Pet Peeves

I've been thinking about pet peeves - and thought I'd share some. I bet you have some you can share, also. Add yours in the comments section.

For me, my number one pet peeve is people who think that because I feed my dogs and my cat grocery store food I'm a bad pet parent. My pets have always eaten grocery store food. All my pets have. And, I want the world to know that all of my pets have lived long and happy lives. None have suffered unduly from eating grocery store food. Mind you, we do buy the higher end food. Not store brand.

It really astonishes me that people think pet food companies aren't interested in the health of your pet. Seriously? They would not be in business long, if that were true. I know that my pets are extremely healthy (my veterinarian will attest to that) and I trust the pet food companies. You don't have to. I'm not saying that. I'm saying... just because I do, doesn't make you better than me.

Second, I get annoyed at people who insist their dog is so gentle and kind and obedient, he would never attack another dog or a child. It could happen. Not necessarily without cause! Other dogs can get even a mild-mannered animal to snap - rightly so! And kids, don't get me started. Parents need a lesson in how to teach their kids to approach strange dogs. It's not fair that the dogs are held accountable when it's likely the 'human's' fault. But, honestly... just as we must teach our children to behave, we must teach our dogs - and be aware the circumstances could turn a gentle, easy going pet into a snarling beast. In the end, the dog suffers for our inability to protect him.

I saw a couple of other pet peeves from bloggers I know. Dr. Lorie Huston, who writes the Pet Health Care Gazette, says, her top pet peeve is, "Being addressed as 'the nurse' by people who assume that because I'm a woman, I cannot be a doctor..."

I love that our shelter back in Rochester, Lollypop Farm, has a help-line they call Pet Peeves. Here's their description:

You love your pet, and he’s a treasured member of your family. You take him to the vet regularly, and he’s healthy and fine. It’s just that he’s got this one little behavior that’s driving you, or your family, or your neighbors, nuts! And it seems to be getting worse, not better. You’ve tried some solutions, maybe some worked a little, maybe not. Friends and family have no more advice, or maybe they’re tired of hearing about it!

Help is available! The Humane Society now offers a Behavior Help Line to assist families with dog or cat concerns - part of our efforts to preserve the lifelong bonds between people and animals. Trained volunteers respond to phone calls with support, knowledge and guidance. If you have a question or concern about the behavior of your dog or cat, call 295-2999 and a volunteer will respond. You may also visit the Behavior Help Line page to find articles that might be of assistance.

This article from Ann Arbor written by Julia Levitt about pets really hits home to me, also. I totally agree with this point (which is relevant to my previous point about well-behaved dogs behaving badly sometimes):

Walking the Dog owner and dog walker Lisa Saul gets very frustrated when she is walking a dog belonging to a client and she encounters people walking their dogs off leash. The owners call out to her, "That’s okay. my dog is friendly."

"Since they don’t know my dog, the dog owner has no idea if the dog I am walking is friendly," Saul says. “And,” she continues, “they also don’t know how the two dogs will react when they meet each other.”

Anyway, I bet I could find more but that's enough for today. I'm eager to hear yours. Do share!

Comments

[Lorie Huston, DVM]

Great pet peeves. I agree with you on the grocery store pet food and about the pet food companies. I don't see them as evil either but I speak to so many pet owners who do. It bothers me sometimes too.

[Random Felines]

I have to agree about the dog thing...ok, YOUR dog may be friendly, but you can't be positive. I had a woman approach me when I was out with a shelter dog that I knew didn't like little dogs. She let the little white fluffy dog (on a retractable leash - don't even get me started on those) get pretty close. When I told her that the dog with me wasn't ok with little dogs, she said it was ok cause hers was very friendly. I finally had to get rude and tell her that if my dog ate hers, he was at risk of being put to sleep for being agressive. She got huffy and marched off....I am sure she is convinced I was a jerk too. :)

[Heather]

My biggest pet peeve is dog owners who don't understand the concept of private property and allow their dogs to pee all over the neighbor's lawn. Or should I say, every neighbor's lawn. Apparently if it's not fenced off, it's fair game. I mean, it's just grass, right? Maybe they'd think differently if they had the pay the costs of re-sodding all the dead spots in the lawn that have been killed by dog urine each year.

[lauren @ life with desmond]

ok, my peeve is way over on the "i'm a crazy dog lady" side of things, but here we go:

why can't my friends and family understand that i don't WANT to leave my dog at home any more than i absolutely have to. we didn't get a dog just to leave it home all the time. we work full-time, so we like to spend our nights and weekends with our dog. that means my husband and i want to bring him anywhere we can and we probably won't be going many places for more than a couple hours if we can't bring him.

we're not upset about "dogs not allowed" places and events, but we don't like having our choice disrespected or our feelings blown off because he's "just a dog".

[Samantha]

Definitely that there are not more pet friendly places. I say if a dog has his CGC, allow him to be part of the atmosphere.

It irritates me greatly that people do not realize that certain breeds are more likely to 'snap' without fore-warning. They see him as a big, loving baby until he takes a babies toes off - or worse. If you are going to assume responsibility for a breed that is statistically proven to be involved with most fatal attacks, at least be responsible enough to be educated about them!

