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Where I live, I see dogs being walked frequently by their owners on many streets and sidewalks. I've seen dogs tethered outside more than one grocery store. A dog-phobic person living in my town could not avoid dogs unless he/she never walked on the public streets and sidewalks.
When I was a child, my mother was able to take our well-behaved dogs to the doctor's office, the beauty parlor, department stores and other retail establishments. When the rules changed, she stopped doing so. That was a long time ago...
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Originally Posted by germaine2626
Where did you live? How long ago was this? I am 64 years old and I never even once saw a dog in a doctor's office, in a beauty shop, in a department store or other retail establishment until the last few years. I grew up in a rural area and while some/many people had dogs in the pickup trucks they certainly did not take them into their doctor's office or into a department store. I later lived in a rural area in another state and again while dogs may be in their pick up truck they did not go with their owners into offices & stores. I also lived in the largest & second largest city in my state and again did not see dogs in those places.
Now, I will mention that in college in the 1970s there were several students who were blind who had leader dogs (seeing eye dogs) on campus and of course the dogs went everywhere that they went. Also, during the 1990s there was a special education consultant in my area who was blind who also had a leader dog. Other than that I do not recall ever seeing a dog in all of those places (until recent years).
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Originally Posted by Regina14
My mother took the dogs to her doctor when I was quite young, so I didn't go with her; but she told me that she was able to do so, through the early 1960's or thereabouts. I can vaguely remember having the dogs along when my mother took me clothes-shopping, when I was a child. I remember seeing my dogs go up and down an escalator in a building that had shopping and restaurants in it (mid-1960's, I think); because our Irish Setter was not very happy doing the escalator and moved even quicker and more delicately than he did normally. And I remember my mother taking the dogs when she went to the beauty parlor. Later, the beauty parlor owners mentioned that there were laws against it, so we didn't take dogs into the beauty parlors any more. I also remember observing that our dogs were quiet in public, and better behaved than at home; and not just because they were on-leash.
I grew up in a Massachusetts suburb. I don't seen any dogs (other than service dogs) inside grocery stores or most retail establishments. I do see dogs occasionally with their owners in the post office; and have been known to take my dog inside if it is warm outside; on-leash of course. There is one bookstore in my town that allows dogs inside, at least it did a couple of years ago, the last time I went there.
Thank you for updating. I suspect that your mom taking a dog, especially a larger dog like an Irish Setter, or two dogs all those places was not really common or you would have remember seeing multiple dogs in doctor's offices, beauty shops, department stores and other retail establishments when you were growing up. If you do not remember seeing multiple dogs with their owners in those places it probably was just something that your mother did and was tolerated for some reason. I bet that "the rules" did not change as much as the businesses, such as the beauty salon, finally were just fed up with your mother taking her dogs everyplace.
I'm a little curious. Could there have been a reason why your mom and her dogs went to doctor's offices, beauty salons, department stores, etc. and no one stopped her?
Even when I was in grade school I knew that wealthy or prominent or influential people in my town followed different rules that everyone else.
As I said in my post, until a few years ago, other than leader dogs with someone who was blind, I never even once saw a dog inside any those places in multiple states and various cities so you can see why your comments about your mother taking a large dog or multiple dogs with her to all of those places sort of puzzles me.
Last edited by germaine2626; 09-18-2016 at 09:13 AM..
Most dog owners believe their pet is fool proof. They've personally never had serious problems, so they assume nothing could ever happen. I guess it's not hard to understand that logic, but it's a bit misguided.
Thank you for updating. I suspect that your mom taking a dog, especially a larger dog like an Irish Setter, or two dogs all those places was not really common or you would have remember seeing multiple dogs in doctor's offices, beauty shops, department stores and other retail establishments when you were growing up. If you do not remember seeing multiple dogs with their owners in those places it probably was just something that your mother did and was tolerated for some reason. I bet that "the rules" did not change as much as the businesses, such as the beauty salon, finally were just fed up with your mother taking her dogs everyplace.
I'm a little curious. Could there have been a reason why your mom and her dogs went to doctor's offices, beauty salons, department stores, etc. and no one stopped her?
Even when I was in grade school I knew that wealthy or prominent or influential people in my town followed different rules that everyone else.
As I said in my post, until a few years ago, other than leader dogs with someone who was blind, I never even once saw a dog inside any those places in multiple states and various cities so you can see why your comments about your mother taking a large dog or multiple dogs with her to all of those places sort of puzzles me.
I second the bolded.
I too am puzzled by the taking of dogs, let alone large or multiple ones, to all those places because I was old enough in the 60's, even the 50's, to have very clear memories of the norms of society. Like I said, dogs didn't enter buildings, although seeing them hanging out around public use buildings, either tied to a pole or on their own, was far more common than today. Heck, we had a couple of dogs that trotted up by themselves to the school around release time to escort their young owners home at the first school where I taught. My husband, who grew up in a more rural community, says he does remember an occasional dog at the feed store if it was cold or raining and the owner was chatting as well as buying, but that was it.
If Mom was taking those dogs in all those places there is some part of the story that is missing.
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First of all, the dog owners were in the wrong. They should have listened to the rules. However, there is a bigger issue at hand: OP's daughter's dog phobia. It is not a fear she can easily avoid, so it would be a good idea for the OP to tackle this issue right away. Phobias only get worse, and as others have said, dogs are everywhere, and if OP just ignores it, she can become fearful of going to a lot of places.
