Well now I feel like a bitch and I kind of hate people.

Fran101

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#1
I just needed some perspective today.

I was walking Merlin with a friend and her dog (a young black pitbull), and as usual.. Merlin was working the crowd, people stopped us every 5 feet "can I pet him?" "what breed is he? he is so cute!" "oh god I want one" "Aussies are so smart!" etc..etc..
so 30 minutes into shopping and literally 20 people in I am irritable and like "IT'S SO ANNOYING! LIKE I CAN'T GO ANYWHERE! PEOPLE NEVER LEAVE US ALONE! I KNOW HE'S CUTE BUT ****" just such a selfish moment because I am in my own little world kind of thinking how lucky she is that people leave her dog alone
and I look at my friend just then and she is kind of teary eyed and I'm like "oh my god,what's wrong?"
and little did I notice that the whole time people were bending down and loving on Merlin. Her dog is leaning in and trying SO HARD to get people to notice her and people made a POINT to stand on the other side of me (furthest from her dog) .. so I started paying attention and people did it again, and again, and again. A few people even nudged her dog away.

and she is just like "I just wish people were that nice to her, she loves people... nobody ever wants to pet her and people say mean stuff sometimes and she tries so hard and I just had no idea it was so nice.. having a cute regular dog you know, I've never had another dog before her and I just assumed it was because she is growing up and not a puppy anymore but she's Merlin's age and size and people are..so different with him.."

and I wanted to hug her and cry.

The worst part is, Merlin after a few people WASN'T EVEN FEELING IT. He was being a little JERK. Like leaning away, barely even looking at the people petting him, and people insisted. People showered him with compliments, tried harder, made kissy noises, took pictures..

and here is this dog who was like OH GOD PLEASE PET ME and being super nice and well behaved and people were just IGNORING her.

It made me want to scream! After I finally took notice and started seeing how people acted I started basically telling people "Oh well, SHE is a lot nicer, Merlin is kind of a brat.." "Oh she wants lovins too!" and some people gave her a pat or something but they were still..standoffish.

I kind of hate people today.
but it is a really an interesting lesson. I bitch all the time about how annoying it is having a fluffy dog in this city everyone wants to love on
I never really thought about what the alternative would be like :(

Her dog is now here playing with Merlin and I am giving her all the treats and lovins!
 

Shakou

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#2
For the record, I'd have gone to her dog before Merlin. I love all dogs, and Merlin is adorable, but Pit Bulls have a soft spot in my heart.
 
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Red.Apricot

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#3
My boyfriend and I have that same experience all the time walking with Elsie and Zobby--people want to pet her, but not him, and he's straining on the leash whining to say hi, while she's giving them a look like they're something foul she stepped in.

We were walking down the street once, and someone said, "OH LOOK, she has a pretty dog! and he has... a dog." Really?

It's really too bad. :[
 

chaospony

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#5
Same thing happens with my lot. Everyone wants to pet the fluffy pretty Afghan hounds, both of which are trying to rip my arms off so they can run away which the poor Saluki dances around chattering to everyone for attention.

I can only imagine how bad it is for your friend. I probably would have gone for her dog first too. No dog gives lovin' like a pit!
 

Laurelin

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#6
I have had his happen a lot with poor summer. We were at a trial and this Kay came up and was all over my friends dog (who was disinterested). Oh he was magnificent and awesome. And little summer is about jumping of if her skin to get petted. The lady looked at her with disgust and gave her a quick lag and went back to my friends dog and was all over him again. :(
 

FG167

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#7
OMG that totally choked me up. I even made Jason listen to me read it to him. I would pet your friend's dog!!! I <3 pit bulls and they catch my eye more than anything else. Usually are such sweet little dogs!
 

Snark

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#8
Poor pup! I tend to gravitate to whatever dog wants to be petted, don't care what breed it is... all dogs are beautiful.

Sometimes I wonder if people are cats... not to insult cats, of course, but heaven knows our cats could pick the cat hater out of a crowd and would zero in on them. My old dogs, Patch and Sam, were darned near identical but everyone wanted to pet Patch (who hated it and was inclined to bite) while ignoring Sam who would be dancing around, begging for attention.
 

BostonBanker

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#9
Aww, that makes me so sad. You tell Merlin to come to Vermont to visit and to bring his friend with him. I will make sure the cookies are distributed evenly and the hugs and kisses go to whichever would like them.
 

Dogdragoness

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#10
For the record, I'd have gone to her dog before Merlin. I love all dogs, and Merlin is adorable, but Pit Bulls have a soft spot in my heart.
I like all dogs & I know that most bullies love people, I would have seen that Merlin wasn't "feeling" it & not forced myself on him.

Fran you know that you have the right to be "bitchy" & flat out tell folks that your dog is overwhelmed, with Josefina (who likes to "greet ppl but not be harassed) I will draw her against me & either pick her up or out myself btw the crowd & her if they don't listen.

I have seen it too, my moms horse shoer rescues bullies, & we are Lways happy to see her dogs (who are super super sweet) & she commented to us that of all the places she goes to (she takes her dogs everywhere) our house is the only one where the owners allow her to let them out ... Even if they don't have other Animals ... We put ours inside so hers can be out ... The media has made these dogs out to be monsters :( it truely is sad.
 
