A dog owner rant!

[JackSpratt]

I took one of mine to the vets the other day, and ours is a drop in clinic. Works fine sometimes, but not if you have an elderly cat that isn't used to dogs and the majority of other patients waiting are canine! She was nearly dealing with the experience until TWO Great Danes came in, one of which was only seven months.(and still the size of a donkey)Because both dogs were used to cats, they immediately wanted to make friends, but I can tell you that DIDN'T happen!

As for dog owners being more inconsiderate, I agree that there are a few like that. But my mum has both a dog and cat and she's one of the nicest people I know!

Glad Tiggy is no longer under the tree!

[Maddiesmum]

I know what you mean about inconsiderate owners.  My vet has a small waiting room which is frequently cramped with all different pets.  Recently a man came in with a lovely but very giddy youngish dog.  He then allowed it to wander round on an extended lead sniffing at every animal in the room.  A couple of dogs, who were obviously stressed at being there, had a go at it and he said to the dog "it's your own effing fault".  Even when the dogs had had a go at his youngster he allowed it back to sniff again.

This week an elderly man was in with his elderly dog which wasn't on a lead.  He let it walk all round and was smiling indulgently as it sniffed small puppies etc. 

I am nowhere near perfect but when I used to take my dog Pepsi to the vet, I kept her fully under control and never allowed her near other animals mostly for her own protection as you don't know what is wrong and they could be in pain or contagious.

Perhaps vets should give out leaflets detailing acceptable behaviour in the waiting room?  I know that sometimes the nurses have to ask people to take their dog outside to wait their turn.

All it takes really is a little consideration for others which sadly many people nowadays don't seem to possess.

[Desley (booktigger)]

Aww poor Tiggy. I have come across inconsiderate dog owners in the vets, but it isn't too bad now as we have a really big waiting room, so tend to have cats on one side and dogs on the other. WAs funny when I was there yesterday, they gave me Shadow back before my app with Tiger, and when the people in front of me walked out of the consulting room, all they saw was a row of cat carriers - it even worried the vet!! They had a puppy smaller than Shadow, and in a carrier bigger than my 3 carriers put together - dont know who was more fascinated, the puppy or the cats!!

[smudgepickles]

poor little Tiggs I hate that when it happens stupid irresposible owners kisses for Tiggs from me and my pusscat crew.

I must say my vets say I am one in a million. Although my 3 beautiful labradors are well behaved I always check in the vet room first to make sure there are no cat baskets so as not to stress the cats. I know any one of my 9 cats freak at other dogs in the vets and yappy ones drive me nuts. Its bad enough being an owner waiting to hear news good or bad about our little friends health, how they must feel listening to little yappers does not bare thinking about


xxxxxx

[Tiggy's Mum]

Thanks for all the Tiggy support messages!  She is fine now and is no longer under the tree...

The main branch of my vets (emergency 24hr hospital) has separate waiting areas for dogs and cats but the branch I go to 99% of the time is much smaller so not really feasible.  It was the woman who really annoyed me, not the dog, if Tiggy's presence was upsetting a dog or getting it excited I would wait outside (as I have done in the past) but I really don't think the dog even noticed Tiggy as it was so intent on growling and yapping at all the other well behaved dogs who never even barked back.   I was going to wait outside with her today to get away from snooty woman and yapping dog but she was in her new super duper carrier which isn't so super duper when it's raining as it has an open air top bit so she would have been soaked!

[Gillian Harvey]

Poor Tigs, hope she's ok now 

My vet does have a sort of 'cat only' morning! Trouble is, its only a Wednesday morning and there are only 2 available appointments for cats, and if they overrun a bit (as they normally do!) then the waiting room fills up with the next appointments, usually dogs! So it doesnt quite work - but the thought was there I guess 

[Susieh]

I had a similar experience last time Freddy went to the vets (for his booster in September).  My vets have an open surgery in the mornings, so it is on a first come, first served basis and normally if you go at 9am then you get in straight away and don't have to wait at all.  Unfortuntely this time I had to wait for nearly half an hour and there were always no less than 4 dogs in the waiting room, most of which were being noisy and Fred was really distressed.  One very sensible couple decided that one of them should take their GSD outside as he was not coping and was very noisy and the other stayed inside and fetched the dog when called.  There was a woman sat next to me with 2 yorkies who were both really scared and yapping/yelping/trembling constantly.  Their owner ignored them and chatted away to someone else about cute puppies whilst her poor little dogs got more and more wound up by the sounds, smells and each other.  They were literally racing back and forth on the ends of their leads and she just sat there not looking at them.

