"Dog Ownership Rules" that you DON'T follow

[Britster]

Ohhh another thread idea! I'm on a roll.

What are some of the "dog ownership rules" that you always hear you're supposed to follow, yet you break?

I know most of you know Jackson as this well-trained dog, and he is, but I let him get away with a lot, too. I guess he deserves it.

1. Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter.

- I didn't do this w/ Jackson and none of my family dogs ever waited that amount of time either. Jackson had about 3 days where I kept him still for the most part and then he was nearly back to his normal self and I kind of just let him be. At the time, my moms dog was still alive and they were back to playing- I couldn't keep them apart.

2. Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs.

- Nope, don't really do this either... I just switch. Although he's always been on high quality foods his whole life so switching from one to the other has never been an issue for him. Even when we visit my grandma's house and her dogs Kibbles n Bits are out or whatever, I let him eat it. I figure it's like a treat to him, like I get McDonald's sometimes, or whatever. He eats healthy 95 percent of the time so I'm not worried about a once a every few months deal.

3. Never lets your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..

- Yeah, right. This dog has been sleeping in my bed since I brought him home at 9 weeks old (in a crate for the first 4 weeks, but still IN my bed, lol). We play tug and I growl right along with him.

4. Don't let your dog walk ahead of you on walks

- I don't care about him walking ahead of me as long as he's not pulling.

5. Never use a flexi!

OK, I really don't like flexi's in general when they are not being used right and I would never recommend them to someone who is training a dog to walk on a leash or to someone who is going to allow their dog to go to the end and just pull and pull and pull... but I DO use a flexi in certain circumstances... like a big open space we're in, or a beach, or when we go camping, etc. So I think there should definitely be exceptions to the rule.

6. Don't give your dog junk food

- I share almost everything I eat with Jackson, but it's all small portions. Plus he's so picky he doesn't like half the things I eat anyways. French fries, he won't touch. Potato chips... won't touch. But if I'm eating Mac&Cheese, for example, I give him probably like a total of 5 noodles. Pizza, he always gets a bit of the crust or cheese.

7. Do not BABY or spoil your dog!

- I baby Jackson in a way. I mean, he's spoiled rotten and I do baby talk to him. But he does get to be a DOG first and foremost. I definitely don't care for the whole put your dog in purses, bags and strollers things. He is a doggy dog through and through and gets to get dirty, be outside all the time, run, play with other dogs, rough-house, not stay indoors 24/7.


8. Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.

- Yeah, didn't do this either! Although I really wish I would have because I think I did WAY too much within the first week and he's still really shy about people and I think the fact that I exposed him to so many people at first was a big shock to him as a new little puppy.



9. Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.

- Ha... Jackson is a really bad beggar and I don't let him do it to other people but with me, I could care less if he's laying his head on my shoulder begging. I think it's cute. And he knows I'm ALWAYS going to give him a piece of what I'm eating.

10. Do not leave your dog alone with kids/other dogs alone.

- Don't follow this rule either. When we stay at my dads, all 3 dogs (JRT mix, Dachshund mix and Jackson stay out together) and EVERY pairing of dogs we've ever had has been left alone together when we leave. No problems. My 7 year old brother has been "alone" with Jackson (like with me in a different room or something) and I totally trust him both Jackson and my brother to behave properly.

11. ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.

- I'm not going to lie, I don't *always* pick up his poop. I always pick it up in the dog parks and public parks or any populated busy place of course. But if we're just in an area that nobody goes to... nope, I don't. I live on 3 acres of land with 90 acres of farmland behind us and I never pick up his poop at home. I guess the step-dad just runs it over with the tractor.


Soooo... there's all our confessions. I guess I just give Jackson all of these privileges because he IS such a great dog in general and always listens to me (ok, 95 percent of the time he listens to me! ) so I bend a lot of rules for him. If I had a more difficult dog, I don't think bending these rules would be happening. He's luckily a pretty bomb-proof solid dog.

[FlDebra]

Cute idea for a thread:
1. Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter.

