Prejudice?

[PJ's Mom]

Most of you have seen pics of my Bailey. She's a very sweet girl who would never even think of hurting someone.

When Peej is away for whatever reason, she gets depressed. Today he is getting groomed so I decided to make her feel better by taking her to the park. She loves to be let off her leash so she can run at full speed. :) On our way there, we saw a little girl who was about 3 and her mom. Bailey, being Bailey walked up to her wagging wanting attention. The mom pulled the little girl away quickly and said, "no". :(

Then, on our way out of the park there was an older man pushing a baby carriage with what I could only assume was his grandchild in it. (around 2 years old, I guess) He got completely off the path and waited until Bailey and I passed until he would enter the park. There was more than enough room on the path for all of us. :(

Bailey weighs about 48 lbs and wags everywhere she goes. She loves people and that's pretty obvious to just about everyone. Why are people like that?

I can only imagine how those of you with Pitties and Rotties and other large breeds feel when people do that to your dogs. :(

Sorry for the long story. It just made me feel bad.

[Jadapit]

Oh do I know how you feel! I have gotten that reaction with Jada so many times and it makes me feel bad also. Jada loves people so much and like your Bailey, she would never hurt anyone.

People can be so strange about dogs sometimes.:rolleyes: Sorry that happened to you today.:(

[Kevin Farmer]

Oh yea,
There are lots of people who think Maximus is just gonna rip off a leg and eat it rite in front of them, but in reality Maximus would only hurt someone if they were a threat to Barbra, me or our son
other wise he is just a baby.............

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

I always used to get that with Echo unless I was wlaking her in my Culdesac around everyone who knew her. I couldn't imagine being afraid of Bailey! She looks like such a sweet dog:)

[RobiLee]

Oh, I'm so sorry this happened to you and made you feel bad. I really understand those feelings. It happens to me once in awhile also. It does hurt my feelings but at the same time I try to understand that I have two large dogs that can look intimidating. Even though I do understand that it still hurts when I see them cross the street. What I really hate is when they look at me and frown and shake their head like I'm crazy for having such dogs. Now in your case...I just don't get it! You have two of the sweetest face puppies ever! Thats when I have to dig deeper and remember that not everyone is a doggie lover like me. I have loved dogs ever since I can remember. Not everyone has that feeling (which is beyond me :rolleyes: :p ). Some just never had that natural love of animals, some were just not raised that way and some have even had bad experiences with dogs. These are things I have to remind myself because otherwish I would just think everyone who didn't like my girls were completely insane!!!! ;) :p

Ok,those are my thoughts...lol. I do hope you feel better though. Don't let those other people bother you.

Give those pups a big ol' hug from me!!

Robin :)

[luvofallhorses]

:( that's rude:mad: (((hugs))) don't beat yourself up over it. :)

[elizabethann]

That's a shame that happened to you. Unfortunately, some people just don't like dogs (or any animals for that matter). I have an Aunt whom I love very much, but she just isn't an "animal person". I've had to learn to live with it...though it's hard at times. Don't worry about it. For every one person who doesn't like dogs, there are a thousand (perhaps hundreds of thousands) that do!

P.S. You're dogs are too cute!

[PJ's Mom]

Thanks everyone. I realize I'm being silly expecting everybody to love my dogs the way I do. :rolleyes:

But who wouldn't love this face? :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/sning/Picture.jpg

Maybe I need to hang a sign around her neck telling everyone that she won't eat them.

