Can we stop using this term to describe people who don't work or show their dogs?
I find it offensive when people who work their dogs or people that show their dogs call people who don't do either "pet people" and they say it as if we are beneath them. I am sure at some point in their lives they have owned or currently do own a "pet." Some people that work their dogs or show their dogs don't even consider those dogs as pets, they are strictly working dogs or show dogs and they don't live as cherished members of a family like most "pets" do. Not all of them are like this but some are.
Maybe some of us "pet people" have dogs that aren't cut out for working or showing, maybe we have anxiety and can't handle being around large groups of people, maybe we can't physically do that type of training or showing, maybe we don't have that kind of money, maybe we have busy lives and can't do that stuff at the moment.
Also not everyone that only wants a "pet" goes through bybs. Although I do only own "pets" I still will buy puppies from breeders that either show or work their dogs. Health and temperment are important to me.
I train my dogs, I take them everywhere I can, when I am not at work I spend all of my time with them, I make sure they get Vet care, they are fed a high quality diet, they get exercise, they have tons of toys, they get spoiled and they are my life so please don't treat me as if I am beneath you because my dogs don't have titles.
I am sure other "pet people" feel the same way. I just had to get that out.
Honestly I prefer the term "active companion" myself
It's not the term itself, I've seen many times owners with actual working dogs refer to their dogs as pets, so it's not the wording so much as the attitude implied by many people that use it. It's become a derogatory term
Also, just because the dog isn't titled doesn't mean that they aren't being trained and working in one or more venues. It may be that they are working towards titles or it's just for fun - I don't see those people as strictly "pet people" either. Unless the person outright comes out and says "I have absolutely no interest in exercising or training my dog" and the dog is literally just an fur rug expected to sit in a corner and keep quiet, than I’m not saying boo or implying they’re better or worse than me.
On the other hand when does a dog magically graduate out of being just a "pet" dog, when it gets a BH, RN, HIC, CGC, etc?
Sometimes the “pets” get more exercise and attention than dogs that are titled in multiple venues, most active owners are out at least once a day walking their dogs, spending time lounging on the couch, or playing fetch with their “pets” while there are dogs out there that live in kennels except for the few hours that are spent training. I don’t agree with people looking down on those people either, if the dog is happy it’s happy – who cares if it gets 30 minutes or 3 hours exercise a day.
The “holier than thou” attitude is getting tiring and of course PC is even worse. I can’t even say “we’re all dog owners so get along” without offending multiple people because they don’t like the term “owners” and prefer “guardian” or something else.
I am a pet person, I don't mind the term. Most use it as a way to differentiate ways of looking at certain aspects of dog ownership, training etc.. no big deal. Those that use it to be condescending, are usually trying to make up for something lacking within themselves and have to have an ego boost by inflating their own self worth.
Most use it as a way to differentiate ways of looking at certain aspects of dog ownership, training etc.. no big deal. Those that use it to be condescending, are usually trying to make up for something lacking within themselves and have to have an ego boost by inflating their own self worth.
The way I look at it, it is all in how you define the words. My dog gets training, has a couple minor titles, and we are still working toward the next one. She is very much my pet though, as are my cats. I love her and she lives in my house in my room, stays with me in my office while I work, and sleeps right next to my bed in her crate. She is a work in progress pet dog I guess. How do you define that?
I think it depends on the way it's presented. Some people sneer it out in a condescending tone as if they've never owned a "pet" in their lives. I use the term "general public". In my mind, there are people that train their dogs, whether as "pet people" or sport, and there is the general public who are oblivious to their surrounding and the fact that their dog is not only off leash but in fact aggressive.
It's jerky and condescending. I tend to think of pet people as the people who have infuriating little dogs with bad manners and little training. Even the cat has a job in my house...
One of my friends posted on fb a nasty comment about the 'pet people' vs the ones that work dogs.... he dabbles in IPO when it is convenient, he is hardly committed to training on a weekly basis.
"It's wonderful you have a pet German Shepherd. He's probably a nice PET but do not confuse your PET with my WORKING DOG. We have HUNDREDS of hours of training in my dogs 2.5 years of life. Your dog and my dog are not the same.
