Never going to that petsmart again

[StarFox]

I also agree that people should not take out a people agressive/ dog agressive dog into places like Petsmart and Petco. And Zebra is neither (he is "family" agressive but that's not the point)so I don't have a problem taking him out in public. He loves kids and has had tons on interaction with them (I have lots of younger cousins). I've had kids run up to him all the time in Petsmart or in the park, I put Zeb in a sit stay and get down on the kids level and tell them that they have to be careful when approching a dog and not to pet dogs on the top of the head to be gentel when touching a dog ect. Although I have done that many times before it's not MY job to teach kids this stuff.

The main problem I have is that I do not want a stray dog running up to me in Petsmart or in a park, I don't want a child running up to me either. I don't know why it should be acceptable for a child to run around and get into people's personal space and frighten there dog but if a dog does the same thing then people will throw fits.

The fact is the reason I told the kid in Petsmart to back off was not because I was afraid of my dog bitting the kid or the kid getting hurt. I didn't want my dog to get anymore afraid then he already was, I don't want my dog, MY CHILD to get hurt. I realy couldn't give two beans about the kid. As harsh as that sounds it's the trush. When I'm out with my dog, my dog comes first, not the child who has no parental supervision.

[Cairn6]

The main problem I have is that I do not want a stray dog running up to me in Petsmart or in a park, I don't want a child running up to me either. I don't know why it should be acceptable for a child to run around and get into people's personal space and frighten there dog but if a dog does the same thing then people will throw fits.

Do you really need the answer to that question? They shouldn't for their own safetly run up to a strange dog and frighten them but children are one of the things your dog just has to get used too. Children will never go away there will always be children, you were a child. You have to be a child before you can be a grown up. I'm sure you weren't a walk in the park at that age. I'm sure I wasn't either. It may not be your job to educate the child but for the sake of your dog you have to get them used to children.

[StarFox]

Cairn I agree that my dog should be use to children. And he is. He goes with me to my freinds house where they have a very loud, very annoying, very lively child. Zebra gets along fine and when I think zebra is getting tired of having his ears pulled, being layed on ect I take him out of that situation. As I previously stated I have many young cousing aging from 4- 13, zebra has known them since we first got him. He is fine with children. BUT I don't think it's fair that MY dog in a store specificly made for animals gets so scared because a child is banging a frissbee behind him then runs toward him while waving the frissbee in the air that he tries to back out of his collar, with his tail between his legs. It is not my job to watchin Joe schmos little rugrat. If I wanted a kid to me in my personal space I would have some of my own. And why should I teach my dog manners towards children when people don't teach there children any?

Also when I was a child if I ran off in a store or misbehaved in any manner I would have gotten a nice hard smak on the rear. Now a nice smack on the bottom is considered child abuse...maybe that's the problem. :roll:

[Pumpkin the musher]

Warning:Pumpkin's pet peeve is revealed. Note to parents from a militant childfree person: No dog, however well trained, is 100% reliable, EVER. They are dogs. They are not small people in a furry suit. I refuse to be responsible for your child in a public place. I have been in Petco, Petsmart, and had children try and crawl up my leg to get at Cricket (Who I'm holding up in the air!), pull on her tail, punch me in the leg all the while screaming that they want to pet the dog. Parents are, again, no where to be seen. I've been at dog sled races where there are literally 100's of dogs in a very small area, and parents of small children seem to think that since they asked the first musher if their child could pet the dog, well, the rest should be OK too. At one race I had a kid try and ride on one of my dogs. :o
The entitlement mindset that I see from the majority of parents is astonishing. Watch my child , pay for my child, worship my child, etc. Nope, sorry- You chose to have children. I did not. (Surprise! it is a choice, not an inevitability!) I apologize to the real parents whom I've met on this board- my rant doesn't concern you. . To the rest who whine and snivel that that the mean old world doesn't worship their precious Bratley or Snotleigh: Feh.

