Ladies Ski Pants - Does it bother you when someone doesn't know the characteristics/traits of the breed they own?

Does it bother you when someone doesn't know the characteristics/traits of the breed they own?

Does it bother you when a person owns a purebred dog, but has no idea what that dog's characteristics or traits are? I just saw something so ridiculous that it left me shaking my head in disbelief... I drove through Starbucks and there was a lady sitting out front at one of the tables with 2 Siberian Huskies. She was wearing a long down coat, gloves and a hat, but (Here's the part that bugged me), the DOGS were also wearing coats that looked like Ski Jackets! Now, mind you, it's cold here today, 28 with a windchill in the teens, but did this woman not know enough about her dogs to know that they'd be perfectly happy without the coats if it was 5 degrees and snowing outside? Do you have any examples to share?

Public Comments

She probably thought it was cute, its not, haha.
I know exactly how you feel! I have been told that I am "selfish" for keeping three of my Shih Tzu pups in full coats by another owner. She claimed that the dogs "aren't comfortable with all that fur" and that they "need to be kept in a puppy cut!" I just shook my head and walked away.
Yowza. She'd better keep an eye out for overheating! Yeah, it does bug me because I think you should research your breed before you buy/adopt/whatever. I also know that there will always be people who are ignorant and need to be (nicely) educated. Some people just don't know better.
Not really. I have a pug and we have a no laugh policy in the house. she would get such a big head if we laughed at her like the little clown dog wants us to. I'm only kidding! But no that wouldn't bug me I wouldn't think that much into I guess. She was just wanting to make sure they would be warm enough you know maybe they are inside dogs at her house and aren't used to the elements like their dog ancestors were. It's a different age and time these days. Like your parents or grandparents had to walk 20 miles to school and back in snow up to their knees. It's not that way these days. Everybody and their dog is in to the latest and greatest. Everybody wants that new new $**! I mean what did the dogs order from Starbucks? I can't take my pug because her Starbucks order embarrasses me!
Yeah, it does a little. I know what you mean.
Nope.
My favorite is when people refer to the dog's COLOR as part of it's BREED. Black Labs, Red Nose Pits, "Blue Dachshunds". Or people who call Poodles "French Poodles", that really irks me. I once encountered a lady in Petsmart when I had my Beardie with me. She was petting him and ogling and saying how beautiful he was. Then she asked if I was planning on breeding him because he was a "rare color" for a SHEEPDOG. I was like "Well, he's actually a Bearded Collie." to which she replied "Oh no honey, I used to breed Sheepdogs. He's definitely not a Collie." Sigh.
Personally, it doesn't bother me. To me its more important that a person takes the time to train and care for their animals. But this is just how a feel. Abuse, neglect and blaming a dog for not "knowing" how to behave from lack of training are what bother me. Sorry that i don't have any examples for what you were looking for.
I heard something the other day that made me want to puke, but it has nothing to do with traits, but EVERYTHING to do with temperament of a breed. Apparently, a friend of mine got a pitbull puppy a few years ago (she claims it's a "purebred brindle pit" HAH) Her boyfriend (from what I hear) put a 5 lb weight around it's neck with a huge chain to build it's muscle mass. (*barf*). He also beat up on the dog to make it a "guard dog". The dog is dangerous, and the animal control says that if they find the dog running loose or off a chain at ANY time, they will confiscate and dispose of the dog. The dog now lives, locked away in a garage, strapped to a huge chain. They posted "Beware of Dog" signs up, and you can constantly hear the dog viciously bark. This same couple also got a female pitbull, they "rescued" her, she was beaten, abandoned, and neglected, starving for 2 weeks tied to a porch before they got her. This boyfriend attempted the same thing with her (beat up on her to make her mean). But she just REFUSED to be mean, she was so meak, and tender. He took her out and shot her, she was "useless" to him. What kind of life is that for a pitbull, what kind of life is that for a DOG even? It's sick to think that people are like that. EDIT: DeeDawg, my pitbulls were ALWAYS alert dogs too (collectively I have owned 4 of them). There's a natural instinct in EVERY dog, I think, to protect what they love. But trying to make a dog vicious to that extent is disgusting. If I had heard about this a few years ago, I would have called authorities. $arah- I'm with you on that one. My dogs are "mixes" too, because they actually have LEGS!!!!!
Of course she knows. People who dress up their animals in public don't do it because the animal needs it, they do it because they think it's "cute".
it only would bother me if they were neglecting the dog. like if i saw a border collie with someone who clearly wasn't providing the high stimulation for a border collie's needs, and the dog was suffering.