:rolleyes:

[vinjashira]

some people are not comfortable being near a dog, no matter how friendly they look. my niece is one of them :(

[luvofallhorses]

AWW I can't resist that face :) I forgot to add I took Jenny over to the elementary school when it was like 6 o'clock pm and a kid on a bike goes "Why is there a dog here?!?!" I was like because she can be. I think he had something against dogs:rolleyes: Jenny is a yellow lab/rottweiler mix and wouldn't hurt a fly!! :) Same way with Rocky he is a black lab mix and wouldn't hurt a fly unless he has to same with Jenny:p I am so sorry again. That was sooo freaking rude. I happen to ♥ both of your pups :D

to vinjashira, I watched on house something or other on tv and this little girl was afraid of puppies :eek: or any kind of dog, she didn't care what breed they were she would panic and go back in her house. It was sad :( but the crew had a special trainer and a psycholigist with puppies and very slowly let them pet them and then she got up to 3 on her lap and started laughing. The most thing she was afraid of was her uncle's dog, Sweet Pea. She said that everytime she sees her she panics and she hasn't seen her uncle in 3 years. The fear she had to overcome was not being afraid of the golden retriever, Sweet Pea. She did overcome her fear in one day :eek: the cast said she isn't getting a dog anytime soon, but she can now go play with Sweet Pea and visit him with her family. Interesting IMO.

PJ's Mom I didn't mean to hijack your thread :o

[tricollie4me]

I'm so sorry this made you feel upset, particularly because you know your dogs so well and know they are so friendly!

However, I'm a mom to five kids and there have been times when I have had to make a decision to keep my kids seperate from dogs if we should meet up on a sidewalk, etc. Not only would it be impossible for me to instinctively know if other dogs are going to behave gently towards my kids, I can't be certain how my children will react towards these unknown dogs. Some of my kids, especially the younger ones, are fearful of larger dogs, and it's unnecessary to "force" a bit of friendship on either my children or the dog/owner. Some of my kids are overly excited when they see new dogs, and their behavior might be unsafe -- they might try to pet the dog but end up poking them, or they might get very jumpy which can get a happy puppy even more excited (and jump back!). Sometimes it's best to let things be, not every exchange is going to be a good one and that's simply the way things go.

Just wave and say hello as you pass, or smile at the child and tell them your dog's name as you go by. You love your dogs, those folks love their kids. Everyone wants to be happy and safe, and as adults (parents and dog owners alike), we choose the best way for that to happen.

(As an aside, one of the reasons we opted to adopt our pup was to get our children more comfortable around animals in general and within our home in particular. Before we adopted our collie, our kids weren't very sure how to behave around dogs. We wanted to teach them how to act appropriately and respectfully with our own dog along with other animals they might encounter at their friend's houses, in the neighborhood, etc.)

[PJ's Mom]

Originally posted by luvofallhorses
PJ's Mom I didn't mean to hijack your thread :o

It's ok. I won't tell anyone it was you. :D

Hi tricollie. Welcome aboard. :)

I have 4 kids of my own..they're teenagers now. They've always been around dogs, either our own or someone elses. I taught them never to rush a dog and to always ask permission before petting one. I don't recall a time where I ever had to drag them away from a dog I considered mean. I guess sometimes I forget that not all kids were brought up the same way. Thanks for reminding me. ;)

[GraciesMommy]

Lots of folks do not like dogs...or are afraid of them. One of my bosses doesn't like any animal, period..around her..and her grown daughter has 2 springer spaniels..in the house...and she hates when they bring them to visit (they live out of town) but she allows it because she does respect others love for animals..SHE just doesn't care for them.
I wouldn't take it personally..they would have probably had the same reaction had it been a 5 pound toy pup...just being extra cautious, I guess

[Ginger's Mom]

Yes, but she does have such a sweet face :) And I think if it happened with one person while I was out taking a walk, I really wouldn't think anything of it. But to have several people obviously steer clear of my dog when I was on a walk in the park, I think it might have hurt my feelings (especially if I were walking my previous dog-who loved people).

As it is right now, I don't have to worry about it because when we go to the park and Ginger sees children heading her way she makes a wide berth. She just wants to go to the doggie section to play with the other dogs.