[Shannon]

Pet food companies aren't evil, but their number one interest is making a profit, not the health of your pet. The food is very processed,much like fast food is for humans. And the manufacturers, in order to make a profit, will naturally cut costs however they can. How much do you think McDonald's cares about your health? Only as much as the law and the market require them to. Commercial pet food is a convenience for pet owners - it's only existed for around 50 years...about the same as fast food for people, in fact.


Heh...I guess one of my pet peeves is folks who don't realize the above. : ) Another one is people who think that dogs NEED to socialize with other dogs, and don't seem to care when their dog is bothering mine. Never mind that I'm obviously standing between the two dogs and shooing their dog away. Or the clueless owners I pass on the sidewalk who laugh when their ill-behaved dogs lunge at mine, who is walking politely next to me and trying to avoid them.

[Pamela]

My pet peeve is when people elevate their pet peeves to an issue of moral righteousness. :)

It's fun to kvetch. But I go crazy when people treat stray poop or dog food choices, or using retractable leashes as if they're huge moral issues.

We're not exactly talking about child slavery or animal abuse.

[Luna]

My pet peeve is that people think less of dogs bought from pet shops..

Not all pet shops support puppy farms and it's important that these dogs get the chance of a good life as well..

[Hawk aka BrownDog]

Hi Y'all,

I have several pet peeves. I'll only mention 2.

A huge pet peeve is "weight limits". Hey, lots only allow dogs under 25 lbs. I'm not just talking about hotels...it's apartments and condos too. No wonder so many pets with happy homes have ended up homeless during the housing crisis.

But biggest of all is the pet peeve...the owners of dogs who allow their dogs to behave in such a manner that we are banned from so many places.

Y'all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog

[pet care]

I have one dog his name lucky. I recently started to feed my dog Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dog Food. Its very good. Pets are our good friend and family member so our responsibility to take care them. thanks for sharing great thought with us.

[Doreen]

Great post. My pet peeves are:

1) Bloggers who don't write their own content. They paste and copy news stories, etc. If I see a news story I want to share, I post part of the story and then link to the original story or the site I got the news from. I also make sure my readers are aware that I am "sharing" the information and that I didn't write it. It bugs me to no end that people copy and paste as though they wrote it. Grrrrrrrr!

I have more but it would probably take up more room than I have here.

:o)

[Yvonne DiVita]

GREAT pet peeves! Keep'em coming!

As to the grocery store pet food - I know for a fact that several big brands that produce grocery store pet food are extremely interested in the health of the animals as much as profits. How do I know this? I've talked to the vets that work with the brand on nutritional studies. AND... if the food isn't nutritional, the animals will not be healthy...and there will be no profits.

[Dawn]

I agree! My dogs are healthy too and I feed them grocery store brand food. Sephi has been eating it her whole life and she is 10 and extremely healthy for a dog her age (so says the vet). I also like what you said about dogs snapping. Dogs will be dogs and people have to remember that just because Sephi and Maya are most likely not to ever bite anyone doesn't mean they wouldn't under stressful circumstances.

My pet peeve... I have a neighbor who picks up after their dog but they leave the poop bag on the sidewalk! Seriously? If you are taking the time to pick it up you should probably take it home and put it in your trash can too!

[Dinah Urch]

I feed my dog food from the store and she is just fine. They even add special ingredients for tartar control and digestion aids. You just have to watch what you buy! Keep your pets healthy and keep them around.

[Carol Bryant]

My pet peeve? People who complain about dogs and then their kids scream, whine, throw fits and my dog stares ala RCA hound dog style in silence. My heart beats dog. ;)

[Lra0403]

I agree with you about the food. The large dog food companies that have been in business for numerous years do put out very high-quality foods that can be trusted. That's what they do! I've worked in veterinary practices for almost 20 years, and we've seen more problems relating to either cheap foods or home-made foods than we have from diets that come from reputable manufacturers.

Choosing your pet's food should be approached logically and sensibly. If you're interested in trying an alternative source of food, please do your research! Many of these young pet food manufacturers make a big splash by being 'new' and promoting their 'natural' and 'organic' foods as being better than anything else on the market. But keep in mind that they may not have years of research behind their formulations, or stringent quality control measures that ensure each container of food meets their own nutritional labels. I'm not saying these new food producers are not good, I'm just saying to not automatically presume that anyone touting themselves as 'new', 'natural', or 'organic' is automatically better than the established manufacturers that have decades of research and success under their belts.

Also, when it comes to cooking at home for pets, it's extremely important to be certain that the nutritional needs of your pet are being met by the foods you feed, and that the ingredients you use are SAFE. Always, always consult your veterinarian when making decisions regarding your pet's diet. They know you pet, and its health needs, better than Google, pet-enthusiasts, and food vendors.

And back to the main subject of this original post - don't judge other people by what they feed their pets. We are all entitled to our own opinions (hopefully based on fact and research), and healthy, happy pets are the pursued goal.