<p>We had an electric dog fence. May keep the dog in for the mostpart (though it occasionally got cut by the garnder or the neighbors gardner and we didnt know, or thecollar battery died and we didnt know) so its not all that effective. Also doesn’t keep other dogs/humans OUT of the yard.</p>
<p>I have a bar near me. As long as their customers aren’t going in my yard I should consider it as success -lol</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID BIONIC using CC</p>
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<p>Same here, on all points. In addition, when I had a male dog, I did not let him mark people’s shrubs or mailboxes. Random trees and brush and street signs are fair game. :)</p>
<p>BTW, up thread a ways I don’t think Julie was saying that this thread was an instance of what she described. I think she was just offering it up as an example of inexplicable things people do. But maybe I misunderstood. :)</p>
<p>Ahhh, speaking of mailboxes . . . yes, it bothers me a bit when people let their dogs pee on my mailbox post, but it’s also something you know is going to happen, whether you want it to or not. What REALLY bothers me are the idiots that deliver telephone books in my rural neighborhood - and invariably leave them at the foot of the mailbox post! Really - do you expect me to bring it inside after you leave it there???</p>
<p>Thank goodness for the internet, because the only place the phone book goes is (1) in a plastic bag; (2) in the back of my car; and (3) to the dump! (And no amount of complaining to the companies that deliver the phone books ever makes a difference.)</p>
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Retractable leashes should be banned! Pls. ask for my permission first if I want your dog to pounce on me or my dog.</p>
<p>I take my dog to a park that is heavily used by dog owners, and there is bagged poop everywhere. There used to be several trash cans around the park, but the county for whatever reason removed them, leaving only one at the entrance, and I think people just get tired of carrying the bag of poop around, so they fling it into the woods. Disgusting. And of course other people don’t clean up after their dogs at all, so there are mounds of poop everywhere on the grass. This is why dog owners can’t have nice things. </p>
<p>I used to live in NYC and most people clean up, but of course some don’t. The most horrible people are the ones that let their dogs do their business in the “tree pits” of the sidewalk trees, which are often planted with flowers.</p>
<p>This isn’t really about dog poop but…</p>
<p>What I don’t understand is how people can go to a public place and decide to not watch their small children, even in potentially dangerous situations. I was at Ikea the other day and there were automatic doors that led into the street. There was a woman there with a kid who looked about a year or 2 old. The child (or should I say toddler) was running back and forth through the doors almost slamming into the glass multiple times. He then started putting his fingers into the place where the doors closed, and his mother was standing 10 feet away chatting with someone, totally oblivious to the entire thing.</p>
<p>Also, last summer I was at a hotel pool with my family. There was a 3 year old who almost drowned, while his mother was sitting in a lounge chair on the other side of the pool. My dad saw the boy floating face down and dived in to pull him out. The mom came over, talking on her cell phone, and took the little boy back to their seat, not even acknowledging the fact that he almost DIED. </p>
<p>I’m only 17 so I can’t say I know how hard it is to be a parent, but when you have kids THAT YOUNG you need to suck it up and stop assuming that strangers will step in.</p>
<p>Our sweet girl recently died but, in years past, we have always carried several bags with us when walking her and always cleaned up her messes. On occasion, I’ve caught people letting their dogs stop for a break in the grassy area off our sidewalk in front of our house. When I see that they have no bag ready and don’t appear prepared to clean up, I race out with a bag and say, “Oh, you must be so embarrassed. I, too, have been in need of a bag before”. It lets them know they’ve been spotted and reminds them to clean up after their pooch.</p>
<p>Collegebound, nice change of subject. I too am astonished at how parents let their kids run amok in stores…near breakable objects, escalators, automatic doors, etc. I am really glad we didn’t have smartphones when my kids were little and that even cell phones weren’t ubiquitous the way they are now. It would be tempting to try to multitask, and that is hard to do with young children in tow.</p>
<p>In regards to keeping an eye on kids…many don’t simply because they are too lazy. My pet peeve is the parents who continually say…"If you do that one more time…(fill in the rest with any threat)…and never follow through. Be tough, be consistent and yes, be prepared to leave a restaurant when the kids don’t behave. After a few times leaving, the kids will get it. Sadly, most parents will not do this because it is an inconvenience to THEM.</p>
<p>^^^ it also leads to kids being plugged in to the video babysitter at younger and younger ages. Very sad to see. </p>
<p>Young children need a lot of energy to manage properly! </p>
<p>Dogs too. H and I just returned from a trip to a park where we did NOT bring our dogs because 1 of them is crazy and wouldn’t have stopped barking and the other one can be aggressive but he looks cute and small and fluffy and everyone wants to pet him. It’s too much for me so they stayed home.</p>
<p>Consolation - You’ve got the correct read. Sorry if my initial post was not clear! Imitation vanilla comes to mind as well. :)</p>
<p>Collegebound - Yes, I can’t understand how people can let their children run amok like that! I worked as a cashier at Walmart and I could hear screaming children more often than not. I just don’t get how you can be out in public and just let your child scream and scream. I would be so embarrassed. I realize sometimes kids have off days, so I try to be understanding overall. But when the parental response is “You shut your (expletive) mouth or I’m gonna beat your ass!” I can see that the root of the problem is much deeper. </p>
<p>So here’s another thing I can never understand: why do people have pets, or worse, children, that they can’t or won’t take care of? I see friends on Facebook lamenting the fact that they have such and such pet that is sick and they’re so worried. Take it to the vet! And if you can’t, why did you get a pet in the first place? It’s so selfish. :(</p>
<p>One time I was in a jewelry store looking at watches for my Dh, and a family with two school age kids was letting them run all around the store, racing. I ignored them at first until the little boy ran into me while dodging his sister. At that point, I said to them, “You guys really shouldn’t be running in here.You could hurt someone.”