[german_shepherd_luver]

SOOOOO cute !!!! i know how you feel i have a german shepherd that weighs near 100 but he is so friendly no one ever gives him a chance:(

[Karen]

One of my best friends from college, Rob, is afraid of dogs. All dogs. When she was a little girl, she had to walk - every day - past a snarling vicious nightmare of a Doberman on the way home from school. It was everyone's worst stereotype come true. Twice the dog got loose and chased her, once took a chunk out of her jacket before adults intervened. I do not blame her for her fear of dogs. She is a nice, intelligent person, who can understand that all dogs are not that dog, but is still afraid of them. When she came over my parents' house to help me address wedding invitations, we had to block Gracie (Great Dane) out of the room, or Rob just couldn't even sit down to work.

You never know what kind of experiences someone may have that causes their fear.

Just be happy that you know the truth, and have the love of dogs as part of your life!

[wolfsoul]

I can imagine how it will be when I get my catahoula. People often think they look like pit bulls. It's silly because most really don't look like pit bulls, and most pit bulls are very sweet dogs anyways. Plus my dog might have blue or yellow eyes -- alot of people find light coloured eyes to be very intimidating. And then. he might also be a bobtail. Some people think of rotties or dobies when they see bobtails. I'm afraid of dealing with this, but I'm eager to educate.

[Samantha Puppy]

How upsetting... :( Just remember, it's their loss!!

I can't say I've ever experienced anything like that with Samantha. Usually I get annoyed because people will just run up and start petting her without asking first, which works with Sam because she's so friendly but may not be the case with every dog. I'm always having to ask them to back up and let them know that they need to ask permission to pet her because not all dogs are nice like she is.

[Smilla]

Honestly, I wouldn't get too worked up about it. I know you know that your dog wouldn't hurt anyone, but as Karen said, you never know what sort of experiences a person has had that makes him/her afraid of dogs. I'm sure the man wasn't trying to be rude, just cautious. Personally I prefer it when people approach Lefty carefully, as he's a bit anxious.

I do love pitties, though, and have wondered what kind of reaction to expect if/when I ever own one, as it's such a maligned breed! I suppose I'll be "educating" a lot of people!

[ramanth]

I'm sorry that happened to you. It happens to me and I've just learned to ignore it.

[Corinna]

I have the oppisitte problem. Its ok with the big kids they love people. But Merlin is a bit uncomfortable with non family people I have had to take his walks at night when everyone is infor the night. Of course who could resist theses.

[Corinna]

The big kids (any one wants to hug hubby they are in for a fight)

[senorita02]

Yeah i know how you feel, it happens to me a lot, but that is those peoples problem, too bad they dont get to find out what a sweetie your poochie is.
But then again i will sometimes get a different reaction, we went to the Bark in the Park a while back when we had our other Rott (Bear) and plus we had Face, and some lady came running up to us with her new born baby to pet them! Wow i was shocked i dont know how many people would want to introduce there new born to 2 strangers big Rottweilers, but it was nice to see not everyone acts like all big doggies are viscious!

[cali]

awww but baily has such a sweet face! I have never had a bad reaction from people before, but Happy is almost my largest dog and you would believe her size if told, many flyball people look at her and say she should be a height dog.. lol yah, right, Happy is one of the larger BCs around here! lol we always joke that we should call her a height dog and noby would challege it, most people want to see proof that she is 21" tall and not 17" tall lol in agility people look at her and her jump height and cant figer out why the jumps are so high lol she is also very friendly, if she runs up to someone and they are obviously scared, I call her back, no big deal, some people are scared of dogs. people used to be terrified of Perky though , eveytime people came over we had to lock her up because she can seem rather nasty at times lol those same people all adore her now, and cant miss their perky kisses lol now Ripley... well he can be downright nasty at times, his nick name is "the tazmanian devil" for a reason, however his face is so cute that he could viciously attack someone and they would go "awwwwwww" I have had people look a little nervious when walkin near Misty though, but only because they think her haltie is a muzzle, if she is not wearing the halti people come out of the woodworks to meet her lol

[Summer Magic]

If you think of her as an over protective mom it helps. Some dogs don't like small children and mom can't tell the difference at a glance. the tail wag isn't always a good way to tell if a dog is receptive to children. It can be used by the dog as the start of a stay away warning. Just chalk it up to experience and go on from there. You know your dog, they don"t.