[bk_blue]

:lol: :lol: @ Pumpkin. Summed up my thoughts exactly.

[kendalyn]

One way I handle children running up to Buck and doing something obnoxious is to first say, "Please don't do that anymore but if you would like to pet him he would be very happy to meet you." Then I have Buck sit and let the kid pet him.

If I've got a treat on me I let them tell him to laydown or shake and then give him the treat. I try not to do that everytime though because I don't want Buck to think that kids are little treat dispensers. :lol:

No, of course it's not anyone's responsibility to teach other people's kids doggy manners, but it's one good way to make sure they aren't bothering your dog anymore. And it turns a negative situation into a positive one for the kid and your dog.

[ESSlover]

Hey! Not all kids are evil! I'm 13 (dont know if that qualifies as a kid or not, but whatever...) and my dad leaves me "alone" in the petstore. I just have common sense! I always ask before petting someones dog and usually can tell when I'm buggin them.

[Pumpkin the musher]

Don't worry ESS, you are a teenager; you'll grow out of it. It's the "adults" that I have a problem with... :-?

[Baileysmom]

ditto - dont worry ESS, its usually younger and/or "uneducated" (about animals) children. my oldest is 13 and I feel confident I could send him into petsmart - or almost anywhere "alone" and he AND any dogs there would be fine. you are a teenager now and have prob been around dogs your whole life and Im sure have responsible parents who started teaching you about them from a young age........ unfortunately not all parents and children are that way :roll:

[Horsefeathers!]

kendalyn napisał(a):

No, of course it's not anyone's responsibility to teach other people's kids doggy manners, but it's one good way to make sure they aren't bothering your dog anymore. And it turns a negative situation into a positive one for the kid and your dog.

I'm glad that works for you and I mean absolutely no sarcasm in that. It doesn't work so well for me because, honestly, I get rattled when someone's ill mannered young'un approaches me. I truly don't care to share a positive experience with them as much as I'd like to share NO experience with them. I'm more of a "teach them that all strangers aren't friendly" kind of gal, I reckon. :oops:

It's wonderful that your dog is well mannered enough to handle the ruckus. I foster and some of them are works in progress. While I don't worry about them biting, I do not intend to have them antagonized, either.

Again, I'm speaking of the ill mannered little kids with irresponsible parents.

Ditto, ditto, double ditto to what Pumpkin said.

[ESSlover]

Baileysmom napisał(a):

you are a teenager now and have prob been around dogs your whole life and Im sure have responsible parents who started teaching you about them from a young age........

You think? I've had one dog. And that was for 8 months. None of my friends really had dogs till they were like 9. But my parents did teach me manners unlike some of these kids from h-e-double hockey sticks :roll:

[ESSlover]

sashagirl napisał(a):

If that had been Sash, the kid would have lost a hand... Which is of course why Sasha was not with me that day...

:o

[Baileysmom]

You think? I've had one dog. And that was for 8 months

I apologize - I made an assumption and that was wrong, but I think you understand waht I was saying anyway :oops:

btw- DAL, Im going to try out taht lakewood petsmart today :D I need to get Bailey a kong anyway

[ESSlover]

[quote name='Baileysmom']

You think? I've had one dog. And that was for 8 months

I apologize - I made an assumption and that was wrong, but I think you understand waht I was saying anyway :oops:


It's okay :lol: no offense taken. I just thought it was funny. I know some kids that have been around dogs thier whole life and have no idea how to act around them. UGH if only parents were more responsible for those kinds of kids...

[coastie_wife]

Unfortunately there will *always* be people who think their kids running wild is 'cute'. This is just one more reason we dog owners should be vigilent regarding where/when we allow our dogs to be in public. As a parent I know sometimes kids simply don't listen. Hence why he's either in a cart or handling a leash when we go to such places.

