living with ppl who are NAIVE about dogs! It's driving me nuts.

I'm just venting, so frustrated with how naive the rest of my family is about dogs. I'm going to be moving out soon and my doggie is one of the main reasons, i just need freedom from the naive comments in the house being made by them. I'm the only one in the family that has talked to a vet, gone to pet training classes, and researches online through these dog forums and still they still think they know more than me. He is a 9lb jack russel mix and They are telling me I need to be bathing him every single day, say i need to put flea medication on him every week, and I use frontline, it was 70 bux from the vet. They say it's impossible that the flea medication is still effective since i already bathed him, it's all washed off, but the vet told me specifically it was fine to bath him after 3 days. They want to throw him outside in the backyard where he'll get eaten up by mosquitos, but all at the same time, they want to play with him when it's convienient for them, but i'm the only one that takes on the responsibility for him. When he has an accident in the house, everyone runs away from the poop or pee likes it's toxic poison and yells at me or rubs it in my face. I wish they would just go do some research about dogs first before telling me how to take care of mine.

They dont even know what fleas look like, I wiped off some eye gunk from him when he was crying and they all jumped back "Oh my god, fleas, get him out of here!"
*(Shaking my head)

Well, it sounds like the sooner you can move out, the better. They do sound awfully immature and uninformed about dogs. I'm glad you are doing so well by your dog. Good luck.

Yes, move out ASAP. It sounds like you know dogs, and how to care for them. Good luck. I'm glad you know how to care for your dog, and you're not just taking advice from your family.

Thanks, I plan too, i just need to find out where the heck my job is going to place me. Here is another example of just being paranoid and uninformed, when the dog accidentaly scratched one of them in the foot while he was playing, they all panicked and talked about Rabies and they needed the ambulance! And it was like a small little scratch.

Are you serious?! Wow. I'm glad you researched dogs, even if the rest of your family didn't.

It's sad but true that not everybody is cut out to be a doggy person!! I think your plan to move out is a good one!! And you are showing yourself to be a responsible dog owner! Well done you! Sadly we can't make everyone as nuts as we are about dogs!!

Omigosh. Yes, I'd want to get out of there pretty quickly.

lol, I get scratched all the time. I have one scratch on my foot from my Lab. She stood on my foot while I was dishing out treats. I just say, "Get off my foot, you darn dog !"

I am always getting upset with my grown children and their attitudes. My kids dumped on me at one time a total of 6 cats and a dog. All this agaisnt my wishes, each time I said no. My son in law came with 2 cats, I said no. But since my daughter refused to let them in her house guess who got stuck with them. We just went into business on our own and it was hard enough to have food for us to eat but we had to put the animals first, always did. They ate twice a day, never missed a meal but we on the other hand would often eat once a day and often it was a bowl of cereal or speggitti with no meat. We ran into problems of needing someone to take care of the animals so we could be gone a few days, do you think my kids would do it? NO WAY. They had lives. I'd hear "I'll try". Well that doesnt work. I had to know for a fact these animals would be taken care of. Then my youngest who dumped 4 cats on me would come over and complain about cat hair, dog hair, in the winter complain about the smell of the litter box! Bot would complain that we dont take the dog for rides often enough, ect. I would complain about them dumping their pets on me, each time they'd say I was just in a mood. I finally snapped, said enough is enough, they will take responsibility for their pets. These kids will take their pets or find homes for them. You dont take on pets then dump them onto other people because you dont like the smell or the hair. I didnt change my mind. I hated being so nasty but dang, it was past time for these kids to take responsibility for their pets. But its all created problems for Princess. This made the kids very angry that I turned around and got myself a pet. They just dont get it!
So anyway, now they come to my house and the one daughter is hateful to Princess. All poor Princess does is go to her, lick her arm and she comes unglued. Calling her a stupid annoying dog, yelling "get her away from me!". My youngest daughter tried to hate Princess but because Princess and her daughter are best buddies she has a hard time hating her. I get very upset with my oldest daughter and have even told her Princess lives here, if you dont like it, you dont have to come over! I hate saying that but I cant stand seeing her treat my dog in such a way. Then I put up with them talking like they are big experts on animals. I am in my 40's, raised on a farm, have had animals all of my life, then to have these kids claim to be such animal lovers and tell me how I should raise my dog, just really makes my blood boil. Same kids who chose not to keep their pets with them, telling me how to take care of an animal.
I'm just ranting too. I had both my girls here yesterday all day and the oldest was being hateful to Princess. I love my daughters, but I am so ready to hang a sign up on my door that states my dog lives here, if you dont like being licked, dont come in.

What will they think when I say I WANT ANOTHER PUPPY!

sounds like your family members know just what to say to get to you..i don't know why people have to be that way, especially the people that should love you the most and care about your happiness. i think there is a bigger problem than the dog..and when you do move you will be able to make your home a peaceful place. I hoep then that you can teach your family members how to be more mature by example. It rings of jealousy but i could be wrong.

Geez, Freddie, that would be funny if it weren't true! I hope you can get your pooch out soon, before they get weirder about him!

Becca - are you sure they're really your kids? I just can't imagine how kids who grew up with someone like you could possibly act that irresponsibly and meanly. The way you love your critters and take care of them, it sounds like maybe a case of "who are you and what have you done with my children?"

Freddie - I think CT said it best! It would be funny if it weren't true! Hope you get to move before they drive you completely nuts!

I know people who think cat hairs make their way into a mother's womb and stab the unborn baby like a spear and kill it. *rolls eyes*

What?????? Jackie, you aren't serious???? OMG...

Martin's mum always says not to let a cat sleep on or near your chest because they steal your breath while you sleep!!! Some people hey!

Steal your breath???? How can a cat steal someone's breath?

I guess the same way a dog scratch can give you rabies when the dog has had his rabie shot.

wow, i guess my family aren't the only incredibly Naive people there are when it comes to animals. Well that's nice to know I'm not the only one hearing crazy stuff.

Nope Freddie, there are plenty of people who aren't like us dog folks.
LOL Rose!! Yeah, you must be right

Wive's tale

It kills me how this has been around for years. The thing about "Cats stealing 'the baby's breath'" I think it started YEARS ago back in the OLD TIMES when someone saw their cat sniffing their sleeping baby's face. I guess the baby ended up dying from probably Sudden Death Syndrome. But meanwhile, the people thought the cat caused it. Hence, the wive's tale...

I've heard that saying about cats stealing a babies breath for years, I will say the only thing that worries me about a cat and a baby is the possibility of a cat cuddling nearly or on a babies face. I dont know that they would, but like the cat we have now, loves to snuggle up next to our head. Its not uncommon to wake up with this cat snuggled up next to our face! When my buddy was alive, he laid on my chest. Every morning I woke to him biting my nose. So I could see a cat snuggleing to close to a baby.