Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Don’t Read the Comments

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Sunday on the Yahoo website, there was a “passionate open letter” to the woman who was pushing her dog in a baby stroller.

I won’t include the link, because I’m not giving her more clicks, but I’ll summarize it here. (And your free to do the Google, if you really want to read it. Or find it on our Facebook page, because I did share it there.)

The long and short of it is, this woman was backing up and almost hit a lady pushing a ‘baby’ in a stroller. When she realized it was not a baby, but a dog, she wrote a letter to this woman, outlining all the reasons she SHOULDN’T be pushing her dog…in a baby stroller.

I have a rule. Never read the comments, because IMO, the internet has given people carte blanche to say all kinds of heinous and vicious things to each other, and reading those comments normally just pisses me off, and makes me lose faith in the human race, because mostly people are just so hateful and ignorant.

I’ve been fighting with a nasty virus that just won’t ease up. The virus is like the energizer bunny, the bitch just keeps going and going and going. Maybe I was weak, maybe I was delirious, but I decided to read the comments. (It’s true, sometimes when I’m in the right mood, they do make me laugh, but they almost always make me shake my head in disbelief.) Anyway, this day, I read the comments, and then I posted the link on our Facebook page, and we had a great discussion.

The first reason this woman lists for NOT putting your dog in a stroller?

“Babies belong in strollers, not your four-legged friend. And if you can’t (or don’t want to) let them roam on a leash to explore the world around them because you think they’re too special or good for such a simple task, then maybe you shouldn’t have a dog in the first place.”

I wonder if I can get this image with my palm across my face?

Now maybe I’m being over-sensitive, or maybe I’ve given thought to the time when Sampson will not be able to complete his whole walk.  Should his world become even smaller than it is because his back legs don’t work, or will I find a way to get him out and about in the neighborhood and the people he loves? I’d like to think I’ll choose the latter, even if it means more work for me.

There are many reasons WHY people would put their dog in a stroller.

  • Older dogs that just don’t have the stamina for a long walk.
  • Injured or ill dogs that physically cannot walk.
  • Super long walks where the dog just gets too tired.
  • DADO’s. Just think of all the DADO encounters I would have avoided if I had only put my dog in a stroller.

This woman did not considered any of the above reasons, but assumed the woman put her dog in a stroller only because she was treating her dog like her baby, and maybe she was, and maybe she wasn’t, but whatever her reasons, that’s her prerogative! And who the fuck are you or I to judge her?

SO… back to the comments. This day, I was bored, or high on cold meds, and decided I’d read the comments. At the time, there were over 800 so naturally I did not read them all. (I said I was high, not stupid.) And do you know what I discovered. The majority of the comments I read were kind. They were kind and supportive of the woman pushing the dog in the stroller, and they were kind in their explanations. Despite the fact they were trying to explain something to an entitled, self-absorbed, douche bag, they were kind. (Oops, I told you the internet gave people carte blanche to be mean.) 🙂

But I read those comments and you know what? It made me think that people can disagree with one another and still be respectful and kind in doing so.

Maybe we need more ‘dog’ people in politics. 🙂 Stuff might actually get accomplished.

I guess, sometimes it’s okay to read the comments.

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  3. Hope you feel better fast! We can agree to disagree on things, but being respectful is so important. Being kind and understanding helps, you never know what other people (or dogs) situation is.

  4. I can never understand why people can’t just be nice, respectful and kind. I’m so glad you found a case where they were, especially in a situation where the author clearly didn’t deserve them to be. I think you might be onto something with dog people and politics!

  5. People…That being said, I’m glad the comments were kind, and hopefully the stupid woman felt like an idiot for being so mean. (not holding my breath)
    Yes, dog people in politics would be perfect.

  6. I saw your link on Facebook and read the letter and some of the comments. You are absolutely right, the comments were really kind and respectful. It was uplifting overall, except of course for her limited perspective. We do need more pet people in politics!

  7. I hope you are feeling better soon! I try very hard NOT to read comments as well. I’m happy to hear that people were kind 🙂

  8. Max has a stroller. Best thing ever. When we take him to National Parks we can hike all over without concern if his little Maltese legs can keep up. When we get side eye from an uptight family I just whisper to their kids, “If your parents really loved you they wouldn’t make you hike in this heat either.” Spreading the sunshine, just spreading the sunshine.

  9. I love your WtF posts! Totally agree. We need more dog people everywhere.

  11. Great point! People don’t look past an obvious sight and start judging. Maybe the woman has a shoulder issue and can’t risk using a leash, maybe the dog has hind leg issues, or respiratory challenges and like you said…who the hell died and put that woman in charge?! Gawd, I just wish people would mind their own business and stop getting up into someone else’s grill. If it had been a kid in that stroller, would the cretin have a different excuse for nearly hitting them? I’ll climb off my soapbox now. 😈