This is why I don't like telling people I have a German Shepherd. Everyone that has a PET GSD wants to think they have a protection dog. It's a pet,
no more, no less."
I don't know why he felt the need to post that, it ticked me off because it was so condenscending.
Here are the comments~
My comment: My GSD's are companions, I don't consider the one I train extensively to be a WORKING dog. He doesn't have a job, other than to be happy and healthy.
17 December 2013 at 08:00 · Like
OP response to me: But Jane, he (Karlo) is from a very strong pedigree. He isn't just a pet, he's a sport dog. He has been trained and has a purpose. To say that you have a GSD and compare them to my dog isn't a fair comparison. My dog is social, hangs out with the family, and goes places with me. That's doesn't mean he is the same as a Pet GSD. More to the fact that this person was trying to say their dog can do what mine can. People have no idea how much work we put into these guys!
comment: They will never understand - that is why the working and pet world is so divided....This is also why I am slowly getting out of pet training..
17 December 2013 at 09:44 · Like
My comment: I guess it doesn't matter to me....If someone asks what I do with my dogs, I just say competitive sport. If they want to know more, I explain. Even though Karlo is from *strong* lines, he's much easier to manage than my poorly bred GSD's/more stable too.
comment from someone who does have actual working SAR dogs: They all mean the same to the owners no matter what they do. The pet owners heart breaks just as hard as mine does when the time comes to put them down.
I'm not opposed to the term either. It's 'pet parent' that I don't like, lol. But most dogs that are worked are also pets in their down time. It does mean a different lifestyle, but it doesn't mean it's a lesser life. A pet's life could even be better, and more challenging, depending on the circumstances. I think when people get upset and use the term as an insult, it's because they don't want to have the breed watered down to the point that particular traits are bred out so that they can be something they were never meant to be. Or when people can't appreciate them as they are.
My dogs are pets. First and foremost, my dogs are pets. I don't care what kind of training and time I put into them. Seger has a great pedigree and is a blast to train. So looking forward to the training journey with him. BUT...At the end of the day, my dogs lay in at my feet and watch TV with me. They are pets that do sport.
I don't like people using the term that they have working dogs when they are not really in a working career. Just because you do competitions or sport, it isn't the same as a dog that puts their life on the line in an actual job. Or a service dog that has to be on all the time.
All dogs should be considered companions/partners, IMO...not 'pets' Cats are pets! lol
I don't like people using the term that they have working dogs when they are not really in a working career. Just because you do competitions or sport, it isn't the same as a dog that puts their life on the line in an actual job. Or a service dog that has to be on all the time.
eh - I have seen some members here use the term and it just sounds silly - a buzz word - consider the source. Then have seen it used by other members and did not at all feel it was described as a put down and their point was well made.
Rusty is my partner (how about that ) - a good buddy. We have an outstanding bond. I ask a lot of him sometimes and he shows up eagerly for whatever task. We are not a working home, although nothing wrong with that.
We are very active with him but more importantly allow him to be a dog. It's a good partnership.
My dog is just a pet... We don't do sports, we don't show, we don't work, we like to watch everyone else do all of that And that's fine! Maybe someday we will, maybe not, until then I am proud to be a pet person
I have pets my gsd is not a pet. If it couldnt fulfill the purpose for which it was purchased it would not be here. Doesnt mean we cant have fun..but still not a pet.
I did say most working homes, not all. I agree with you, except my standards and requirements are far lower that yours. But I have a pet GSD for a reason.
That's what they are. Bed warmers and intruder alarms that just happen to be very very important to me. Well mannered(uhm, Cable is, Allie is a work in progress) with no defined jobs except to be dogs. I like dogs, like em a lot, so I let them be. I enjoy watching them play and explore their world, I enjoy playing with them too.
I also like the scientific side of ownership. Figuring out how to feed the best possible diet on the cheap. Learning about dog body language and social interaction is a hobby of mine. Strangely enough behavior modification isn't something that really blows my skirt up though.