I think its asinine to expect people NOT to take kids to places like petsmart, however. If you cannot control your dog, don't take them in places where people will be. I have owned an aggressive dog, and simply did not take him such places. There will always be jerks who don't control their kids, and there will always be children who don't listen to their parents. If you cannot handle that, don't take your dog places where children will be. I'm not sure why that is a difficult concept--I don't take my child places where he is likely to be attacked by dogs....I don't take my dog places where he is likely to be attacked by children. Seems pretty simple.

[Mutt_Lady]

I agree with HF, Pumpkin, and sasha. If Kyra did not know how to behave around children, I would not show up at a Toys'R'Us and expose her to them.

It's commonsense really - you go to a dog store, there are going to be dogs there. If your child doesn't know how to properly treat a dog, they should not be in a pet store. It's a dog's domain, not a kid's. It was made for doggies and other critters!

Starfox, I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with your pooch at PetsMart. :( Unfortunately, I think we've all had one or two in our lives LOL. Some kids just run wild while their parents stand off to the side and daydream. :roll:

[kendalyn]

It doesn't work so well for me because, honestly, I get rattled when someone's ill mannered young'un approaches me. I truly don't care to share a positive experience with them as much as I'd like to share NO experience with them. I'm more of a "teach them that all strangers aren't friendly" kind of gal, I reckon.

And the reality is you shouldn't have to deal with it if you don't want to. It's not fair, but it's one of those things we will always have to deal with.

I really like kids and don't mind redirecting them toward more desireable behavior. I get kind of excited when I can share my dog with little kids because Buck does like them and so do I.

This is a little off topic, but I've noticed that it's not uncommon for people who love dogs to not be very enthused about little children. Does this ring true for anyone else? The correlation surprises me because I can draw a lot of similarities between dogs and kids.

[courtnek]

I wholeheartedly agree with HF, Pumplin and Sasha. I'm a mom. I NEVER allowed my kid to run hog wild anywhere. The mall, restaurants, McDonalds, didnt matter. Kid was expected to sit down and shut up and behave. he was given crayons and coloring books, toys to play with, etc, but he was required to sit still. In a grocery store, he rode in the cart, not running down the aisles. When he got too old for that, he was required to
walk next to the cart, on my left, with one hand on the side. when that failed, he got leashed. yes, leashed, same as at the mall. they have harnesses for children, and I always have leashes. When he wouldnt obey, the harness went on, and so did the leash. When he complained that I was treating him like an animal, I responded he was acting like one. After four or so of these incidents, he decided it was just better to obey. no more problems. I cant tell you the amount of crap I took from other people when they saw him in harness. But would it be better to let him run around wild? in a parking lot? in a pet store? in the mall, where he could get lost, kidnapped, God knows what else? I didnt think so, and still dont.

you can still get child harnesses for the little uncontrollable lovelies.

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='DivineOblivion19']lol Kendalyn, I can't even tell you how many times my friends have asked me why I despise children so much because taking care of kids is the same as dogs. I can see some similarities but I REALLY see differences.

I guess I've just not been treated so well by human beings in my life and my animals have never hurt me. I can always count on them and always trust them. When an animal does hurt me I can easily forgive them. I understand them better than I do people. I guess it's not just children I have problems with its people in general. I'll take a majorly aggressive dog over a bitchy person any day. That's just me and there's nothing that will ever change that.

My animals are my children and I don't let my children act like idiots and other people shouldn't let their children act like idiots either. But I guess that would be the case in a perfect world.

Ahhh someone who thinks the way I do.

I also swore I'd never have kids....now I'm bio mom to two and step mom to two more! 4 kids.

Of course I really don't have many close in person friends.

As far as kids in stores...I always seem to have a leash in my purse...James has belt loops and AJ always has over alls on...so I have and do leash my kids.

[Horsefeathers!]

[quote name='coastie_wife']If you cannot control your dog, don't take them in places where people will be.
Ah, but we're not talking about out of control dogs, but rather out of control children. No one has said an out of control dog needs to be in public.

