[Little_em00]

Ok this is a true story it happened to me about 4 hours ago and I'm still in shock, a lady just came up to me and asked if she could have rupert for £1,000. Seriously??!!
I offered her two children for the same price but funnily enough she declined!! What is it with some people?
People come up and just start fussing over him and don't even ask, even when i have my German shepherd who is really overprotective of me and doesn't like people walking quickly toward me, they go all stupid and risk him for a bit of rupert loving!! The mind boggles and I'm still in shock!!

Please share your 'stupid people' stories!!

 

[michele]

Just be careful there's so many chis being taken at the moment

 

[Little_em00]

Just be careful there's so many chis being taken at the moment

My sister in law told me that too, it's scary

 

[CHITheresa]

I have people always running up to Amberleah and lady let her 3 or 4 year run up while Amberleah was peeing. excuse me but 1 she is busy 2 she bites I said to her. OMG!!
they gets stolon around here too. that be horrible if some one took her and because she is sick needs special food. I keep close eye on her.

 

[Buildthemskywards]

I like your response...she's might as well have asked to buy one of your children. Who would ask to buy someone's pet?! Mylo has just become clear to go out on walks so when I took him out yesterday and the day before a lot of people stopped to stroke him...the only one that stroked him and asked was a child, all of the adults just rushed ahead to stroke him and one even picked him up without asking. It's a good job he loves people because I wouldn't have a chance to tell them otherwise.

 

[ggtina]

A few days ago I walked to the pet store near my house. Roughly 1/2 mile away. The trip there was uneventful. Tyler got his nails cut I bought a few things that I wanted for my dogs and left. On my way home I had to walk buy a bunch of stores because the pet store is in a strip mall. A lady walked out of the store with her grandson and just stopped. Penelope loves the attention of people once she gets to know them but acts all shy. Tyler is the complete opposite hates people and it takes him forever to warm up to people and I'm afraid he will try and bite them even though when he does bite its not hard more of a playful bite but it still bother's me.

Well the lady just stops there blocking my way through I slowly walk by and keep the dogs close to me. She then thanks me for letting them see my dogs. Ugh. It wouldn't been so bad but she clearly could care less that her young grandson maybe 2 years old was there and just kept going on and on about how cute they were and having her grandson trying to look at them and get him interested in them.

I don't like when people just randomly try to pet my dogs if they ask I will let them pet Penelope when they ask about Tyler I for warn them and I try to distract him so they can pet him too. I'm just more cautious with him.

 

[AussieLass]

What is wrong with you ladies, speak up!!!

There's one word that works very well in ALL situations, stops people, idiots and morons dead in their tracks, even children understand it .... a very loud, forceful, "DON'T!!!" and keep on movin' - your dog doesn't get touched, they end up crimson if there's other people, idiots and morons around, everyone's happy and/or learnt a lesson - could it be any more simple than that?

I used this all the time when the aforesaid people, idiots & morons used to try & get to my preemie when he first came home still less than half the size of even the smallest baby and it worked a treat!

 

[pupluv168]

I say, "Please don't touch him." Even though Toby is friendly, it is obnoxious to be trying to shop/walk/get somewhere and have to deal with people. It's okay to give compliments, but I don't want all these strange people assuming that it is okay to touch him. When people are polite and ask, or if it is a little kid, I don't mind at all. It's just rude to assume.

 

[Buildthemskywards]

I don't like confrontation, must be my English stiff upper lip! I'd tell them to back off if it bothered him or I thought they were being rough or dangerous or I'd say that I had to go if I was trying to get somewhere but since we're taking it slow with learning to walk on a lead I figure meeting different people is a good thing for him.

I was a bit bothered by the old lady who picked him up without asking but I've seen her around frequently and she's just had her yorkie put to sleep and she seemed so sad and so grateful to spend time with a dog that I felt sorry for her.

 

[thatrandomgirl]

Once I went to Petsmart with Stella and this kid came running up to us. She didn't bother asking to pet her or anything, but started doing it anyway. Then after I moved on, she grabbed a squeaky toy and kept sneaking up behind us around every corner and squeaking it to get my dog's attention. It was super annoying. Fortunately, Stella was a saint and tolerated it just fine.

 

[lulu'smom]

There is a Maltese named Lulu on the other forum I am on that just died because a customer in the store that her mom owns picked her up. Witnesses say the woman then picked Lulu up over her head and dropped her. The woman said she didn't--who knows--but Lulu was so seriously injured she had surgery--didn't respond well from the surgery, then was so severly burned at the vet from being put on a heating pad after surgery that she just couldn't recovery from all that injury and died. HEARTBREAKING! All this because someone held someone elses dog. Please don't let people hold your dogs because they are enamoured and think they are so adorable. It only takes a split second to change the life of your precious dog and you forever.

 

[Buildthemskywards]

There is a Maltese named Lulu on the other forum I am on that just died because a customer in the store that her mom owns picked her up. Witnesses say the woman then picked Lulu up over her head and dropped her. The woman said she didn't--who knows--but Lulu was so seriously injured she had surgery--didn't respond well from the surgery, then was so severly burned at the vet from being put on a heating pad after surgery that she just couldn't recovery from all that injury and died. HEARTBREAKING! All this because someone held someone elses dog. Please don't let people hold your dogs because they are enamoured and think they are so adorable. It only takes a split second to change the life of your precious dog and you forever.

