Dog owners are the most inconsiderate people in the world. With almost no exception they are completely oblivious to the fact that not everybody is as enamored of their pet as they are. What's more, they forget that not everybody is supposed to be.
The desire of many dog owners to inflict their pride and joy on unsuspecting and reluctant others often makes them leave aside any semblance of good manners. They generate a peculiar language of their own and expect everybody to understand it. To give an example, whenever a dog assaults a complete stranger in the street, a dog owner is likely to bestow a goofy smile on said stranger and announce in a voice filled with pride, "Oh, he's just playing!" Do they have no idea how strange it is to utter something like that? Do they expect that strangers should stop caring that their clothes and shoes are being ruined, while their progress down the street is being hampered, the moment they hear that the nasty animal is "just playing"? I wear a white coat in winter, and dry-cleaning it is a bitch. But, apparently, I am expected to feel joyous when a dirty, salivating animal puts its grimy paws all over my white coat. Oh, he's just playing, and I totally live to serve as a toy.
Another insane statement by oblivious dog owners that is supposed to assuage the anxieties of those who dislike being assaulted by dogs is "He's not going to bite! He just wants to lick you!" Oh, thank goodness! Because I've been walking around dreaming of being licked by some disgusting beast. Now I can rest easy, knowing that this dream has finally been fulfilled: I have been licked. Yippee. The worst part is that whenever dog owners see one's intense discomfort with being licked by their stupid pet, they laugh like it's the funniest joke in the world. It's as if dog ownership made them lose all civility and turned them into inconsiderate, blockheaded brutes who feel that they should be exempt from rules governing civilized human interactions.
And have you tried taking a firm stand with these people and telling them that their dog has destroyed your expensive pantyhose and messed up your coat? Try it and you will see that every single time they have the gall to feel righteously offended. "But he was just playing!" they announce with so much indignation that a passerby might think you harmed their dog instead of the dog doing damage to you.
Another problem with dog owners arises when one visits them at home. Is it too much to ask that they warn people about the presence of dogs on the premises when inviting people to come over? You never know, your guests might be allergic, or phobic, or well-dressed, or simply uninterested in spending any time around dogs. Why not give people an opportunity to choose for themselves? And I really don't care if he's "just like another family member" for you. If you've got a family member who is likely to salivate over my clothes and tear my pantyhose, then, yes, you should warn me before I come over.
It happened to me more than once that I would come over to somebody's place in good faith only to be greated by three huge (or one little, there is not that much difference) animals. Then what I thought was going to be a party turns into a nightmarish experience where I sit there in my ruined clothes, covered in dog hair, with torn pantyhose, stinking of dog, calculating how much it will cost me to repair my damaged outfit and my ruined mood. To which the hosts respond with a look of having achieved nirvana: "Oh, he's just playing!" Now, this is just rude. And do you know they respond when you complain that their animal has torn your pantyhose? "Well, why do you have to wear pantyhose all the time?" I kid you not, I have heard this from people who are normally quite reasonable, well-educated, and polite. Once, I had a dog scratch my leg so deeply it drew blood. You should have seen the look of uncontrollable glee on the owner's face: "You should see my legs!" she gushed as if I had evinced any interest in said extremities. "They are all covered in scratches. Much deeper than this one!" Which, apparently, was supposed to make me feel bad about losing the my-scratch-is-deeper-than-your-so-the-doggie-must-love-me-more competition.
Of course, there are also complete freaks who actually arrive at a party with their dog without having given any advance warning or having asked for permission. I believe that these people, who sit their smugly while their dog inflicts damage on the hosts' furniture, barks at and salivates over other guests, and completely ruins the party, have some deep pscyhological issues. I haven't seen anybody who would have the bad taste of showing up with their pet without asking permission, but I have heard from reliable sources that such people do exist. Which is very scary.
I know that we are all supposed to find babies and puppies to be incredibly cute. The truth is, though, that we don't. It is an objective fact of existing reality that many people find dogs to be completely intolerable. Please, dog owners, mind your manners. Try to show some consideration for the preferences of others. It doesn't cost that much to ask people in advance whether they are interested in spending time with a dog, does it?
