NOT using harness on small dog? General Chat

I have fought for years against the "get a dog for protection" sentiment that is rampant here. These are the dogs most often left ignored in yards and most are the larger "scarier" breeds. It is so unfair to those dogs to be treated like a machine.

Many of those same "dog for protection" owners seem to be the ones who want a cheap dog, one who can be left alone to fend for himself/herself most of the time. They let the dog loose in the yard (or tie up), dump some water and cheap kibble in bowls, and throw a rawhide bone out there.

I encountered this attitude when I briefly worked at a pet store, many years ago. People would want a pet, but "I don't want to be taking care of it all the time". They buy a cheaply-made stuffed dog toy because the other toys cost more than four dollars...and complain when a teething puppy can put holes in that toy within a month.

I think it's another reason why so many of those dogs are pitbulls. Shelters are full of them, and the "casual owner" can easily get one for a small adoption fee.

I've found here that most will BUY the dog. They buy from backyard breeders and then put the dog in the yard to ignore. And this means that the dogs are never fixed - and they get loose and mate and then the puppies get sold to the next bunch of idiots. At least the ones they adopt are fixed and won't make more puppies to be neglected.

Pitbulls, shepherds and chihuahuas are the most common breeds in the shelters here. Pitbulls and shepherds are still the two most popular "I want a dog to protect me" breeds. And chihuahuas are the most common "I want a bunch of dogs" breed. The next most common are the latest fad breeds - husky is the current.

Frenchies are the most common "lost dog" breed on social media. Somehow they never get to the shelters - mostly because people are stealing them and breeding them to make "fast money".

I think that most people do start out with good intentions. They take their new puppy everywhere, all smiles and compliments. They will ask for, and listen to, advice - they just love talking about their pup. Then real life gets in the way. It's raining, so why stand out and get wet while the puppy wastes time sniffing where to do it. Much easier to just push him through the door and leave him out there for 10 minutes or so.
They loved taking the puppy for walks when everybody loved him, but now he's grown so strong and is really pulling them around. He just wants to sniff, or to get to the other dogs. There's no incentive to go for a pleasant stroll, so they buy a stronger chain and take him to the park on a Sunday.
The dog then shows signs of becoming reactive. At first they like this as they wanted a dog that would give them a warning, protect their property and look after the kids. Their dog is becoming a bit unpredictable though. He's starting chew things and show a snappy streak when they try to take them away from him, and they can't risk that with the kids. They think it might be kinder to find him a country home with no kids, and lots of space to run. Everyone tells them that the Dogs Home is the best place to take him to. They will arrange that.

I think it's regional. In my hometown, that was the standard: get a new puppy, take it everywhere and get lots of attention, then as the puppy stops being cute, it gets relegated to the yard.

Where I am now, they put the puppy in the yard almost as soon as they get it. We have more young puppies on the street than most places.

Ah yes, that nice place in the country with property so the dog can run and enjoy life... My Mom heard that one from people giving up their dogs 55 years ago. She used to tell me "that perfect home already has enough pets - they don't want or need another one."

Whenever I talk to someone wanting to get rid of their pet for behavioral issues, my first comment is:

If you, who have had this dog/cat since he was a baby, can't deal with his issues, why would you think someone who is just meeting the dog/cat would want to deal with those issues?

They always get this vacant look in their eyes. They can't comprehend that others don't want to take on the problem they created.

There's a reason rescue and shelter folks have attitudes...