Would you believe that the father came over to me and told me to mind my own business, and that no one reprimands his kids except him! I said," And where were you when your son almost knocked me down?" His wife pulled him away from me, but I honestly though he was going to start yelling at me. I don’t understand some people.</p>
<p>Was in a fast food restaurant for dinner recently. There was a large kid’s play area surrounded by glass walls inside the restaurant . Saw a young couple stick their (less than 5 yr. old) son in the play area then turn and walk away. The parents then headed off to the parking lot to stand in the cold smoking cigarettes. They came back later to claim their kid but anybody could have taken him while they were outside. Some people just shouldn’t have kids. </p>
<p>Another thing I don’t get is parents handing their preschoolers expensive electronic devices (ipads,iphones.etc) to keep them occupied in public. DH took me out to dinner for Valentine’s Day. After we were seated and had ordered, a young couple came in w/ a boy who was two or three at most. They were seated right next to us. The minute the kid starts making noise the Mom pulls out the Ipad and turns on a cartoon game for to occupy him. The loud music and all the silly noises along with the kid squealing at the Ipod constantly pretty much ruined our dinner.</p>
<p>And then there are the people who reprimand you when you DO control your child in a public place…and I am not talking about swearing, beating, or anything even faintly abusive. I was once upbraided in a parking lot for marching my S–who had just gotten up from a nap, had a nice snack, and was being asked to behave himself for less than 5 minutes so that I could buy a toilet paper holder–out of a store. “He’s tired,” she said. When I told her that, au contraire, he had just had a nap, she replied, “Someone has to look out for the children.” I wanted to throttle her.</p>
<p>Speaking of inexplicable potty behavior: Our home is on a corner lot with the garage entry from the alley. Last year my teenaged son & I turned off the street into our alley and saw a woman in her 40s pulling down her running shorts and squatting in the beds along our fence line!</p>
<p>I’m a runner, too, so I get that your hydration planning might have been a little off, but…just sayin’…how about heading for home next time you realize you forgot to empty before you took off on your run!</p>
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<p>It’s not just handing them to their kids…in many cases little kids now OWN these devices themselves.</p>
<p>Another pet peeve is that some parents nowadays seem to require the electronic babysitters at all times. In addition to the personal electronics, no one can drive anywhere without a movie playing on a DVD in the back of the minivan…even if they’re just driving from school to soccer practice. GOD FORBID the little darlings ever have to learn how to survive boredom or actually entertain themselves.</p>
<p>God, I sound old.</p>
<p>Continuing on the potty behavior topic, I have a friend who is friends with the security people in her building – so when there’s a good story she always hears it. Recently, residents were complaining about some defecation that had been left on the sidewalk right outside the entrance, so he went back to look at the security footage, thinking if the dog belonged to someone in the building, he could talk to them. It wasn’t a dog, it was a man, in the middle of the afternoon on a busy city street.</p>
<p>I remember having a play date in my yard and the other mom instructing her son to go pee on the edge of the yard rather than go in the house to use the bathroom. She told me it was just easier for him. What!!!</p>
<p>sally - I remember hearing - a couple of years ago- about a hot accessory for Xmas that was a “drool proof” case for your iphone so your little toddler could chew on it while playing games without damaging the phone. Get that kid a chew toy!</p>
<p>My BIL would drive me crazy too by playing videos on his tiny ipod and setting it up for his daughter to watch while she was eating breakfast. This is in their own house, with no need to entertain any child while they are waiting for food. Just let the kid eat! It was the same video over and over and you wonder how it’s wiring their little brains.</p>