The last I wrote, I was knee-deep in some massive issues with Aradia on her walks. Since then, I bought her a harness, and some of those issues have subsided –thankfully. We still have a few speed bumps, but we are working through them, and I am much more consistent. Overall, she is a great (and very smart) dog.
However, there is a dastardly external factor continuing to rear its ugly mug and it is really getting under my skin. It seems as if more than handful of my neighbors cannot be bothered with throwing down $10 for a leash. And it really is out of control.
While my dog keeps getting better and better on our nightly jaunts, I cannot help but notice how many dogs in my own neighborhood are neglected. These dogs are left outside in the back yard with no companionship all night and all day (I know this because they bark all night and all day) and are allowed to roam around the front yards without a leash. I have had Chihuahuas charge me, Shitzu’s pee on me and Pugs on the prowl. My dog has been bitten twice (by awful little dogs), and I have nearly gotten my arm yanked out of my socket to prevent what I know will be a German Shepherd choking hazard. And all of this mess is thanks to people who obviously insist that they are “God’s special little snowflakes, who simply do not need to abide by the rules.”
I really dislike these people…and I really dislike their dogs.
When you get a puppy, you make a commitment. It’s your forever dog, not your “right now” dog. You abide by the leash laws. You get them vaccinated. You do not let your dog attack people and giggle as if his behavior is cute. And, frankly, if you are not ready to make that kind of long-lasting commitment, you need to take a good, hard look in the mirror before you bring a puppy home. Fix yourself first.
There is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners. Moreover, as I have quite recently discovered, I reside around 85 percent of the bad owners on the northeast side of San Antonio. –insert heavy non-productive sigh.
Any brilliant ideas from those of you out there in internet land to solve my external predicament?
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