those poor dogs. gee... the name SIBERIAN husky wouldn't have tipped her off at all?? or the fact that they were bred to withstand extremely cold temperatures? that's insane. plenty of people don't know anything about their dogs, their heritage, or what they prefer. i guess it's all in how it's approached though. i knew a lady who bought a corgi and then tried to give it away when it kept nipping at the back of her children's legs. people just do not do their homework. kristin- i have 5 pit mixes who are actual watchdogs, and do you know what! i've never hit them at all (well a little smack on the butt if they are misbehaving, but no hurting them!) i made them love me so much that they tell me when there is someone in my yard! then i tell them "ok that's enough go lie down" and then they get their cookie! now that's a guard dog! so let's hope that your friend's boyfriend is banned forever from having animals.
I saw a lady with a chiuahiua and it had a wig on to match the owners hair... it was crazy...
o yea it bothers me alot...like yesterday i went over to my dads and brought my dogs, there was some guy there and he was talking about how much he liked pitbulls etc.. well he asked if they were American ..i just said yes and left it at that, i just figured he liked them but had no clue about them.. well a couple minutes later he went on to say that he used to breed them.. i just stood there and was like you bred them but you dont even know that all Pitbulls are American???? Ridiculous. I also hate when people tell me my well bred, papered Pit Bulls are mixes because they do not have a 26 inch head, short below my knees and dont weigh 100 pounds plus. thats the people i look at and shake my head to. lol yea kristin...our little mutts can actually do some work without almost having a heart attack. Its ignorant and those people think they know it all, so i just ignore them now ive tried to tell them they are wrong...but they are never wrong they know exactly what they are talking about LOL
Thats shocking. It doesnt bother me so much if they know the ins and outs of how the dog is supposed to be in terms of kennel club rules, but they should know how to deal with breed behaviour problems and how to care for them.
It does bother me, especially when a person gets a very intelligent breed like a border collie or an aussie, and then do not satisfy their basic need for work. Off topic, but what bothers me the more is obesity in dogs. Some people are proud of their dog's immense size, not recognizing that a 100 pound lab is morbidly obese, not a 'big dog.'
A little, but I figure oh, well. I have shelties, and they have *very* weatherproof coats. They can get wet, then shake off and they're dry again. Also, they have double coats which insulate them against both extreme heat and cold. It bugs me when people put coats on their shelties. It would be simpler, instead of putting a raincoat on the, if they just toweled they dog off when it got wet. Or, people with shelties who shave the dog in the summer! Ack! The poor dog always looks embarrassed, too. Oh, well, it's their dog and I know that some people would put clothes on a pig.
Yep - purely for the fact that it means they got that breed without actually researching it. Chances are they got the breed because they thought it "looked cute/was in that film/that celebrity has one". In the same way, I hate it when people say "I would never get a ......(insert breed) because EVERYONE says they are noisy/evil/hard to train"etc without actually knowing the breed. In a local park, I met a lady with two immaculately kept Westies who were trotting sedatly behind her. She turned her nose up and sniffed in a disgusted way when mine came bounding out of the bush after squirrel hunting, with his long hair throwing twigs out everywhere and rushed straight past her in a non-stop kind of way. Her comment was "I would NEVER let James/Henry (whatever their names were!) get in that kind of state, he needs a good trim. And look at the way he's behaving, like a hooligan!"! I just looked at her and replied "my dog was born this way and he's happy. He's actually doing what he should be doing" (ie being a terrier!) When I called him back to me, she actually asked if I could keep mine away from hers as she didnt want them to ruin their coats! The poor dogs looked liked they were dying to run around and play - but respectfully, I did keep mine away, though I would have loved for mine to lead hers down a rat hole and get them dirty!!!
Explain to her that Huskies were specifically bred for cold climates and don't need coats. My pet peeves. 1. I'm getting a Husky tonight. This is my first dog. What do I need to know? 2. My dog is in labor now. What do I need to know about puppies? 3. Puggle, Shi-poo, Pomapoo, Cavachon, Bichonpoo, Maltichon, etc etc etc IS A BREED. 4.This is one I heard from a lady at the dog park. She told me, "The pet store in the mall does not get their puppies from puppy mills, because I asked them about it".
Ugh I hate when people are like this! I own a Jack Russell and so many people think they are just like Eddie from Frasier. Even other people who own one of the breed. So many Jacks end up without a home because people don't understand the breed before they get one. It makes me crazy! I also hate when people think size will be an indicator of personality or activity level.
It drives me absolutely INSANE! Research your breed before adopting/purchasing! I think my favorite story is the one that got me one of my dogs. Another family adopted my 2-year-old Great Pyrenees/St. Bernard mix from the shelter, then returned him 2 weeks later because he was "too big" and he "drooled a lot." First off, he was already full-grown when you adopted him, so it's not like he grew more when you got him home. Second, did you really expect a St. Bernard/Great Pyr mix to be smallish? Third, did you not expect a dog with St. Bernard in it to drool? Especially with huge, floppy jowls?? But it worked out well for me because I was able to adopt the sweetest dog in the world!