[Kosmo&Cuddles]

I know how you feel, it happends to Kosmo and I often. It's awful that people are that way! Bailey looks like such a loveable cute dog! Try to not let it bother you.

[ChrisH]

Aw, your Bailey is so gorgeous and that is such a lovely picture of her. :) How I would love for her to greet me with that waggly tail. :D

As to Bob and kids, I am the opposite, I keep him away from them when we are out, or anywhere come to that. A few reasons why, first is because I don't trust the kids around here not to pull and prod - Bob would not like that. Second, he is just so enthusiastic and would knock them over in his rush to play. And lastly, simply because I know some people prefer to keep their kids away from dogs and I just pre-empt by keeping him out of their way. Sad isn't it.

[Amber]

I'm sorry this happens. But you have to remmeber people just dont trust dogs they don't know. Even though its extremely hurtful in the dog owners eyes, I know what where your comming from.

[bckrazy]

aww, anyone who sees Baily as a scary dog doesn't deserve to love on her! ;) I know I'd definitely be begging you to pet her and give her treats.

You should feel lucky in a way, though.. at least parents just aren't assuming she's fine with their 5 kids jumping all over her! This tends to be the reaction to Gonzo, and it's the sole reason (along with his breeder not socializing him) for his fear of kids. He is great with 1 or 2 kids petting him at a time, and he'll go out of his way to give them kisses, but often it's a whole freakin group of bratty kids... people always ask me "isn't that like the dog from Babe?" or "that's a Collie, right?". "no, he's a Border Collie, and he's very sensitive, and he doesn't appreciate all of your kids and their friends on top of him. He's not a Golden!" :rolleyes:... LOL, I could go on about this forever. I'd much rather parents be more cautious and keep control of their kids... the only time Gonzo is really freaked out is when kids run up behind him. Of course, most parents say to their kids "You should ask first, you know"... by this time the kid has already been petting Gonzo, and if he was going to he would've already bitten them :rolleyes: not that he would, of course. I didn't mean to make this so looong... but this is my biggest pet peeve.. I would feel better if people were cautious around my dog ;)

[Twisterdog]

Perhaps they are cautious of her breed. Or, perhaps they are simple cautious of and/or afraid of dogs in general.

I've had people react the same way to my 20 pound friendly terriers. It's hard to say where people are coming from.

[KYS]

I never worried about strangers and my past dogs before.
But with Rocky I do.
Rocky, Is aloof and pushy with strangers so with him
I usually do not allow strangers children to go up to him.


So in my case with at least Rocky, I do not mind that parents are
extra carefull.

Now with Sheba I have had some not so nice experiences with
prejudice at the dog parks. :(
Sheba gets a bad rap, but Rocky probably deserves it. :)

[german_shepherd02]

what kind of dog is it?
mine is a german shepherd
he has the same problem he is ok to adults but children he barks at. I think it has somthing to do with adults are less scared and he senses kids fears

[Kfamr]

People have had plenty of stuff about Kiara, being a Rottie mix.
Nala not so much towards breed, but because she's very vocal when she plays.
No one's really said much about Simba... except for a few idiots.


german_shepherd02 - FYI, you can get in large trouble for using a picture that belongs to someone else - even if you aren't claiming it to be your own.

[german_shepherd02]

hey nice sig where do u get it from i meen where do i go?

[bckrazy]

Originally posted by german_shepherd02
hey nice sig where do u get it from i meen where do i go?

I'm pretty sure Kay makes her own graphics using an editing program... I'm not sure which ;) she does an awesome job though!

