Irresponsible Owners

[Clodagh]

Went to Devon County show today. They said dogs were permitted but please don’t bring them unless you are competing with them. There were hundreds there. It was hot, it’s mainly on concrete, and it got really busy.
I know I moaned about this last year at Cornwall and I know many peoples dogs apparently love these days out.
I set up a scoring system today, so a panting dog got 10 points. You got bonus points for it not heeling. More bonuses for a halti/ rope across the nose. Extra bonuses for a give me space/ nervous harness and lead, with which you drag it into the heaving craft tent.
The ultimate winning bonuses was to have an elderly and very unsound dog dragging behind you. The third one I saw, an ancient cocker, I said to the owner ‘your poor bloody dog’. They gave me (understandably) a filthy look but did at least put it in a pram they’d bought for it.

 

[SilverLinings]

Good on you for saying something @Clodagh , either they don't care in which case you shamed them into doing something, or they weren't paying attention to the dog, in which case you reminded them. I can't imagine there are many dogs who enjoy Devon County; I stopped going several years ago as I just couldn't stand the crowds and the heat in the tents (and the fact the horses are relegated to the outside of the showground is disappointing and a long walk!).

And as you say, it is mostly concrete or tarmac paths/roads so not a pleasant walk in the countryside for a dog. The first time I went there I was really surprised how little like a county show it feels, it seems to be more about the retail shops and product demonstrations than it is about animals, farming or country crafts. There were a few interesting things, but there was no way I would have taken my dogs.

ETA my parents live in Devon (which is why I'd sometimes visit the show) and my mum has sent me a text saying that the traffic queues this morning were the worst she'd seen for quite a few years, which is great for the show but not so great for any dogs there. As Clodagh said it was hot down in Devon today too I can't imagine a crowded day at the show was made any nicer for attending dogs by being bookended by queuing in traffic for ages to get in/out.

 

[Smitty]

I assume people don't think dogs age or feel discomfort judging by the lame dogs I see most days. I just think they don't recognise there is anything wrong.

I hate to see any dog, but particularly old ones, struggling to get in the boot of the car. I pick mine up to put him in his crate.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

No it doesn’t, I wouldn’t worry if it did!
I haven't actually got a walking stick I'll look for a sturdy branch I could use.

The trouble is that a branch looks like a potential weapon, a walking stick looks like a walking aid.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Aaaand I'm remembering why I left the local 'dog community' FB page... tbf I'm overly tetchy on this one having just read about the two young children in separate incidents in South Yorks being bitten in their home by dogs (GSD and American Bull) rehomed via social media.

Person has 'rescued from a bad situation' a GSD x Collie via FB despite introduction with existing family dog (small breed) not going well and apparently not having done any kind of research or forethought about how to introduce these two (entire, not sure how much difference that makes) dogs to each other. Four days in and the old dog is off living with a relative because they 'don't get on' but bond with kids, trusts us, 'don't want him to think he's not loved' blah blah blah. It sounds horribly stressful for everyone involved, not least the two dogs. I know even with good planning things can not work out but jfc at least try!

ETA - GSDx on 3rd home in a year so...great. I despair for these poor dogs being passed from pillar to post.

 

[splashgirl45]

Aaaand I'm remembering why I left the local 'dog community' FB page... tbf I'm overly tetchy on this one having just read about the two young children in separate incidents in South Yorks being bitten in their home by dogs (GSD and American Bull) rehomed via social media.

Person has 'rescued from a bad situation' a GSD x Collie via FB despite introduction with existing family dog (small breed) not going well and apparently not having done any kind of research or forethought about how to introduce these two (entire, not sure how much difference that makes) dogs to each other. Four days in and the old dog is off living with a relative because they 'don't get on' but bond with kids, trusts us, 'don't want him to think he's not loved' blah blah blah. It sounds horribly stressful for everyone involved, not least the two dogs. I know even with good planning things can not work out but jfc at least try!

ETA - GSDx on 3rd home in a year so...great. I despair for these poor dogs being passed from pillar to post.

That’s why PTS is sometimes better , typical they rehome the older dog, that makes me so mad. If I bought a new dog in and it upset the older dog and I couldn’t make it work , the new dog would be the one to go not the older one…

 

[Annette4]

I assume people don't think dogs age or feel discomfort judging by the lame dogs I see most days. I just think they don't recognise there is anything wrong.

I get so paranoid about people thinking that about Jack as he is mildly lame all the time (he has muscle wastage in his front left shoulder) but when he's tired goes lame in his hips. I have to strike a balance between letting his pootle because he is a stubborn terrier who thinks he still can and keeping him in his buggy. I can tell the difference in his gate from 'normal' lame and tired lame.

I wouldn't however drag him to a county show for a day out and when he comes to flyball shows with us he stays in his buggy most of the day or tied out by the van so he's not getting tired. We're regularly reviewing and working with our vet. We know the end is coming but he's not quite ready yet.

 

[maisie06]

We do a regular walk which passes a house with a dog off lead about 10% of the time. The dog walks towards us growling with the owner saying she won't hurt you. The walk is a very convenient short circuit which we enjoy. So annoying.