- I was about the same -- 3 days was it for my yorkies, but my Jack Russell Terrier was like it never happened. She came home maybe a little drowsy but the very next day wanted to run as usual. I tried at first and then thought -- she must know if it is hurting.

2. Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs.

- I don't switch often, but I will mix the two foods for a day or two instead of the recommended week. Then I go ahead and switch. I don't think there is a big difference in the premium foods. As for letting them eat the lower quality -- I never thought about it like McDonald's, but you are right. I don't know when mine would be in a position to eat them, but I am sure I would not get uptight about a nibble or two.

3. Never lets your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..

- Mine have all slept with me. I have 3 now and one sleeps on each side, with little Annie right on top of me. Sometimes I even wake up with her around my neck.

4. Don't let your dog walk ahead of you on walks

- I actually want mine in front of me so I can see them better. I want to see what they are sniffing at and might potentially eat.

5. Never use a flexi!

Not sure what a flexi is -- is that one of the retractible leashes? If so, I have one too, although it is too long for most places. Like you, I would use it in places where we have lots of wide open spaces but still require a leash. It is not a safety leash though. Mine are VERY rarely on a leash at all. I normally carry them when in a public place. I don't want them on the floor at Petsmart because I have seen some grungy dogs in there and I know they pee and poop on the floors. I would imagine any science student could get some interesting slides from those floors!

6. Don't give your dog junk food

- I could repeat almost all of what you wrote here. Annie even has a sound cue -- when the spoon scrapes the bottom of the ice cream bowl she is right up on my lap as she knows those last couple of bites are hers. But I never over due. Two little bites of melted ice cream, maybe one or two broken off pieces of chips, the last couple of bites of almost anything I am eating goes to them, but never enough to amount to anything. I normally do not eat anything fatty or greasy myself (even the ice cream is 1/2 fat). So sharing what I eat is usually not that bad. Exception: Never again will I let them have ANY hot dog. They each got a couple tiny, thin slices of hot dog not long ago. I cleaned up a TON of diarrhea! Never hot dogs!

7. Do not BABY or spoil your dog!

- That's a rule? No one told me. Can we have it repealed?


8. Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.

- I think I pretty much followed this one, except my mom of course. She loves them all as much as I do.

9. Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.

- Can't think of any example where I encourage bad behavior, but I don't always get as firm as I should. It is very difficult to sound stern to a cute 4 month old Yorkie pup. What can you do for discipline when they are so tiny? Not much! And I also confess to sometimes just laughing when she is being rowdy and I am trying to settle her down. She is trying to run the house already. I know any real dog trainer would think I am a complete failure.

10. Do not leave your dog alone with kids/other dogs.

- I think this depends on the dogs and the kids. I leave my yorkies with a Jack Russell all the time. She is the gentle one of the group. If anyone is likely to get hurt it will be her. She mothers the yorkies and has never snapped no matter how much they might torture her. Although I don't leave the pup with the others yet. She has to go in her kennel if I am leaving them for groceries or something. As for kids, I would think a 7 year old is plenty old enough to trust alone with dogs (unless they have shown meanness in the past. But most toddlers should NEVER be left alone to start with and especially not with a pup. My grandson is 3, and I would not leave him alone for more than a quick bathroom break. Even then I remind him not to pick up the dogs. He is allowed to hold them when he sits down. He is great with them. But he is a toddler and I would not want to put him in the posiiton to hurt himself or a pup.

11. ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.

- I don't pick it up if it is in my yard. They are so little and firm, they disintegrate nicely and do not make a stink. I have 2 acres, one acre fenced. I do pick it up anywhere else if we are out for a walk, simply because I want others to do the same. I would love it if the owners of this big, lovable Golden Retriever would come pick up their dog's poop from my front yard. He comes every morning like clock work. If I miss one and mow over it -- whewwwwweeee the whole yard stinks for a couple of days! Why should I have to shovel his poop?

[FlDebra]

Wanted to explain, when I said "left alone" for the kids situation in previous post, I did not mean in the house alone -- just like in another room. I reread and ran out of time to edit after fixing a couple typos. But did not want anyone to get the idea I was meaning to leave children home alone, at any age mentioned.

[CouversMom]

Great thread idea Brittany!!

1. Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter.

- Neither of mine followed this rule... Couver was out for about 2 days and Khloe wanted to play the very same day! I had to fight her to take any sort of a break. I think she had some really great pain meds and didn't know she was hurting.

2. Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs.

- I usually try to do this because Couver has such a sensitive stomach, but I admit on the last bag, I changed too quickly... We did have a bit of an issue with his stool, so from now on I'm going to be more careful.

3. Never lets your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..

- Oh heck! There is no way I would follow this one. I've always slept with my dogs even when my parents told me I couldn't. Couver and Khloe were both in bed with us their first night home... We've only had one accident on the bed, and it was because I was ignoring her need to go outside for my need of sleep.

4. Don't let your dog walk ahead of you on walks

- See, I don't get this one. I want them in front of me so I don't trip on them. They always are in front but know better than to pull.

5. Never use a flexi!

-This is all I use. It locks in place, so it can be retractable or a short lead. I don't see the problem with this...

6. Don't give your dog junk food

- I usually try to follow this one because again of Couver's sensitive tummy. They sometimes will get a piece of meat or veggie, but very rarely anything too junky.

7. Do not BABY or spoil your dog!

- Really?! These dogs are spoiled rotten But not to the point that they are not allowed to be dogs. They go on walks and go to the dog park, but they also get to travel with me (everywhere) I go because they are that important to me. I hate leaving them, so they do travel in a bag with me to stores. Their favorite is Home Depot. They get to ride in the child seat and see all the sights.

8. Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.

- Not so much... My two are over-socialized. However I didn't get either of them and tiny puppies, so they both had their vaccinations before going anywhere or seeing anyone.

9. Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.

- I really try to follow this... Couver knows better but Khloe is a big beggar. I want to be able to enjoy my food without them begging, so I always make sure they are fed before I sit down to eat.

10. Do not leave your dog alone with kids/other dogs alone.

- Well, I really follow this one... Couver doesn't know any kids very well and he really doesn't like them, so they are never left alone with any. However, if I have children of my own, they will be taught to respect the dogs and will be allowed to be left alone with them. I can't think of any dogs that they have been left alone with either... I really try to be careful, because we really only have family with big dogs, so they aren't left alone just in case. Pretty much they are with me almost everywhere

11. ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.
- I am usually pretty good about this, but if we are no on a path or a place where people frequent, I will let it slide.

[Karebear]

How about not fussing over your dogs when returning home and not letting them jump all over you. I personally enjoy their greetings which happen to be the same whether i been gone 5 minutes of 8 hours.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

1. Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter.

- I am guilty. Did not do this. I think she was still for maybe a day or two at the most.

2. Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs.

- Guilty. I found out the other dog food I was using had "junk" in it so I switched to Wellness.

3. Never lets your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..

- She sleeps with me every night. I love having her there.

4. Don't let your dog walk ahead of you on walks

- Hey, I found one that I am not guilty of!!!

5. Never use a flexi!

- Make that two!!

6. Don't give your dog junk food

- I am not guilty of this one. But my husband is. I try to stop him but you know how that goes.

7. Do not BABY or spoil your dog!

- Guilty, Guilty, Guilty. I baby Rosie and she is spoiled rotten!! But she is still a good girl. But quite a little pampered thing.


8. Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.

- Nope. Didn't do this. I wanted to show her off. I think she did just fine.



9. Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.

- Again, husband guilty of this. Rosie will beg for food from him. But she is smart enough not to do it to me. She knows I won't give in!

10. Do not leave your dog alone with kids/other dogs alone.

- Rosie is alone with my mom's dog all the time. We have never had a problem.

11. ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.

- I don't do this at home. Sorry! In public areas I will but not at home!

[Maximo]

Britster, I'm going to have to fine you for not always picking up poop.

Confession: I took Maxman out shopping last week and forgot to bring a bag. He did his business in front of an empty restaurant.

[MaddiesMommie]

Oh we always follow the rules...I am the perfect dog owner.

[kjc]

1. Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter.

