Yesterday, We Took Dandy To The Canada Day Festivities

[threenorns]

.... and he was a *rock star*.

only one incident and he was totally not the initiator: it was one of the most interesting dogs i've ever seen - i couldn't make out at all what the shepherd was mixed with and it turned out that it was a coydog!

the coy-dog, Grady, was perfectly fine with dandy, friendly in an alert way, and the two of them were having a grand sniff-fest when all of a sudden, he went NUTS all over dandy. and i mean NUTS. judging by the owner's snap-fast reaction of pulling directly up on the leash and forcing him into a sit, i'm guessing that happens a lot.

i didn't get upset, i just brought dandy to my side and pointed out that dandy was sniffing Grady's ear when that happened.

"oh, yeah - he hates it when ppl mess around with his ears" so i suggested maybe they should get his ears checked and, since both dogs were studiously ignoring each other, took my leave.

but i have to ask: WTH possesses ppl to bring dog- or child- unfriendly animals to a freakin' family festivity!? twice i was told not to let my daughter near the dog - "he's not good with kids" (and both times, the dog was *staring* at saari with lowered head, ears forward and rigid, tail up and stiff, hackles raised; one dog even had a front paw raised!). neither dog was muzzled and there were *many* little toddlers cruising around with their faces at the dog's height! (one dog was a purebred shepherd, the other was a yellow lab mix).

dandy's bestie of the day was a puppy mill rescue - the freakiest little .... um.... i dunno-what, but i think it was meant to be a yorkie. but the features were extremely exaggerated - the face was *very* pointed and the feathers flew out in very long, very straggly strings (they were told that's just how it's going to be unless they cut them down level with the rest of the fur which they didn't want to do because then he looked even wierder). he was the last one left from the 33 dogs rescued and nobody wanted him so this elderly disabled couple (he with a heart condition, she with a rolling walker) took him in. he and dandy got along so beautifully to the point that when dandy rolled over for a belly rub, so did Chauncy! everybody around was all "aaaaaaw!!!!!!".

it was heart-breaking to see what was happening with another of his besties, The Brown Dog Jiggs. jiggs is a smooth-coated collie with incredibly long, elegant lines - but he's suffering from cognitive dementia. he was neutered at 8wks before he was adopted out and i, personally, put the blame squarely on that. he still remembered dandy, though, and for a few minutes, we all watched him get young again - playing and romping and acting so goofy when a moment before, he was an old man frightened at all the confusion and the owner was telling me sadly that this was the last public event he would be present at because it was clearly too overwhelming for him.

 

[southerngirl]

It sounds like it was a pretty good day and you got to meet some pretty cool dogs. I totally agree that people had no business bringing there dogs who have aggression issues and not keeping them away from everyone. They could have hurt one of the little kids.

 

[MaryK]

Sounds like you and Dandy had a really fun day. Love the sound of his 'bestie' and kudos to the elderly couple for adopting him. So sorry to hear about Jiggs, that's so very, very sad.

I agree, people shouldn't take their dogs to family festivities if they're in anyway 'aggressive', fix that problem first in a safe environment, kids and other dogs could be hurt. Not fair to the dogs either, they don't need that kind of pressure. The least the owners should do is get the bandanas/leads etc. saying 'my dog needs space'.

 

[threenorns]

i met a lady today walking three dogs - one of them had a big yellow ribbon on the collar and the other two had green ribbons. i asked what they were for and she said the green ribbons are friendly dogs, well socialized, and she knows them well but she's only had the yellow ribbon dog for a week and it's still skittish and nervous so needs more space and time, best not to let dandy charge up (too late by then, but the dog was okay with dandy and rushed right on up with the other two dogs and with all the sniffing and circling we had a four-leash macramé going).

 

[brody_smom]

It sounds like it was a pretty good day and you got to meet some pretty cool dogs. I totally agree that people had no business bringing there dogs who have aggression issues and not keeping them away from everyone. They could have hurt one of the little kids.

I was just looking into registering for "Run for the Cure" for October 2013. On their FAQ page, one of the questions was "Can I bring my dog on the run with me?" The answer, "Dogs are welcome, but they must be wearing a basket muzzle." I thought that was so smart. Many people underestimate how their dogs will react in situations like that, with so many people of all shapes and sizes, plus dogs. Muzzle them or leave them home.

 

[southerngirl]

I was just looking into registering for "Run for the Cure" for October 2013. On their FAQ page, one of the questions was "Can I bring my dog on the run with me?" The answer, "Dogs are welcome, but they must be wearing a basket muzzle." I thought that was so smart. Many people underestimate how their dogs will react in situations like that, with so many people of all shapes and sizes, plus dogs. Muzzle them or leave them home.

For something like a run yes that is a good idea because it will be very exciting and or overwhelming with a bunch of people running. But for an event like she was at I don't think muzzles are necessary for well behaved dogs. The person with the dog who was not good with kids should have had a muzzle on or not have brought the dog.

 

[threenorns]

with a run, i can understand the muzzle - even the most stolid dog can have his prey drive triggered if a hundred ppl all take off running. (although when dandy and i were accidently caught in the middle of last year's Highland Yard - 10k and 5k runs - he startled and barked (twice) but didn't even try to chase anybody).

but that was definitely NOT the canada day festival - that was everybody standing shoulder to shoulder and shuffling sideways a lot, lol.

