When I see a dog rehoming ad that says “Needs large yard to run in”, I translate that to: We don’t exercise our dog. We expect him to do that himself but he doesn’t seem to be doing it in our yard so I guess our yard is too small.
Many dogs don’t exercise themselves to the point where they are worn out, which is where most owners want them to be. At my house, the Beagle will follow her nose all over our property, sometimes for hours. She does in fact exercise herself. But of all the dogs I’ve had over the years, she is the exception. The Flatcoats for example, if left outside to exercise themselves, will bark at the back door like, “Hullo! We’re outside and you’re not! What’s the hold up?”
Dogs want human companionship. If you don’t plan to walk your dog, try an alternate form of exercise such as throwing a ball. It’s not the size of the yard that is important – it’s the quality time spent together. Did you know that New York City is a very popular residence for dog owners? And they don’t have any yards at all!
What verbiage do you see in pet ads that makes you cringe?
Whenever I see beagle listings they often say needs a back yard, not good in apartments, or the infamous will constantly bark or bay. It’s annoying because like you said, you can have a backyard and still not properly exercise your dog. In fact, you can have a backyard and leave your dog chained it’s whole life. I have raised Shiloh in an apartment. She is quiet indoors and my neighbours have always been surprised by this (except for the occasion on my balcony when she wants to let a good howl rip, but I don’t count that once a day howl, and neither do they).
I walk Shiloh usually between 3 to 4 hours a day (sometimes more). She is fit as fiddle and is always good and worn out when we get back from our walks, so the time she spends in the apartment is ‘down time’ so to speak.
It really pisses me off that shelters often have a no hounds in apartments policy because there are always beagles homeless in shelters and having an apartment should not automatically exclude people from adoption. Their lifestyle and ability to frequently exercise their dog should be top priority. Oh, and it not impossible to train a beagle to be quiet indoors! Ah….stereotypes.
my absolute WORST hate … “having baby…” then copious crocodile tears as they weep about getting rid of their “beloved” pet they have had for 2, 5, 7, 10, more years … AHHHHH. Since when are babies and pets mutualy exclusive?
“Pet for sale.. Must have fenced yard’.. some of my best homes have been to people who do NOT have a fenced yard..just like the above.. situations are always unique..not having a fenced yard.. or living in a high rise .apartment whatever forces people to get out WITh their dogs.. not just let them out..
“resceued dog needs rehoming”.. when really the dog was given to them by someone else.. not exactly a “rescue” but since everyone wants a “rescue’ now it reads well..
“Tiny teeny mini teacup poo cross, adorable, will never exceed two pounds. ” huh is that a dog? LOL
My preference.. “Dog for sale”
great post. i hate that, too. you know whats not easy? a 60lb adolescent pit mix in a townhouse with three other dogs… I wear myself out walking them and playing fetch until my arm stops moving. But its quality time, we all enjoy it and have loads of fun, and all 4 dogs sleep a majority of the day because of it.
My least favorite: “dog got too big”. Like you had NO idea the rottweiler/lab mix would grow to be a BIG dog…
First time commenter. This drives me insane because it also implies that people who live in apartments or condos shouldn’t have dogs. Although my 75lb pit bull lives in a condo in the city, he is probably exercised more than most dogs that live in suburban homes with big yards. My dog gets to go to one the country’s largest urban parks on a daily basis, even in the snow. Get off your lazy behinds and exercise your dog, people!
The baby excuse makes me crazy as well. The local rescue group I volunteer with recently had a return of a 9-year-old dog that the family adopted as a puppy. The reason? He has arthritis. Another reason people gave for return was that their grandchildren were no longer interested in riding the dog. This dog was so good for so many years to those kids and they dumped him in his senior years. He has since been adopted again and the arthritic dog is looking for his forever home (the group is no-kill).
Welcome Mary. At first I thought the arthritic dog and the pony-dog were the same. I was thinking – No wonder the poor dog got arthritis!
“Great with kids.”
Meaning, nine times out of ten, “I got a dog for the kids. They adore him, but I’m not following through on my commitment as an adult, and for whatever reason — maybe to punish the seven-year-old for forgetting to fill the water bowl — I’m giving away my kids’ pet. You can participate in that heartbreak and betrayal!”
Dang, that’s sad. I’ll never look at those words in an ad the same way again.
An advantage to multiple and smallish dogs is that they can make a race track of a house, even do laps on a bed and get the exercise they need.
“Needs large bed to do laps on”
or how about a leather couch toy – Darcy JUST ate a BIG hole in my BRAND new (3 weeks old) leather couch…. sighs