Dog Shoes . . . .

[star-phoenix]

Hey guys! I just have to vent about this cuz this is just absolutely ridiculous.

I have a service dog. Service dogs walk A LOT more than a normal pet dog since they are constantly with you all day. So, I was advised by vetinarians to get dog shoes for my dog.

So, today, I placed the dog shoes on my dog for the first time, trying to figure out how to get them on. Of course, in the beginning,t he dog will whine because they have to first get used to them. Within a minute while I was struggling to put them on, one of my neighbors comes RUNNING out saying that he finds me DISGUSTING and abusive to animals. I told him that he walks all day on pavement in Los Angeles, and this is to prevent against heat, glass, and even prolongs the progression of arthritis.
I was immediately called a liar and an animal abuser because I was accused of making my dog look ridiculous. I mean WTH!??
Then, at the same time, a stupid lady was yelling from her car WHILE DRIVING "what are you putting on your dog's feet?" I told her she needs to worry about DRIVING in the middle of LA rather than looking at my dog.

Now, I went and read SEVERAL veterinarian texts and research articles all confirming the benefit of putting on dog shoes for dogs who have to walk a lot on pavement. I only put it on him during a hot day or when I am out a long time. So, what P***ses me off most is the fact that I was accused of being abusive to animals by protecting my dog's feet!

And why the heck is it so difficult to NOT PET MY service animal when I tell them not to pet him. And why do some moms let their 2 year olds come up and hit my dog and sit and do nothing? In fact, even after I stopped it, the mom was more upset with me for telling her kid no than scolding her kid for running up to another person's dog and HITTING him in the face, TWICE??

OK, I feel better now . . . sorry for the rant.

Just an FYI, in the state of California, if a person comes up and touches your animal (even if he is on a leash and you do not give him/her permission to touch your animal) and your animal bites them, YOU are the one completely held responsible and have to pay damages to said person.

[Belldandy]

I can understand someone being confused about dog shoes, but after your reasonable explanation, I don't understand why they can't say, "Ooops, my bad! That's awesome you're doing that for your dog."

And people should know better not to distract a service dog =/

[MyBaby]

I'd tell the people to mind their own business and then ignore them. Or just ignore them completely. Can't believe someone went out of their way to scold you about your dog. They have too much time on their hands. People out here in Chicago freak if you don't put a dog coat on the animal in the winter. Umm... last time I checked dogs already have fur coats on.

p.s. if a child tries to approach your dog without permission, tell them, "No, No the doggie's mean and might bite you!" That should tramatize them, (the kids). Hee Hee.

[teggacat]

What an annoying situation
I think the kids' disrespect for you dog bothers
me more than the boot thing. It goes back to the
ignorant parents who do not take the time to teach
their kids any type of responsibility, all to common these
days. You were true to yourself, in other words, you
know you were doing the right thing by taking care of your working
dogs' feet, my hats off to you. There are alot of good people
out there but just as many ignorant jerks, unfortunately we have
to deal with those jerks daily. As far as the boots, tell 'em to
f**k off, but the kids, well, some very stern remarks to the parent
would be in order. Basically there are alot of really good people around
but equal amounts of a**holes

[cutiebunny]

Do people not have enough going on in their lives that they have to butt into others' lives

Anyone who has stayed up late and watched TV has seen the abused animal commercials. In my opinion, putting shoes designed specifically for animal usage does not constitute abuse.

Neither does giving your dog one Dingo bone a day, but my dog will argue otherwise.

While it might be a gross generalization, I think that when it comes to pets, Americans are odd. You get criminalized for wanting to protect your dog's paws with shoes specifically designed for that purpose, but people who raise & participate in dog fights are pitied because of their 'poor upbringing'.

I applaud your efforts to protect your dog. We need more good pet owners in the world.