What could I carry to protect myself if the dog escalates that is legal?

A walking pole - legal and very useful!

 

[Landcruiser]

I must be very careful here because of data protection. Took a call last night at the vets about a stray young pedigree emale dog, found running on the road. The finder had apparently taken it to their home some miles away to post on social media, but it was reactive and growling and they wanted it out of the house . We offered to scan. Person duly arrived with dog, wearing beautifully fitting harness and a collar. This is relevant. Person said they were a dog walker and hence had harnesses and leads etc, which explained the one the dog was wearing. Dog had visible swelling which we queried - person then said had taken it to a different vet earlier without saying it was a stray as "just wanted it sorted out", and been prescribed meds. Chip not scanned, apparently. We scanned, and I called number given as contact.

The person answering was the breeder, in a different part of the country. They said they were suspicious we were being misled - breeder had sold the dog as pup, local to them, the dog had eventually proved too much for the new owner and been advertised. It was collected on Wednesday by someone from our area claiming to be a trainer offering a home for life. Money had allegedly changed hands in favour of the trainer.

Earlier yesterday Breeder took a call from this "trainer" saying dog had been to vet and needed a lot of medical work, "trainer" wanted to rehome to a charity but needed chip in their name - which breeder had set in motion, as the original owner had never transferred ownership..

It was clear by now (there were other identification details) that the "member of the public with the stray" was in fact the "trainer" who had taken on the dog the previous day and was now attempting to sign it over to a vet ie us. They had blatently told us a whole pack of lies.

I called the "trainer/MOP" out on the whole thing, which they denied, however the shock on their face told a different story. I was so indignant!! I told them we were unable to take dog in, and off they went with this poor young dog. Lord knows what they will do with it. Not yet a year old, and clearly in need of medical attention. (We never could have taken it anyway as this was now virtually closing time and we have no out of hours care).
This isn't the first time we've had "strays" handed in which we suspect (or know) belong to the "finder," but it's by far the most extreme example I've come across.

 

[AmyMay]

Happens a lot. Sad that you guys were unable to take the dog.

 

[Landcruiser]

Happens a lot. Sad that you guys were unable to take the dog.

We are legally bound to hand strays to the dog warden, (but they won't collect/answer phone after about 5 (and this was long past)), - plus we couldn't take this dog knowing it was technically the finder's anyway. By now the chip will be in their name I expect. We felt very sorry for the dog but there was absolutely nothing we could do for it.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

OH was late home, he’s been dealing with an xl bully attacking another dog in the street. Dog has been called a ‘pitbull’ so has been seized. There was another xl bully type on the footage, owner ran off but is known so dog will be seized. Dog that was attacked is ‘critical’ at the vets.

Little update. The other dog was seized on Monday.

I‘m horrified and really sad to read about another person dying today from a dog attack-Greater Manchester. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-65651152

 

[MurphysMinder]

We are legally bound to hand strays to the dog warden, (but they won't collect/answer phone after about 5 (and this was long past)), - plus we couldn't take this dog knowing it was technically the finder's anyway. By now the chip will be in their name I expect. We felt very sorry for the dog but there was absolutely nothing we could do for it.

Was the breeder not prepared to take the dog ?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Aaaand I've left the FB group again. Mrs I 'can' recall my dog but it's too much effort and anyway all dogs should be free and make friends blah blah blah, has sent me over the edge.

 

[Landcruiser]

Was the breeder not prepared to take the dog ?

No, presumably not as the "trainer" had spoken to her earlier and told her they wanted to sign dog over to a charity but needed chip in their name in order to do so. So breeder was aware of situation. She certainly didn't offer when I spoke to her.

 

[MurphysMinder]

No, presumably not as the "trainer" had spoken to her earlier and told her they wanted to sign dog over to a charity but needed chip in their name in order to do so. So breeder was aware of situation. She certainly didn't offer when I spoke to her.

So another one just in it for the money

 

[Pearlsasinger]

No, presumably not as the "trainer" had spoken to her earlier and told her they wanted to sign dog over to a charity but needed chip in their name in order to do so. So breeder was aware of situation. She certainly didn't offer when I spoke to her.

Well that is very poor practice on the part of the breeder!

 

[ArklePig]

I was the irresponsible owner yesterday!

Fodhla failed to recall for the first time ever since she's been off the longline. A couple on the beach were barbecuing sausages and apparently that's way more exciting than we are. I was MORTIFIED but she didn't steal any food and the couple were very nice about it. I think the lady thought I was unhinged because she said 'oh it's okay' and I was like 'no it's not'. We beat a hasty retreat with lots of sorrys when I caught up to her. That'll teach me to be more vigilant and also reminds me my dog can smell a sausage from much further than I can.

Expecting I'll be posted on my local doggy Facebook page now

 

[SilverLinings]

I was the irresponsible owner yesterday!

