I went to Woofstock this weekend. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. My head almost exploded with all the crap I saw. I don't even know where to start! I start thinking about something I saw and I can't even type it out fast enough. After careful deliberation, I believe the best place to start is this ...
I can't begin to tell you how much of this I saw. Do you think that people picked it up?? Not a chance. Granted, there were some good dog owners there this weekend who were picking it up, but sometimes the few ruin it for the many. By the end of Sunday the streets smelled like dog feces and urine. There were dog shit piles every 6 feet or so, making it difficult to walk, look at booths and keep an eye out for land-mines at the same time. It was disgusting. A good way to ensure I NEVER move to the city.
(more pictures in full article)
Don't even get me started on this. The dog pictured here is not impaired in any way. The woman in the picture has unfortunately fulfilled a need that has gone empty in her life by doing this. Do you really think the dog wants to hang like that? Don't you think the dog would rater be WALKING?! IMHO, she should go get a stuffed animal to fill that hole.
And then there was this. I can't believe how many people have dog-strollers. Oftentimes, the dogs in the strollers were aggressively barking and lunging at other dogs in the area. The owners would coo and tell their "snookie-poo to stop being mean to the other doggie" while patting it soothingly. Dumbass.
There were the hats ...
... Coats ...
And even "the pink"!
I don't mind the hats, coats and pink. Some people even had their dogs painted to look like things. I do mind the strollers, purses and backpacks ... but there are other, even more sinister things at Woofstock 2010 this year. One of these things was this ...
Sorry for the poor photo but I snapped this super fast and didn't take time to set up. I wanted to catch it in action. The dog in the above photo was lunging, growling and barking aggressively at another dog. (The other dog walked by with its owner.) The owner of the dog above tried to control the situation by pushing down on the dog's backside while drawing upwards on the leash (and therefore tightening the choke chain). This dog repeated the same behviour three times before the owner picked up the dog, held it to his chest and talked soothingly to it (are we seeing a pattern here?).
That one wasn't the only instance ... I saw a big rottweiler (intact male) who must have been over 100 lbs. He was being walked by a young Chinese lady who might have been 75 lbs SOAKING WET. He attacked another dog (who was also an intact male) while she was looking at dog cookies and the other dog's owner was looking at a photography booth. I wish I had had time to take a picture but I was busy rusing in to help the young lady ... she was literally being dragged across the sidewalk by the rotti. He was WAY too much dog for her to handle.
The moral of the story?? Stop treating your dogs like they are your children and let them experience the cool things that are part and parcel of being a dog. Most importantly ... TRAIN YOUR DOGS and PICK UP AFTER THEM!
I have a few more photos to share with you over the next few days including a few GTBs!
9 comments:
You and my husband would have a wonderful discussion regarding your blog. He was amazed at the lack of leadership from many of the dog owners. He opinion is this it the place where leadership and pet responsibility should be at its highest so that "visitors" can see that this event provides appropriate behaviour from dogs and their owners to receive the respect that dogs deserve!
The comments are running into your post...weird.
People never cease to amaze me, and not in a good way. We can't take our dogs to parks, state forests, beaches and so many other places because of dog owner's lack of consideration and down right stupidity. It's pretty freaking sad!
I have two favorite ways to correct stupid dog owners. I always carry tons of poop baggies. I either hand them a bag to pick it up and and point out the poop. Or I pick the poop up for them and hand them the bag. "Oops! You forgot something!" Probably not possible at a place like that, but I would have for sure gotten a few people.
Haha, I like the above comment about handing people their dog's poop. Your views in the article are mine too. Dressing, painting, and training your dog are all fun, but you have to realize that your dog is a dog, not a baby.
It all sounds like one big nightmare. So sorry for you and other respectable dog lovers.
That's why I avoid those things....
My temper, my blood pressure...
My shoes!
Had a great time at Woofstock but I too am appalled at the lack of "pick up"!! I had three dogs there and picked up every time. I did NOT allow my dogs to get in the way of others or to be more than a foot away from me at all times. Kudos to those who were good doggie citizens! We'll be back in 2011!!
Many will find posting crap like that quite offensive. (LOL?)
that is crazy!!! First of all, dogs shouldnt be treated like babies. They are dogs for crying out loud. Dogs are animals and are much happier living like dogs. people should clean up after their dogs, that is just gross leaving feces all over the place. they should also discipline their dogs, not letting them get away with everything. What is that teaching the dog???
Why dont you mind your own business YOU are the dumbass unless an animal is being abused you have no right to poke your face in, if somebody wants to push their dogs around in a stroller thats their business not yours. More in your line make an attack on the people abusing and physically harming animals and dumping them on the streets. Some dogs such as older ones find it difficult to keep going all day so the stroller allows them to go a long on a day out!! Leaving them home alone all day is much worse. So Grow up and get a life and stop minding other peoples business.
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