There will always be jerks who don't control their kids, and there will always be children who don't listen to their parents. If you cannot handle that, don't take your dog places where children will be. I'm not sure why that is a difficult concept--I don't take my child places where he is likely to be attacked by dogs....I don't take my dog places where he is likely to be attacked by children. Seems pretty simple.

What I don't understand is how people expect dogs to be perfectly behaved robots in every possible situation, but "kids will be kids" and we can't expect them to be able to learn restraint. Who's the more intelligent species? :-?

[quote name='kendalyn']but I've noticed that it's not uncommon for people who love dogs to not be very enthused about little children. Does this ring true for anyone else? The correlation surprises me because I can draw a lot of similarities between dogs and kids.
Actually, I don't think it's particularly true among just dog lovers as much as it's true among people who don't have/want children INCLUDING some dog lovers.

There are just many of us who are fed up and frustrated with the constant excuses of how "kids will be kids and who can control them" stuff. I have no problem sharing the planet with kids. I do have a problem with the irresponsible parents who believe that everyone else should be as enchanted with their little darlin's as they are, or that others shouldn't mind their fit throwing, squealing, kicking, obnoxious behavior. Not here. I make no effort to be more than polite and won't even attempt that in the face of a raging, out of control brat. I can even try to deal with it if the parent in charge is at least making an effort to do something. It's those parents who stand idly by watching the whole thing and just leaving it to go on that bugs me. I'm not a child hater- just intolerant of obnoxious behavior from the offspring of apathetic parents. At least DO something other than pretend you don't notice. If you can't control them, take them outside, or better yet... home! They're yours- YOU deal with them!

As guessed, I have no kids, but have fostered some. I don't buy the excuse that you can't watch them every minute in a store. I did. I've raised them from toddlers on up and they were NEVER out of my sight in a store and certainly not harrassing passersby or dogs and my parents raised me with the same control. The thought never crossed my mind as a kid to run up to total strangers and crawl up their legs, or pull on their clothes, or ask ten gazillion questions while my parents stood by and smiled sheepishly, or pretended not to notice. Didn't happen. What are you going to do when these "kids will be kids and who can control 'em" kids approaches someone who is more than aloof, but is a pedophile, or a murderer? These people look for easy targets. Out of control children who "just don't always listen" are easy targets. I promise you that if it ever hits home, you'll find a way to keep your kids under your control and in sight every single second you are in public. It's not impossible. If you don't do it out of respect for the people who don't wish to be bothered, one would think you'd do it out of love for your children and the desire to keep them safe. I'm not talking teens here, but very young CHILDREN. I often wonder who the adult is in these families.

Note: The "you" above is meant in a general sense and not directed at any one person on the board. It's directed at irresponsible parents in general.

[Horsefeathers!]

Tammy napisał(a):

As far as kids in stores...I always seem to have a leash in my purse...James has belt loops and AJ always has over alls on...so I have and do leash my kids.

I was actually going to suggest that for parents who "can't" control their kids, but knew it would open a whole 'nother can of worms and I'd hear the cries of "they're not dogs and I'm not treating them like one!!" I say whatever it takes. You sound responsible. :bigok:

[JackieMaya]

I've always had good luck when I took Jackie and Maya to PetSmart or PetCo. I've never seen unsupervised kids there.

I firmly believe, like many others, that if you can't keep your kid under control, and if he/she can't be trusted around dogs, DON'T take them to PetWhatever, since you know that there will be dogs there.

One time I was showing my very big horse at the state fair, and some idiot lady was going to push her stroller (with a little baby in it) underneath my horse!!! My horse was quite spirited anyway, and very big, and I told her "Don't do that! Do you want your kid to get hurt?" And she called ME a bitch!

Now I won't even show my horses at the state fair any more because of all the stupid non-animal people you have to deal with there.