That's so horrible. Poor thing. The vets really should have known better as well. The lady took me by surprise when she picked him up, but I'll be more careful in future.

 

[lulu'smom]

That's so horrible. Poor thing. The vets really should have known better as well. The lady took me by surprise when she picked him up, but I'll be more careful in future.

That was the 2nd Maltese on that forum that had been badly burned in the last month by heating pads used after surgery by a totally different vet. If I ever have a dog to have surgery again I WILL be sure a heating pad is NOT used after surgery to keep them warm. About letting people hold my dog--I never would have thought that someone would drop my dog before this, but it could happen and then it can't be undone. I just don't think I'm going to let anyone hold my dog for the sake of manners at the expense of what could happen. I don't think you need to be rude, I think you can just say whether someone attempts to take the dog without asking or if they do ask, "I'm sorry, I just don't feel comfortable letting people hold him. You never know what might happen," Then, don't worry about waht they think. these are strangers off the street you will never see again. That woman who no longer has her precious Lulu will never lay eyes on the stranger that for all intents and purposes ended her life that day.

 

[Lindsayj]

I'm not sure if I've just had good luck or if people are better about it around here, but rarely do people touch Chloe without asking or holding their hand out and letting her come to them. I'm ok with either of those. Sometimes I even have to tell people they can pet her. Especially children. I've never had a child pet her without being given permission first. I'm always very careful about watching her body language when people are petting her though. She's never bitten, growled, or scratched anyone, but sometimes she looks really uncomfortable when people are too enthusiastic when they see her. She's also scared of kids that she doesn't know generally. Chloe's trainer told me that it's very important to watch our dogs body language when people are giving them attention. They can't speak up when they are uncomfortable and we have to be their advocates.

 

[Tiny]

This one time tiny and I were at the dog park and this man came up to me and offered to buy my tiny, he pulled out his wallet and offered all of his money! He had a dog too, a male chi name kudos. He said that tiny looked a lot like him and wanted to buy tiny for him as a mate/partner, I told him that she was spayed but he said he didn't want to breed them he just wanted kudos to have a lady partner that "suited" him lol. But yea, it's ridiculous how people react to chi's. I also agree that chi stealing is on rise! I'm so afraid of penny and tiny being stolen because of there size. Tiny and penny are the smallest dog at the dog park and in town it seems. I also have a lot of problems with attracting people and ESP children, they all run to penny in a frenzy and she runs under my chair in fear. This one time a girl ran off with penny in one hand!

 

[roguethunder]

When I am at Petco or Petsmart and I see somone even looking like they are coming toward me and the dogs. I scoop them up and hold them high enough so they can't touch them. especially Tinkerbelle cause she is so tiny. However, on the other hand if there are tiny ones in a stroller. I will take Tinkerbelle to them. Take their hand and help them to pet gentle. It is good for Tinkerbelle to be relaxed around kids and it may be one of the only times they can learn to "touch gentle" Hopefully they can learn to touch gentle with dogs they meet, and not be rough with them. But I am always "leading the touch."

 

[AussieLass]

I don't like confrontation, must be my English stiff upper lip!

Ah yes, the Brit ability to bite the tongue in every circumstance :toothy9:

However, when you think about it, my suggestion isn't "confrontation" - that word is like "communication", it takes more than 1 participant. So, if I look someone dead in the eye & say "Don't!" strongly, there is nothing they can say or ask in return, I've given them a direct order, they have no comeback & therefore it's not confrontation, it remains totally onesided, my side. And as someone mentioned, these idiots are nothing to you, you're never going to see them again, you owe them nothing so why allow them to steamroll over your wishes?

Believe me, after putting up with this sort of BS for a lifetime with silky bantams, african grey parrots, dogs, horses & human babies you ultimately end up hardening up if/when it's been unrelenting. I've had staggering drunks leering right into my baby's pram, ain't no way I was going to be sweet, quiet & obliging with that sort of nonsense!

I am, however, the first to help children, disabled people etc learn to pet animals properly, and will go out of my way to spend time with them/their parents/carers if they are pleasant.

 

[charchi]

When i take charchi out, and have people approach him, i just say he bites, no problm they just keep on walking,i dont care, for lots of people wanting to pat him, my dog and i are out for a walk, and we want to enjoy the walk not keep stopping every 5 mins.people have got to learn not to just run up and ASUME the dog is ok to pat, thats just me anyway.

 

[Wicked Pixie]

We have people offer us money for Bambi all the time. They keep upping the offer as if it is the money that is stopping us from parting with her, it is the weirdest thing. Some people just don't understand 'she isn't for sale'. We have also had people try and snatch her on one occasion.

 

[chaiteahuahua]

The way people behave around and respond to Chis absolutely amazes me. My boyfriend and I are about sick of comments such as "He's almost half a real dog!" and "Oh, look at the rat!" I mean, really? How rude.