BAD OWNERS General Chat

What do you class as a bad owner, here are my pet hates that I think makes bad owners :

1 ) Owners who don't clean up after their dogs
2 ) Owners who allow their dogs to invade your dogs space after you tell them to call their dog back
3 ) Owners who can't control their dog when off lead
4 ) Owners who only walk their dogs during the summer months
5 ) Owners who are being dragged down the road by their little dogs
6 ) Owners who dress their dogs as children in trousers/dresses/shorts/t-shirts/skirts
7 ) Owners who walk their dogs on street with flexi lead right out
8 ) Owners who walk their dogs down street without an lead
9 ) Owner who dogs don't play with their dogs
10) Owners who dogs are latch key dogs, are kicked out when owner goes work & allowed back in when the owners get back from work

Lets start with number 1 there is no reason what so ever for owners not cleaning up after their dogs as there are several poo & scoop items on the market.

Number 2 is rather annoying as one of my dogs wears a muzzle when out as she is funny with some dogs, but owners still allow their dogs near her & when she growls/snarls at the other dogs, their owners say "She should be put down" well no she don't she just need other owners keeping their dogs away from her.

Number 3 always make me laugh when I see owners yelling & running after their dogs, if they not 95% recall good then leave them on training lead, don't left them off

Number 4 Seasonal dog walkers don't they realise their dogs need to be walked 7 days a week, 12 months a year including Christmas day, not just during summer.

Number 5 if your dog pulls then buy either a walk easy body harness this as 2 D rings one on back & another on chest using an training lead will prevent any dog from pulling, or an head halti you have control of their head & gently pulling lead towards you will stop the dog from pulling

Number 6 I a\m ok with dog coats as all my dogs wear them when its cold/wet, they also have fancy dress costumes, Santa outfits, Halloween outfits but these are only on for few mins for photos they are not left on all day.

Number 7 & 8 now I will admit I hate flexi leads have tried one had no control of my dog at all, yet I see owners every day walking their dogs down the street with their dogs running amok even running into the road, if you use a flexi then keep it short on the public highway, if you don't use a lead then put a your dog on a lead when on public highway.

Number 9 this one is so sad we have had dogs in my rescue home where I work as a trainer that don't know what to do with a ball or tuggy toy as their previous owners have never played with them.

Number 10 is so heart breaking as these latch ley dogs are often picked up by youths to use as bait dogs, if your dog can't be trusted alone in the house while your at work, then buy a good solid kennel & put it in your secure garden under cover leave water & food out under cover for your dog, this way it won't be ripped apart when being used as a bait dog.

1 ) Owners who don't clean up after their dogs - I hate this!!
2 ) Owners who allow their dogs to invade your dogs space after you tell them to call their dog back - Again i have had many a screaming match over this, as dogs off lead come over even with me shouting no! Stop! then the owner has a go at me as phoebe has barked. I tell them next time ill let go of her ( i never in a million years will but they dont know, the locals are starting to keep away now)
3 ) Owners who can't control their dog when off lead - Hate again for reason above and also because ive seen them nearly hit by cars attacked by other dogs and generally lost its not nice and as much as i feel sorry foe the people im also mad at them
4 ) Owners who only walk their dogs during the summer months - This really anoys me as these are usually the people that moan they have naughty hyper dogs and im like "err i wonder why"
5 ) Owners who are being dragged down the road by their little dogs - I hate being pulled and have spent years working on this with phoebe as she needs reminding every now and again. I wont be pulled not by my dog and not by any of the dogs at work.
6 ) Owners who dress their dogs as children in trousers/dresses/shorts/t-shirts/skirts - This doesnt generally bother me as its usually for a short amount of time and not everyday. And with coats who says functional cant be cute? pants and shoes i have no understanding of
7 ) Owners who walk their dogs on street with flexi lead right out - Hate this for so many reasons, dangerous for the dog, the owner, passers by, other dogs, passing cars. Just plain stupid
8 ) Owners who walk their dogs down street without an lead - It makes me feel uneasy especially when i pass them in my car. but the couple i see around here as much as it makes me feel uneasy i also admire the owners and dog as the ones we see are so well behaved they never move away, never pay a blind bit of notice of others till owner says so.
9 ) Owner who dogs don't play with their dogs - i find this negletfull
10) Owners who dogs are latch key dogs, are kicked out when owner goes work & allowed back in when the owners get back from work - I dont hate this. I did it for around 2 years with phoebe and i have many friends that are security dog handlers and there dogs have lived outside form 8 months and always will. Some in kennels some with a kennel but open. Phoebe had run of garden and the garage door open with her bed, food and water.