I haven't got a problem with dog owners in general, heck I was one myself and hope to be again soon, but some people clearly have no idea what their dogs need, let alone other people or animals who they meet.  I have also come across people who train their dogs to chase cats and I'm sure they would allow them to harm the cats too.  Makes me nervous but fortunately my 3 cats stay out of public places normally.

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

ha that made me laugh Liz.

It reminded me of a very effectionate little black female we had once when we lived above the vets surgery. Opposite the sitting room window was a bus stop where all the oldies used to catch a bus to town for their weekly shopping.

Penny used to make a beeline for the bus que every morning because she knew she would get lots of attention but she was a real jeckle and hyde


After a few minutes of coos and ahhhs there would be lots of screams and cries as Penny would suddenly turn into a viscious fireball and rake everyone within reach ....

She finaly took to running further and further away until she was daily crossing 2x dual carriageways and people who knew she belonged at the surgery would bundle her in their cars and bring her back usually covered in scratches and dripping blood   

[Liz]

As a Dog owner and cat owner I can only so sorry for the hassle you poor babe went through.

We on the other hand kind of clear the side of the waiting room as we iusually have 6 - 8 cats usually 2 nasty ones in crush cages covered with towls and the dogs on their leads - need to take both as the collie is deaf and the jack russell is his ears and he panics if he can't see her.

We do however seem to get kids coming over to peer in the cages and boxes and wonder why they are told politely to not touch the crushesrs but some do and I have to say my ferals never miss!

I now arrange to go as near the end of the suergery time as possible as that way their are only one or 2 people there and it creates less hassle all round escpecially as I never like to say to the mothers of the shredded child that I did tell their "darlings" to politely sod off!

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

Aw poor Tiggy. Hope she's ok Helen.

My vet does home visits so I'm lucky that way. But if Lexy does have to go to the surgery they have such a small waiting room they only make bookings that can hold 2 max in the room and cats get priority in the waiting room and dogs get taken in right away to another part of the surgery to wait. That way no grumbles.

I'm more cat person but have had dogs in the past. They will do anything to make you happy so if you don't train them they will do what's natural to them. I find irresponsible dog owners all over but in general most are ok. I tend to find lap dog owners the most inconsiderate though. Very yappy like their pets!

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

I know this is an unfair generalisation

Youre right it is    I grew up with dogs not cats and my parents still have dogs. Their main concern is that their dog is happy and healthy and that it is not a bother to anyone. They are the kind of people who drive home with plastic poo bags when there arent any bins. They wouldnt dream of letting it off the lead in a lead only place although 90% of the time Jess IS off the lead but that is beacuse she has been to dog training classes and is under 'close control' She sits and waits when another dog is passing as she is told to do and is basically very well behaved. As I said before my parents both take her to the vets, one sits inside and the other outside with Jess until she is called and then they bring her inAt xmas we went to my bruvs in the campervan which doesnt do over 60 on the motorway just so Jess could have double glazing, heating if needed and more room during the day as she couldnt come in the house as they have cats.
Obviously not everyone is like that but a lot are.


Tab

you are quite right Tab there are lots of responsible dog owners, thank goodness, but there are an awful lot more irresponsible ones.... at a guess 7:10 of all the dog owners I meet from day to day and I meet a lot. No one is saying ALL dog owners . we are just discussing the irresponsible ones you understand.

No one is trying to tarnish all dog owners.  .  There are lots of irresponsible and inconsiderate cat owners too and Parents .

I have been a dog owner myself, we have always had dogs in the family and my ex has had 2x  Doby's which lived with us the past 10 years.

It sounds like you are a very considerate and thoughtfull dog owner I just wish all the others I meet were

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Oh Helen, I am sorry.  I hope Tiggy's settled down alright now.

It is awful, I know.  I'm lucky inasmuch as Tess is very well behaved (I know I'm biased, but she is!) but I frequently find difficulties in our waiting room when people have dogs who are less than under their control.  