I definitely agree... most people get angry when their pictures are used without consent. We'd LOVE to see pics of Conan, just use a digital camera or when you use your regular camera get a disk to get them to your computer. To get them on the internet, use an uploading service like www.photobucket.com or www.imagestation.com

[Cincy'sMom]

I am sort of surpirsed you would get that reaction to Bailey. Sheis such a pretty, friednly looking girl. But like others have said, it is hard to say the reasoning.

We have had that reaction too...more often to the girls because they are black. Sometimes people will say something about Spot becuase as we all know, Dals are mean to kids...but more often kids are coming to se him, saying wow!! A dalmatian!!!

[GiantSchnauzer]

Originally posted by ChrisH
Aw, your Bailey is so gorgeous and that is such a lovely picture of her. :) How I would love for her to greet me with that waggly tail. :D

As to Bob and kids, I am the opposite, I keep him away from them when we are out, or anywhere come to that. A few reasons why, first is because I don't trust the kids around here not to pull and prod - Bob would not like that. Second, he is just so enthusiastic and would knock them over in his rush to play. And lastly, simply because I know some people prefer to keep their kids away from dogs and I just pre-empt by keeping him out of their way. Sad isn't it.

I am the same way. Too many people allow their children to rush over to dogs. Same is true with people and their dogs. Zoey is not found of being "attacked" like this. Expecially if it's another female dog. Giant Schnauzers tend to be a bit aloof with strangers. Don't get me wrong she's great with peolple she's just not as enthusiastic about meeting people as say a lab is.

My sister gets quite angry when people let their dogs rush up to my niece. I can't blame her. I would never allow Zoey to do such a thing. Like others have said you don't know how other people are with dogs.

Yes, I have had people make comments and give evil looks. I had a woman with a Min Pin tell me I had a viscious dog simply because of Zoey's size. She did nothing to provoke such a comment.

[senorita02]

I already posted on this thread but i forgot to tell the story about the crazy lady at the supermarket, last winter i went to Krogers and left my two in the car with the window cracked very slightly just to give them fresh air , i was in there about 5-10 mins, and i came out and some lady was screaming at me saying i had no right to have 2 such viscious dogs and that she was afraid to go near her car!
Ok really?? Like the two 100-120 pound dogs will fit through a cm crack in my window!
Rita is ALWAYS wagging her tail too, so this lady was out of line and i told her so, and i have to admit i did say a few nasty words to her, i was sooo upset with her!
And it isnt the first time someone has seen me driving with my two babies and said to me i had no right to own them, :mad:

[melandchico]

Baily is adorable! I'm sorry that happened to you, I have experienced it as well. I try to just ignore it, I understand that some people are afraid so I don't take it personally. My Goliath is 111 lbs so a lot of people are afraid of him, but he is a sweetheart. I feel bad for him because he feels rejected when people don't give him attention. When he was a puppy, we had to stop every 5 steps so someone could pet him and he loved it. Now everytime we meet someone he gets all excited thinking they are going to stop and pet him and instead they cross the street. He actually cries when that happens.

[german_shepherd02]

I don't have a scanner to put conans pic on



I am leaving cause i am under 13 so bye
Ill miss u all and you pets BYE

[luvofallhorses]

gsdlover_02 please leave so Karen doesn't get in trouble..I am sure you can come back when you're the right age;)

[german_shepherd02]

I thought i found friends in u guys Well you want to know something??? I have no friend thats y i go online alot I am sorry i am not perfect i am just a stupid kid

[luvofallhorses]

thought i found friends in u guys Well you want to know something??? I have no friend thats y i go online alot I am sorry i am not perfect i am just a stupid kid well rules are rules and you have to abide by them back to the main thread...

[german_shepherd02]

:rolleyes:
Want to talk to my mom bout this?

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by german_shepherd02
:rolleyes:
Want to talk to my mom bout this?

LOL. Sure...go get mommy. :rolleyes:


You can't be on here. You're going to get banned anyways; might as well leave now.