Dogs aren’t for everyone, and that’s OK. But when an owner can’t keep a handle on their hound, things can get messy fast. Untrained dogs may be a menace, but it’s not their fault, they’re just being doggos.
For one woman, she’s at her wits’ end over her mother’s absurd “requirements” for her pooch, including everything from feeding it rotisserie chicken off the floor to bringing along its own special humping blanket. She turned to Mumsnet to vent.
More info: Mumsnet
Dog owners can coddle their fur babies, but this woman’s mom takes it too far
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She has a list of absurd requirements for her pooch, even when she’s at her daughter’s house
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She only feeds her doggo rotisserie chicken off the floor and insists on bringing along his special humping blanket when she stays over
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
To make matters worse, he drags his behind across the daughter’s carpets and licks absolutely everything, including between the mom’s toes
Image credits: OhMyGodAChicken
The woman couldn’t tolerate it anymore, her furious mom left in a huff, now she’s asking if she’s being unreasonable
OP begins her story by telling the community that she’s not really a dog person, despite growing up with them and fussing over friends’ pets. She goes on to say that her dear mother (DM) is convinced that she hates dogs, especially hers. OP says that her mom’s life centers around her dog, as she lives alone, and her dog gives her a chance to get out and about and meet people.
According to OP, her DM has a list of requirements for her pooch that makes things really difficult when her mother stays over. At the top of the list is the fact that the dog only gets fed store-bought rotisserie chicken, which he eats off the floor since he’s afraid of plates. He will also only drink water out of a glass that needs to be refreshed 3 times a day, despite OP having witnessed him tucking into her cats’ food and water bowls.
OP’s list of complaints goes on, including everything from the fact that the pooch endlessly licks everything (including between her mother’s toes), chases her cats, wipes his behind on her carpets, and humped her throw cushions until her mother brought along his special humping blanket.
She goes on to add that her mother’s at the point where she feels the dog is entitled to his gross behaviors, even though it’s not her home. Things came to a head when OP glanced at the dog to find out what it was licking this time and her mom got furious and declared she and the dog were leaving. OP reached out to Mumsnet to ask if this was normal behavior for dogs or if she was being unreasonable.
From what OP tells us in her post, it would definitely seem that her mom is taking liberties in this relationship and acting rather entitled, especially since it’s not even her house. The dog doesn’t know any better, so surely she’s at fault?
Perhaps OP would benefit from laying down some ground rules or letting her mom know that the dog isn’t welcome unless it has some training and a visit to the vet to treat its itchy posterior. In the comments, OP added that her mom says the dog, a Chihuahua-Yorkie mix, “is just a licker” but adds that he also has doggy ADHD and hay fever.
Image credits: shurkin_son / Freepik (not the actual photo)
In her article for the American Kennel Club, Mary Robins writes that new research shows that owners of hyperactive or inattentive dogs can learn a lot from understanding ADHD in humans.
Studies show that 12–15% of dogs exhibit hyperactivity and impulsivity, and 20% exhibit inattention — and that those qualities are not only highly heritable, but also influenced by factors in their environment, just as they are in humans.
If your dog is displaying symptoms of hyperactivity despite adequate exercise, take them to a vet to see if they’re suffering from the relatively rare behavioral disorder ‘hyperkinesis’ or even canine compulsive disorder (CCD) which is equivalent to human obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
“Hyperkinetic dogs have a difficult time settling and they appear to be aroused and distracted, oftentimes even in environments that are calm,” says certified applied animal behaviorist Dr. Mary Burch. Though this disorder is rare, if your dog is suffering from it, there are actually medications that can help.
As far as the problem dog’s licking goes, in her article for PetMD, Stephanie Betbeze writes that, although licking can be harmless in some cases, it can also signal an issue, whether it’s behavior or health-related.
Betbeze adds that, if your dog doesn’t appear to favor licking only one thing, it’s probably a self-soothing behavior or even a compulsive habit. It might also be a sign of infection, gastrointestinal upset, or arthritis.
Ignoring your dog’s incessant licking can lead to self-trauma, secondary infections, or unwanted behaviors, so consulting a vet or dog trainer is likely the best solution.
Considering OP’s mom feeds her dog a steady diet of rotisserie chicken, we wouldn’t be surprised if it had some kind of stomach issues. That might explain it scooting across OP’s carpets too, since its posterior glands could be clogged or irritated, a common symptom of an unbalanced doggy diet.
Bored Panda reached out to therapist Yvonne K. Fulbright, PhD, MSEd, to get her take on the situation.
According to Fulbright, there are obvious issues/tensions between the 2 parties; the dog is being used, whether as part of an ongoing power struggle or as an indirect (albeit difficult) way to seek attention and care.
Fulbright adds that both parties need to step back from the situation and consider how they're each contributing to the problem.
"What could each be doing better while trying to be compassionate toward the other's needs, concerns and feelings? At the end of the day, the person who is hosting needs to draw her boundaries, e.g., if the dog needs rotisserie chicken, then his owner needs to buy it, serve him, etc. The situation isn't going to change while the DM is the one able to call all of the shots," she concludes.
What would you do if you were in OP’s shoes? Is her mother taking her dog coddling too far? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
In the comments, readers balked at both the mom and her pooch, swiftly agreeing that this behavior was unacceptable, especially from a guest
