I don't hate dogs - quite the opposite, actually. Nothing makes me happier than when I'm walking to Walgreens from my apartment and I see a dog and their owner out for a walk. I know nothing makes a dog feel better than taking a long walk after being stuffed up in a house all day. But the thing that annoys me is when the dog starts jumping up on me and the owner has to start pulling them down and telling them to get off.
When you buy a dog, part of the expenses that you consider should be some sort of obedience training just in case the basic training that you cover with them does not help them behave in public any better. Dog owners need to consider and understand the fact that not everyone likes dogs, and just because I'm okay with your dog jumping all over me, that does not mean that the next person would be okay with that.
Last week, I basically had to hold a stranger's dog down while she re-attached his leash to him because he had slipped out of his leash while jumping up onto me. We were right next to a busy road, and if I had been a person that didn't like dogs, then that owner would have been in a lot more trouble. I knew that she was a new dog owner because of the way she reacted - there was no discipline and she asked me how to make the leash tighter so this doesn't happen again.
And apparently, it had happened before.
It's the same with the dogs on campus. I have seen so many dogs running around off their leash and jumping around on people. Not everyone likes dogs, and just because you know that your dog is friendly and won't bite, doesn't mean that other people don't understand that, especially if they have had a bad experience with a dog before.
Owners need to step up and understand that dogs need to have some type of concept of obedience before walking them out in public. These people are not considering the effect that their actions have on other people while having their dog run around or jump on random people while they're out walking.
I don't have a dog because I live in a tiny apartment and don't have enough time in my day to properly train the dog. I won't have a dog until I have enough time to train him and enough room in my house for him to happily run around.
Owners, especially college students, need to realize that it takes a lot of work to have a dog and they shouldn't just get one because they are cute or adorable.
Dogs take so many hours of work during the week in order to train them and to ensure that they don't tear your house apart while you're away. They also cost a lot more money than people think, and people need to take more responsibility when considering buying a dog.
