Why are dog owners today so irresponsible?

Good thing in you live in the US. Call the animal patrol and the dogs will be taken away from them [if he barks all day long it’s something wrong with him or the poor dog is neglected].

I’ve come to the considered conclusion that those owners suffer from a chronic condition known as thickaspigshititis. I mean, I hear exactly what you’re saying, that behaviour is rife where I live. Another bug is when I take my dog for her walk, owners with big arsed dogs do nothing to stop them bounding over to “molest” my dog. She’s spooked by really big dogs, but all I hear is, “oh he’s only playing!” Arrrrrgh!!!

Wow, @MissAusten , I certainly didn’t expect such a broad generaliization from you. I’m surprised.
Dog owners are like parents. Some are good, some are not. People tend to notice the piles of poo, but not the person who picks up the poo Every. Single. Time. (That would be me, BTW) Some dogs bark incessantly, most do not, but we don’t notice those. Etc, etc.

It’s pretty obvious if these dog owners do not take care of their dogs, they apparently are not taking care of themselves and their surroundings.

I have always said that if a person is sloppy out in public, you can imagine what their house looks like.

Enforcement is the main problem with owners and their dog’s poo. The lack of personnel to enforce these laws is a contributing factor.

I lucked out with my dog. He doesn’t bark, pretty much at all (Siberian Husky). He’s prone to howling sometimes, but rarely when he’s excited. He loves to play with other dogs and loves people in general and will wag his tail, put his ears back, and lick the bejesus out of whatever appendage you put near him… But no barking.

As far as waste, I tend to walk him right by some woods and let him go out in the bushes/trees. Its not like a park or anything so there’s zero foot traffic in the area. If we do have him in a regular park or on a lawn or something we pick it up assuming we remembered bags.

I’ve not honestly noticed dog waste being a huge problem, at least in my area. Dog noise either. But I have lived in areas where the noise got to be rather annoying.

What the lovely @JilltheTooth said with bells on. Our dear little furbaby Jade goes walkies and a good supply of poopie bags goes with her, she is always on her lead except for her early morning walks (between 4.30 – 5am). When they reach the local park, which is entirely enclosed, and entered through a huge gate, which is closed behind them, then she is allowed off her lead. Most mornings she meets a couple of her friends and hubby and fellow owners (and early risers) throw balls etc for them. Then all go back on their leads again, gate is opened and they go their seperate ways back home, with no one any the wiser they’ve been there and had fun. She isn’t a barky dog, we live in a cul de sac where there are, counting Jade, 10 dogs. They all got along great, are very sociable, and very well behaved. As @JilltheTooth says, no one says “hey what a great street, its immaculate, its full of dogs but is very quiet lol.

@john65pennington is right too, the people who do not take care of their pets are usually irresponsible people who should not have them. How unhappy must a little dog be to bark all day long? thats just cruel.

Really, this is the same as the parenting questions in my mind. Nothing different except species.

When they got their dog, they never suspected it was like raising a child. Many people work and aren’t home to train or properly socialize their pets. They take a small yet convenient for the humans walk each day…And on it goes

Why are more dogs & cats obese?

It’s the same as parenting, some aren’t ready, or aren’t good owners.

I have to agree with @JilltheTooth but I must say @MissAusten, I am glad I don’t live where you do because, whilst I hear the odd dog bark on my street (not all day though) and I see the odd poo on the pavement, I am pleased to say that I have not had any reason to complain about my fellow dog owners where I live. They all seem to know the basic rules of dog ownership and stick to them (as do I).

It’s true that we tend to notice the bad and forget to praise the good. Same goes for parenting.

I used to live with a barker behind me and I mean this dog would go for hours at a time even at 10:30 at night. The owners would just put it out on the deck and forget about it. I was relieved to hear from police dispatch that I was not the only one calling in.

I wonder the exact same thing about some parents too:-/

I have to agree with @MissAusten There are far too many dogs onwers that think everybody loves dogs. I hate when you’re walking along and someones dog comes bounding up to you, poking it’s nose where it doesn’t belong, worse still if it jumps up at you and the owner gives one of those stupid smiles and untters the words “he’s only playing”. Well go play somewhere else!

See above.
It is a version of the same problem in the culture that has produced a generation of shitty parents.

^Yes. Lack of personal responsibility, IMO, is what all of this boils down to.

Many are responsible, actually. I think people obsess over their pets more these days.

I do think that people should pick up after their dogs, and it’s inconsiderate to not do anything about a dog that is obviously causing annoyances.
But, dogs barking in their backyards? There’s really not always something you can do about it, especially if you have neighbors like I do who like to just stand idly near the fence which inevitably sets the dogs off barking as soon as they’ve stopped. I try to be considerate with my animals as a personal rule, but I think it’s sort of the same concept as having children. You can’t always ensure that they’re not inconveniencing someone else in the slightest; babies cry, dogs bark.

Relentlessly barking dogs disturb the peace. Talk to the owners about it. If they do nothing then report them to the police.

