*warning: very wordy and kind of angry post ahead
I have been startled by people's lack of tact or sensitivity when it comes to dogs. I have mentioned it a couple of times now on Facebook and it happened yet again this weekend.
Perhaps it's my husband's exceedingly friendly and laid back demeanour that make these people (mainly his mates and our neighbour) think that it is appropriate to say such things about our dogs.
Perhaps my dogs really look and behave silly to warrant such remarks. At the end of the day though, I am less than impressed with these people's failure to recognize and remember that these dogs are still my pets and they still command some basic form of respect.
See, I know people argue that you can't equate dogs (or other animals for that matter) with humans. But you can't deny that dogs still have emotions and they can be sensitive to people bearing bad intentions towards them.
See, if you speak like that about my dog or speak like that directly to my dog, I get really really offended.
"So how is your retarded white dog?" and "Tell your dog to shut up or I will shoot it" used to be an occasional so-called casual quip by my husband's mates when they came over. I tried to turn deaf for a brief second and disappear indoors to breathe and count to ten. I tried to tell myself that they all have huge hunting dogs and hence, think it's funny to poke fun at our smaller dogs. That's excusable, well, narrowly excusable, I made myself think. Just dumb blokes being dumb.
Now though, it has progressed into an almost daily thing with my neighbor who happens to not have a job and walk around his yard all day, peeping (or more specifically, leaning) over people's fences and antagonising my dogs.
My dogs are not noisy dogs at all. Sure, they bark a little to alert us when strangers approach the house but that is about it.
This neighbor though loves antagonising my dogs and yelling at them, stirring them to dislike and bark at him often,
What I tried to ignore as 'harmless', casual quips has progressed into more serious statements such as "I am going to pour hot water over that dog."
And another "Lucky that dog is not mine or she will have a bullet through her head right now."
Can I call the cops already regarding threats and harassment?
Last week, my husband put him in place after he shook the fence to scare my dogs and in the process, dislodging a part of the wooden fence which fell and actually hit my dog. My husband confronted him about wrecking the fence which he has to now fix.
I cannot even put into words how my blood is boiling with so much anger this very instant. And to think all these extremely disrespectful statements have not been made by just one or two but quite a few now. Some might say it's because I live in the country and people go hunting and dogs really are just some wretched animal. I say it's a plain lack of respect, especially to say it in front of the owner.
See, if you say things like "Tell your kid to shut up or I will shoot it". It is very bad. It is illegal and it is very bad. If you won't say something so utterly disgusting to someone, don't say it about their dogs. On the surface, dogs and kids are different. But in reality, it is not all that different when it comes to insulting a life that someone else is in charge of.
Or if you won't say disgusting things like "I am going to pour hot water over that kid right now.", don't say it about someone's dogs as well.
I really did not want to type those sentences. It made me sick.
Am I an extreme dedicated dog lover to be typing up a post entirely on the topic? I actually am not. I like dogs, I do, but I am not particularly a huge dog lover as I know some others to be. In fact, it was my husband who wanted to get the dogs to begin with. What I am is an owner or even a parent if you will to 2 dogs who depend on me for their food, survival and happiness. I have taken on the responsibility of providing for these 2 dogs who trust me with their lives. This gives me the right to be protective and angry when people threaten or harass them.
Dogs deserve to be treated properly too.
Rant over.
Linking up with Essentially Jess for an anger-charged IBOT that I have been withholding for months!