Not so important to do with neuters (minor surgery), but with females, if they overextend before they have healed, can rip either internal or external (or both) stitches apart, and can cause uncontrolled bleeding, etc. So, yes, I follow this rule for the girls, for spays, and with all dogs having any abdominal or orthopedic surgery....

2. Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs.

Sometimes this cannot be helped, again depends on each individual dog as to whether or not the time should be taken to do a gradual switch.


3. Never lets your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..

These are activities that can encourage Alpha dog behavior leading to aggressiveness, so again depends on the dog... I have two that I have to be careful with as I am trying to make them less aggressive. My male wakes up in a terror (if he is abruptly or suddenly woke up.... if he was a PitBull, I'd be missing body parts or dead.)

4. Don't let your dog walk ahead of you on walks

Again can encourage Alpha dog behavior... but if your dog accepts you as the leader... no problem.


5. Never use a flexi!

I do on occasion, but know that they can malfunction. Also helps to be very familiar with how they work before putting oneself and one's dog in a dangerous/questionable situation...


6. Don't give your dog junk food

Depends on the dog, and I agree, moderation is key. Note: My idea of a 'tiny piece' is vastly different than my DH's. My 'tiny piece' is about the size of a dime, cut in half or quartered for smaller dogs.

7. Do not BABY or spoil your dog!

Ha! Who wrote this one?

8. Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.

Sounds like a good rule, been a while since I had a puppy though!

9. Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.

My rule is: Do not encourage (or accept) any behavior you do not want to see repeated.

10. Do not leave your dog alone with kids/other dogs alone.

Depends on the kids... and I keep in mind that there are different stages of development in the human brain... expecting children to always do as they're told, or to make adult decisions is physically impossible for them.

Depends on the dog.

11. ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.

I really hate stepping in poop so I keep the yard picked up. I also think it makes for a healthier environment, and it's a way for me to keep track of their intestinal health... to spot any problems like diarrhea or parasites.

On walks, in the woods, no I don't, unless it's in the pathway... but on the roads I walk on, yes, cause cars will squish it then I forget and walk through it the next day!

[Lovetodream88]

1. Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter.

-It was sooo long ago it seems lol I didnt like keep her crated up or anything but she was pretty low key for a week

2. Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs.

-I dont normally follow this one either and havent had any problems but I havent switched her food a lot

3. Never let your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..

- I move a lot in my sleep so I have always had a fear or rolling on Callie or like pushing her off the bed so unless she is sick/not feeling well or we are spending the night away from home she sleeps in her soft sided dog house in my room (to keep the fan from blowing on her and freezing her) We play tug and I growl at her but she normally never makes a sound back but sometimes amazes me how strong she is.

4. Don't let your dog walk ahead of you on walks

- I am the same it doesn't really matter if she is walking ahead of me as long as there is no pulling

5. Never use a flexi!

-I also feel like there are times for it and times not really for it. I keep one in her bag but most of the time for stores and events she is on the normal one.

6. Don't give your dog junk food

- I give her some but she is also very picky and normally doesn't eat it unless its cheese so she will take the piece of whatever get it nice and slobbery and spit it back out leaving it a lot of fun for me to pick up ewwww

7. Do not BABY or spoil your dog!

- Callie is my baby but she still is a dog (hint the doggy door and bring in dead frogs). I do have a stroller for her because she gets kinda nervous around lots of people being at there feet and she has found the higher she is the more attention she gets and at 16 pounds carrying her can eventually make your arm want to fall off. She is very spoiled but she doesn't really act like a spoiled rotten dog, I could buy a 5 dollar toy and give it to her and then give her a 2 liter bottle empty with the lid super tightened and she has more fun with the bottle.

8. Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.

- We never brought people over to see her but we took her to see people



9. Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.

-I give in to certain things I shouldnt but jeeze its hard to tell that face no

10. Do not leave your dog alone with kids/other dogs alone.

- I dont ever leave Callie alone, if I have to go to the store or something my grandpa will watch her while me and my grandma go but I have anxiety so I dont go out like every day of the week or anything

11. ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.

