It’s official. Britney Spears has been voted World’s Worst Celebrity Dog Owner for 2006. She beat out the reigning owner, Paris Hilton, in a three-month online poll by readers of The New York Dog and The Hollywood Dog magazines.
Shocking, I know.
“Britney was the overwhelming choice,” the editor of both magazines, Hilary O’Hagen, said in a statement released before Christmas.
“She once had three Chihuahuas [Lacy, Lucky and Bit-Bit] and never left home without at least one of them on her arm. As soon as she met K-Fed [Kevin Federline] and had kids, they disappeared.”
Celebrity aside, how would you rank among your fellow pet owners on the scale of best to worst? Are you polite when it comes to pets? Do you respect the critters of others - even if you have none of your own?
In an effort to improve our pet politeness factor, I conducted an informal survey of my co-workers to find out their most common pet peeves.
If you find you’ve been guilty of one of the following pet manner infractions, there’s no need to tuck your tail. On Monday, we can all vow to improve our petiquette for 2007.
Doo-Doo Don’ts
An anonymous reader sent me a tale this year about a frustrating experience while walking her dog. Eight months pregnant and in need of some fresh air, a Tampa woman decided to take a break to walk her dog. Before she could get her pooch off her property for a jaunt, the dog dropped into the grass and rolled around in another pet’s very mushy doo-doo. The dog was covered - eyes, ears and all. The woman immediately rushed her 85-pound dog back into the house for a bath - not an easy task at eight months pregnant. It was a stinky end to what should have been a pleasant walk.
“Don’t allow your pet to potty in someone else’s yard,” advises Connie Brooks, shelter manager and behavioral counselor at the SPCA Tampa Bay. “Before you begin your walk, have your dog do his business in your own yard, then go for your walk.” Certainly, you’ll need to bring along a plastic bag (or two) in case Fido decides to pull over again to finish business.
Brooks also stresses the importance of doo-doo disposal. “Please tie a knot in the plastic bag before you toss it into the waste can.” Sounds like common sense, but it seems one cannot be too specific when it comes to dog doo etiquette. Have you ever had to hose out a trash can at a dog park?
Long Leashes
Don’t give dogs too much rope - or in this case, too much line - on an extendible leash.
“People with extend-a-leashes let their dogs walk as far away as possible,” Brooks says. “They get entangled in other people and pets, or the dog gets wound up around a tree or pole, which could ultimately be dangerous if the line snaps.”
Brooks suggests a polite solution is a 2-foot rule. When another person or pet approaches your dog, reel him or her in to within 2 feet of you, thus giving you more control and nothing to trip over.
Worse yet are those who walk their dog without a leash. This can be a dangerous practice not only for the dog, but for the people or other pets who may be encountered. Dog owners who walk Fido sans leash usually claim that their dog will stay alongside on command. This may be true under normal circumstances. But what if this dog encounters an aggressive dog, gets startled by a moving vehicle or spots a tantalizing squirrel? All bets are off.
Always keep your dog on a leash unless it is protected by a fenced enclosure or is secure at an off-leash dog park.
Feline Faux-Pas
Our kitty friends don’t get out as much as their canine counterparts; therefore, there are fewer manner infractions to speak of. However, cat owners who allow kitties to roam the neighborhood are guilty of creating a nuisance for neighbors and a health hazard for their cats.
Roaming cats contribute to the pet overpopulation crisis if they have not been spayed or neutered. Though your cat may have a home to come back to, the “night out” can lead to unwanted cats subjected to living on the streets, where they are exposed to danger and death daily through disease, other animals and moving vehicles.
Be part of the solution by having your cat fixed.
Even if your feline has been sterilized, he or she may still be subjected to the dangers mentioned above. Add to that the nuisances it may pose to neighbors. Many male cats urinate to mark their territory - on your neighbor’s house, landscaping or car. This leaves a highly unpleasant odor that is difficult to remove.
If that’s not enough motivation to keep Tigger inside, both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties have ordinances that require pet cats to stay indoors or be confined to the property when outdoors. No cat (or dog) is allowed to stray, run or be “at large” on any public property, street, sidewalk or park or on private property without consent of the property owner. Any cat that is outdoors while not under direct control of the owner must be sterilized. Violators will be cited and fined (penalties vary by county).
Treat Wisely
It seems like a harmless gesture. When doling out goodies to your own dog, it seems only polite to share with others, right?
Wrong.
Always ask the owner first. The dog might be on a diet or have a food allergy.
Regardless of whether you are a pet owner, companion animals are such a big part of American life that everyone is bound to encounter pets regularly. Just as we do with humans, use common sense, ask when you are not sure, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you and your pet.
CRITTER CALENDAR
Neuter Scooter Coming To Tampa
The Animal Coalition of Tampa Neuter Scooter will pick up pets to transport them to the spay-neuter clinic at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The transportation is free, and the surgery is $40 for cats, $75 for dogs less than 50 pounds and $95 for dogs more than 50 pounds.
The scooter will be at Petco, 136 S. West Shore Blvd., Tampa, Tuesday; Dunkin Donuts, 5302 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa, Wednesday; and The Three Legged Poodle, 715 Imar Drive, Sun City Center, Thursday.
Reservations are required. Go to http://www.actampa.orgor call (813) 250-3900.
Pinellas Low-Cost Microchip Clinic
Beginning Jan. 6, the Humane Society of Pinellas will host a low-cost pet microchip clinic on the first Saturday of each month from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the shelter, 3040 State Road 590, Clearwater.
Microchipping costs $10. Call (727) 797-7722 or go to www. humanesocietyofpinellas.org.
Write to pet-lifestyle expert Kristen Levine at Fetching Communications, P.O. Box 222, Tarpon Springs FL 34688; e-mail kristen @fetchingcommunications.com; or fax (727) 934-6451.
