMAGINE what she thinks of it) and when people pet her without permission.


but what do I know....


d

 

[Mort Corey]

Next time they ask just lift its leg and show em.

Mort

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Well, actually, once the scar heals there's no way to tell if a female dog's been spayed.

I love dogs, and will not hesitate to approach a person with a dog and converse about it, but it's never even occurred to me to ask if the dog's been neutered, nor to try to touch the dog without permission. I've also never barked at one, though do melt into baby talk if it's a little puppy.

I've never had anyone ask if my dog's spayed, either. (she is, btw).

When I was a child we had a female dachsund that my folks brought back from Germany in 1948. Freida lived a happy life until 1963, was not spayed, but never had pups. That little dog travelled cross country with our Air Force family in the back seats of a '53 Chevy and again in a '58 Buick, loved camping trips and took naps in the middle of our residential street (cars drove around her).

 

[Lynda-Marie]

Dave, what comes to mind when you wonder about what your dog thinks of it, is Bruce Willis as Mikey in "Look Who's Talking" saying, "Oh yeah, she's gone!" when Mikey's grandma started making goo goo noises.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

You know this never happened when my Pit was alive, they'd always ask if she bites and if I fought her (no on both accounts, she was very muscular naturally and didn't have any scars). I like to know if those with huskies get asked if their dogs pulls sleds, in states like Florida or Hawaii?

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Curse you Bob Barker, curse you to the depths of gameshow hell!!!

 

[Jordan_E]

No one has ever asked me if I had my dog fixed, but she is 65 pounds and tends to rush you like she's still a puppy!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

It would never occur to me to engage someone in a conversation about "fixing" their dog. That is pretty bold and rude, IMO. However, if the dog approaches me in a friendly manner, I will usually instinctively reach down to pet the animal. It's hard to resist a friendly pooch.

 

[RobertR]

The other stuff is rather silly Dave, but I don't think it's unreasonable for people to do that, given that you're pleased with the fact that "She is INCREDIBLY cute and gets ALOT of attention".

 

[MarkHastings]

I agree, but I guess it depends on where the petting occurs. If it's in your own home, then why would it bother you? If it's outside (and it were done by people you don't know), then maybe I can see why it would bother you.

 

[John Spencer]

Because anybody gets freaked out if somebody just wanders into their home from the street!

 

[Chu Gai]

Tell them your dog uses these...

 

[Ted Lee]

i'm with you on the other two, but this one you gotta let go. a cute dog is nearly impossible not to pet ... if anything i think it's cool that someone likes to pet my hana.

my only complaint is when they let her jump on them or lets her play-bite. those are both habits i'm trying to break ... so it drives me crazy when others let her. but i always correct them (the humans) and tell them not to let her (the dog) do that. they (the humans) always seem to understand.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

That is the best memory of my child-hood dog. Just thankful we lived on a cul-de-sac !

 

[Dave Mack]

I agree to a point but if I'm carrying in my arms and someone walking by just reaches out to pet her head quickly it freaks Her out and I think it's rude. She's all on 10 lbs. If she goes up to someone, it's fine. Imagine if someone thought your kid was cute and just patted him on the head! To me, she's like my kid. Her nose is a bit longer though...

And believe it or not, the asking about being fixed happens alot, at least in NYC. NYC is weird though as every dog owner on the block and at the dog run knows all the dogs' names but never the owners'.

 

[MarkHastings]

Like I said, if it's out in public, that's definitely something that should bother you. People are just STUPID if they're going to walk up to a stranger (on the street) and pet his/her dog without saying anything.

 

[Dan Mc]

This happens alot more than you would think...both of our kids are cursed with being terribly cute, and they also like to look around and smile at other people in restaurants, etc. In return, many people (mostly middle-aged/older women) decide to give them a friendly pat on the head or touch thier face. This is very anoying when it happens. Also random people seemed to feel obligated to pat my wife's stomach while she was pregnant...this annoyed her to no end.

 

[MarkHastings]

LOL - sorry to laugh, but I just imagined someone going up to a pregnant woman and grabbing her breasts and saying "Yup, they're big!"

 

[StephenA]

I definitely wouldn't go over to a dog and pet without the owner saying so. You never know if the dog might get freaked out by strangers approaching it and nip you. If the dog comes to me acting friendly or the owner says I can, then I would pet the dog, but like I said I'd never initiate it.

I've never came across someone who asked about any of my dogs being fixed though. I would find that a bit odd.

 

[JamesMH]

Maybe you should get your dog fixed, and put a little vest on it that says "Fixed".