Kay's Obsessions

Alright y’all. This one is going to get a little excitable. Here we go.

I want to start this post off by saying that I love dogs and all kinds of animals. I am a strong advocate for rescue and adoption over breeding and buying. If I do nothing else in my life, I want to be known as the person who always stood up for the animals and what is right. As the humans, we are the leaders. We must assume that role when we have pets. Particularly dogs. And because we are the leaders, it is our job to protect our dogs. Let me explain.

All too often, I go out places and see people who have brought their dogs. Which is great, that’s not at all the issue. The issue is when I then see those same people allowing disrespect to their dog. Other people that the dog does not know should not be approaching him/her without permission. And the same goes for feeding snacks or food to dogs. Why on earth would it be okay for a stranger to come up and feed your dog without permission? Right? Well it happens way more than it should. Just today, I came across a gorgeous Great Pyrenees and the owner was walking her through some pop up shops in a parking lot. The vendor was feeding pretzels to this dog without permission from the dog’s human… big no no. I could then see the man trying to move away and say no more but the woman keeps feeding the dog until they moved away completely.

This sort of thing is not good. For one, do not feed or even interact with an animal that is not yours without permission. It’s that simple. Always ask never assume. You don’t know if that dog is friendly, or if he/she bites, or if they are anxious, in training, a service animal, you have no idea. Always ask first. And as for the owners, always keep an eye on your pets. Your dog should not be wandering away from you at any point. The dog should be with you at all times both for his/her safety and yours. And if we consider the roles we play with each other, the leader and the pack, we can see why the closeness is important. The leader, the human, must be able to have control over a situation. And with your dog, having that control means being close. I mean control over any sort of situation. Like the woman feeding the pretzels. The man should have stepped in immedietly and stopped that situation from even happening. As the leaders, we must protect our dogs by stepping up for them. They do not have a voice to speak for themselves so we must communicate for them. Whether that be communicating fear, being uncomfortable, being tired, being happy, or being excited. We have to be their voice.

The biggest value for a dog is respect. In their eyes, they will be loyal to you to the ends of the earth. As long as you respect them. That looks like leading them. Feeding them. Loving them. Playing with them. Stepping up for them and their needs in public and in private. And only allowing social type situations to occur when the dog is welcome to it. A lot of dogs can be anxious or nervous around new people. Imagine if that Great Pyrenees was an anxious dog. And a woman starts approaching her. Because the man did not have control over that situation with his dog, the dog could have gotten overwhelmed and possibly lashed out at the woman in fear. Always remember to know your dog and know their boundaries. Respect them. And stand up for them. As humans, we don’t always want to be touched. We don’t always want to talk with people or be social. Same for our dogs. They have boundaries too. And it is our job as their leaders to understand those boundaries and communicate them to others so that we can keep our dogs comfortable and feeling respected and heard.