When Did We All Become BAD Dog Owners?
Lately, I have been noticing a very strange trend. First, my mom mentioned that she saw a post in one of her facebook groups from a woman who felt guilty because her dogs weren’t involved in dog sports and all the fun things that the other posters said they did with their dogs. The woman stated, “All I do is play ball with my dogs in the back yard.”
I bet her dogs love playing ball, and while I don’t know this woman, if she’s posting about her dogs in a facebook dog group, I’d wager that she probably loves them and takes pretty good care of them.
Then there’s my mom herself. After struggling for about two years with Luke’s dog reactivity she’s ready to throw in the towel, so she tells me, “I guess he’ll just be a house dog.”
Just a house dog? My mom plays with Luke regularly, he has a doggie playmate named Kayla, he has more toys than most dogs see in a lifetime, he’s welcome to sleep in the bed with my parents, he gets fed premium dog food, he is well vetted, he gets to go to quiet dog friendly parks, and my parents drive all the way to Florida for their annual retreat – just so their dogs aren’t left behind.
Recently my friend and fellow dog blogger, Jodi Stone, wrote A POST where she felt that she needed to walk her dogs every day – even if it meant doing so at 6:40 in the morning to beat the heat. 6:40! A.M.! I give her a LOT of credit, because you won’t catch me walking my dogs that early. Ever.
And then I started to feel guilty. Geez? Daily walks? All three of them? They do get two yard sessions a day, one with Nick and one with Me, where one of us is out there with them, either playing with them, training them, or just chilling with them – often a combination of all three. And yeah, I do walk the dogs, and I sometimes even take them to training classes, or on outings to parks, the beach, or dog shows, whatever – but not EVERY DAY. I thought I was a good dog owner…but after I read Jodi’s post, I started to think, “Hey I must be a bad dog owner too.”
So what does constitute a bad dog owner? I always thought a bad dog owner was someone who beats their dog, or ties their dog to a tree with no shelter from the elements, or doesn’t provide food or water to their dog, or keeps them crated 24-7, or lets a treatable health problem go untreated so that the dog is suffering, or, obviously, someone who participates in dog fights.
But others might disagree with me…
What if someone thought you were a bad owner because you didn’t do something that they thought a dog deserved, and they stole your dog because of their own ideals? Maybe they thought all dogs should be fed home cooked, but they saw you buying kibble at the pet store, so they hurried outside, broke into your car, and stole your dog?
Don’t think it could happen?
I recently read a rather appalling POST over at Two Little Cavaliers, about a husky that was stolen right out of his owner’s yard, because someone felt they were neglecting the dog because he was kept in an outdoor kennel and not inside the house. Someone, (most likely the same someone who stole the dog if you ask me), had reported the family to Animal Control several times – but after inspecting them each time, Animal Control always gave them a good report.
According to the post and a subsequent news article I found, the dog, named Aspen, was housed in a well ventilated kennel, with protection from the elements, and was given food and water and attention from the family – but the thieves felt that dogs only “thrive” indoors and stole the husky so they could give him the home “every dog deserves.”
Aspen the Stolen Husky
Now, I personally, would not keep my own dogs outdoors, but is this now a crime? People keep cats, goats, chickens, sheep, cows, horses, etc., etc., in outdoor enclosures pretty regularly and nobody blinks, but are you now a bad dog owner if your dog is kept in a kennel with food and water and protection from the elements? I bet their are thousands of huskies up north living in kennels…maybe the thieves should steal them too? Wouldn’t their efforts be better spent on rescuing a dog from death row who is facing the gas chamber, rather than stealing a dog that already has a decent home – even if it is not what “they” consider perfect?
What do YOU consider to be a bad dog owner?
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I have been asked the following question many tinmes when folks in the ‘dog fancy’ meet my shelter dogs…
“What are you gonna DO with this dog?” The real question they are asking is “Can you show this dog?”.
Seeing as I do Rally, Agility and Freestyle with my dogs (purebred and random bred), I used to tell these folks that those were my plans. But over the years it has gotten under my skin and now my standard answer is “What am I gonna DO with her? I’m going to provide her a stable home, give her plenty of love and training, take her for walks, snuggle with her on the couch and if she enjoys it, maybe we’ll try a dog sport or two”.
