Pet peeves about dog owners

Everyone has a pet peeve, whether that be mouth breathing, talking on the phone in public, loud chewing, the sound of something scraping a chalkboard, or even people who read over your shoulder. A pet peeve is something that bothers a person, and a pet pet peeve is a pet peeve that deals with pets. (or their owners) Today, I am talking about 23 pet pet peeves that bother me. (About the owners, not the dog)

1. “I’m a Dog Mom/Dad”

We've all seen that lady with the sunglasses and her small chihuahua cooped up in her purse. And on that purse are embroidered words that say “Proud Dog Mom’ or “My kids have paws’. This bothers me because you call yourself a mother to something that doesn’t see you as a mother and instead as a leader. Yes, you do act as a mother for your dog, providing him with protection and feeding, but you also take care of your car, and you don’t see people walking around with hats that say “I’m a proud father of a red Dodge Ram 1500 from 2001’. And a mother doesn’t leave her children locked away in a crate for hours on end until you get home either.

2. “He’s mixed with ____ and ____ and ____”

Unless you have the papers that prove what the dog is mixed with, you don’t know for sure what he is. Pointy ears don't make your dog mixed with Siberian Husky and blocky body build doesn’t make him part American Pit Bull Terrier. And relating to this, when someone asks you what your dog is mixed with, and you say ‘he’s everything and the person says, “well I see Irish Setter because of the fur and German Shepherd because of his ears’. That’s like saying all people with green eyes are Irish and people with dark skin are from Africa.

3. People who say ‘He’s friendly’ when their dog jumps up on you

He may be friendly but I don’t want your gigantic 90 pound dog up on me when I’m trying to carry stuff inside, Bertha. And I don’t want his muddy paws on my new T-Shirt.

4. People who leave their dogs alone for hours and then complain when they come home to a destroyed house

Dogs don’t destroy things because they feel like it; they destroy them because of boredom and sometimes Separation Anxiety. Don’t get angry when you leave for your all-day Girls Day Out and leave your pooch at home for 9+ hours and come home to a chewed shoe and pee on the floor.

5. People who expect dogs to be perfectly trained at all times

“Your dog shouldn’t look at squirrels and instead should be laying on the floor silently.'' Well, I’m working on that, John. Give me time to train him. How about you train him to your liking?

6. People who just come up and pet dogs

What if your dog was very aggressive and some person came up and pet him? How would you like it if some random person came up and pet you on the head? Just ask first, okay?

7. People who get mad when they can’t pet a Service Dog.

Service dogs have one role: to protect their owner. How can the dog predict when the owner is going to have a life-threatening seizure when some strangers are petting it?

8. People who say ‘it’s fine’ when your dog does something to them and you correct the dog

You are training your dog to not jump on furniture, and when he gets excited, he jumps on the couch next to the new stranger. You tell the dog to get down and the stranger replies with ‘It’s okay, I like dogs.’ No Bertha, it isn’t okay. Don’t tell me what my dog is okay with doing.

9.People who call your dog by a different name other than his true name (like a nickname)

My dog is not named Jughead or Bozo or Outsider. Call him by his name! Besides, calling him by a new name can be confusing.

10. People who name their dogs something stupid

Have you ever heard a dog name so stupid it almost makes you cringe and feel bad for the dog? Names like Angel and Princess and Cupcake seem to be the names that drive me off the wall. And these names are usually given to the small white dogs with crusty eyes.

11. People who think they are the expert about dogs because they’ve had dogs for their whole life

Okay, I’ve had books my whole life, that does make me an expert about books? No! I know jack-squat about books and their history! You aren't considered an expert unless you’ve done enough research or even specialize in the subject.

12. People who leave dogs tied to poles or left in cars

We all know what happens to dogs left in hot cars. But, besides dying a miserable death, dogs in cars can be stolen when the car is stolen. And if the person who stole the car doesn’t want the dog, they’ll drop the dog off on the side of the road. Dogs tied to poles while the owner is inside has a chance of being stolen, especially if the dog is purebred. People steal purebred dogs because they cost a lot of money.

13. People who let dogs unleashed in public places

If the sign says ‘Dogs stay on a leash at all times’ that means that your dog must stay on a leash at all times. Doesn’t matter if your dog is friendly and trained, it doesn't matter if your dog is small and allows you to carry it. Your dog stays on a leash. It’s that simple!

14. People who don’t clean up after their dog

A bad way to start your morning is when you step in a pile of dog poop. On the sidewalk. Where dog poop doesn’t go. It’s not hard to clean up after your dog!

15. People who make petty excuses for misbehaving dogs

“Oh, Sprinkles is acting up because he’s always finicky at 5 P.M.” Okay, well train ‘ Sprinkles’ that peeing on the floor for no reason at 5 P.M isn’t okay.

16. People who make dogs do things that they don’t want to

We’ve all most likely seen dogs who don’t want to be put in dresses or dogs who don’t want to play but people make them anyway. Leave the dog alone for Pete’s Sake!

17. People who repeat commands after the dog doesn’t listen

Yelling ‘sit’ fifteen times isn’t doing anything, Bertha.

18. People who coo dogs

Yes, affection is okay, but going up in your dog's face and using that annoying squeaky voice saying ‘Hi doggie baby, who’s mommy’s little baby? You are! You are!” isn’t affection.

19. People who return dogs because the dog doesn’t work for them

When you have a baby, do you return it to the hospital because it won’t stop crying? No! When you get a dog that you promise to love, you don’t return it because you tried that ‘100% working Dog Training Hack' that you saw online and it didn't work. You find out what you are doing wrong and fix it!

20. Leaving dogs tied outside

Leaving a dog tied outside all day is probably the cruelest thing you can do. You bring home a dog because you want companionship and the love of the dog. But then you can’t handle his excessive barking so you leave him outside like a garden decor. Wow.

21. Bragging about what tricks your dog can do

Bertha, yes, it is cool that your dog can poop on command. But we don’t want to hear about it every time we speak.

22. People who brag about their dogs breed

I don’t care that you spent 1K on your purebred Shiba Inu! Now leave me and my mutts alone!

23. People who stereotype dogs based on breed

"Pit Bulls are dogs that kill people, so I don’t want one.” “German Shepherds work with Police, so they are very aggressive dogs.” Dog racism maybe?