Pets- unpopular viewpoint

[Jayco-noslide]

First, we do not dislike dogs per se. We used to have one and several family members have really cute, friendly dogs. Now the "however" part. Wife and I feel our culture is increasingly moving toward "dog friendly" to the excess and that we have to start speaking up for the segment of the population that do not feel dogs should be allowed in stores, restaurants, etc. OK for seeing eye dogs on a leash but not for other companion types of dogs. You should not allow your dog to go up to someone just assuming they will want to make over it unless invited. Dog should always be leashed in a campground, pick up all waste and it's the owner's responsibility that the dog does not bark often whether owner is present or not. I could go on. We realize most owners are responsible but too many are not in campgrounds and other public areas.

[toedtoes]

I had just arrived at a parking lot and was opening the back of the truck (I had a shell on it and just opened the back) when a woman I had never seen in my life rushed over and gave my dog a huge hug pushing her face into my dog's face without any sort of greeting to me or anything. I screamed at her to back away and then told her the dog had serious abuse issues and could very well have bitten her face off. The woman asked me why I would bring a dog like that out in public...

Sometimes people are really really really stupid.

[Campteacher]

DOTLDaddy wrote:

Jayco-noslide wrote:
....You should not allow your dog to go up to someone just assuming they will want to make over it unless invited. ...

Interestingly, I have always had an inverse problem. Sitting at our campsite or walking our dog(s), people approaching us without asking in order to see and/or pet our dog(s).

Some of your other points I agree with, some others I do not. C'est la vie. 🙂

I agree with all of the above. My retired mother has a very friendly dog that is always on a leash. They both can barely go out the front door to work on the front of the house without several neighbors coming over to pet the dog and talk her ear off.

[Cedarcityman]

As an owner of a REAL service dog, I agree that there are way too many dogs in public establishments. Our dog has been trained and had to pass a test with over 80 behavioral situations. She can travel world wide without quarantine, even to Hawaii. My DW is a very severe diabetic and our dog, using it's sense of smell can detect a change in blood sugar levels long before my wife knows. In her service vest she carries life saving medication and instructions in case my wife cannot administer it herself. .
All these "emotional support" dogs and other silly reasons people think they can take their dogs anywhere only makes it harder on the real service dogs out there.

[2112]

We were on the road a few months ago (not towing) and stopped at a Burger King for a quick bite. As we are eating in walks a Paris Hilton want-a-be with a small dog. Words were exchanged about the dog as they were ordering but we were too far away to hear.

After she and her friend get their meal they sat across from us. She immediately placed the dog on the dining table. The dog walked around on the table sniffing and licking the table as she unwrapped her burger. She fed the dog pieces of her burger and fries on the exposed table.

I hope they cleaned that table before the next customer used it.

[BCSnob]

Here is another article on reasoning and communication of dogs

WHAT A BORDER COLLIE TAUGHT A LINGUIST ABOUT LANGUAGE

[Ralph_Cramden]

dturm wrote:

streaminhope wrote:

Crowe wrote:
They have no reasoning skills, and that is why we are fully responsible for them.

Who, the kids or the dogs? :B

Here are your words. They equally apply to parenting children.

Yes indeed.

Children do have reasoning skills. They can reason that what they do is right or wrong on an emotional level and why it is right or wrong. Animals only know instinctively if they will be rewarded or punished. They do not know the *why* of that reward or punishment. If they knew the *why* then we wouldn't need animals on leashes, laws regarding safety concerning them, or animal and owner training.

You've got a really outdated concept of animal abilities regarding reasoning. Granted they are NOT human and don't reason in a human's frame of reference, but the do reason and problem solve. That does not make them human, but their abilities are far beyond what you are asserting.

Her main problem solving skill is where is the most comfortable spot for a nap, and she has the ability to find it consistently.

[Harold_Fairbank]

Naio wrote:
My cat waits until all the dogs have gone in for the night before going out. In a campground with a lot of dogs and some late-night owners, he gets frustrated and impatient, being stuck in the van all day.

He suggests there should be a dog-free time in the midafternoon, just like there is a generator-free time at night, so cats can go out and stretch their legs. He tries to time it between dog walks, but that doesn't work if there are too many dogs.

I hope you keep your cats leashed so they can't jump and crawl over other people's property.

[Naio]

My cat waits until all the dogs have gone in for the night before going out. In a campground with a lot of dogs and some late-night owners, he gets frustrated and impatient, being stuck in the van all day.

He suggests there should be a dog-free time in the midafternoon, just like there is a generator-free time at night, so cats can go out and stretch their legs. He tries to time it between dog walks, but that doesn't work if there are too many dogs.

[DiskDoctr]

Deb and Ed M wrote:
You're kind of preaching to the choir 🙂 We dog owners who read RV.net understand how many people regard "nuisance dogs" at campgrounds - heck, we do too. I'd like to think that we all strive to make sure our dogs don't impact your camping experience in the slightest.

Well said! (and appreciated!)

Event camping is pretty rough for yappy dogs that I suspect don't camp or travel much.

But campgrounds...we have no problems- even being in the "pet area" as it seems the places we camp have quite responsible pet owners with relaxed dogs who seem to enjoy the experience.