[teggacat]

but people who raise & participate in dog fights are pitied because of their 'poor upbringing'.

you have some interesting and valid points CB, and I get the comparison your trying to make, but to be honest,
I have never and will never pity anyone who participates
in dog fighting, no question, they should be shot [the people not the dogs]
In general I think the bigger problem is the epidemic called
lack of Common Sense in the world these days

[Drac of the Sharp Smiles]

And why the heck is it so difficult to NOT PET MY service animal when I tell them not to pet him. And why do some moms let their 2 year olds come up and hit my dog and sit and do nothing?

This drives me BONKERS. I don't have a dog, but I go walking in the park with my parrot a lot and only a handful of parents will tell their kids they have to ASK before running up to see her. Mind you, she's VERY good with kids and doesn't startle easily, but the point remains that most birds are VERY easy to scare and if they're not good with people other than their owner THEY ESSENTIALLY HAVE A CAN OPENER ON THE FRONT OF THEIR FACE, which they can use on human fingers.

It was also a problem when I walked my cat in the park. (Yes, I walked my cat on a leash like a dog. She loved it!) She was a former stray and DID bite. She even bit me several times over the years I owned her. Parents almost NEVER stopped their kids from running right up "to pat the kitty". Sometimes they didn't even listen when I told them she has been known to bite.

Lastly, as someone who works in a vet's office, where animals are super-nervous and not feeling social, few parents stop kids from running all over the waiting room patting everything in sight. I always make sure to applaud the parents who DO stop their kids and back up the pet owners victim to kids that parents won't stop. ("You want to be careful, he's not feeling well." "Oh, you should watch out, that dog isn't good with people other than his owners.")

It's ridiculous...

[star-phoenix]

You know, I went and read every text I could find, and all have pointed to the benefits of dog shoes, ESPECIALLY in cold weather. There has been a huge number of cases where dog's feet had to be amputated because of frostbite damage, which would have been completely prevented by putting dog shoes on them.
In Los Angeles, my concern is really the asphalt, hot pavement, glass, chemicals, gravel, fox tails (dogs get these stuck between their toes, and when they lick it off, they can inhale it, which has been known to cause severe lung damage and death), etc.

If you think kids are insane, last week, I was walking on Santa Monica Pier, and a grown man BARKED at my dog to get his attention, twice!! So, how the heck can you expect kids to be educated when grown-ups are even worse?? One old lady petted him after I said "he's working right now and cannot be petted." her response being "oh, it's okay. It's harmless."
And the biggest irritation is when people know he is a service animal (it is very evident he is), they constantly whistle commands at him or do anything to get his attention to look at them. It is a HUGE no-no to do that. If I had to say "stop that" every time a person did that, I would not have enough voice left in me.

And as far as those parents LETTING kids run up to dogs to touch them without permission, I bet you some of them KNOW that they get money if their kids get bit. So, I wouldn't be surprised if they allow them on purpose.

[Zag]

And as far as those parents LETTING kids run up to dogs to touch them without permission, I bet you some of them KNOW that they get money if their kids get bit. So, I wouldn't be surprised if they allow them on purpose.

And people are accusing you of abusing your DOG? Seriously tho, I bet you're right. My friend Gina is blind, and my kids KNOW not to touch her dog when she's working, but people come up all the time.
One lady defended herself for bothering the dog with "Well if it's a service dog, it should be well trained and won't bite me!" WTF.

[cutiebunny]

I have never and will never pity anyone who participates
in dog fighting, no question, they should be shot [the people not the dogs]

I agree. I have no sympathy for people who use dogs to fight. Especially if they are, like certain pro footballers, incredibly wealthy and are doing it for entertainment(?) purposes.

I think that all service animals have to deal with people who want to pet them, even when they are working. I've seen people try to pet the dogs of the K-9 police officers when they are on duty and go up to the police cars with the K-9 advisory messages specifically to see and play with the dog.

Maybe a public service announcement would be beneficial, not for just for police officers but for those with service animals as well.