IMHO, as for the poop clean-up part, people without dogs don't seem to understand that we use PLASTIC BAGS to clean up the mess, so voila!!! No soiled hands. One lady asked me as I was walking a couple of my pups and cleaning up after one, "oh, what do you do if you get some on your hands???" My favorite response for these rude people is "that's what they make soap for, am I right???"

As for the dog hair part, it's like what, as soon as we have dogs, we forget how to vaccuum??? Why do people even say this stupid crap--it's called cleaning your freaking house!!!

I don't believe that my dogs tie me down too much. They are housetrained, so if they need to stay home, they just do. If I go on any trips, I make it a camping trip where I can bring them along, or I go to the dog beach or a park.

I have a neighbor who has four totally unrully, wild kids who are as loud as can be right outside our windows at all times of the day. My OH has actually caught a couple of them throwing rocks at our windows and I've caught one of them teasing my dogs before while they were minding their own business in the backyard This woman is totally ignorant when it comes to animals and she asked me when I was letting my dogs have a potty break outside one time "Is this the time of day that you have to let them out every day?" It struck me as odd and I said "well they go out lots of times a day, it just depends from day to day what times they go out". I swear she said to me "OHHHHH so they don't have a place to go to the bathroom in your house? I thought that they just went inside all the time". I was a bit peeved and offended and I said "have you not heard of ''potty training'' a dog before?" She said "OOOHHHHH you mean they can hold it??? WOOOW!!! I thought that you just cleaned up after them all the time inside when they go to the bathroom".

Yes, of course I let my four dogs pee and poop all over my house any time they please. I just LOVE a good soiled carpet. Could you not tell that I was an absolute slob before??? Man, I thought you knew. At least my "wild beasts" of dogs actually come to me when I call them!!!!! What a concept!!!!



Sorry, rant over. I agree with all of the above posters....to each their own, but PLEASE stop questioning me and confronting me about MY OWN personal choices!!!! What ever happened to 'personal space'????

~Julie

IMHO, as for the poop clean-up part, people without Oh I'm sure they'd have been delighted by my story of waking up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night only to step in liquid dog poop on the way. I hopped to the bathroom going "eww, eww EWWWWW!" and scrubbed my foot then cleaned up as normal. It's not the end of the world.

Dog hair is an issue for me in some respects. Doesn't bother me too much but no matter how often I vacuum and clean I can't get rid of them all. Dog hair is a condiment in my house, I can't remember the last time I had a meal without a dog hair in it.

I don't get these people who think dogs pee and poop in the house though. Do they really think we live in a huge dog toilet or something?

My dogs are worth more and mean more to me than humans do! And yes, my family know that.

Kids, however, nah......I'll pass, thanks!

Regarding picking after after a dog and changing sh*tty nappies........picking up after the dog wins hands down for me! Hand in bag, pick up, tie and bin - done.

Most of the time you don't even smell it when picking up after a dog and never have to clean my dogs backsides either as one is short haired and the other I keep the hair short at the rear end.

I don't know what kind of dogs some of you have or indeed what you feed them, but I never have a sh*t covered kitchen floor!

Dirty nappies - you can keep them as well as the baby itself!

Although I am an Auntie and Great-Aunt to 9 children I am proud of the fact that I have NEVER changed a nappy-EUGH!

Of course I clear up after my dogs when necessary (Parker usually reverses into a bush so it disappears inside bless him).

My neighbours unruly tribe of children has put me off (even if I wasn't the age I am) as even if you bring your children up to have manners and be polite and respectful of other people they still have to mix with other children like this when they go to school.

My friend's husband upset me once with this comment "Oh your dogs must cost you a lot of money" (he is a right old miser) and I was really angry and said "Not everything can be thought of in terms of money-I consider them to be part of my family as pets" He is the sort of person you think is counting the cost of every mouthful when you go round for a meal.

Personally I agree with people who say about the dog hair issue as although we have non-shedding dogs because of my asthma I don't like to see dog hairs everywhere so I would choose a non-shedding breed even if I wasn't asthmatic as I am quite house-proud. That doesn't mean I look down on people with hairy dogs-that's their choice if they are happy doing all that hoovering! It's just when I was growing up my friend had a dog that moulted everywhere and she always came to school covered in dog hairs-yuk!

We've had the odd overnight accident where the dogs have just 'gone' without barking or whining; and the first I have known of it is going downstairs in a morning and finding the kitchen in a complete state

Love it!

I genuinely find myself asking whether they are worth it sometimes, mainly with one of mine who is very challenging. If I am having a particularly bad day with her where her behaviour has been awful I have to wonder if they are worth the stress. I think they ARE obviously worth the stress when you weigh up the good and bad points, but there is still a little part at the back of my mind that thinks "my life would be easier if.......".

I think a lot of us have had days like that, not perhaps for the same reasons, but still the same thoughts nonetheless. I have those thoughts when I have the stress of organising someone to come let him out, or when we can't go places we'd love to take him with us, but I always come back to how worth it he is.

I can't imagine Axel is as bad as the hairy, grey, devil incarnate, creature possessed that is in my avatar picture.