 

[brody_smom]

I agree, muzzles are not necessary for all dogs at all public events. I just thought it was very prudent on the part of the organizers to make it a blanket policy, as there are many people, like the ones you met at the Canada Day festival, who think their dogs will behave well, only to find out too late that they were wrong.

 

[648117]

For something like a run yes that is a good idea because it will be very exciting and or overwhelming with a bunch of people running. But for an event like she was at I don't think muzzles are necessary for well behaved dogs. The person with the dog who was not good with kids should have had a muzzle on or not have brought the dog.

I agree.
Holly has never worn a muzzle (and probably never will) so I would be unimpressed if I was told I could only take her somewhere if she had one on (especially given that I can easily pick her up and carry her if she got overwhelmed). But I would also never take her to a run etc where she could be accidentally stood on.

But Holly completely ignores joggers (and bikes, skateboards etc) even if they run right past her and she is off leash. I think I accidentally taught this when she was a puppy because if a runner etc was comming past I would pull her to one side and give her a treat if there was room or just picked her up because I didn't want her to get stood on/ridden over, maybe if she was a bigger dog I wouldn't have done this as much and she would have had more of a problem?

 

[threenorns]

I agree, muzzles are not necessary for all dogs at all public events. I just thought it was very prudent on the part of the organizers to make it a blanket policy, as there are many people, like the ones you met at the Canada Day festival, who think their dogs will behave well, only to find out too late that they were wrong.

that's the thing: they didn't "think their dogs will behave well" - they darned well knew their dog would have a problem with other dogs/children/etc and yet they brought them anyway.

that's how headlines get started.

 

[MaryK]

I agree with Holly's Mom. Zeus has never worn a muzzle, nor had my beautiful Ra Kismet. I would hate to have to muzzle my dogs, so probably wouldn't go to an event where they had to be muzzled. However, I do emphasize with the organizers of a running event, better safe than sorry. But an event such as Dandy went too, unfortunately it's on the owners to be responsible, and sadly some just don't care!

 

[brody_smom]

I agree with Holly's Mom. Zeus has never worn a muzzle, nor had my beautiful Ra Kismet. I would hate to have to muzzle my dogs, so probably wouldn't go to an event where they had to be muzzled. However, I do emphasize with the organizers of a running event, better safe than sorry. But an event such as Dandy went too, unfortunately it's on the owners to be responsible, and sadly some just don't care!

I don't know about spectators for the run, I think the muzzle requirement was for runners who wanted to bring their dogs with them in the race. They would have to make it a requirement, for all participants, not just go on the word of the runners that their dogs were well-behaved. If they let some people off the hook, they would have a hard time enforcing it for anyone. Better safe than sorry. And if your dog won't wear a muzzle, he stays home.

 

[MaryK]

I was thinking they meant the competitors Which means of course I wouldn't be in the event as I'm not into running Even so, I wouldn't want to muzzle a dog who'd never worn one before, it can really stress a dog out, and that wouldn't be fair. So if I was a competitor, and really, really wanted to compete, I would prefer to leave my dog at home. If it wasn't a biggie, then I'd not bother to compete.

But I do understand how the organizers are placed, as unfortunately not everyone takes the trouble to properly train their dogs. Some over estimate their dog's capacity to handle crowds, and also throw the dog into crowds when the dog has never been used to or trained to accept such situations, which for some dogs is very stressful. And of course, those who just don't care about the safety of their dog or the safety of other people/animals. And all the other 'in between' scenarios', which have to be taken into account also.

I've always gradually introduced my dogs to crowds, taking it one step at a time, so can once they're fully socialized to such situations, take them anywhere even with one of my Sheppies to a very big fireworks show and LOL the only thing I had to do was buy her a fluoro tube so people could see her in the dark = she was black with gold points - she was an Angel and really enjoyed the show, crowds and music.

 

[brody_smom]

Some over estimate their dog's capacity to handle crowds, and also throw the dog into crowds when the dog has never been used to or trained to accept such situations, which for some dogs is very stressful. And of course, those who just don't care about the safety of their dog or the safety of other people/animals. And all the other 'in between' scenarios', which have to be taken into account also.

I've always gradually introduced my dogs to crowds, taking it one step at a time, so can once they're fully socialized to such situations, take them anywhere even with one of my Sheppies to a very big fireworks show and LOL the only thing I had to do was buy her a fluoro tube so people could see her in the dark = she was black with gold points - she was an Angel and really enjoyed the show, crowds and music.

I have to confess to being one of "those" people in the past, but it worked out well, so no harm done, thankfully. We had only just adopted our previous dog, a 7 year old gsd/chow chow, 2 weeks before Canada Day. I had taken her everywhere with me and she was great, so, of course(duh!), took her to the fireworks show at Canada Day. There we were, snaking through throngs of people and dogs, and she was fine. Found our spot on the ground and she plunked herself down, with her back to fireworks set up. It was only then as we were waiting for the show to start that it dawned on me that things could go horribly wrong. At the first pop, she turned her head, watched the fire shoot into the sky, and enjoyed the entire show without a twitch or a peep. This year with Brody, I stayed home. The celebration venue in our city is actually less than a mile from our house, so we could hear them loud and clear, although we couldn't see them. He was okay with the sound, loud though it was, but the people and the lights would have been too much for him.