We had an excellent time in the woods over the weekend relaxing and hiking. It was so nice to get away from reality and just be in the middle of nowhere for awhile. The dog also had an excellent time hanging with his people for four straight days, despite getting stung by yellow jackets and having to hike three hours a day. His favorite part was getting to eat at a real restaurant on Friday night. By the way, if you're looking for a fun place to eat (and try a few beers) check out the North Country Brewing Company in Slippery Rock, PA. The atmosphere is really unique, food is pretty good, and you can bring your dog to the patio.
Which brings me to my topic for today.
We totally understand that dogs are man's best friend. We also get that our dog happens to be exceptionally adorable. He's little and he kinda looks like a monkey. He also sits at the table like a person. So, we understand that you just want to touch him. The thing is, though, our dog has a past. When we adopted him, his life up until that point included regular beatings and not many meals. At the ripe old age of 8 months he was dumped on the street. All that abuse took its toll on his psyche. While he remains desperate to please people, he's also very suspicious. We put him through strict training and now he's a completely different dog, but he will never fully recover from what his previous owners did to him. Because of that, we are careful not to let people just approach and start petting him. He's not going to attack or anything, but he makes it clear that he's not comfortable being handled by those he doesn't know. Adult males and children are his least favorite. So, just in case, we never allow children to pet him. However, for some reason, kids love our dog. No matter where we go, they flock to him like he's a celebrity. Its not like we attend "family friendly" events with him where there are a million children. We even go well out of our way to avoid them. But, if there's a kid somewhere nearby, they scope the poor guy out and want to touch him. Most of the kids nowadays have been taught to ask before they approach strange dogs. That's great. Too bad most adults don't do that. There's one problem though. We tell the kids no. Of course, the kid pouts a little. Its the parent's that really get my goat. They react like we're these mean people that won't let their kid have any fun or worse, that our dog is dangerous and we're terrible people for owning him.
Sorry folks, we're not going to leave him at home. We love him and enjoy spending time with him. If we go hiking he's coming too, its that simple. If there is a restaurant that allows dogs, he's coming. We are going to bring him on our bikes. He's well very behaved. He won't get up until we tell him to. He doesn't beg. He doesn't snap or terrorize. He's not a killer, he's not rabid, he's not going to chase your kid and bite it. He just not comfortable being surrounded and touched. Last time that happened he was someone's punching bag. It doesn't mean he's dangerous.
Fact is, not all dogs like to be man-handled. Pets are just like people in that they need to know they can trust you before they warm up to you. For some, it takes longer to build trust. In my opinion, you should just let dogs and owners be. But, if you must meet a new dog there is a specific way to do so. Please respect the dog and the owner.
There's no need to react like we're leprous. As an owner of a rescue, it hurts my feelings to have my dog treated like he's broken. He's like a kid to us and we care about him very much. We didn't adopt him because he's adorable, we took him in because we could provide the loving home he deserved. If I ever find out who hurt him they better watch out. We're proud of what he's accomplished in overcoming his abuse. We understand and deal with the behaviors that he'll probably never give up because of that abuse. Please don't make owners of rescues that have been abused or had an injury feel bad for adopting a pet that isn't perfect in your eyes.
But, really, how isn't this guy perfect?
Your dog is adorable!
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