Well, to be honest with you, you are not the only one what feels like that, and has had to deal with that. Most people, (and I know that I'm going to get flamed by this comment, but, it seems to be true), that don't own dogs, attack dog owners on a regular basis. THEN, to add insult to injury, some people who do own dogs, as you mentioned, don't take the time to train their dogs, and then we hear about these dogs on the news... so, what ends up happening is good and responsible dog owners get attacked by everyone, even when we are taking our dogs ON LEASH, and when they are on OFF LEASH areas!
I'm not sure what type of dog you have, but, if you want to have your hands full with ignorant, (that's about as PC as I'm going to get
), people, check this out... I have a 10 year old female rottie. She's the sweetest "puppy" I know, but, as soon as people see her, they immediately assume that she's a dangerous dog! Thank you media. My other dog is an Italian Mastiff... got him from a rescue shelter because the previous owner couldn't beat him enough to be obedient.... I've had Bruno, my mastiff, for almost 4 years now, and he's made great strides towards being a good dog... but, because of his size, he's got to be a "dangerous dog". I'll post pics later of this "dangerous dog" getting beaten up by my 2 year old
.
Bottom line, these days, people who want dogs but abuse them, or don't put the time and effort into them, give the rest of us a bad name, and then, bring the media into it, and now your day goes from bad to worse. While it's nice to know that I'm not the only one that experiences this, it's sad that responsible dog owners, have to take the brunt of it. Andy, the next time some tries to let you have it because you have a good dog, remind them that ALL dogs are born good, it's dumb people that make them bad
Not to mention that their ancestors would not have made it to this "civilized" age, if it were not for dogs.
Ok, so I went into a little rant as well
, but hey, I love my dogs, and they are a part of my family and it drives me up the wall, when "intelligent" people try to make the dumbest point when it comes to dogs. Good luck Andy, and may you and your dog have a long and happy life together.
Robert