Going to the Dogs, Part I and Part II

Going to the dogs

Blog Post by DK Christi - Mar.07.2014 - 7:44 pm


It's time for my annual rant about dogs.  I imagine every person reading this blog has a dog.  The street on which I live has only one house without at least one dog, mine.

My former tenant of many years ago had the most beautiful lawn in the neighborhood and he had two large dog.  I'll never know how he did it, but he had a fake tombstone in the front at the curb that said, "the last dog that pooped on my lawn lies here."  Perhaps that had something to do with it.

When I moved back into the house, his magic was gone.  Every dog made straight for my yard with the owner standing right there watching them leave filthy waste products around my mailbox and in my yard.
"How can they do that?" I wondered.  How can any normal human being stand there and let their precious family member deficate on my lawn and not on their own?  And urinate on my mailbox until the grass died and the fire ants prevented me from peacefully gathering my mail.

My elderly mom came to visit - and I mean elderly - 100 right on her heels.  As we walked down the street, the stench of feces accumulation was too strong in the evening air to appreciate the walk.  As if that wasn't enough, a big dog came running toward us from an opened door and nearly caused my mom a heart attack.

That was the last straw.  I stood guard and told each person who stopped with their dog to soil my yard that I didn't appreciate it.  "There's a code that requires dogs on a leash and all feces to be picked up.  Please follow the code," I said politely and with a smile.  The comments I received back are mostly too foul to print.

My mailbox was stuffed first with tar and then with mushrooms - in the mail.  I specifically stopped those whose dogs regularly urinated at the mailbox.  I don't understand how the fire ants left them alone; there was a regular colony where the grass was murdered. "Please don't let your dog urinate here.  It kills my grass and I'm left with fire ants and can't get my mail."

There are 34 houses on my street.  At least a fourth have two or more dogs.  A few newer residents started out following the code.  Lately, they've fallen into the lazy and disrespectful to their dogs and to other neightbors habit of ignoring what's right in favor of the easiest - just let the dogs do there thing and how cute to let them off the leash.

Therefore, I had to get a P.O. Box to safeguard my mail.  My mother cannot walk up and down the street or she might walk in the feces or be jumped on by "oh, he won't hurt you, he's just saying hello."

These dog owners are otherwise rational and nice to know people.  Why do they care so little about their pets that they let them run loose with the risk of auto death - or the risk of disease by sniffing around diseased feces?  Don't they know that a dog is most comfortable when well trained and loved by an alpha dog? A leader?

Why can't owners love their pets sufficiently to train them well and lead them to a proper place in their own yard for elimination that they clean up and dispose of properly instead of subjecting all other neighbors to the filth?

Why can't owners love their pets sufficiently to train them to be comfortable on a leash and safe - safe from other animals - safe from automobiles - and safe with the knowledge that they are where they are supposed to be.  A well-trained dog does not suffer with a leash because he/she does not pull on it but rather knows to heel, to sit, to stay and to stop.  The leash after good training is nothing but reinforcement for protection of the beloved animal and a way to show respect to others for whom this is not a beloved pet but even, perhaps a life endangering threat.

Instead, my neighbors are angry with me for asking them with sugary politeness to at least obey the code and not allow their animals to use my yard for a toilet and to keep their animals on leashes as required so my mother and I may have the privilege of also walking on our quiet street.

Some walk to the other side of the street and their dogs deficate there.  A few make motions like they are picking it up.  Many do have their dogs on leashes - pulling on leashes, the poor things.  Just a little training would make the dog lives so much more fulfilling.

However, there's still the unleashed row among dogs.  The owners with the biggest dogs still express joy as they release the leashes for their "special" dog to run in the neighbor yards and down the street in traffic saying "hello" by jumping on the unsuspecting.
I actually do love dogs.  My last dog was so deeply imbedded in my heart that I never wanted another, to give my heart so freely to an animal.  She was a beautiful, trained standard poodle smarter than many humans.  Her story is one I'll write some day.

She was trained on a leash and went for her own leash when she wanted exercise.  She relieved herself where we took her for that purpose and cleaned up after she was finished.  She understood the basic commands, obeyed them and many more.  A large dog, she needed exercise and was provided opportunities to run on and off the leash as appropriate.  She was never allowed to approach another person - she was trained to remain with me and not leave for any reason other than protection.

She was a content and loving dog who saved my life on many occasions and provided all the love and companionship loving pets promise when they are well-trained, well-behaved and truly loved for their animal nature not trying to turn them into imperfect humans.  They are not children, they are animals with wild instincts.  They need to be trained and still leashed to protect them and others.