Dog poop on the streets is the least of my worries. I just watch where I’m stepping.

I jog every day and I never leave home without my “Muzzle” (dog pepper spray). It literally will stop a charging pit-bull in his tracks and instantly turn it into a whimpering puppy. I learned this the hard way as before I carried the Muzzle a so called “friendly” dog attacked me and ripped my hand wide open. A trip to the Urgent Care clinic charged $1000 for treatment. My wife was attacked and bitten (also required stitches) on two occasions by our neighbor’s dogs in front of our house. I called the police as I was determined to not let that happen again. The dog owners were fined $500 for each dog and the two dogs were taken and put to sleep. Our very friendly cat disappeared soon after that and I suspect that foul play but I have no proof.

Anyway, my advice is to never allow a dog to get close to you. Even a truly friendly dog can injure you by jumping on you and scratch your legs and or knock you down. When in the out of doors always carry a good solid walking stick and or dog pepper spray for protection of self and family.

I have noticed a very strong decline in pet manners – especially during the past 20 years or so. Back in the 80’s you never saw piles of dog poop sitting all over the place to be stepped on by all who pass by, dogs were always on a leash, and most had graduated from obedience school.

Overpopulation and a lack of proper training. I believe pet ownership classes should be required before a license to own pets is issued.

@SuperMouse I fully agree. Our dogs weren’t pampered with nonsense like fluffy outfits. We didn’t take them to parks, which are meant for people. They stayed home where they belonged, and if they barked out of place my dad didn’t hesitate to punish them. People today try to use positive reinforcement with dogs, which is where the whole problem comes from. If you love your dog, you have to hit it to teach it good manners!

I don’t understand who would want a dog anyway. They shed, they drool, they smell, they chew up your valuable things, they cost a lot of money, and you can’t just up and leave them alone if you want to go on vacation. But these dog owners act like their dogs are part of the family and should be tolerated by other people who choose not to be dog owners!

Dogs are meant to be tools to help people, not family members. If a dog isn’t pulling a sled, guarding some sheep, tracking down criminals, or chained outside to protect a house, it’s just a luxury. I shouldn’t have to put up with dogs that are spoiled and not trained every time I leave my house.

And don’t even get me started on cat owners!

That’s like saying “Why are people so irresponsible?” or “Why are the parents of small children so irresponsible?”

Not all dog owners or even most dog owners are irresponsible.

As to why those who are, are, it’s because they are irresponsible people.

@MissAusten Wow that is exactly what I think of kids. They smell, they cost a lot of money and you cant just up and leave them when you want to go on vacation. Who would want kids? But these people who have kids think they are cute and that everyone should stop what they are doing to admire the kids. Parents act like their kids be tolerated by other people who choose to not have kids.
Why can’t kids be trained to not scream and cry in restaurants and stores? I shouldn’t have to put up with spoiled kids every time I leave my house.

party favor fish

@chyna EXACTLY!! In fact, I think anyone who has something in their lives that inconveniences other people from time to time should just stay at home and only go out when the majority of the population is home. Like the middle of the night. People with kids, people with dogs, old people who are slow, people who smoke, people who ride loud motorcycles…I’m sure we can add to this list.

Who else should never leave the house in order to avoid the possibility of temporarily irritating or inconveniencing another person? Because we’ve already established that public places are absolutely not meant for anyone who can’t be perfectly civil, quiet, polite, good-smelling, exhibit perfect judgment, graceful, and tactful 100% of the time.

@MissAusten ; NOOO! Not the middle of the night! Something might bark and disturb others! If a flashlight is used some light may intrude into a window!

People like that don’t deserve flashlights. If they stub their toes, so be it. That’s what they get for making choices that might possibly once in a while result in a small amount of short-term irritation or inconvenience for other human beings.

Maybe exile to a large island? We could call it “transporting”.. There’s historical precedent.

@JilltheTooth I like the way you think!

@MissAusten and @JilltheTooth let’s not get hasty here. “Transporting” people who cause others inconvenience to a large island? Come on now! In reality there is a cheaper and easier way to get it done. Just assign these people hours when they are allowed to be out. Got a dog? You are allowed outside from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. Kids? 12:00 noon. Slow moving wheelchair user? 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. is all yours. See, this way anyone who dislikes a certain group can avoid the street at that time. However, if I am not a dog owner, but I find being chased by a rabid collie rather invigorating, I could go for a nice run at around 2:30 in the afternoon.

Handling this whole situation is gonna take some outside of the box thinking, but I think if we all put our close-minded little heads together we can figure it out!

I was kinda looking forward to the large island….beach property, ocean breezes… of course, right now ocean breezes are a bit extreme in some places. Another inconvenience. Who do I complain to about those pesky natural catastrophes?

@JilltheTooth maybe we could create the island and make it optional. If one wants to stay near others, one can stick around and follow the schedule, if one wants to be secluded, one could opt for the island.

Scratch that, it would be giving these menaces to society entirely too much freedom.