are you the normal dog owner where you live

[dogsarebetter]

Whats the norm where you live?
I live in Olmstead KY. its WAAAY out in the middle of nowhere. The way people keep dogs here is insane!
first of all, most all of the dogs i know here are outside only dogs. And they do not keep them in a fenced in yard. they are free to roam where they would like. Its a rare ocassion that a dog is spayed or nuetered. No one seems to care about their dogs. they are matted, and there is no way they use flea and tick protection on them! they are covered in fleas! And they feed ol'roy!! My dad is the only exeption. with rotts, if the yard wasnt fenced in and they got out, they would be shot. and he feeds dog chow... lol, not much better. and all of his dogs is outside too, but he does use flea and tick stuff on them... Hartz (walmart) brand!
i am not just saying that this is how dogs are treated around here without actually knowing. Every one knows each other here, we are either cousins, unkles, etc or freinds!
They must think i am such a wierd-o here!
Like my granny said...
all i care about is that big hairy dog....

 

[MafiaPrincess]

No.. I'm not normal. One neighbour thinks what I do with my dogs is cool, rest of the neighbourhood blanches if I practice agility in the park.. Or if I mention that we compete. Oh, importing a dog from the US.. that makes people change colours. One skeazy neighbour suggested I needed a cockapoo. Her doodle breeder sold them cheap and they were *way* cuter than any cocker spaniel. *pukes*

 

[Southpaw]

I think most people in my area are your typical dog owners... and I guess I fit in with that.
All my neighbors care about their dogs... a couple neighbors keep theirs outside most of the time but that's not the norm around here.
Now most people probably don't really know about puppy mills and such and would probably buy a dog from a pet store... but the intention is good and they take good care of their dogs.

 

[Paige]

Around here I'd say I'm fairly normal. We do have crappy dog owners yes, but most are really good to their dogs. I don't normally stop and chit chat though so I don't get full details on how they take care of them.

 

[ACooper]

I think most of my neighbors treat their dogs about the same as I do, at least as far as keeping them indoors, taking them for walks, and playing with them outside.
I do have one neighbor that keeps their lab out in the backyard 24/7 rain or shine......and they have a little terrior mix that stays indoors. That kind of ticks me off, but alot of people feel that big dogs BELONG outdoors.

Couldn't tell you how they feed them or how much vet care they recieve......not really that close with my neighbors other than the wave and small talk at the edge of the road

 

[SizzleDog]

Nope, not really - in my immediate area, dog owners are college students that rush out and get a puppy - any puppy - because they find out their apartment or duplex allows pets.

Usually happy animals but generally untrained - and more than a few are dumped at the beginning of the summer... their owners decide they'd rather party all summer than care for a dog, or they can't bring the dog home with them over the summer, or they move somewhere else that doesn't allow dogs... ugh.

 

[yoko]

it's about half half here. half of the people iknow have the dogs inside and walk them the other half have trhem outside all the time. while i disagree with outside all the time. but the ones that are outside are fixed *except for my immediate neighbor on the left* all have flea prevention and all are groomed.. clipped or bathed.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Define "normal".

 

[MoonStr80]

Around here I'd say I'm fairly normal. We do have crappy dog owners yes, but most are really good to their dogs. I don't normally stop and chit chat though so I don't get full details on how they take care of them.

Same here. Plus I notice they leave their dogs either un-leash or kept in the background they're bascially treated like farm dogs

 

[Georgygirl]

Basically what Sizzle said since we live in the same city right now. But if we're talking about my hometown then no. Most people keep their big dogs outside in kennels or just loose. Very very few people know about quality dog food because you couldn't find it anywhere until recently. Most people just feed what's at the grocery store. I finally met a vet this summer who really pushes foods like Innova. So there's hope!

 

[Danegirl2208]

I guess its the norm here...most everyone around me has at least one dog and most are kept indoors. Though there is only 2 people I ever see out and about walking their dogs, one does border collie rescue and the other has an Akita.

 

[Zoom]

Eh, yes and no. Yes because I spoil my dog and keep him inside. No, because I actually pick up after him, require good manners and he is trained. Plus, I feed a decent food and not something from Purina or Science Diet. Oh, and I treat him like a dog, not a furry child. A very loved dog, but still a dog.

 

[MoonStr80]

to add*

I'm very different b/c I treat my dogs different feed better food, buy dog toys, better beds as such. I care about my dogs well being and what will happen. Most ppl are like "they're dogs" Theirs a lot around here that keeps their dogs indoors or outdoors but are still treated like "dogs" not like a family member

 

[houndlove]

The neighborhood we used to live in, yes, we were pretty normal. That was a neighborhood of very pampered pooches, with lots of people involved in their dogs lives. That's still where we go to our dog park and I find I'm usually pretty "normal" there. I just had conversations there today about starting agility and cocker spaniel rage syndrome and other assorted things that your average dog owner probably doesn't know much about.