I also write a dog column about all the dogs with owners who love them and brag about their training and obedience, including therapy dogs, service dogs and those who win obedience and agility meets.  Why can't the dog owners on my street show the same decency and consideration for their neighbors that the dog owners in my columns show for theirs by properly training their pets, leashing their pets and picking up their remains.

How can people think it is okay to soil another person's yard, allow their animal to run free, and to soil the air that we all breathe together?  How can they believe that the street belongs to them and that anyone without a dog must suffer the consequences of their boorishness?

How can honest, hard-working, decent human beings be so dumb and inconsiderate when it comes to animals?  Perhaps they are in the same league with the smokers that drop their buts and packages on pristine beaches and rant against people who don't want to breathe their smoke.
Well, this is my annual rant. 

If anyone can explain the reasoning people use for gross inconsideration of their neighbors, I am all ears.  I've about hit my limit.  I am ready to put out another fake tombstone and start reporting violaters of the leash law.  What will they do to my mailbox then?  Knock it down all together? I can imagine what they say at their potlucks already.

I have a right to my own property not being violated.  I have a right to enjoy a walk down my quiet street with my mother unmolested.  Those rights infringe on no one else.  They are quiet rights.  Dog owners do not have the right to deprive me of those two small requests.

Dear DK.
I agree.  Out here in the country, people let their dogs out at night to roam about.  They put terror into my few chickens until the chickens stomped them selves to death in fear.  I do not forgive that.  

People have a responsibility for their dogs the same as they have a responsibility for their children. My dogs are in my house at night.  We are family.  

I am sorry for your experience.  Love, Betty

Thank you, Betty.  I am sorry for your chickens.  I would believe you are a responsible pet owner because your have a heart for animals and responsibility is a mark of love.

This is Part II

Going to the Dogs Part II

Blog Post by DK Christi - Mar.08.2014 - 3:21 pm


Part I talked about the dog owners on my residential street who have no consideration for their neighbors who wish to have quiet enjoyment of their property without concern that their yard is the depository for neighbor dog feces and urine.  Additionally, Part I bemoaned the off-the leash animals that chase unsuspecting walkers who also wish to enjoy an evening's stroll unmolested on the street where they live, especially the elderly.  The fault is not in the lovely animals; it is in the owners who don't care enough about their pets to properly train them, leash them and pick up after them.  After all, the owner is the adult human; the pet is a dependent animal.  Love for a child requires instilling discipline in that child.  Should we do no less for the beloved pet?  The bonus is a happy pet who understands the master, does not cause issues with neighbors and is a joy for all.

Today, I was at a public event thus "Part II."  A woman was dragging her dog on a leash through a high-end art festival with rows upon rows of artistic displays yelling, "stay over here, stay over here" to a dog who at best might comprehend "stay" if he/she had been trained to understand but was pulling in all directions as other people tried to avoid the twosome.

Another mother and young child, each with their own fortunately leashed dog, were running to keep up with them and yelling at them to "stop barking!"  Well, dogs can be trained to understand "stop" but it usually means "halt" in physical terms.  Barking is another training matter often requiring specialized training - but trainable.

I have lung issues and am also violently allergic to dogs in particular - not the hair or dander as people mistakenly think but the oil on their skin.  All dogs cause the allergy to flair - even the "non-allergic" ones.  On an airplane I will inevitably be seated with dogs in their cases on either side or worse yet, cats.

I can't dine outside because it has become the space allotted to smokers and animals.  Standing in line in many stores I may need to move to another line because people are holding their dogs.
It is good policy to me that service dogs are allowed everywhere.  I will suffer for the sake of people who need a service dog.  I do not understand why suddenly everywhere is "dog friendly."  My dog stayed at a kennel when I traveled where she had the company of other dogs, space to run and excellent care.  However, people buy "service dog" halters on the Internet so they may take their animals where they are otherwise not allowed.

Hotels are now a disaster.  Animals are allowed in all the rooms and the cleaning that was passable at best before now misses the mark in eliminating animal odors, animal hair and all that makes me sneeze or need an inhaler to breathe.  Imagine if people previously put their feet on beds with shoes on in hotel rooms what they put in the beds when they check in with large animals - or the bath for that matter.

Of course, there's the automobile.  People drive with animals in their laps, with dogs hanging out windows and running around the truck beds.  Don't people realize that this is dangerous not only for them but also for their precious pets for whom they lobby to gain these rights that deny me mine?  They are also a danger to other drivers!

I learned late in life dogs appear to enjoy the wind in their face - but the reality is that it blinds them and robs them of their hearing.  My dog lived on a sailboat and was both blind and deaf in old age because she claimed the top of the deck with her ears blown back in the wind, facing the salt and the sea.  I didn't love her enough to know that her choice was wrong and I allowed her to destroy her sight and hearing.  She was my responsibility. She's long gone, but I am still sorry.  I should have studied more about dogs so I could have properly protected her.
What I see in dog owners is not their love for their pets but their love for themselves, totally selfish and self-serving without consideration for those who choose not to take on the responsibility of pets themselves.  They want the easy ride by taking their pet with them everywhere instead of finding appropriate pet care and not disturbing others with their need to have an animal dependent on them every minute.  They don't want to waste the energy or money to train their dog properly so they find a leash unpleasant and let their animal run free instead - at the local parks where it clearly has laws requiring leashes.  "Oh, he won't hurt you," calls an owner as his large lab bounds in the direction of my frail, 95-year old mom out for a walk.

Last I know this is not a dog's world.  It is a world of human beings with rights to quiet enjoyment of their homes, the air they breathe and the laws they follow.  Pets are an addition that provides loyalty to humans who have a responsibility to care for them with training and insure that they are not a nuisance to those who do not have pets or care to be around someone elses.
Clearly labeled are parks requiring leashes, totally ignored by dog owners.  Clear ordinances require that pet owners clean up after their pets and carry plastic bags for that purpose, totally ignored by dog owners.  Dog owners seem to have no problem ignoring the signs and the laws because they are too lazy to train their animals, pick up after them and take them to appropriate places for exercise without endangering those afraid of or not wishing to be around animals.

As it is, I have abandoned friendships and acquaintances because of their habits with their pets.  I need to ask before going to a person's home for a meeting to be certain they have no pets.  If they do, I cannot attend. I would never put my pet above friendships or relationships.  My dog was trained to remain in specified areas of the residence and never mix with the visitors to the house. 

Today's pets climb everywhere, sit everywhere, leave their hair and put their dirty paws on everything.

I do believe and I have had trainers confirm that giving an animal free run of a residence is not kind to the animal.  They are more secure with their own safe territory.  They are less likely to have diseases or bring diseases into the house if they have their own quarters. 
They are less likely to be overweight with related diseases if the food they are given is not for the appeal to the emotions of their owner but rather provided to meet their animal health needs.  They should not eat human food.  It's bad enough for us, but worse for animals.

Owners don't seem to care.  Relationships with humans require two-way compromises and communication.  Relationships with dogs - well, they are what the owner makes them.  Worse case, the dog doesn't argue and is appreciative of every gem of attention.  It's less complicated to have a dog companion than a person.  The least a dog owner could do is have consideration for those who do not wish to be in the company of animals.  That would be in the best interest of their pet.
In summary, I am concerned about the human race.  It seems as affluence grows, the desire to be part of a real family shrinks.  Thus animals are substitutes for children, for family relationships, for relationships with equals.  It's not enough to have one dog - many families have two or three.  One friend of mine has five dogs and a cat in the house.  We're still friends because we live at opposite ends of the nation, have a long-term friendship before dogs, and if I should visit, I would stay in a motel (which I have done).

My mother grew up on a farm.  They had a dog that lived on the porch and knew he was a dog with guard responsibilities and a hunter during that joyful time of the year.  They had a cat who lived in the barn and knew her responsibility to keep it free of mice and rats.  Farm animals lived in their spaces.  Humans lived in the house, went to church, shopped at the stores and hung out with each other.  Alass, the dogs are gaining influence.  Just look at the rows of foods, toys and "stuff" for pets - entire big box stores devoted to pets.  I lose.

3/10/2014

                     DK..

                           I hear where your coming from. I too had a poodle a miniature , her name
                      was Gi Gi, she was born in 1967 and died in 1976 at 10 yrs of age from heart
                      failure. I loved that dog with all my heart, when she died, I never got another
                      dog again, when she went my heart went with her. I always had her on a leash
                      because once I was taught a lesson, I was walking her and she got away from
                      me running across 9th Avenue, I literally threw myself in front of the cab to save
                      her, thank God she wasn't hit. After that I have had four cats who lived between
                      the ages of 14 to 19, all well behaved , knew how to use a litter box. Now I have
                      Dusty, she going to be 14 next month, and it's funny if people don't believe that
                      an animal understands you, we'll they never had one, her and I have this special
                      bond with each other.

                      Now in my compound which is almost like a park setting, several people have dogs,
                      one I know she's a kerian Terrier, her name is Buttercup, she's adorable, her owner
                      always walks her on a leash and in our compound and around the 10 acres are
                      special boxes with doggie bags and garbage cans to pick up and toss, there are
                      signs all over. I have never seen anyone not have their dogs on a leash or not
                      pick up after them. These people on your block are lazy pigs, I can just imagine
                      them raising children, dogs and cats are like children you have to teach and train
                      them, otherwise they do what they want to do. It would be a great idea if you could
                      get those bags and post signs above the bags, I'll find out from my compound
                      manager where they  get them from. In the meantime smile and say: " Would you
                      kindly pick up after your beautiful dog, I thank you."

                                                                Cheers...Joe... 

I tried the "nice nice."  That's when I got the mushrooms and tar in my mailbox.  Thanks for getting the info though.  Maybe I can put one in front of my house or at the smelliest end of the street.

Your are fortunate for considerate neighbors.

To this day I can remember Lady Ace and still shed a tear.  I have a story about her but since no publisher seemed to want it, I felt it must not be good enough to share.

3/10/2014

                        DK..

                                 You should share it....Animal stories are beautiful and
                         heart warming...I wrote " Dusty," I used her antics for the
                         book, if you like I'll send you the PDF on it. Now I have been
                         trying to work on " Dusty's Adventures In Cape Cod," so far
                         only 7 pages.....

                                                               Cheers..Joe.. 

Quote :

However, people buy "service dog" halters on the Internet so they may take their animals where they are otherwise not allowed.

I didn't know this, yet another disgusting scam. Disneyworld stopped taking disabled people to the front of the line because so many groups were HIRING a disabled person to get this benefit.

About the dogs doing their business all over the place, this has been going on forever, and their owners don't care. My mom complained to a dogwalker who regularly let her dog crap on my parents' lawn. The woman's answer was, "I don't mind if dogs go on MY lawn!" So why aren't you letting it crap on your lawn, then?

Awhile back, I guess some people in my parents' city got angry enough about it that they left poisoned hot dogs around. After a few dog deaths the owners stopped walking them there. Solved the problem.

Poisoning the dogs is barbaric...IT"S NOT THE DOGS FAULT THEIR OWNERS ARE IDIOTS!!!!

I have a dog run alongside my garage where my three dogs go.  Even when they are out playing in the yard if they have to go they run back into the dog run to go, then come back out and continue to play.

When I see someone allowing their dog to go in my yard and not pick it up, I go to them and simply tell them my dogs don't go in MY yard so why should I allow theirs to do so.  If they do it again, I bag the poop and take to their house, hand it to them and repeat my statement.

I've lived here for thirty years, at least fifteen years longer than anyone else in the neighborhood, I'm probably already known as the neighborhood wack job, so I haven't had to deliver poop more than once.

There's one gentleman on my street that actually crosses the street with his dog when he gets to my house and I've never even talked to him.

Dear Don,
I have lived here almost 30 years.  My neighbors consider me a whack job, too.  My dogs do not leave my property unless it is in the truck to go to the vet.  I pick up my dog's poop on my own land and put it in the ditch.  We have called that little run-off stream, that always has water, "shit creek" because the water flows on down to the river which is a good quarter of a mile away.  

Most people out here do not have small dogs.  They have Bull Mastiffs, Shepherds, Rottweilers and Pitt Bulls.  Those dogs leave big piles.  One of them loves to take a dump on top of my juniper that borders the rose garden.  It is always more liquid than solid and the only way to deal with it is to hose it down.  It still stinks. I have put up a camera that takes night-time movies and hope to find out whose dogs are visiting.  I do not mind being considered the neighborhood whack job.  I probably am.
Love,
Betty

What a relief!~ I am so glad to know I am not the only one appalled by the inconsiderate boobs who take on the responsibility of dog ownership without considering their precious pet or their neighbors.

I interviewed a dog trainer who trains dogs that are incorrigible for the humane society.  He is adamant that unless an animal is ill, there are no bad dogs only bad owners.

Every person with a dog might follow Don's example of a run beside the house.  However, that takes training a dog.  Training seems to be too much for so many people.  The best love for a pet a person can show is to train their pet so that it is welcome, loved and a delight always.

Thanks for the encouragement Joe.  Maybe I'll print parts of the story in the book section of this forum for comments.

3/11/2014

                      DK...

                               You go for it ...  

                                  Cheers..Joe..  

Training a dog to use a run is not difficult.  When house breaking a puppy simply take them to the same spot everytime you take them out and praise the hell out of them when they go there.  If they start to go someplace else, simply say "NO" and take them to the right spot.  Unless the dog is brain dead they should get it within a few days.  To train any dog anything the first thing you need to teach them is the word "NO" after that everything else is easy.  Tell them "NO" when they're wrong and praise the hell out of them when they do it right.  "DOGS AND KIDS, DON'T GIVE THEM A CHOICE, THEY'LL MAKE THE WRONG ONE EVERYTIME!"