[imported_Matty]

If parents don't want to worry about their kids being around dogs, keep them out of petsmart and the other FEW places that dogs are allowed

Does petsmart only deal with dogs? :o If they sell other pet supplies and a child has a kitten or a turtle, the child has every right to to buy presents for the pet. They should certainly be going to petsmart.
As for using petsmart as a place to socialize your dog. It would be perfect for a young pup who has not set its personality yet. It would be wonderful for a pup to be subjected to disarray and rushing children. If you are dealing with an older dog which is iffy, then any bad situations you expose it to will not improve but the dog. It will set it back even further. I perfer positive controlled situations for socializing dogs.

I know quite a few people whose children suffer from a condition called ADD. The children are very hard to control if not doped up on medication. The parents have a very difficult time controlling the kids.
I always try to think of children as being young and experimental. They will test parents to the limit. I understand when a parent has a hard time controlling their children. especially this day and age.

In a perfect world all parents would have perfect obedient children, in a perfect world all owners would have well behaved dogs. We don't live in a perfect world. I always expect the unexpected from children no matter the situation.

[Guest Anonymous]

Matty napisał(a):

I know quite a few people whose children suffer from a condition called ADD. The children are very hard to control if not doped up on medication. The parents have a very difficult time controlling the kids.
I always try to think of children as being young and experimental. They will test parents to the limit. I understand when a parent has a hard time controlling their children. especially this day and age.

Okay I'm going to say now I will probably sound bitchy...but so would anyone else having my kind of day...I will try to be nice.

My 10 year old has ADD/HD with impulse control (they give deffinitions to ADD/HD to define where the major Issues lie).

Which means that on top of ADD and HD he has troubles controling his impulses. Guess what...HE WILL NOT RUN UP TO A STRANGE DOG! If a dog stops and sniffs him he will wait to see what the dog does then if they seem to want to be petted he will say "May I pet your dog". A lot of people have a hard time believing that he has AD/HD until I try to talk to them and when he continues to talk over me (Again impluse issues...doesn't know when to stop and think about what he's going to do).

I did NOTHING more than what a NORMAL parent should. Yes many times I meet a well meaning person who tells me "It's okay let him talk...he's so charming" but then I have a talk with him about how I was trying to speak to another adult and I don't talk over him.

He's a very well behaved child in public...now like today with just us in the doctors office he was a bit much to handle and in the waiting room someone struck up a conversation with him and once again I was told what a wonderful WELL MANNERED child I have.

That is something I hear quite often and I LOVE to get him out in public and tell people that he HAS ADD (Sorry pet peeve of mine is when someone says their child IS ADD...NO THEY ARE NOT!).

Now to give you an example of how HORRIBLE he can be...end of last school year with only 3 days left he asked to go to school without medication because he wanted to prove to me he didn't need it. With in three hours of being in school, he had crawled across the floor and then told off another student for something stupid the other kid said. I was asked not to bring him back for the last 2 days if I wasn't going to force him to take his meds. My kid got a two day early start on his vacation.

Sorry to go off on this rant but people who use ADD for a crutch for their child PEEVE ME OFF! An ADD/HD child CAN learn and SHOULD learn self control!

[imported_Matty]

Tammy,
The people I know with children suffering from ADD have a difficult time with the kids unless they are on med's. I am only speaking of what my aqaintences go through. Their children will rush up to any thing and have gotten them selves into quite a few messes. The teachers teaching the children have a hard time controlling them and the children have a very short attention span.
This is just what people I know are going through. Yes, they are good parents, and no, they don't want them on med's. The doctors have confirmed that these children are suffering from ADD and have put them on med's which have too many side affects.

Good for you that your child is well behaved. Some people are having a much more difficult time than you.
Contrary to believe these parents are not using the term ADD as a crutch.

All children are different, and so are dogs. If you had an out of control dog which you trained the same as my well behaved dog, would I blame you as the owner or perhaps that dog is just more difficult.