You mean, you’re gonna give them a good home?
Not to mention that sometimes you need to work through hang ups before you can even consider doing anything else, and then there is the issue of discovering what the dog enjoys, which is not always considered.
What a great post. Someone thinking they are the bad pet owner because they don’t do dog sports with their dogs? Seriously? Some might think we are the bad pet owners because we make ours do too much, (and they stay outside from time to time).
I read that article about the thief that sole the husky and was angered. Has this what all the PC dog activism has come down to? Huskies are working dogs and as such don’t need to be in a house to have a good home environment. Not every breed is meant to be a couch potato and it is a shame that people do not understand that.
I never thought of it that way too…working them TOO hard. I think some people just have that “holier than thou” stance, and no matter what others do, they are never happy.
Meanwhile, real dogs ARE out there suffering, and those are the ones they should be “rescuing.”
Thanks for the shout out Donna! As usual, your post has put me in frame of mind for a post of my own.
My dogs never used to get walked every day, we had a schedule of 4 days of 1 walk per day, two days of daycare and one night with training.
A dog like Delilah requires physical and mental stimulation, since we decided to take them out of daycare I needed to find an additional outlet for her, the walk seemed the easiest thing. I know if she doesn’t get some type of exercise she will become destructive. We have a really big yard but it is not functional at all. (Honestly, I sometimes wonder just what we were thinking when we bought it.) The back yard which is fenced in is a hill and it is covered in brush, unfortunately we have no money or time to clear it all, so it’s really not functional for a play area. If it were, I would be outside running them in the yard instead of walking them every day. A lot of work goes into that, which is also another post! LOL
All that being said I think a Husky probably likes being outside and those people that took him are wrong. If they take care of the dog like THEY think he should be taken care of, then the dog will have to go to the vet right? Hopefully they get this dog back.
I agree with you, people who beat, fight, don’t give appropriate medical care and chain them out 24/7 are bad dog owners.
I also feel like you need to know your dog and know what he/she needs. Not all dogs require walking every day.
Great post Donna!!
No problem Jodi. You always write such inspirational posts! Seeing that your dogs get the proper amount of exercise is definitely important as well. Leah has always been happy with minimal exercise, she’ll run a bit or take a short walk, and then she’d rather relax. But Toby, man, if he doesn’t get enough, he’s a terror! Luckily, with him, all exercise is fun exercise, so our options are limitless. Meadow falls somewhere in between as far as exercise needs…and we are still learning what she does and does not enjoy doing.
A few years ago there was a story about someone stealing a beloved dog from a homeless man in Chicago. He was devastated. The kidnappers finally returned the dog. They thought he wasn’t being taken care of the way dogs should be. I think if a dog is loved by the owner that is what matters.
How sad. The poor guy had nothing, but at least he had love, and they took that away too! Glad the dog was given back in the end.
[...] I opened my google reader this morning and was greeted by this, When Did We All Become BAD Dog Owners? [...]
Great post. And the kind of thing I think about all the time.
But I think it’s just a symptom of our “achievement-oriented” lives. We do it with everything. We feel guilty because we don’t plan more activities for our kids, because our houses don’t look like they belong in a magazine, and our bodies don’t look like those of photoshopped, half-starved models. Dogs are just the latest way we beat ourselves up for not being better.
We need to learn to live in the present instead of feeling guilty about now doing more. If only there was some kind of furry creature close at hand we could learn from. Hmmmmm.
Good points Pamela.
It is so hard to live in the present, instead of constantly beating ourselves up for what we aren’t…
My dogs get an hour or more off leash hike every day but that is because I am lucky enough to be self-employed with fairly flexible hours. If I worked a regular job with a city commute things would likely be a lot different. I also really am a country girl at heart and I find that those hikes in our local mountains is what keeps me sane while living in the city. I’m guilty of comparing myself to others sometimes as well but I try really hard to kick myself when I do that!