Was just saying on another thread about a dog who visits our neighbours, and it's a beautiful dog - but it hates cats, and given a chance would chase and kill - it's almost had our cat twice.  It's not too late to do something about it, but the owner thinks it's behaviour that can't be changed.  Our neighbour was recently looking after it, and it pulled her off her feet chasing a cat - as a result she's now recovering from a broken pelvis and had to spend Christmas in hospital.  Don't get me wrong - the dog's owner was devastated, but the dog is a serious menace and it's not the dog ultimately who's at fault - apparently the owner's brother used to point out cats and go "Kill, Kill....."  I ask you - the mentality of it....?

[tab]

I know this is an unfair generalisation

Youre right it is    I grew up with dogs not cats and my parents still have dogs. Their main concern is that their dog is happy and healthy and that it is not a bother to anyone. They are the kind of people who drive home with plastic poo bags when there arent any bins. They wouldnt dream of letting it off the lead in a lead only place although 90% of the time Jess IS off the lead but that is beacuse she has been to dog training classes and is under 'close control' She sits and waits when another dog is passing as she is told to do and is basically very well behaved. As I said before my parents both take her to the vets, one sits inside and the other outside with Jess until she is called and then they bring her in
At xmas we went to my bruvs in the campervan which doesnt do over 60 on the motorway just so Jess could have double glazing, heating if needed and more room during the day as she couldnt come in the house as they have cats.
Obviously not everyone is like that but a lot are.
love
Tab

[Nick (Peanut & Boo)]

I know this is an unfair generalisation butt  I generally find that dog owners are incrediably insensitive and inconsiderate to others . Its very rare you see an owner with a dog on a lead under proper control. My neighbour lets her dog out of the front door in our private lane and it immediatly chases both my cats up a tree or in through the catflap. It then urinates and usually does No 2s as well in the lane before getting in her car. !?

If my ex  let our doberman off the lead it would probably eat her dog . That obviously never occurs to her.
She's a horrible loud selfish woman that looks exactly like Glenda Jackson and she throws her weight and money around and shouts at the top of her voice the whole time Grrrrrrrr

My neighbours the other side got a lab puppy to go on walks with the other neighbour (glenda Jackson)  now it has grown full size they shove it out in an unheated shed in the garden most of the time . Its not so cute now I guess.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Aw, poor Tiggy!  How disrespectful of that dog! Give her cuddle from me when she's come out from beneath the xmas tree 

My vets waiting room is usually empty when I go but if someone does come in with a dog you can bet your life they'll sit down next to me with my cat carrier instead of the other side of the empty waiting room which really annoys me, esp if I have Jaffa who's such a scaredy cat.

[tab]

The vets I use is fairly quiet and they suggest that owners who came by car keep their dogs in the car until the appt time which is what my parents do with theirs. I did however give a friend a lift to her vets with her cat where the waiting area was divided up with a cat area, dog area and small animal area which is a great idea but sadly one dog owner had a dog that didnt like other dogs so instead of waiting outside (cold and no chairs) sat in the cat area.
I also get annoyed at vets that book a selection of people in for a certain time then they have to wait in the order they arrived where as my vets book people in in 5 min gaps so you dont wait as long.
I hope Tiggy's calmed down now and recovered after lots of cuddles and treats
love
Tab

[Tiggy's Mum]

Tiggy went to the vets this morning for her monthly jab, I plucked her from a deep comfy sleep and bundled her into her basket at around 9:40.  Got to the vets for our 10am appointment and it was full of dirty dogs.  The owners all seemed to be from the same posh village and knew (or more likely were probably inbred) each other. 

The snooty woman that was sat next to us had this horrible yappy dog that spent the entire 35 minutes we were kept waiting growling and yapping at the other dogs, poor Tiggy was petrified and all this woman could say, in between talking about the hunt and farming, was 'that's enough' at which point the dog continued growling and yapping. Now I don't blame the dog but I thought the owner was really inconsiderate, if I had a dog that was behaving like that I would have either waited outside or at least the other side of the waiting room but no, 'that's enough' was all that came out of her mouth  :swearin:

Poor Tiggy's heartrate was 230 by the time we went in what with the yappy growling dog and having been in her carrier for over an hour, now we're home she's sulking under the Christmas tree and won't come out