[toedtoes]

Deb and Ed M wrote:

Jayco-noslide wrote:
Thanks to all for not jumping on my post with both feet. I am truly amazed that there is so much agreement. Perhaps there is hope that the movement toward dogs everywhere will level off and remain reasonable. But I do think we're going to have to speak up about it. I actually regretted the post until now thinking I was being to outspoken about it. I look forward to seeing your well behaved dog at the next campground/

You're kind of preaching to the choir 🙂 We dog owners who read RV.net understand how many people regard "nuisance dogs" at campgrounds - heck, we do too. I'd like to think that we all strive to make sure our dogs don't impact your camping experience in the slightest. The problem is (and I know this is hard to believe) - not everybody reads RV.net... *gasp!*

A funny story from my dog-friendly condo complex: someone had posted, quite indignantly, that "whoever was allowing their dog to poop on their porch, had better be good about picking up after their pet" - "or else". There was talk of DNA sampling (I guess that actually happens in places - there's a company that will test all residents' dogs for DNA, then screen poo to trace it back to the offender. Who knew??) So this went on for a while, until I pointed out that a loose dog willingly pooping on someone's porch is simply not "normal". Then, the latest pile of poo deposited on the porch contained fruit pits.....LOL! So now I guess a live-trapping service has been hired to deal with whatever critter likes to poo on the neighbor's porch 🙂 Of course, it's Florida - and our condo complex abuts a wild area on either side. I've witnessed armadillos/opossums/raccoons; other neighbors have seen coyotes. So I guess my point in all this is - if you see a pile of poo at a campground - it *might* not always be from someone's pet?

That's a good point. I've seen people complain about dog poo only to point out that it was cat, deer, etc. Seems there are only two types of poo out there - horse (which never gets complained about even if it is always right in the middle of a trail) and dog (which gets blamed for all other poo).

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
Thanks to all for not jumping on my post with both feet. I am truly amazed that there is so much agreement. Perhaps there is hope that the movement toward dogs everywhere will level off and remain reasonable. But I do think we're going to have to speak up about it. I actually regretted the post until now thinking I was being to outspoken about it. I look forward to seeing your well behaved dog at the next campground/

You're kind of preaching to the choir 🙂 We dog owners who read RV.net understand how many people regard "nuisance dogs" at campgrounds - heck, we do too. I'd like to think that we all strive to make sure our dogs don't impact your camping experience in the slightest. The problem is (and I know this is hard to believe) - not everybody reads RV.net... *gasp!*

A funny story from my dog-friendly condo complex: someone had posted, quite indignantly, that "whoever was allowing their dog to poop on their porch, had better be good about picking up after their pet" - "or else". There was talk of DNA sampling (I guess that actually happens in places - there's a company that will test all residents' dogs for DNA, then screen poo to trace it back to the offender. Who knew??) So this went on for a while, until I pointed out that a loose dog willingly pooping on someone's porch is simply not "normal". Then, the latest pile of poo deposited on the porch contained fruit pits.....LOL! So now I guess a live-trapping service has been hired to deal with whatever critter likes to poo on the neighbor's porch 🙂 Of course, it's Florida - and our condo complex abuts a wild area on either side. I've witnessed armadillos/opossums/raccoons; other neighbors have seen coyotes. So I guess my point in all this is - if you see a pile of poo at a campground - it *might* not always be from someone's pet?

[Stefonius]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
Thanks to all for not jumping on my post with both feet. I am truly amazed that there is so much agreement. Perhaps there is hope that the movement toward dogs everywhere will level off and remain reasonable. But I do think we're going to have to speak up about it. I actually regretted the post until now thinking I was being to outspoken about it. I look forward to seeing your well behaved dog at the next campground/

We used to leave our dog home with her Uncle John when we would go camping. All of our friends asked "Why don't you bring the dog along?" Simple answer... the dog was a bung-hole when camping. She hated the great outdoors, hated the RV and would bark and whine and be generally miserable. I didn't want to subject her to that, or subject my friends and other fellow campers to her misbehavior. On the bright side, she LOVED her Uncle John.

[Jayco-noslide]

Thanks to all for not jumping on my post with both feet. I am truly amazed that there is so much agreement. Perhaps there is hope that the movement toward dogs everywhere will level off and remain reasonable. But I do think we're going to have to speak up about it. I actually regretted the post until now thinking I was being to outspoken about it. I look forward to seeing your well behaved dog at the next campground/

[toedtoes]

BCSnob wrote:

Tyson also brought along a new toy -- a doll named "Darwin" -- which Chaser had never seen before. When he asked her to find it in the other room, Chaser could locate the doll amid the other toys, inferring that the new object was connected with the new word.

https://www.google.com/amp/abcnews.go.com/amp/Technology/world-smartest-dog-nova-special-shows-border-collie/story%3fid=12875750

This dog learned the name over over 1000 toys and was able to locate and retrieve a new toy associated with a new name.

Btw retrieving toys is not an instinct bred into Border Collies.

I saw that show. That dog was amazing.

There's a Ted Talk on Bonobos that is very interestng also. They have been using tools just from watching the people use them. The Bonobo who figured out how to drive the golf cart forward and backward was wild - just needs to figure out the steering.