Hey You, with the Jerk Dog!!
Cocoa in the Clink
Apparently that’s me. I received a letter from my township that Cocoa was breaking Cascade Charter Township Ordinance #4…. a.k.a. running loose as a goose. The funny thing is that I had earlier that week signed up for obedience classes and had asked an animal behaviorist to do a short series of pet training tips for this blog. Hahaha the irony! Talk about a day late and a biscuit short. Well neighbor, that I annoyed, I am sorry. No one should have to put up with a dog charging at them whether it’s a eleven pound fur ball or a 125 pound moose. How did I create such a monster? I found Cocoa on Petfinder.com and got him from a puppy mill rescue. He was 3.1 pound miniature poodle, scared of everything and he clung to me. Like an overprotective mom I wanted to wait until he was larger before entering him into any classes. MISTAKE. Soon he grew to be an 11 pounder and a little bit bolder. He tries valiantly to protect his yard, but he goes too far sometimes. I have caught dogs in my yard and my main worry is whether the owner is missing them, never called the coppers because dogs like people make mistakes. I’ve even been chased down with Cocoa by a big dog and reluctantly called the owners, but not the fuzz. Hopefully with proper training, and maybe an electric fence, this problem will be solved. Please accept my apology, I am working to correct my mistake.
Tags: Add new tag, animal behaviorist, dog ordinance, dog training, dogs, pet finder, pet training, puppy mill rescue
April 8th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
There’s always one party pooper in every neighborhood. What a bummer. It’s not like Cocoa is a 110 lb moose (like Benny — hee, hee). If you’re neighbor needs something to complain about, we’ll come over with our furry “kids” and give him/her something to REALLY complain about.
When it comes to commonly accepted dog behavior standards, Benny and Molly are not well-mannered. I have especially coddled Molly because she was a submissive rescue dog that needed security and confidence, and now she has no manners because she loves to jump up on people to receive hugs. I’m glad she’s no longer afraid of her shadow and I don’t care that she jumps up to greet me and get a hug. However, at the same time, not everyone appreciates the social butterfly she has become (going from stranger to stranger at the dog park to get hugs and give kisses to everyone).
Personally, I expect a dog to act like a dog, and even the best behaved and most well-trained dog has moments where they “slip” into animal behavior. Those who don’t understand that and who complain are typically people who don’t own and have never owned a dog. How much you want to bet that your complaining neighbor is a CAT OWNER?
April 9th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Thanks Poochie Mamma! I would totally give your “kids” a hug any day. I have actually started going around telling my neighbors (with dogs) that I got this note and ask them if they got one. They act surprised and say “Cocoa doesn’t run around!” and they didn’t get the “note” so maybe this is against small dogs or me. Maybe it was a cat that made the call or a really pissed off sdquirrel…..the mystery continues….
April 21st, 2009 at 8:18 am
Sorry to hear you got an official letter of complaint. I think neighbors need to help each other out and if they see a dog running loose to notify the owner if they know who it is. Neighbors need to help each other instead of just complaining to outsiders. Helping your neighbor makes for a stronger community and I believe a safer one because you look out for each other. Let us know how obedience training goes.
We have an electronic fence for our dogs but it’s not fool proof. You have to watch that the batteries aren’t low and follow the training instructions totally. It does work very well and our dogs have learned exactly how far they can go and our big dog gets right up to the line, turns around and lays just on the line so he doesn’t get zapped.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Sheila,
Thank you for your comments I felt really bad about this….especially if a neighbor did this. I have an electric fence that I am not sure that I want to use on this small dog. I have seen these fences fail, because my last dog would run through it.