I agree with Bikkhu. If you own a big dog that jumps on people, barks incessantly, growls at strangers, isn't house broken, and occasionally bites children, you have a major problem that you pretty much have to take care of. If you have a small dog that does this, you might even think it's cute, even though everyone else will hate it.
I remember an ex-boyfriend whose sister and husband and a lap dog. We would visit them once a month, and it would sit next to me on the couch and bark, and bark, and bark at me. And bark. Every so often, the sister would half-heartedly tell her to stop. Man, I hated that dog. And I thought on some level my boyfriend's sister was telling me that I wasn't welcome there.
I used to live in New York, home of a million "rat" dogs.
Now, I see it differently - I feel bad for all the small dogs out there that go crazy because their owners don't bother to care for them the was a big dog demands. And I see all the wonderful things a well-trained small dog has to offer. I still love a lot of larger breeds, but it's hard to have a Labrador sit on your lap. |