-Callie wont poop anywhere but home and if we do go on a trip or something she holds it like 3 days and then just cant anymore if we are still not home and if it is at a hotel I will pick it up actually normally I can talk my dad into it Last time we were away it had been 3 days and she was gassy, grumpy and worrying me so my dad would play with her then rub her belly a lot then play and rub her belly a lot and they did this for like an hour and he took her outside and she finally went

[Jennxling]

Awesome thread!

Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter.

-We weren't to strict about this as long as they are not hurting their wounds. We did, however, keep a cone on Carmel for awhile. Emma didn't really have a problem with licking her wound.

Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs.

-We usually do this, but Emma only picks out the new kibbles. I think as long as she's eating then it's fine. We do mix the old and new food, but we don't follow the 75%, 50%, then 25% rule.

Never lets your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..

-They sleep with us ALL THE TIME. However, I stopped letting them sleep with us through the night because I don't want to hurt them. I move around A LOT and Carmel likes to sleep near our legs and Emma just follows him. I play tug with Carmel because he likes it!


Never use a flexi!

-This is all we use! We have the ones where you can lock it so it's more convenient.


Do not BABY or spoil your dog!

- This I don't do...Carmel and Emma ARE my babies and I love them to death! They get punished if they do something bad, otherwise, they are treated like my son and daughter <3 I've got TOO MUCH love for them.

Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.

- I didn't know this before so I never did this. The day I got Carmel, I went to my friends house to show her my new pup. I guess that may be why he loves people? Emma was the same way so she's also used to people.

Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.

- We try to follow this too, but sometimes I'm not consistent...For example, Carmel begs all the time to be put on our lap when we are in front of the computer. When I get annoyed, I say no. The majority of the times, I like to put him on my lap though.

Do not leave your dog alone with other dogs alone.

- Carmel and Emma ALWAYS stay with each other in their area when we're not home. Otherwise, they will get lonely.


ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.
- I usually pick up their poop. However, sometimes if the poop is super small or I don't have a bag then I don't. I try to do this though because I HATE stepping in poop.


I took out the other ones because we follow those rules...For instance, we have NEVER fed Carmel and Emma ANY junk food. However, I didn't know they can't eat grapes at first, so they ate one before. Luckily, they were fine. We were surprised that it was toxic to them.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by Karebear

How about not fussing over your dogs when returning home and not letting them jump all over you. I personally enjoy their greetings which happen to be the same whether i been gone 5 minutes of 8 hours.

Another good one! I love that too. Especially after a long day -- nothing like having someone happy you come home. This does sometimes surprise others, but my mom really loves it. I can tell it makes her feel good when she comes in and they give her as big a greeting as they do me. She is the one that watches them when I have to be away. She has 6 dogs; they had 6 kids, so now they have 6 dogs

New subject: I was just wondering why I did not know retractible leashes were called "flexis." Maybe cause I only recently got one and have only used it once (practicing in my own back acre). I was not happy that it was so long. I guess I was used to my short leash. But I have ordered a 3-way coupler with leash, especially made for 2 toy dogs and one medium sized. Can't wait to see how that works for us. We do not have a lot of practice on the leash (especially Annie) but I know we need it for those times when a leash is required. This is my "learn something new every day on YT" subject -- flexi!

[MaddiesMommie]

Okay now a serious answer (I was not about to type all this on my phone)

1. Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter. Week! No way, I was doing good to keep Cooper calm in the car ride home. Maddie was a bit calmer but we didn't come close to a week.


2. Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs. I switched foods immediatly. At the time, I didn't know I was supposed to do it gradually. When both of mine came to me they were on junk, so their stomachs were happy for the change I am sure.


3. Never lets your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..
Maddie sleeps in our bed everynight. As a matter of fact, she spends most of the day in there. Cooper prefers her crate so that is where she sleeps. Don't think I have not tried to get her to sleep with mommy and daddy but it seems to make her nervous so she sleeps in her crate by the bed.

4. Don't let your dog walk ahead of you on walks
My girls walk in front of, beside, or behind me as long as they are not pulling.

