Idiot dog-owners: Ow ow ow … my head hurts
By Gina Spadafori
December 4, 2007
First problem: A 10-year-old named Harrison and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Steffi. Whatever happened to Bob and Rover?
Second problem: Utter cluelessness. Do you think dogs come out of the box, you throw in some batteries and they just work perfectly? Why do you think millions of training books are sold every year?
Heaven forbid that a month of extra effort to house-train (rather than house-break, as you put it) your dog actually interfere with your efforts to get Harrison into a good prep school.
And thanks, Luisa, for making my head explode. Over this.
Suggestion for would-be dog-owners like these, here.
I don’t know, the alternative suggestion might be too good for them. They’d probably lose it in their McMansion.
Maybe a King Charles rescue person will read the article, contact them and offer to take the dog off their hands. One can only hope, for Steffi’s sake.
Comment by Susan Fox — December 4, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
I love the “June was always home to let the dog out” comment. What a crock! I am “home” with three kids currently 9not counting dogs, cats) and when is all this easy free time supposed to happen? I had an easier time with training when I was working because things were predictable and when you’re off your off. Currently I am “working” 24/7 365 and no sick days.
If people give a darn they can find time for there family and pets and for house training etc… The “answer” here is the easy part, but they won’t put in the effort. And SHAME on Dr Zawistowski for giving them an out. Perhaps they are good donors?
Comment by Jennifer J — December 4, 2007 @ 6:16 pm
Oh. My. God. Why get a pet if you can’t take care of it? My husband and I both work full-time and we toilet trained our golden by using a crate and going home on our lunch hour. Luckily for our dog, my husband now works from home, but we NEVER would have gotten a dog in the first place if we couldn’t care for him and train him properly so that he could become the wonderful family member that he is.
I really can’t believe that these people would rather live with their dog defecating and urinating in their home than training him. Seriously, what is wrong with some people?
Comment by Jenna — December 4, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
All dogs were house-trained in the 1950s? Where is this Dr Zawistowski from, Planet False Nostalgia?
And why was this … shallow, self-involved little piece even published? It’s not informative. It’s not amusing. It’s not even especially well-written — I mean, you know you’re no great shakes as a writer if even the cute li’l pup comes off as wooden on the page. So, what are we supposed to take away from it? That modern life is more hectic than ‘Leave It to Beaver’? Heck, it always was, so that can’t be it.
Oh, wait, I think I have it. ‘Stupid is as stupid does.’
Poor puppy.
Comment by Eucritta — December 4, 2007 @ 8:58 pm
Oh cripes. And then people wonder why I try to avoid placing puppies with Yupsters like this.
Housebreaking got ‘shelved’? Their dog is ‘over scheduled’?
I can’t wait to see how their kid turns out.
“I can’t be bothered to study - I’m too over scheduled, so I just shelved it. I’m going to live off of my trust fund”.
Comment by Carol — December 4, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
Having a dog that isn’t house trained should be completely out of the question. How ridiculous!(Not to mention disgusting.) Maybe it’s not a financial hardship to have the carpets replaced on a regular basis? That MUST be easier than training the dog;)
Comment by C.L.H. — December 4, 2007 @ 11:03 pm
I am shocked, shocked to find that a couple whose TEN YEAR OLD SON is still crawling into their bed at night are incapable of housetraining a pet dog.
A ten-year-old boy who doesn’t keep to his own bed is well beyond insecure toddler, past spoiled, neurotic child, and well into the realm of “getting to be creepy.”
A four year-old dog with no concept of “don’t crap in the house” — also beyond arrested development and well into “icky.”
This poor animal had maybe an hour in her life during which someone (the trainer who was “auditioning”) actually understood her and expected something of her. But it turns out her owners had no intention of allowing her to become educated. What a tease.
Now she’s back to being fodder for badly written articles on the theme of “look at what an incompetent person I am, but aren’t I clever and witty?”
Comment by Heather Houlahan — December 5, 2007 @ 12:11 am
I have seen that before on another list and no one questioned it…at all. “Oh yes” they all exclaimed, “poor dogs of today, they are over scheduled”.
I had a call last night from someone who was shocked to learn that Puppy Boot Training Camp for potty training cost more than his pet store pup did.
I gave up trying to help him keep the pup cause I think in the end the puppy is better off else where.-Nancy
Comment by nancy freedman-smith — December 5, 2007 @ 3:43 am
Thank you for the head explosion. I could say more but it would probably involve curse words.
Comment by emily — December 5, 2007 @ 7:57 am
I can’t help but say: why would training take extra time if you are spending any time at all with the dog already? There are three family members there and the dog learned three commands in thirty minutes from a stranger. Bloody hell.
Comment by emily — December 5, 2007 @ 7:58 am
Do people believe dogs are somehow trained miraculously? Dogs are work. They need more than cute toys and beds. These fools are completely devoid of common sense. Naturally the dog will pay the price.
Comment by Carol — December 5, 2007 @ 9:02 am
Do they really think that they don’t have the time to train the dog? How much time are they spending cleaning up little ‘presents?’
Is their kid toilet trained? Assuming yes, don’t they realize how much easier working with a dog will be?
And finally - you can’t convince me that these people aren’t heavily scheduled. If you can get your kid to soccer practice on time and go every week to your pilates class then you can schedule in dog eating and potty time.
People make time for the things that are important to them. Obviously this poor dog is way down on the list.
Comment by 2CatMom — December 5, 2007 @ 10:09 am
I burst out laughing when I opened the second link to follow up on the NY Times piece. Made my head feel better after the initial explosion. Thanks, Gina!
Comment by Lost for Words — December 5, 2007 @ 10:57 am
It sounds like this writer was trying to do the same type of thing that the author of Marley and Me did, make bad behavior from his family and his dog into some form of entertainment. I guess he didn’t pull it off quite as well.
It seems to me, that once you have a potty trained dog, there doesn’t have to be an absolute time that one must be home to let little Steffi out, you have some wiggle room. Sometimes my dog is expected to only hold it for a few hours, sometimes longer. But because he is trained, he knows and I know that with in reason, he should hold it until I get home!
Comment by Megan Cahill — December 7, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
Actually, I found the article entertaining, a satire of real life as it exists today. [However, this business about a 10 year old in bed with the parents is disturbing.]
There’s a lot of truth to dogs and less accidents in the “Cleaver Era.” I think Harry Hurt brings home a good point - we’ve become over-scheduled Type A neurotics. Only the animals have remained mentally healthy.
Let me ask: Does every human “hold it” until some superior human says he can go to the bathroom?
Doesn’t it make sense that if we humans react to “the call of nature” that animals might also want to do so as well?
OK, I recognize that nowadays, with everyone out of the house so much, we simply can’t have accidents all over the floor. So, yes, potty training is an absolute.
I just think we all need to be reminded from time to time that it’s pretty damned uncomfortable having to “hold it.”
Comment by Lynn — December 9, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
The guy needs a “high-priced dog trainer” to tell him dogs need to be fed and walked regularly? Does he need an appointment with a proctoogist to help him find his rear end with both hands?
Comment by Diane — December 14, 2007 @ 6:29 pm