My pet peeve is kids.
The way they come running up and screaming and shouting, three or four at a time, and then they don't ask if they can pet my Yorkie but just start grabbing at his head (which obviously scares him silly and he just backs away).
Now I know I'm not very tolerant of badly behaved kids, I'm not a parent myself and have no intention of being one and yet I can kind of forgive kids because he's adorably cute and I want to pet him every time I see him too and they have to be taught to behave.
But my REAL pet peeve is when the parents are there, and I'm trying to get the kids to calm down (ie: "let him sniff your hand first" or "sit on the ground and let him come to you") that they parents don't do anything to enforce the boundaries I'm laying out. Allowing there kids to get away with anything and then glaring at me if I have the cheek to be firm with their kids.
I had one kid who kept trying to pick him up and squeeze my dog, which obviously I don't allow, and his mother actually "tisk" at me when after telling her kid three times he couldn't pick up my dog, and he still does, I used a firm voice and told him "No!" and took the dog off him.
Now I just avoid walking him after 3pm until it gets dark to ensure I don't have to deal with that. |