Dogs make my life more interesting and that is something I chase. It's never dull when the dogs are around, I can find something to do. So I guess I'd fall into that segment of a mere "pet owner" rather than fancier or sport person. I'm okay with that. My dogs are happy and healthy, so...yeah.
People come up with the craziest labels, phrases, descriptions and categories to massage their egos. Yes, I understand pride and all that comes with it but the idea that someone would feel diminished, intimidated or lesser of a pet owner based on the comments of others seems a bit silly and more so, probably suggests a bit of insecurity. I fail to see how one's "pet" regardless of it's status would make one feel any different than they should feel....If one chooses to take their dog to the highest level possible while another opts not to....the common thread should be a successful completion of the intended task...whatever that was from the outset.....perhaps that might change along the journey.
There are those that do and there are those that choose not to "do". It's a personal preference not a measure of the dog but an indicator of the owner's desires....hopefully the shared human trait found in all quests regarding dogs ( regardless of accomplishments ) is passion for excellence whatever the criterion might be.
I can care less about labels, there are more serious things to worry about in this world. My dogs are my dogs, my pets. I work with them. If you call them pet-dogs what does the term pet-people mean technically? Answer: people, kept as pets. So yes, cats have pet-people
I don't mind being called a pet home as long as there's no insult behind it... the name doesn't mean anything, and it doesn't actually define anything. Someone who has a pit bull chained to a tree outside 24-7 is probably considered a "pet home" too but my dog's life is night and day different; unless we are going to have a bunch of different distinctions for every type of sport, competition, and hobby hiker then its all just personal interpretation. Who's to say what a "job" is anyways?
I was flat out told that if I wasn't willing to "cut my losses" and return or rehome Huxley when we realized I was not going to be able to compete with him that I was "not really a competition person."
I don't think I am what would constitute the average pet home, but ultimately? By that parameter? I am a pet person. I'm fine with that.
I do lots of competition type activities with my 2 adult dogs and I will be training my very first IPO dog in my puppy. I don't believe she will "wash out" but if she did? She is my dog and here she stays. I am ultimately a pet person.
But I also understand people who compete at high levels who "wash" a dog and rehome it. (as long as it's done responsibly) I would think in the really high level the people are much better at picking a competition dog and wouldn't have to do it all that often, though.
I'm a pet home. I have a pet. My dog is my pet. We happen to also do Schutzhund but that's not why I purchased a GSD. If he wasn't cut out for it I would still keep him and find something for us to do. That's the difference between a pet home and a working home IMO.
Buying a dog for the purpose of working in avenue XYZ with the understanding that with all the love in the world the dog will be rehomed if he can't fulfill that specific requirement for which he was raised. That's a working home IMO. Absolutely nothing wrong with that IMO since all our resources are limited and that dog will be rehomed to a "pet home". as long as the rehoming is done responsibly.
With all that said, can we please stop being so sensitive? "Pet home" is not offensive unless the person uses it in an offensive context. These microaggressions are obvious to the discerning ear. I'll keep using "pet homes" and "working homes" because it's a slippery slope of politically correctness that I am unwilling to travel.
I'm a pet home. I have a pet. My dog is my pet. We happen to also do Schutzhund but that's not why I purchased a GSD. If he wasn't cut out for it I would still keep him and find something for us to do. That's the difference between a pet home and a working home IMO.
Buying a dog for the purpose of working in avenue XYZ with the understanding that with all the love in the world the dog will be rehomed if he can't fulfill that specific requirement for which he was raised. That's a working home IMO. Absolutely nothing wrong with that IMO since all our resources are limited and that dog will be rehomed to a "pet home". as long as the rehoming is done responsibly.
With all that said, can we please stop being so sensitive? "Pet home" is not offensive unless the person uses it in an offensive context. These microaggressions are obvious to the discerning ear. I'll keep using "pet homes" and "working homes" because it's a slippery slope of politically correctness that I am unwilling to travel.
I agree with this train of thought, sort of. If working is defined as Onyx Girl defined it. My concern is placing the dog in another home-- I'm so picky.
Labeling a dog is so lame- just as labeling people is. Those that feel they have to label a canine as a "PET" are using this label only to feel superior to others. I usually avoid these people- Bob
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