Fodhla failed to recall for the first time ever since she's been off the longline. A couple on the beach were barbecuing sausages and apparently that's way more exciting than we are. I was MORTIFIED but she didn't steal any food and the couple were very nice about it. I think the lady thought I was unhinged because she said 'oh it's okay' and I was like 'no it's not'. We beat a hasty retreat with lots of sorrys when I caught up to her. That'll teach me to be more vigilant and also reminds me my dog can smell a sausage from much further than I can.

Expecting I'll be posted on my local doggy Facebook page now

I am sure that as Fodhla's recall is usually reliable the shock of her behaviour would have shown on your face, and that, combined with the sincere apology, will have meant that the couple understood it was an accident rather than an irresponsible owner issue. At least she didn't manage to get any food so had no 'reward' for ignoring you, so hopefully it was just a training blip.

As good a job as we might do with training unless we keep them on leads all the time we can't 100% guarantee we won't have the occasional recall-fail when something irresistible (to the dog) presents itself, we just need to work on reducing the likelihood of this happening as much as we can, and put them on leads if we think the dog may struggle rather than setting them up to fail. You hadn't expected Fodhla to ignore you, you were just caught unawares this time. You were careful not to let Fodhla off the long line when you got her until you'd worked on recall, now you know sausages are her nemesis you can pop her on a lead when you think there may be barbeques or picnics, and work on her recall around nice smelling human food (I'm sure you know this, I don't mean it to sound patronising)

I expect there are far more interesting dramas on your local facebook page, so Fodhla may have to try harder if she wants to become (in)famous

 

[ArklePig]

No it doesn't sound patronising at all!

We'll definitely be training around such distractions! They love to show you up don't they

My local doggy Facebook pages are full of actual eejits though so I think you're right!

 

[SilverLinings]

No it doesn't sound patronising at all!

We'll definitely be training around such distractions! They love to show you up don't they

My local doggy Facebook pages are full of actual eejits though so I think you're right!

Dogs are excellent at controlling their owners' egos, as soon as you think you've got some training down pat the little darlings love to test you, preferably in the most public place possible

 

[Titchy Pony]

That’s why PTS is sometimes better , typical they rehome the older dog, that makes me so mad. If I bought a new dog in and it upset the older dog and I couldn’t make it work , the new dog would be the one to go not the older one…

That's why I've got my monster (amongst other reasons), he pestered his previous owner's older dog so much the poor old dog started trying to escape from the garden. So young dog, my monster, came to me. I think it's only fair, you can't have a dog 8 years and then "chuck it out" when a new upstart comes into the mix.

 

[Titchy Pony]

Stopped of at a local market/car boot sale on the way back from dog training today (it was literally blocking the road) and as it seemed quiet I decided to take monster to have look round. He was very well behaved, though I got a lot of people asking if he was young / in training. I told them he's always in training! Anyway, there was a woman there looking at the stalls with a largish curly-haired dog on a extendable lead. She was paying no attention to it at all and it was merrily wandering around several meters from her. Then it saw us and made a bee-line for us. It didn't look unfriendly but mine can be funny with other dogs and I certainly didn't want a canine meet-up at the market, on a lead, 7m from one of the owners who still hadn't noticed her dog had gone walkies (with some other people in between!). I had to call out to her to watch her dog. Saw them a little later on, and she still wasn't paying any attention to her dog!
Extendable leads are a menace, but I'm pretty sure they come with a lock feature. I wish people would use it!

 

[Snowfilly]

My lab wishes to nominate me as the irresponsible owner today. I failed to properly check the rock pool we were splashing in and as such, allowed him to be pinched by a crab.

Judging by the outraged shriek and the offended expression even after I’d removed said crustacean from his leg, I really dropped the ball!

 

[Clodagh]

Fricking cats. Why it is even legal to own an animal and allow it to go and kill other peoples pets with no comeback whatsoever is beyond me. Finally curbed next doors after it killed 3 of my elderly bantams. Today found the one from up the road after my chicks. I totally, totally hate them.

 

[ArklePig]

That's awful @Clodagh so sorry about your bantams. I'm not a cat lover either, I don't mind them in theory but they are a menace.

 

[some show]

I had one of my pet bantams killed by a cat when I was a kid, it was brutal I love wildlife too so they're not my favourite things. Fine if they had to stay in enclosed gardens or be house cats. It would also mean I wouldn't have to muzzle my dog out and about, hah.

 

[Clodagh]

The old banties were my mums and were very doddery, booted bantams and a modern game. It was awful.

 

[CorvusCorax]

At this time of year I have cats in my garden every night and it's only because I am responsible enough to keep a line on my dogs in their own garden that they're not dead.

I am sure the people who own them don't even consider this. I'm sure if my dogs were in someone else's garden at gone midnight, there'd be hell to pay.

 

[gunnergundog]

At this time of year I have cats in my garden every night and it's only because I am responsible enough to keep a line on my dogs in their own garden that they're not dead.

I am sure the people who own them don't even consider this. I'm sure if my dogs were in someone else's garden at gone midnight, there'd be hell to pay.

My view is: my land, my dogs, intruders of the feline variety take their life in their own paws/hands.