I'm a dog owner and I don't like taking my giant dogs to dog parks. There are too many variables I can't control: aggressive dogs, aggressive people, unvaccinated and intact animals, overcrowding, my own dogs' behavior toward whatever, and people who bring their tiny kids to the park even though the rules prohibit that.
My dogs are well behaved in every situation they have encountered so far, but when faced with overwhelming stimuli by numerous strangers, I have no clue what they might do, and I don't want to take the risk. And any dog owner who believes Fluffy is completely under their control is an unleashed dog park situation is living in a fantasy land.
I have a child who is fearful of dogs. Wish she wasn't, but that's life. Same fear as fear of elevators, claustrophobia, or airplanes.
We were at the park, and several dog owners decided to bring their dogs to the children's playground. Rules stated no dogs in children's playground. The park was over 100 acres, and featured a nice size dog park in a different area. But no, the people insisted on walking their dogs through the children's playground.
Why? I glared at one owner who brought their giant bulldog into the children's play area. She looked back, and said he's friendly, and just wants to spend time with his friends (several other dogs nearby, also in the children's playground).
I have no problem with dogs or dog owners, but wish that they'd provide the space needed for my child.
How old is your child? Have you taken her to s psychologist or another professional to work on her fear of dogs?
I knew someone who developed a fear of pigeons when they were a child. It got worse and worse over the years, by the time that she was in her 40s & 50s whether or not pigeons, or any other birds, were in the area effected what jobs she would take, where she would go shopping, what restaurants she would go to, where she would vacation, etc. She finally went to a therapist when she was about 65 and they fairly easily cured her phobia. She said that greatly regretted all those years that she wasted being afraid of pigeons & other birds.
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Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks
First of all, the dog owners were in the wrong. They should have listened to the rules. However, there is a bigger issue at hand: OP's daughter's dog phobia. It is not a fear she can easily avoid, so it would be a good idea for the OP to tackle this issue right away. Phobias only get worse, and as others have said, dogs are everywhere, and if OP just ignores it, she can become fearful of going to a lot of places.
Most dog owners believe their pet is fool proof. They've personally never had serious problems, so they assume nothing could ever happen. I guess it's not hard to understand that logic, but it's a bit misguided.
I don't believe that...I mean i hope it isn't true. Any one who has had a dog for more then a day should realize they are animals and not robots.
First of all, the dog owners were in the wrong. They should have listened to the rules. However, there is a bigger issue at hand: OP's daughter's dog phobia. It is not a fear she can easily avoid, so it would be a good idea for the OP to tackle this issue right away. Phobias only get worse, and as others have said, dogs are everywhere, and if OP just ignores it, she can become fearful of going to a lot of places.
I'm a dog owner and I don't like taking my giant dogs to dog parks. There are too many variables I can't control: aggressive dogs, aggressive people, unvaccinated and intact animals, overcrowding, my own dogs' behavior toward whatever, and people who bring their tiny kids to the park even though the rules prohibit that.
My dogs are well behaved in every situation they have encountered so far, but when faced with overwhelming stimuli by numerous strangers, I have no clue what they might do, and I don't want to take the risk. And any dog owner who believes Fluffy is completely under their control is an unleashed dog park situation is living in a fantasy land.
100% yes to everything.
Overtime you give into a phobia, you feed it and it grows. OP is doing her daughter a huge disservice not getting her professional help with it now. The psychologist wont throw her in a room with 10 dogs...she will slowly build her tolerance level. It that or forever having you go around and make sure no dogs are around. And no, it isn't a "normal" fear if its causing this much distress. Some parents can help their kids through phobias but I feel like you are helping the phobia grow by your attitude. It would be helpful, I think, for ou to see how someone helps someone over a phobia.
Also, I hate dog parks. My dog was seriously traumatized at one once. She has been fearful around larger dogs since. There are just too many owners who bring dogs who aren't well socialized and think its a free for all for them to run around terrorizing other dogs. One I used to go to there was often a woman who sat on the bench with bear mace. She clearly went a lot...I wonder if she ever had to use it.
In defense of dog parks - many people who live in the city (and elsewhere) don't have fenced yards large enough for a dog to run around in, or don't have fenced yards at all. For them (including me), a well-kept and fully fenced decently sized dog park can be beneficial. I know that there is always a chance, in a dog park, that one or more dogs might initiate hostility and could injure my dog. Luckily, so far, there has been a low incidence of aggression at the parks where I take my dog; and most of the dogs I see there are good-natured and well-socialized. I also watch my dog very closely; if I see that he is becoming uncomfortable with the attentions of other dogs (whether enthusiastic or hostile); I move him away.
I also take my dog to some unfenced dog-friendly larger areas. But many dogs I've met are, according to their owners, unreliable in unfenced areas; and for them, the fenced dog parks are a necessity to give the dogs the benefit of leash-free exercise (which in my opinion is a necessity for any dog, at least once a week and hopefully more than that).
Dog parks are far from perfect - if you bring your dog to a dog park; you and the dog are at the mercy of other dogs and their owner. If the people don't pick up after their dogs, if they don't watch their dogs' behavior, if the dogs are aggressive, if some idiot brings a b*t*h in heat to the park (I've seen it happen), there can be problems. But for many dog owners, dog parks are helpful and even necessary.
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