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Why I Said Nothing (even though maybe I should have)

Just look at this bundle of cuteness. She’s enough to brighten anyone’s day. There is only one problem with this picture. It was taken at the dog park.

You may be confused. You know I love the dog park. Why would I think it was a problem for a dog to be at the dog park? It’s a problem because this puppy is 6-8 weeks old- not old enough to have had all of her puppy shots. In fact, it’s actually illegal to have a puppy that young in the city dog parks. They have a significant risk of getting quite sick.

And yet, I said nothing to the puppy’s owner about his dog being too young to be there, despite having a conversation with him. Was I wrong? Quite possibly, but I made conscious choice not to mention it, despite the risk to this adorable little girl. Did I fail her?

Why didn’t I say anything? This was a weighted decision based on a number of factors. Some come from stereotypes, and I freely admit that, but sometimes, we have no other information upon which to base our decisions.

The puppy’s owner was a young Hispanic man, roughly 20 years old. He was dressed in a manner that marked him as coming from one of the less affluent neighborhoods.

Right before he told us the puppy’s age, he told u her breed- Lab/Pit mix.

Now, as regular readers know, that’s what my Smokey was. It is a breed/breed mix that I hold incredibly close to my heart.

So here we have a young man from probably a not so great neighborhood with his Pit mix puppy. And he’s at the dog park with the stated goal of wanting to make sure she’s well socialized with other dogs and people. (His words were more along the lines of he didn’t want her to be afraid, and he wanted her to be friendly.)

If you’re a fan of Pits, this is exactly what you want to see, maybe not quite at this young age, but still.

No matter how much bloggers write about how wonderful Pits are, the public perception of these dogs is not going to change until the general populace starts seeing more exceptions to the stereotype than it does those that follow the rule.

Because this young man was part of the stereotype himself, him making a conscious effort to have a friendly and happy Pit is going to be a stronger argument against the bad press than anything I can write here.

I made a conscious decision, balancing risks and rewards in my mind. I could have told him his puppy was too young to be at the dog park. (Heck, I could have told him I thought his puppy was too young to be away from its mother already, but that wasn’t going to change.) I could have told him it was illegal for him to have her there and that he should take her away and not bring her back until after all of her puppy shots.

But what if I told him that, and because he didn’t develop the habit of taking her to the dog park where she could meet strange dogs and people, he didn’t start bringing her once she had all of her shots?

She’s at an age where she really needs socialization. She should be getting it with her mother and fellow pups, but she almost certainly came from a backyard breeder who was just trying to get rid of the pups as soon as possible. What if not being exposed to other dogs at this point made her fearful or aggressive?

I know, there are a lot of what ifs, all weighed against the what if she gets sick and dies.

I made a decision. I made a decision to talk to this young man, to be accepting of him and his adorable pup, instead of asking them to leave. I made a decision that in many ways puts the reputation of the breed over the health of one dog, even though it would only be one dog working to change the reputation.

But let’s add one more what if. What if this young man finds the dog park a positive enough experience for himself and his dog, that he tells the other people he knows who have puppies from this same litter, or just other puppies at all. What if he can help make coming to the dog park and letting your dog play a regular, and maybe even “cool” activity among his peers?

I made a decision. I made a decision to be inclusive of this young man and his Pit mix puppy even though there was a legitimate reason to be exclusive. And I will stand by that decision, even if I am a little conflicted by it.

12 Responses to "Why I Said Nothing (even though maybe I should have)"

Pamela says:

June 21, 2012 at 3:40 am

When Ian Dunbar writes about puppy socialization, he argues that more dogs are endangered by bad situations arising from poor socialization than from disease. I understand your thinking and think you made a good call.

Hopefully all the other dogs in the park have had their shots making the risk pretty small for that sweet girl.
1. Erin Shanendoah says:
  
  June 21, 2012 at 5:45 am
  
  One of the other reasons behind my thinking was that we were in the small dog area, not the general population. The small dog area, because it's quite a bit smaller than the main dog park, is kept cleaner, making it less likely for the puppy to be able to roll in, or stick her nose in, or eat something that would make her sick.
Leslie says:

June 21, 2012 at 6:45 am

I concur with Pamela and think you made the absolute right decision. You're right, that puppy should be with Mama and sibs but he's not. You have to work with the situation you have, not necessarily the ideal one.

Socialization to humans and other dogs is so very critical at that age in the pup (speaking for one dog who obviously had no human socialization at all until much too late) but, as you say, it's so much more important for Pitties in this contentious landscape these days.

Kudos for thinking your actions through and sharing your thought process. We can all learn from your open-mindedness.
1. Erin Shanendoah says:
  
  June 26, 2012 at 7:38 am
  
  Can I be honest? I was also thinking about how cute she was and how much I wanted a chance to pet her and play with her.
M.C. says:

June 24, 2012 at 1:13 pm

I know where you're coming from here.

Thank you for your kindness to and empathy for this young man.
1. Erin Shanendoah says:
  
  June 26, 2012 at 7:38 am
  
  I hope we have the chance to see him again, and to watch her as she grows.
houndstooth4 says:

July 15, 2012 at 1:06 am

She is adorable, and before our life with a puppy, I might have acted differently than I would now, nine months into our own puppy experience. We brought Kuster home at eight weeks old and started socializing him right away. NOT at the dog park, pet stores or other places where he was likely to come into contact with diseases. He came into contact with a lot of people and other situations, though, and now the whole world is his friend. I hope that the other people at the dog park are as compassionate and supportive as you!
1. Erin Shanendoah says:
  
  July 15, 2012 at 5:37 am
  
  The other people there that day were also quite supportive, which was very nice.
Roberta says:

July 15, 2012 at 4:17 am

Dr. Ian Dunbar is my puppy guru esp. since I don't have that many rescue puppies. Your call was right on and we in rescue and the dog world in general need to critically think situations like you did. Thank you for erring on the side of the good of the puppy and his owner. I, too, hope you see them often and yep, I just want to cuddle her!
1. Erin Shanendoah says:
  
  July 15, 2012 at 5:38 am
  
  We haven't seen them again, but I think that might be because we don't have a consistent dog park schedule this year.
Jodi says:

July 15, 2012 at 11:08 am

At first I was surprised, but once you explained your reasoning I could certainly understand where you were coming from. Perhaps you will see this young man again and perhaps you will have opportunity to share knowledge with him another time.

But you are right, we need to have more pittie owners like this and the important thing is he is trying to raise her right.
1. Erin Shanendoah says:
  
  July 17, 2012 at 12:23 am
  
  C and I both felt the same way- we wanted to say something and we didn't want to say anything. We both chose to keep out mouths shut and just interact. I hope we'll see them both again, too, since Lab-Pit mixes are my heart dog.

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