More stuff

[isabelladangelo]

I started sewing up Mom's Turkish coat. It looks like she is coming after all (Woohoo!). My SIL's sister (following this?) works at a really neat little Irish pub in Bethesda. They've offered to make platters for the baptism. If that happens, then Mom won't have to cook (why she just didn't order the platters from Giant like usual, I'll never know) and then she can come play on Saturday.
The problem is there is something funny going on with the lining of the Turkish coat so I have to take one side of it apart and see what the heck I did wrong. For something that is a relatively simple pattern, it's really giving me a lot of trouble.

For fun and amusement for all:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23631411/?GT1=43001&pg=1#TDY_Names_Bad
It's bad baby names. Some of these are just too funny. You have to wonder what the heck the parents were thinking...and whether child services has been called due to "abusive" names.


I've notice a new trend over the past year or so regarding "site restrictions". Events that once welcomed dogs now say "No way". My big question is why? If a dog misbehaves, it's the owners fault. Yes, dogs sometimes have a mind of their own but if the owner doesn't quickly fix the situation, then you ask the owner to do so. Some people will be snotty about it but if they are, then maybe it's time to talk to the autocrat about throwing the person out of the event rather than banning all dogs from the event next year.
It seems like many people are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I know that there are dogs that misbehave at events. I've heard horror stories like the dogs that bark all night and their owners don't mussel them. That's the owners fault; not the dogs. Dogs, in general, don't know it's not okay to bark unless their owners instruct them otherwise. If the owner refuses to or does the "It's not that bad", just tell them it's bothering you and those around you. If they still won't do anything about it, like I said, talk to the autocrat about the owners behavior. Because, clearly, if the owner doesn't think it's a problem, they are the one with the problem.
I take Miss Ginsie to as many events as I can. Yes, she's pretty small compared to most breeds so people, in general, figure she's not a threat and act differently around her than they do a larger breed. She's not seen in the same light as say a bull dog or a great dane. Yet, any breed can be quite gentle (or down right cowardly) or very aggressive (ever here of the feral chihuahua), so breed restriction isn't the answer either to events.
I know Miss Ginsie isn't NOT always perfect. If she starts up, I try to take her away from people and walk her around to get some excess energy out. If she continues, we go home. Most of the bigger events, she's perfectly fine. She loves seeing the people, the fighting, and, if it's an outdoor event, feast! (hey, free dishwashing service! Okay, so you still have to really scrub em when you get home in hot water but you don't have to worry about leftovers stuck to your plate either!) So far, I have never, ever, had anyone come up to me to ask me to control Miss Ginsie's behavior. I've had lots of people ask if they could pet her, which is perfectly fine; she's a big puff ball of fur in garb, but nothing much more than that.
Basically, I want to know why events that use to allow dogs no longer are and why not just "ban" specific owners rather than all dogs?

Comments

[shalandara.livejournal.com]

I cannot speak to all situations, but a lot of the banning has to due with restrictions imposed by the site owner, be it a person, corporation, state/countey entity or what have you. We have used county sites often, and that is a standard clause in the rental agreement.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

I realize that is true in some situations, such as various privately owned campgrounds. However, in the case of public parks or county fairgrounds, it's normally the autocrats (groups?) decision to ban all dogs because of one or two misbehaving at the prior years event. I have emailed an autocrat in the past when this happened at an event that was held at a public park. The park is a well known "dog park" at that! The reason behind the "no dogs" on the site restriction was because a couple of people couldn't control their animals. So, rather than controlling the owners, the group decided to ban all dogs...from the dog park.

[vesper2000.livejournal.com]

Is the pub in question Ri-ra? I met the owner at a pub on Baggott Street in Dublin. It was a funny moment.

I think more people are buying "aggerssive" breed dogs, and at an event where there are going to be kids present, there is a certain element of uncertainty. My guess is that the organizers just don't want to deal with the possibility.

And, appropo of nothing, