Carley's Mom

You must be much nicer than me... People that visit here know better than to try that s*** with my dogs.

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sulamk

My standard reply to these type of people!

"TO NON-PET OWNERS who visit our homes. Don't complain about our pets.
(1) They live here, you don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'Fur'-niture.
(3) Chances are, I love my pets more than I like you.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are family ..who are hairy, walk on all fours & don't talk back.
I have 5 dogs and 2 cats. 6 children (all grown) and 9 grand children

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LauraRose

We have rules in our house for guests.
Liam lives here, you don't. Respect that. Listen to his parents (David & I, ok - me. Lol) for how to interact with him.

We also follow a No Touch No Look till he comes to you routine. (I am not a Milan fan, but see this as common dog interaction sense.) Even then, no reaching hands over his head: Pet on chest or under chin.
I generally bring him outside to meet first-time arriving guests. He's happier with that, rather than strangers coming straight into "his" house.
We ask guests to stand sideways to him & cross their arms, once inside.
Then, usually, he'll come right over to them, sometimes with a toy. There's always the chance though, that he'll want nothing to do with a certain person. We don't force him.

Course, he's a Doberman, so people generally don't press the issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

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Be well,
Laura Rose

We <3 Cuddles

LEUllman

LOL, I bet they don't. I sure wouldn't! Attitudes change when you have a fluffy little poo in a Miami. Like Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect, I tell ya!

murphys

I do believe "your house, your rules." You are not "kookoo" They are your family; when I am in your home, your rules apply. Although if your dog jumps on me, I will tell him "off".

Yelling at or teasing my dog or cat is not allowed. They yell or tease and they will be on the short end of a lecture.

It appears however that some of my rules are the exception to all of yours. Fritz is not allowed on furniture and he sleep in his crate in my room with the door to his crate closed. There are reasons for this. 1. He sleeps in the crate because we have a cat who has free reign of the home. Although they are learning to get along, I want to be awake when they are both roaming free. 2. Given time, he can get into a whole heap of mischief. 3. My brother would like to have Fritz for sleep overs and he needs to sleep in a crate.

Not going on the furniture is just a rule. He has dog beds in the office and in the living room where I tend to spend most of my time. Not being on the furniture is a rule he is used to.

As far as the person who was outraged by the poop. Hello, if you are that concerned, ask about a pick up policy and still look or stick to walkways. A pick up policy is in place at our home but I don't offer guarantees. I would have probably handed the person who was ticked a poop bag (they are right by the back door) and told them since they knew where the poop was would they mind picking it up or maybe I would have just thought about saying it.

People who enter any of our homes know we have pets who are part of the family. They should look to the host or hostess for guidance on the house rules. They may not agree with them but they should try to honor them.

cindyreef

Oh mY Goodness did your quote ever bring back memories. Years ago when the kids were young we had a doberman. He was huge..an easy 100lbs. lived to 14. He was the biggest baby ever, wouldnt hurt a flea...even scared of the kittens. But, People were so scared of him. Of coarse I cant blame them. He was tall and its scary to look out your car window and see a dobermans teeth while he is barking in your face.

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Please God...... everyday, help me be the person my dog thinks I am.

liljaker

Outwest -- I agree with you; however, most of my friends (for example) ARE dog people, and most are poodle people, too, so I usually don't have those issues. Just lucky I guess. I had a holiday birthday/open house with around 30 people over the course of a day. It was actually a bit much for Sunny since everyone wanted to talk to him, watch him, pet him, etc.; I believe he was thrilled when they all left and he curled up next to me.

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swismiself

I am a dog person who doesn't currently have a dog, but has 4 cats. Two of my cats are especially naughty when it comes to food on the table, so when we have guests over I will tend to shut them in the bedroom for a while while we eat. They're always given a chance to stay out, but if they come trying to steal, off to the bedroom they go. At the very least, I have a few squirt bottles around in case anyone gets too close. I admit that I've allowed my cats to get spoiled over the years, and we deal with it.

I love dogs and love having them around. But on Christmas day when we went to my husband's aunt's house, I admit I was very frustrated. Auntie set up a cute little table for my son (4), nephew (4), and niece (2), low to the ground. Her two dogs spent the entire time with their noses in the kids' laps, or trying to lick their faces, or take food that was dropped. Sitting at the table, the kids were eye level with the two dogs, who refused to leave them alone. The kids definitely didn't like it. At one point, my MIL asked Auntie if we could shut the dogs in the bedroom just until the kids were done eating, and she replied "Well, you could try, but they won't stay there."

I should also mention that a few months ago, during dinner, Grandma dropped a napkin on the floor and one of the dogs went for it. Grandma went to pick up the napkin and the dog bit her hand! I ended up spending the entire Christmas meal shooing dogs away from the kids, worried that the kids would try to pick something up that had dropped from the floor, only to get bit by an old, half blind dog going for the same item.

So tell me, was my frustration unreasonable?

swismiself

My sweet companion growing up (I think I was about 3 in this photo). Greatest dog ever!

schnauzerpoodle

No, your frustration was not unreasonable at all. BUT since you were at her house, the (inconsiderate, in this case) hostess had the say. If I were a mother of a four-year-old child in this situation, I would have told my husband's aunt, "The children's table is really cute. You are so sweet setting that up but I want my son to focus while eating. That's kind of an ongoing training in our home. Is it okay if he sits with us?"

I have no right to discipline other people's pets/kids but I can control where my pets/kids go, I guess.