Thursday, March 4, 2010

Dog people

We have a fantastic park not too far from our house. It's great, there's a small field with trees around it, and there's a huge field that's completely open, great for dogs to run in. We take Opie there twice a day usually, to let him run and because there are a lot of other dogs for him to play with. Usually, it's okay. Sure, you'll have the bully dog, the growler, the one with all the good toys, the humper, the yippy one, the ball thief, but that happens when you go to a park with other dogs. It's to be expected. I thought it was understood that if your dog fell into any of these categories, as the owner, you must be able to control the dog if they start to bother other dogs (or humans) or at least have the decency to apologize profusely, put the dog on a leash, and go to the other part of the park. It's dog owner code.

There are some people who do NOT abide by this code. They think it's 'cute' when their dog growls at others or call their dog 'silly little precious' while he is humping the crap out of another dog. Say 'she's just rambunctious' while she chews on your dogs' tail. This is not acceptable behaviour, in my mind. Honestly. And the worst part of it is- it's not the dog. It's the humans.

There are some bonkers dog owners out there. One said to me the other day that the reason that her dog nips Opie's ears and barks at him incessantly is because Opie won't chase him. Another said that her dog doesn't really like to exercize, that's why he steals Opie's ball. There's another that refuses to get her dog neutered because 'it'll hurt his manhood'- is that not the idea?!? Dogs are dogs. They are fantastic companions. They are amazing creatures. At the end of the day though, they are dogs.

I know there are some amazing dog owners out there. We know quite a few of them. And, this is not to say we don't absolutely adore our dog. Opie is an amazing addition to our family. I genuinely don't remember what life was like before he was around. He's a great puppy, but he is that. A puppy. I love him for it.

Perhaps our park attracts the weirdos. Maybe that's why we go there...

2 comments:

  1. "They" say the dog is the reflection of his human. In my experience, that has pretty much always been the truth. They are pack animals after all and unless rabid, will do what is acceptable in their pack. That's why your Opie is such a great pup (and always will be) the ball stealing dog...his owner is a closet kleptomaniac...don't ask me to describe the true nature of the owner of the dog that humps everything in site. Yikes!

    ~Jodi (Dog mom to Bucky "the queen", Beau beau a.k.a. Beaubeaulicious and Crumpet known to Mark as "little C or the Crump". You can see that all is normal at our house. No identity crisis here.)

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  2. Last weekend we took Tema to the dog park and she ran off to go play with some other people (she usually likes people more than other dogs). Shortly there after a lady approached us who, it seemed, somehow knew us. She said, "We were just petting Tema..."
    She knew Tema belonged to us?
    "... we remember her from obedience school..."
    Oh.
    "... You remember our dog 'Lollypop'?"
    Oy, how could we forget a dog named Lollypop? "How IS Lollypop?!"
    "Oh she's doing great! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that the reason I have poop on my hand is because Tema's belly is covered in it."

    She (Tema, I mean - clarification is important here) also got humped in the face by a dog half her size that day.

    So that's our story.

    -Da Smifs (Dog parents to Tema J. Buttercup Lee Smith)

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