5. Never use a flexi!
Have 2 of them.

6. Don't give your dog junk food
This is one I do limit just because it seems I was blessed with a sensitive tummy. Not too fond of being woke up in the middle of the night to an ungodly smell and cleaning the 3 a.m. runny diarrhea messes

7. Do not BABY or spoil your dog!
My dogs are my babies so this one I am guilty of.


8. Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.
I stopped by my parents house to let them see Maddie on the way home...again, I didn't know any better at the time.


9. Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.
If the behavior is dangerous for them or others, then no. However, sitting on the kitchen rug bumping my leg while cooking, begging for food, chasing the cats out of the house when they run in we usually just laugh at.

10. Do not leave your dog alone with kids/other dogs alone.
Maddie and Cooper stay together when we are gone. I would not leave them with strange dogs or small kids unattended.

11. ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.
Not in my yard, but in public areas, yes.

[LuvTaycieGirl]

1. Keep dog still.. no running/moving/jumping a week after spay/neuter.
I did this with Taycie. I had a week off of work at the time I scheduled her spay so we sat together and I spoiled her rotten. Intentionally of course I didn't want to do much anyways because I need a week to just lay around and watch movies so I made a big deal out of it. I rented a ton of movies and I held Taycie on my chest for a good solid 3 days

2. Do not switch foods right away! You don't want to shock their stomachs.
For now I am giving up on the food switch! Her stomach is like playing with fire, I would rather not have a blow out at 2am!

3. Never lets your dog sleep on the bed with you/play tug/etc..
Taycie has slept with me since day one! She did sleep in her crate on top of my bed for the first 4 weeks or so but after that she has been right next to me!

4. Don't let your dog walk ahead of you on walks
Taycie always does this. I actually prefer it because I live in a neighborhood with so many dog owners and I get nervous about other dogs. I just want to see her all the time to make sure she doesn't get into trouble.

5.Never use a flexi!
This is the only thing I have! I love it!

6. Don't give your dog junk food
NOPE and NO WAY! Taycie has a extremley sensitive tummy, and takes her a good week to reset to go back to normal after a tummy ache. So I am really picky what goes in, cause what comes out is worse!

7. Do not BABY or spoil your dog!
This is the one I do best! I can't help it! No matter what store I am in, if there is pet isle there has to be something she doesn't have! And on sundays is our breakfast and bed days! I eat my cereal and Taycie eats her dog food on a T.V Tray in my bed right next to me! It is quite cute and she loves it!

8. Let your dog adjust for a week before bringing people over to meet him/her as a puppy.
This one I did not follow at all... She went to work with me the very next day. I am not sure if it was a bad thing or a good thing but she seems fine to me!

9.Don't encourage bad behavior.. no matter what.
I work as a nanny so I don't put up with "their" naughty behaviors, but unfortunently parents were right, I suck at this, it is so different when they are your own

10. Do not leave your dog alone with kids/other dogs alone.
NO WAY! I won't even let some of my friends watch Taycie. I just get nervous and have read to many horror stories, If she is not with me which she normally is she is in the saftey of my apartment!

11. ALWAYS pick up your dogs poop.
Yes, I do because everyone around me has a dog. Once I left it and went back and picked it up because I felt bad.

[FlDebra]

I knew these confessions would come back to bite me! But just a wee Annie-sized bite! LOL! A whole 'nother thread of trying to explain -- it's just a tiny, itty bitty, bit of potato chip once in a BLUE MOON! And the bit of ice cream you can scrape from the sides of a bowl when you are all done with it.....nothing to speak of really.....ah welll..... I am usually almost anal about what they get to eat and what they don't but the occasional broken off piece of chip and ice cream scrapings are the two things I know aren't good and still allow the tinsiest bit anyway. Because I know with common sense that it is NOT enough to do harm. But I guess I am a dirty rotten, no good, low down, two bit, mother mutt who doesn't deserve her precious pups. But try to pry them from anything but my cold dead hands and I will fight to the bitter end. The idea that anyone thinks I am not taking good care of my pups sort of tightens my panties in a wad, to tell the truth. Okay -- Got that all out of my system now. Thanks for letting me unload.

BTW Britster -- Your macaroni and cheese was actually on the list of good things you can feed a dog! So you are in the clear!