I Don’t Hate Dogs, I Hate Dog Owners

Don’t blame it on the dog!

A few months ago, my wife put her dog down. The veterinarian clinic was very thoughtful before, during, and even after the procedure. Yet, whenever Jango (that was his name) came up, she reminds herself that she killed him, even though he was ancient for a chihuahua mutt and suffered with every step and breath he took.

Even though he and I never really saw eye-to-eye, he was a good dog; he was friendly to everybody, stayed close to us wherever we went, could stay alone without trouble, and barked at strangers entering our house. People found him cute and adorable and always wanted to pet him, even though he was very shy about that.

Growing up, our dogs were equally obedient, friendly, and loved by random passersby for it. They even socialized very easily with other dogs. They are social creatures, after all.

So it pains me a bit when I see people controlling their dogs by pulling their leashes short to keep them from meeting and befriending other dogs. It irks me a bit whenever I walk around the neighborhood and have dogs barking at me from behind their fence, not knowing the limit of their territory. And it saddens me when people get a dog just to have one.

People consider dogs as family members. As loved ones. But I feel many of them get treated too much like uncontrollable toddlers who don’t know their boundaries.