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#11
Maybe I'm a bitch, too, but her feelings about the situation don't invalidate your feelings about the situation. It's ok to want people to leave you alone.
 

Dogdragoness

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#13
I have had his happen a lot with poor summer. We were at a trial and this Kay came up and was all over my friends dog (who was disinterested). Oh he was magnificent and awesome. And little summer is about jumping of if her skin to get petted. The lady looked at her with disgust and gave her a quick lag and went back to my friends dog and was all over him again. :(
That is terrible :( I would pet summer ... She is so cute, why would anyone not want to pet her?
 

Toller_08

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#14
I totally get how you feel when it comes to people and Merlin. I'm not used to having a dog who recieves so much attention. It really is overwhelming and annoying sometimes and it doesn't make you a terrible person to feel that way. Sometimes I just want to make Journey invisible when we're out just so I can get to where I want to go in a timely manner haha.

With that said, I also know how your friend feels. Not that the Dobermans really care whether strangers pet them or not, but they're always just shoved off to the side while everyone gushes over the fuzzy dogs (one of whom doesn't even like it at all).

It's hard to find a happy medium. People either seem to be all over a dog, or ignore it completely (and not even in a nice way).
 

Hillside

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#15
I'm with Sass.

I have the same issue with my two dogs, too though. My neighbors completely ignore Saga who is super well behaved and sweet. They will say hi to me when I take her out, but she doesn't exist. But the same neighbors, when I take Nico out, will call out to HIM "Hola Nico!" etc. I believe Adrianne had a similar issue with her neighbors and her pit bulls and malinois. They wanted to love on the dogs that do BITEWORK and were completely ignoring the dogs that WANTED to be loved on.
 

stafinois

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#16
I don't have that happen as much with Grant. Perhaps because he's small and pretty? Happened all the time with Brando, though (larger, brindle, natural ears). And everybody wanted to pet Harry, and he wanted to eat them. It's funny, people are more apprehensive about Stan than they were with Harry, and he's considerably smaller and obviously outgoing.

Perhaps the moral of the story is people are idiots.
 
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#17
This happens all the time with Pip and Maisy. EVERYONE wants to pet Pip, and he really doesn't care for it... he just really doesn't want attention from strangers, although he'll tolerate it. I really do wish people would leave him alone.

Maisy loves everyone, but no one ever gives her a second look. I don't get it. If someone is going to gush attention all over one of my dogs, I'd rather it be her.

Squash gets lots of attention from afar. Everyone thinks he's sooooo cool/ beautiful, but they also seem slightly intimidated by him and people often hesitate to actually pet him even if they're commenting on him - which is when I make my escape.
 

Southpaw

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#18
Fran I've been in your situation. When Juno & I are out and about with my friend and her dog, everybody wants to gush over Juno and talk about how pretty she is and blah blah... and most of the time her dog gets ignored. One time that sticks out the most to me is when we were at the pet store, and like 3 employees were surrounding Juno, and they went to their dipped bone display and got TWO big cookies to give her. And my friend and her dog were standing right next to me and they gave her dog NOTHING.

I don't really get it. If I have 2 dogs standing in front of me... I'm going to give each of them attention unless there's a reason not to (ie, the dog doesn't want it!).
 

babymomma

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#19
Keely is very uncomfotable with strangers, and bailey can take them or leave them but everybody wants to pet them . And keely gets very obviously upset and will sometimes even shake uncontrolably when people are in her personal bubble wanting to pet her , and people then try HARDER to pet her because she is shaking? , like really.

Yet casey, the "OH MY GAWD , I LOVE EVERYYYYYBODDDYYYY " dog , gets ignored. And to be honest, I think it is because she is a "boring, generic black dog" Or maybe people feel more threatened because she is dark? I dont know but it irks me. I have no problem telling people to Back the F--- off about keely now though. We've had too many not so nice incidences where people apparently dont know the meaning of "She doesnt take well to strangers and will get very stressed" and try to push there way to her anyways.

The human race and the stupidity that comes with it, really never ceases to amaze me. My heart is wrenching for your friend and her dog as well .

On a side note, I find it so so ironic that some of the most anti pittbull/GSD/Dobe etc people that I know are the same people that will preach for eqaulity in all things human , whether it be Anti-racism , or advocating gay rights, womens rights and so on. Yet they dont like a particular dog because of its breed. It mind boggles me how some people can be so hypocritcal and yet do not have the slightest inkling that they are being so .

/Rant
 

milos_mommy

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#20
This thread makes me feel lucky to live in a place where most people are fairly educated and open minded about pit bulls and bsl. I can honestly say, walking my foster dogs or pits from work, people approach us just as much and love them just as much. I'm wondering if people approach Merlin even more because of his age and also his intriguing color, also. Plus at least across the Internet, Fran, you seem like you'd be a really approachable person...my guess is not as many people would approach you guys if you were frowning/moody, much older, a man, dressed in a sloppier or unusual way.

I know people are always judgemental jerks who want to approach whatever their idea of a cute fluffy friendly dog is and will avoid "scary" breeds, but Merlin and you probably have even more going for you than "not a bulky breed".
 

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