In our new neighborhood (just a couple miles from our old one) it's about 50/50 as far as involved/uninvolved dog owners. There are plenty of people who I see walking their dogs daily (our neighbors are an elderly couple with a very reactive pointer(maybe) mix and I can tell they've done a lot of work with that dog, and their daughter helps them out with him a lot too). There's someone with an agility course set up in their backyard a few blocks from here (and her van has corgi bumper stickers all over it). But there's also a lot of dogs in the area who I only ever see from behind their fences. They're not outside-only (this is a dense city neighborhood and an outside dog would very quickly get AC called on it for barking) but they're outside-frequently and I never see them being leash walked.

 

[MoonStr80]

It's funny. Since I walk my dogs everyone's doing it! I guess they follow what I do? eh b/c normally I never see anybody walk their dog ever! Maybe once in while couple of ppl on different occasion

 

[scob89]

Nope I'm not the normal dog owner here. Got an empty pickup bed, but have my girl in the front seat. I buy lots of thing for my girl when I really don't own her. When she spends the night she is inside right beside me, not outside in a kennel.

 

[minpinluvrs]

Definitely not normal here, most of our neighbors have Border Collies or heelers. The dogs have a job, and they're good at it, and most importantly, they're well cared for. They kind of laugh at us for having dogs that are here for our pleasure, but we're quick to point out that we don't have mice eating our horses' grain, since the Min Pins make short work of mice.

Anyway, they feel that the reason for a dog is to help round up their cattle, we feel that the dog is supposed to keep us happy by being there for us. I can't say which dogs are happier, but I can say that none of them are unhappy.

 

[Renee750il]

Heheh . . . first off, I'm not the "normal" anything here . . . .

Second . . . I have Bimmer and a Fila. What chance would there be of being a "normal" dog owner with those two?

 

[malmo]

I live in the city, so many people at least try to do right by their dogs to avoid annoying their neighbors, etc. Lots out walking past the house every day. One guy has a sled-pulling dog and I see him ride by every day on his roller blades with the dog. I think that's pretty cool, in Los Angeles. We also, as you can imagine, have tons and tons of doggie daycares, dog parks, dog training classes, etc. What I wish we had more of were pet-friendly rentals, but I digress.

However, in my family, I am definitely the weirdo. When I got Milo, my parents thought I was crazy. All they have is an outdoor dog who is now 18 years old! He gets fed plenty, but minimal interaction. He lives outdoors during cold Utah winters. Never fixed. Never even vaccinated.

My oldest sister got a border collie to live on her farm. Outdoor dog, no fence, nothin'. Seems loved enough by the kids, but never fixed so had two (huge) litters, in spite of my protestations. Now, puppies from those litters have gone to three of my siblings who also keep them as unfixed, outdoor-only dogs. GRRR. They at least have fences, but still.

With each of the new pups, the sibling has asked for my help on crate training, etc. based on my successes with Milo. Everyone loves Milo and likes the idea of a well-behaved indoor dog. So, I would arrange a vacation and stay with them for a week, talking them through manners and behaviors and stuff. The puppies would do great! They're fast learners. Milo was a wonderful role-model. Then I'd leave, though, and it'd all fall by the wayside until eventually the dog ended up as outdoor-only.

Sigh.

 

[shadowfacedanes]

I'm Normal in regards to caring for my pets properly, but Abnormal because no one else in my neighborhood feels this is important.

Take my neighbors who share a fence line with me....They have 8 doxies who are NEVER allowed indoors, they run the fence line non stop barking at me, Hannah or whatever else they imagine to be on the other side of the fence. They start barking at 4 am and don't stop until after midnight. Lucky me, the idiot owners just added another dog who sounds like some sort of hound. He howls and bays all morning and night as if his foot is stuck in a trap. I'm SO tempted to call the police and file a noise complaint but I don't want retaliation or to make enemies.

Then there are my neighbors across the street who sell pot, beat their dogs for being dogs and brag about all the guns they have. They're the ones who dumped Ecko on us. Lovely people.

Then there is the crazy guy on the corner who has three dogs chained to dog houses that only have 2 walls. The front and one side is completely wide open in all of the dog houses. I fear what winter will be like for these dogs. Hopefully he has some improvements in mind for their housing. And dear God, their fur is awful and matter, and coated with mud.

Then there is the lady across from him - who has a chow in a tiny lot with no shade and no grass. The poor dog always looks dead when I drive by. I'm sure he wishes he was most days.