That's what we did with our standard poodle.  I figured she was a genius in light of all the stupid dog owners on my street and in the neighborhood.

There's a great walking path, shaded, that runs the three mile length of our connector road.  I tried riding my bike there but it stunk too much.  Same thing.  They take their dogs there to do their business so their own yard is pristine.

Many years ago I lived in a California neighborhood where there were a few dogs.  My neighbor had two white, miniature poodles.  She had a square at the outermost corner of her yard where they went to do their business.  She walked them on a leash (that they did not pull) and people like to see them coming as the dogs sat and awaited any attention.  Their behavior was so cute you wanted to talk to them.

I love leash laws and strictly enforced ones
Dog owns are oblivious to the fear their pets engender. The same with snake owners

We have a lovely mall in Naples, the Mercado, with slanted parking and a variety of restaurants and shops.  Yesterday we went there for lunch.  People had their dogs on leashes all right - long leashes with the dogs pulling on them at that and walking over to sniff people.

Again, I remember what the dog trainers have told me.  A well-disciplined and happy dog knows that his or her place is at the left heal of the "master."  The leash is just for safety.  The dog walks in comfort at the pace of the owner, not pulling on a leash and leading out front where the dog is not safe.

It's not the poor dog's fault.  It is the fault of lazy and stupid owners who really don't care about the comfort of their dogs or they would treat them like dogs instead of unruly children.  A happy dog is a disciplined dog who knows the boundaries, obeys them and is praised for his/her intelligence.

I hear owners screaming at their dogs, "get back here," "leave her alone," "don't jump," "stay out of there,"  when dogs really understand single commands and voice tone.  Stop, go, stay, heal, sit, no, and even nods of head or a body move are sufficient for an intelligent dog.  They hear the rest of the words like so much noise, adding to the poor animal's confusion.

Dear Alice,
I know how people are afraid of dogs.  Rightly so.  Dogs are very protective.  The owner who is responsible knows that. 
Snakes, although I consider they are an important part of the ecological plan, are not pets.  they are not affectionate, and do not have empathy for their owners.  I know people do have them as pets, but a snake is a snake.  It has three things to do.  Eat and mate and reproduce. (Some people would reduce the purpose of human beings to the same three things and I know people who consider that is their whole purpose on this earth.) 
People who keep scorpions as pets are bizarre, to me.  I had an ant farm once.  They were very interesting, but I could never bond with an ant.  People who have these kinds of pets are still responsible for them.  They are captive and do not enjoy the captivity like cats or dogs who can bond and benefit from the bond with their human. 
I may be wrong. 
I am not oblivious.
I am afraid of many dogs who have no manners.  It is the human's responsibility to socialize their pet..no matter who they are.  Try to socialize a scorpion.
Love,
Betty

Diane, You are right, of course.
Love, Betty

Betty, you speak with so much sense that it is scary.  You have a way of simplifying the seemingly complex. 
Any person that abhors snakes is special to me.   DK's remarks make sense.  I just hate it when I hear dog owners yelling commands at their dogs.  Sometimes the owners are more disruptive than their animals.  I could be wise to have a training school for prospective dog owners.  The owner requires more taining than the dog. IMV.

I'm going to take a wild guess at the motivation here. lol

http://www.kansascity.com/2014/03/18/4897762/15-dogs-killed-after-poison-thrown.html

I wasn't aware of that news report.  I just annually get fed up with the dog owners on the street where I live and vent.  Then it leads to dog owners in general.  I do appreciate dogs - as dogs.  I had a lovely and wonderful standard poodle.  She was our guard dog on our yacht as we sailed the Caribbean.  She had a job to perform which she did remarkably well.  She was well-disciplined and a content and comfortable companion.  I write a column about dogs in a newspaper.  That's why I have spoken with many trainers, kennel owners, veterinarians and owners of well- trained and well-behaved dogs. 

With the proliferation of dogs growing every day, someone needs to shake up the owners - and not by poisoning innocent animals (the article).  The owners are the problem.

Quote :

With the proliferation of dogs growing every day, someone needs to shake up the owners - and not by poisoning innocent animals (the article).  The owners are the problem.

But the owners don't respond, so frustrated people poison the animals. Maybe they should be poisoning the owners. lol

I think the veterinarians, pet parlors, kennels, breeders, American Kennel Club, Petco, - all who benefit from the growing number of dogs - should start talking about proper training animals for society.