I'm a bad owner then because I do not walk my dogs on Christmas day and nor do I usually walk them 7 days a week, more likely 5 or 6 days. Once when I was ill they didn't get walked for 9 weeks. I didn't have a cold, I nearly died from hypovolemic shock and was barely capable of standing. When I did walk them again they fell straight back into their routine. They have never bothered anyone else or their dogs, they are very well trained. I do agree with most of your points but have no issue with anyone dressing their dogs up. I don't do it but each to their own, I don't see how it makes them a bad owner though.

I think there are a few fundamentals missing, such as owners who don't give their dog a regular once over checking for lumps and bumps, checking teeth and claws etc. I hate overgrown claws and it's such a basic.
Owners who don't have the funds for basic vet treatment either stashed away or on a credit card, so the dog suffers while they sort the cash. I'm not talking about adopting a wait and see approach to vet visits but when it's obvious the dog needs attention and doesn't get it due to lack of funds.

But saying all that, i dont feel any one point makes somebody a bad owner they are just things people do that I dont like.
For me a bad owner would be people who fight, abuse, totally neglect, breed without thought, deny needed vet treatment.

I think there are exceptions to some of your pet hates though. For example, for me, I don't find an owner that can't gain control of their dog quickly necessarily "bad". They might be teaching recall, the dog might be new to the family, it might just be being a dog. That doesn't make the owner bad. I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt! Same with dogs running up into my DA terrier's face. Sure, it's annoying, but it doesn't always make the other owner bad. Some are clueless and thoughtless, but bad owners? I always kind of think of it as a two way thing when you have an aggressive/reactive dog. If I don't want dogs running up to my dog's face I should walk in isolated fields, you know? Which I do a couple of times a week, but the rest I tend to walk in the field behind my house and while it is usually quiet, we do run into dogs at times too. I;ve actually found that while some owners are clueless the dogs themselves usually stop a bit away from Missy and don't approach her when they see her reacting at them. I've never had a dog literally bounce all over her or anything.

Regarding dogs being dressed up, I'm not sure how that equates to a bad owner? Unless you're thinking of the people who carry their dogs around like handbags and fashion accessories? But the average dog owner putting a t-shirt or something on their dog is not the same thing. I've often popped cloths on my girl for photo shoots. She's not that keen so I don't do it anymore but she's got dresses, shirts and Halloween outfits in her dog draw...all have been used.

I use a flexi lead myself and have admittedly had it unlocked when walking down the road. However, my dog is very good and walks more or less on a loose lead so it's never fully retracted and my thumb has been hovering over the lock button at all times. Do I do it often? Nope. We do road walks once in a blue moon so it's not a big issue and certainly never on busy roads!

Agree about not picking up after your dog, people who only walk during the summer months, and those who walk their dogs off lead! My neighbour has a JRT that he NEVER puts a lead on. It's concerning at times because this dog has run up to Missy when we're coming out of our door/returning from a walk etc and the owner does know of Missy's behaviour and we've had our run ins. Yesterday he was playing ball with the dog in the middle of the road!

These are my views only
Latch key dogs are dogs that roam free in the street while the owners are at work, not in garden.
But I do feel angry when I hear owners moaning that their dogs are wreaking their homes/garden, if you don't walk them then they will let rip with their pent up energy & they will start destroying your home/garden, Yes there as been times when have miss one of their walks during the day so instead of going walkies 5 times per day they go 4 times, certain dogs need plenty exercise or they will go hypo

Trouble ... I don't know what happened. I think I must have pressed the wrong button. Sorry about that.

Things are very different over here, particularly when you live in a village like I do.

Nobody would even think about cleaning up their dogs poo.

Mine are the only dogs in the village that wear collars (harnesses to be correct) and leads are totally unknown.

I'm also the only owner who takes their dogs for a walk. The rest are either chained up in the front yard 24/7 or allowed to wander around willy nilly.

If one of them shows aggression towards you or your dogs ..... well that's your tough luck ...... that's what dogs are for isn't it?

Play with your dog or dress it up? You must be joking!

What a ridiculous idea keeping a dog in the house and giving it good food to eat! Dogs are meant to live outside irrespective of the weather and if they're lucky they might be allowed to sleep in an outhouse or barn.

Which is probably why I;m thought of as slightly mad English woman!

5 walks a day? I'm impressed! Puts me to shame with my one walk a day. Sometimes in the summer we'll do two walks. With a new pup on the way though I'll likely be increasing that.

Mine get one quality walk a day most days, the only time they get more than one is if we do a trip to the vets. We spend 2-3 hours out walking in one hit, we don't do pavement walking unless doing said vet trip, cos it's easy to walk to and dire for parking. So I really don't think quantity is the important issue for my lot anything less than 2 hours would definitely disappoint them.

I have only ever seen one dog wandering loose in the 16 years I've lived here and it belonged to the people opposite who'd accidently left their side gate open and were blissfully unaware. I did see a Bulldog walking up the road onlead in a santa suit at xmas but generally don't see dogs in clothes. Although a few of mine have worn t-shirts when they've had stitches.

