We recently celebrated our six-month anniversary of having Monkey in our lives. We adopted her in February in Atlanta and have since taken her on a whirlwind nomadic journey through North Carolina, Virginia, DC, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia.
Related: One Month on the Road: A Full-Time Camper Life Update
All in all, she’s been a real trooper, and I totally acknowledge the fact that not every dog could handle traveling this way – settling into long Jeep rides, and living in a pop-up camper every day. I have to remind myself of all that when she pulls ridiculously on the leash, lunges at squirrels, wants to eat everything off the ground, and wakes me up daily by at least 6 am.
A girl after my own heart…LOVES the beach!
But my biggest annoyances of pet parenthood these days have nothing to do with her. Instead, they have everything to do with the strangers who become obsessed with her while out and about. You see, Monkey is a very social dog. However, I am not the most social human. She wants to meet everyone, while I’d rather spend my time with the people I care about and view everyone else from a comfortable distance.
It’s impossible to walk down a city street, a hiking trail, through a park, or anywhere else for that matter without getting hassled. It’s absolutely exhausting.
“PUPPPYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I can hear the squeals of annoying excitement in my sleep with visions of outstretched hands and nowhere to run or hide. She’s an estimated 2 ½ years old, by the way. But Monkey has this puppy face that just can’t seem to be ignored. Forget everything you know about the unfair stereotypes of pit bulls. This lab/pit bull mix’s puppy-esque face belongs on a bag of dog food.
The issue of dog-walking harassment is something that NO ONE is talking about, and I don’t understand why.
Dog owners: do you have this problem? Do you legitimately enjoy and embrace it? Do you avoid it somehow? Do you have a coping strategy that I’m not privy to?
Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic by throwing the word “harassment” around, but when I can’t get a moment of peace during a simple walk, I sure as hell feel harassed. And it has nothing to do with me, personally. It happens to Monkey whether I’m walking her, my husband is walking her, or we’re both walking her together.
Some days I just think we should have adopted an ugly dog!
Admittedly, it’s hard to ignore a dog dressed in a cooling vest and boots But how else do you cool down a black dog on 100-degree days?!
Now before you get too quick to pass judgment, remember that we are living a very public life these days with no private shelter to seek retreat beyond a pop-up camper in very crowded summer campgrounds. Therefore, the sheer number of constant and unnecessary social interactions on a daily basis is astronomical compared to the average dog and dog parent. I doubt this would be getting to me nearly as much if I just stayed in a house all day and walked Monkey in circles around the same neighborhood.
But like I was saying, just because you have a dog doesn’t mean that you’re social 24/7, that you want to engage in a conversation, or that you want to be bothered. I don’t know why people can’t understand this simple fact. If I see a cute dog or kid, I may make a quiet side comment to whoever I’m with. But I have enough self-control to leave the individual or family in charge of that cuteness remain in peace and simply go about their day.
Am I alone in this? Why doesn’t anyone else understand how real this struggle is?!
So clearly, the unwanted socialization is my #1 pet parent pet peeve of the moment, but the past six months have supplied me with quite a few more. I don’t have another antisocial pet parent to vent to, so it’s all going right here…right now.
These are some of my other pet parent pet peeves that don’t seem to bother Monkey at all but drive me up the freaking wall.
Idiots who approach your dog without addressing you first
Hello, I’m up here.
I’d rather you not come over to bother me at all, but if you must, address me as a person first. Say hi and ask if you can pet my dog. It’s as simple as that. What if the dog you randomly started petting is sick, has fleas, or has a tendency to bite strangers? Never forget there’s human on the other end of this leash and that that human might have something to say about you groping its furry friend with permission.
Idiots’ kids who run up to pet your dog without asking permission
This largely plays into my last point, but is a more serious one because it involves small humans with questionable experience and judgment. Seriously parents, keep an eye on your kids and don’t let them run up to strange dogs. It’s not safe, and it’s just training them for bad manners.
Idiots who let their dogs off-leash in on-leash places
There are plenty of places that you can let your dog run around off-leash. Monkey, for one, loves to be off leash and run free, and I think it’s good for her. I recognize that Monkey needs and wants social time, and that’s why I take her to off-leash dog parks where she can run, play, and be as social as she likes.
However, there’s a time and place for that, namely dog parks, secluded trails, and your own backyard.
Don’t let your dog off leash in the middle of a town or in a public park with “leash your dog” signs around every bend. Although you may trust your dog unconditionally, not everybody does, and you’re stressing the rest of us out.
The worst is when I have to deal with your off-leash dog lunging and barking at my on-leash dog while you’re lolly-gagging behind without a care in the world. It’s not fair to me to have to pry a strange dog I don’t know away from my own and put us all at risk. Not to mention, many people are allergic to dogs and an off-leash interaction could send them into a dangerous reaction that’s on your hands.
Oh and for god’s sake, pick up the poo!
Idiots who won’t leave your dog alone when you’re in a hurry
This pet peeve plays into my biggest overall point, which is unwanted social interactions. But this is the worst when you’re just trying to give your dog a quick pee break before you rush out the door for something important. If anyone has some response lines or keywords that have gotten you out of dog social situations, I’d love to hear them. I keep coming up short to spout out something witty and effective.
Idiots who interrupt you at dinner to fawn over your dog
Can’t you see I’m chewing? Or in the midst of conversation? Seriously, don’t use my cute dog as an excuse for your poor manners.
Idiots who give unsolicited dog advice
Now this is something that has happened far less frequently in my experience thus far, but something that really sticks with you after it happens. You don’t like my dog’s collar, harness, toy, etc.? Well who asked you and named you “dog expert of all the world?”
Being the recipient of rude and unwelcome dog advice happened to me at a wonderfully chill brewery in Asheville in front of friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was totally embarrassing and unnecessary, and it bothered me for a while even though I knew I was in the right. Unless you see an animal being abused, neglected, or put in danger, keep your training and gear opinions to yourself unless you’re asked for them, and just use them for your own dog.
A Dog-Friendly Conclusion
Now I realize that the tone of this long-winded blog post is on par with “get off my lawn” crankiness. But I seriously feel like these are big issues that no one is talking about.
Before adopting Monkey, I had learned all about caring for dogs from volunteering at shelters, fostering a dog, and dog-sitting for many different types of dogs through my side business. But something I wasn’t’ prepared for and that I never even expected was the human/social aspect of dog caregiving.
It’s not fair to say that if you’re a dog lover you’re outgoing 24/7, and if you’re a cat lover you’re a homebody. I’m neither of those, yet Monkey is a happy, healthy, and fun-loving pup who’s well taken care of and has a life of adventure.
I’ve heard from friends who are parents that this sort of thing only gets worse when you have kids, and if I do someday, I’m sure my list of pet peeves will be even longer then! So please, next time you see a dog (or a kid, for that matter), think about how your words and actions may affect the person you’re randomly approaching and choose them wisely.
Rant over.