I’d love to have a safe off-leash place to exercise them, (besides the yard of course). Here, when I walk them, the roads are narrow, so I can’t even give them more than a few feet of freedom, and we’re always running into loose dogs….
Awesome post, Donna, thank you for this needed reality check. I am the kind of person that feels guilty if I don’t walk my dog for at least forty-five minutes twice a day. I never before thought how ridiculous this is. I feel bad if we only get out for thirty minutes in the evening, even if we were out for an hour in the morning. Even if I spend many more minutes playing tug or working on tricks.
Now I never judge – at least I try never to – other dog owners for not doing the same. Every dog is different. It’s not my place to say what someone else should do with her pets. My dog happens to be insane and I feel that walking for nearly two hours at day helps keep her anxieties at bay and prevents our house from being demolished. Furthermore, walking is something I really enjoy making time for and going out at 5:30 am contributes to my personal happiness. If it didn’t, I don’t think I’d still be doing it.
But maybe I don’t need to beat myself up for not walking my dog for the required amount of time tonight if I am too hot or too tired. Maybe.
You may have just blown my mind.
LOL! Well, it will be easier for you now that you also have a fenced in yard to run her, on those days that you don’t want to do it yourself.
When I do walk them, I’m an evening walker myself. I’ve never been a morning person and as I’m approaching 40, I don’t think that will ever change….
I always feel that I’m the worst dog-owner in the world. My dog doesn’t get nearly enough exercise, and I find it difficult to train him without the help of the professional, which I can’t afford.
But whenever I think, “He’d be so much better off with someone else who walked him more often and was more disciplined about training,” I realize that, although he’s “mixed breed,” at heart he’s pure GSD. I have been his person for just over four years, and giving him away would break his heart. So I’m stuck feeling guilty all the time.
Mixed breed, purbred, anything bred – why break their hearts, (and your special bond for that matter?), because you feel guilty about exercise? And as far as discipline, that a topic for another day. The things we expect of our dogs, we would NEVER expect of other animals. (Cats come immediately to mind!) Like I said, you’re not beating him, tying him to a tree and ignoring him, or things along those lines. I mean, come on, you even go to the extent of blogging about him, and you worry that you don’t give him enough.
I think that all points to a good owner!
It’s really just like having kids (or so I have witnessed/heard, as I have no human children), with constant mommy battling and judgment. Raising a dog is such a personal thing–I know for a fact there are many members of my family and circle of friends who do not agree with our treatment of Desmond–and only the dog’s guardians can decide what’s right for their family. I mean, of course, that does NOT include people who are awful and really are abusing or neglecting the dog in some way.
But I completely understand what you mean about feeling like a bad dog parent. We go above and beyond for Desmond (he is more than a handful–I am convinced he would have been returned to the rescue, or worse, had we not taken him into our home), but we have been as yet unable to solve his various problems (other than sep. anxiety) and we don’t take him hiking even though we always say we will, and sometimes he doesn’t get walked on weekends because we’re so busy (we’ll play with him instead), and he surely doesn’t participate in any organized group doggie activities. And I feel guilty about all of those things. Which is seriously ridiculous and unnecessary. Why do we torture ourselves? I bet you Blogville, even with all its opinions and theories, wouldn’t be as harsh on its members as we are on our own selves.
I think you do a lot for your pups–and the pups at Kent (which, by the way, I just wrote an Examiner article about, for the Primp Your Pit campaign. I hope it gets them some extra exposure!)–and I don’t think anyone reading your blog would have to question that at all.
What an interesting comparison Lauren! And, see, I wouldn’t consider you a bad dog owner too, so I guess we are harder on ourselves than others would be (except maybe in the case of poor Aspen!). So glad you put an article up about the Pittie campaign. I actually haven’t been able to get to Kent since my busy season at work began, although its funny you mentioned it today, because I was trying to find away to get down there this weekend, as I got an email last week that they have been low on dog walking volunteers.
(PS – I hope the blog is working for you again, we were never able to duplicate the issue…)
It is working for me just fine now. I have no clue what happened.
It could have been on our end. I had been changing pages around and what not when we switched the blog over to word press…
Either way, glad its working now!