I guess its how one defines a bad dog owner, to me its someone who beats their dog, or ties /leaves them outside with no shelter from the elements, doesn’t provide food or water to their dog, keeps them crated 24-7, or lets a treatable health problem go untreated so that the dog is suffering and obviously, someone who participates in dog fights.

There are a lot of irresponsible dog owners about but to me that doesn’t make them bad owners.

Yes I am a bad owner because I do not take my dog for even one short walk every day. Frequently it can be weeks or even month before I can take her out and even then it is just a few kilometres round the Moshav while she is on-lead and I am on my mobility scooter. If - and it has never yet happened, she poos while we are out, I will somehow manage to get down to bag it and put it in my bin, as there are no poo bins here. The only time she can go off-lead are the few occasions we go to the Pension [boarding/daycare place] to buy things from their store.

Due to her epilepsy she can no longer go there for even a few hours daycare even though they would have her, but it is far too risky for her, for them, and too worrying for me. But she has free access to our front yard as and when she wants as the door is always open and she is on a 10-12 metre rope tether.

Yes I am a bad owner because I do not have any pet insurance for her [except for third party which is included in my household contents insurance] as there was not any when I adopted her and even though there is supposed to be a company now that offers it, with her epilepsy she would not be accepted. But although my Vet will take payments, so far I have never had to take advantage of that fact. I have, in fact, just ordered medication costing ~£225 which will only last 100 days, and which I will pay for in full, and before that runs out it will cost me probably much more than that as her shots, worm pills and yet another blood test will be due.

But. The majority of dogs on this Moshav live outside and roam free, going where they want, pooing where they want, do not wear collars let alone collars with tags [mandatory but hey do they care?] and to the best of my knowledge my dog is the only one who has the mandatory yearly rabies shot.

There are a few, very few, dogs which you see being "walked" on a Sabbath afternoon. Mostly large dogs owned by young men in their mid-late 20s - but that is the only time they are ever seen. And no way would they deign to bend down and pick up their dog's poo.

There are also often puppies with string collars and string for a leash being dragged along by children. A week or two later - no puppies to be seen.

So who is the bad owner? Me, who can go months on end without taking my dog for a walk but who knows she has plenty of exercise, is well fed, has very regular Vet check-ups and blood tests, or those who just let their dogs wander loose and feed them on who-knows what.

To say nothing of the dumped dogs that are driven here from town - open car door, kick dog out, and drive back to town.

But then I live in a Country where many people consider dogs as a disposable object to be dumped when no longer wanted [driving to the nearest Moshav, Kibbutz or Army base and dumping the dog] as easier than trying to rehome it and cheaper than having it euthanised. And there are very few rescue organisations here and with so many unwanted puppies due to most people not bothering to have bitches spayed through ignorance or "it is not natural" ideas, that who is going to adopt an older dog from a rescue?

As for dressing up a dog - putting a collar on one is too much for far too many people.

And the dogs used as guard dogs at certain places are always chained and are never walked.

But yes, I am a bad owner because I do not feel the slightest bit guilty that I do not take my dog out for walks very often.

But you know what? I love my dog so much that it hurts at times, and I know that my dog loves me.

And to me, that is all that matters.

Perhaps me calling the title BAD OWNERS is not the correct words to use, but to me this is our I see them.
I too use a mobility scooter & electric wheelchairs when my legs are bad, but I never fail to take my dogs walkies, they just jump on my scooter & off we go (one at a time) to the park they have run about & then jump back on my scooter & off we go back home.

As I have now seen yours, I will show you mine!



but she does not normally sit on it!

When I was in the UK recovering from my hip replacement op the highlight of my week was my Friday afternoon trip to Asda with my daughter in law. They have electric scooter/trolleys for customers, who like me had difficulty in walking. I have to admit I wasn't a very good driver as I whizzed around trying to avoid running over "pedestrian" shoppers and I did crash into the checkout a couple of times. Good job they don't hand out points and fines other wise I'd probably have been banned from driving!

They would have been maximum 4mph scooters but will go at a crawl once you are used to them - but - if you are not then it is definitely whoopsie time, and whizzing around is not A Good Idea if you are not used to them!

When the Delumptious Doron delivered my first [second-hand] three-wheeler, very similar to that of 6JRT's one, he refused to leave it until he was satisfied that I was able to control it properly. That was Pegasus. Since then I have had Pegasus II, Bumper, Bronco, Trident - and now have The Silver Monster [who is not called that for nothing] who is a road/off road monster with a top speed of approx 10mph although I am fairly sure he will go faster than that.

But he will go at the slowest crawl ever when needed.

I love your rain cover on your scooter I use my 3 wheel one for taking dogs on as it as big seat on it for my dogs to sit next to me, but my big 4 wheel one is foot control & is to powerful to take my dogs on x