The Joy of being a Dog-Owner

So I am a tried and true animal lover, have been since as long as I can remember. If I am at a party at someone’s house and there is an animal, you can bet I will find that said animal and make friends. Animals are just easier than people.

As a little girl I used to leave very specific notes for my Dad when I left for school. Basically they were along the lines of “Daddy, can we please get a dog? It has to be a husky or a collie.” Yes, I knew what I wanted.  I went out and made my mom buy puppy food and a dog bowl before we even had a dog. I suppose I was into that whole manifestation believe process, before I knew what it was.

Then one day Dad took my brother and I for a “car ride” this was infuriating as a 6 year old. Where we going? A drive in the country? Boring.  – Until we pulled up to a house where two huskies were sitting in the back of a truck. Dad pulled over and said “Let’s go pet these dogs” I was horrified. “You can’t just go pet people’s dogs Dad!” That had been drilled into me as a child, you ask people before petting their dogs. Well my horror was amplified when a man exited the front door, and all I could think was SHIT we’ve been caught red handed. Well then a herd of puppies came running around from the back yard.

And thus we began my life as a card carrying pet-owner. (We won’t count the turtle or the fish, because the turtle freaked me out, and the fish just died. ALL THE TIME) It began with a husky named Simba. 

Over time the size and shape of my animal family has changed – members were added to the family and members were lost.  Being a responsible pet owner means something a little different to everyone, but this brings me to the point of this.

I will start this off by saying that my dog is nowhere near being anything that could be described as “well-trained” I blame this on inconsistency. It’s hard to train a dog when members of your household just blatantly ignore whatever rules or training plans you’ve set out. Yes - you people know who you are. 

That being said I really do consider my dog as being well behaved, and in the end I would rather have a dog that has basic manners, than one who can play dead. 

Owning a dog is a huge and sometimes very expensive responsibility. I’ve had it both ways, a dog who was very low maintenance for his entire life – and one who has had vet bills since day one. Let me tell you, pet insurance will be happening with my next dog. 

I could go on about food – two years at a pet food store turned me into a freak about dog nutrition.  Or vaccinating your dog – unless your dog is never going to come into contact with other dogs ever please just do the world a favour and vaccinate your dog. But really when it comes down to it being a responsible pet owner really comes down to in my opinion one thing:

Be smart and know your dog. This isn’t always easy and there will always be grey areas. 

I know what frightens my dog (sudden loud noises, thunder, fireworks, the scale at the vet, small children, and men she doesn’t know), I know what my dog loves (carrying around her toys, greenies, and sleeping in the same room as her favourite people).

I know my dog has a high prey drive and doesn’t respond well to dominance from other dogs. As a result I will never take her to the off leash park.

Actually in general that is my biggest annoyance with dog owners – and in general what I needed to rant about.

Off leash dogs belong either on your own property or at the off leash park. Nothing annoys me more than having my dog out for a walk and coming across someone whose dog isn’t on a leash. Unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your dog will not leave your side – Please, leash your dog. 

I can’t count the times an off-leash dog has run up to me, with a trailing owner yelling “Don’t worry they’re friendly!” That’s great, and if I were alone I would be happy to give your friendly dog a head rub. But guess what my dog might NOT be friendly.  I keep my dog on a leash for her safety and the safety of your dog.  I know if Briar were to see a rabbit and be off leash there would be nothing on this green earth I could do to keep her from chasing it. It also kills me to have to be that person who tells the little kids they can’t actually pet the fluffy white dog, but as a responsible dog-owner I would never put the safety of your child at risk.

When I exit my yard with my dog on her leash, with her properly-fitted prong collar on I leave that yard being confident that no matter what situation arises I will be able to control my dog (well with the exception of when she decides to lay down because she’s decided she’s done walking. At that point I basically just have to wait until she decides it’s time to walk again) 

When I see another owner with a leashed dog (or two or three) I automatically assume they have the same control over their pack - I realize this trust is sometimes misplaced but I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Yes I’ve had people pick up their tiny dogs and cross the street when they see me and Briar approaching. I’m okay with this, because seriously your dog looks like a lot of the toys she has, and sounds like them too, and it saves me hassle from having to convince my dog that your fluffy dog is indeed not actually something she’s allowed to try and play with. 

I could really go on about this forever; the bottom line is I love dogs, and I LOVE seeing people loving their dogs.  There is nothing quite the same as the relationship between a dog and it's human. There is no rulebook for being a dog owner, but a little bit of common sense can go a long way.