dog faming

Since I am friends with many dog people, and am generally known as a crazy dog person, I get quite a few emails with pictures of "dog-shaming". Some of them are cute, or funny, but to be honest most of them I find sad. Most of the dogs in these photos are poorly trained, or improperly managed.

Working in a pet store, I meet a variety of people. Sometimes they are crazy dog people like me, sometimes not. Whenever I ring a customer through, I always ask what kind of dog they have, how many dogs, how old are they, that sort of thing. Most people love to talk about their dogs, sometimes I even get to see pictures, or will go out to meet them in the car is the person isn't able to bring them into the store.

One day I rang through a customer who told me he and his wife adopted a large-breed dog from the humane society half a year earlier. She was very timid, and comfortable with the man when they were alone together, but anytime his wife was present the dog would be terrified of him. He would speak in a whisper on a regular basis so the dog would be comfortable. This alone I find an interesting behavioral problem (what is the association with the couple as opposed to the individual?). Anyways, when they first adopted her they were told that she had been found roaming the streets with a sign safety pinned to her chest, saying "I am a bad dog".

Can you imagine?

I can't look at a dog-shaming photo without thinking about this poor dog.

So this afternoon I was snooping around the internet and heard about a reversal of the dog-shaming revolution... DOG-FAMING!

First on this blog:
http://aftergadget.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/dog-faming-picture-it/

Then this one:
http://eileenanddogs.com/2012/11/21/dog-praising/

Why are we focusing on a dog's faults and lack of training when we could be celebrating the amazing things they do every day! I think this is an amazing idea, and I'm looking forward to posting some dog-faming photos of my own!

a great day at the pet store

Had a great dog fix today at work! I probably would not have gotten much homework done anyways, so it was nice to get to play with some puppies and make some money. I got to pet a few little babies including 2 mini Dashunds and a German Shorthaired Pointer. I got to visit with a beautiful Golden Retriever named Barrett who I hadn't seen since he was just a little guy (he's 9 months now), and another little havanese who I used to see about every month or so, but haven't seen since before Christmas.

Many days there are predominant breeds to come in, it's really strange how it works sometimes. Some days we'll see three Great Danes in the store, other days it's German Shepherd, or Labradors. Maybe it has something to do with weather? Or mud? Today was border collies (at least three!) which was neat because I rarely see purebred border collies. And in a year at the pet store, I've only ever seen one collie.

Stormy was 14 year old border collie who came in for a visit, amazingly she had the energy and flexibility to put her paws up on the counter... I was very impressed. His owner was a youngish guy who said she had done lots of agility and flyball in her younger years, no surprise with a border collie. I thought  flyball (and frisbee) dogs tended towards tons of arthritis in their older years because of the impacts, but I guess not always! Happy to be proven wrong... maybe it is a dog sport I should consider with my next pooch?

I've been down to one dog for almost two months now, and I'm still missing my Willow. Can't help but think about my next dog prospect: an Aussie Rescue foster dog. I'd still like to foster a few to decide if I want to go the purebred route or if I want a heinz-57. Worried about passing the application process already, and I won't even be applying until August!

Ugh, now that I'm worried all over again, I better get back to my schoolwork. Too many distractions!

the best and worst of dog owners

Working in a pet store, I see dog breeds of all shapes and sizes. The same applies to owners. There are those who just purchase their food and refuse assistance of any kind, and those who want to spend half an hour talking about their pet and which toy or treat is going to be the best one.

Many people come to the store to purchase training devices such as haltis, martingales and harnesses. Often they are looking for a quick fix for a dog that pulls. They would rather purchase a $25 halti than spend the time teaching their dog to heel properly. I really hate fitting haltis or no-pull harnesses on puppies that are 14 weeks old... I often wonder how committed the owner is if they feel they cannot deal with regular puppy behaviour.

Once I sold a no-pull harness to a family with a lab/husky cross and showed them how to use it properly (how to give the correction so it was effective). The next time they came into the store, the dog was wearing the no-pull harness - and on a flexi-lead. Clearly not teaching the dog anything.

The worst equipment contradiction I've seen was a lab wearing a prong collar and a flexi-lead. To me, that is cruel. The strange thing is that the owners were very nice. They just clearly did not understand how to use a prong collar properly, and were not educated on how a flexi-lead actually works.

Don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful people who bring their dogs in. One of my favourites brings her golden retriever in every week, we chat about training methods and dogs with disabilities (one of her dogs is going blind, the other only has three legs). There are others as well who are looking to make good decisions for their dogs, and I am more than happy to help them.

I really strive to help people become more educated about their pets, and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to make a difference in a pet's life, however small.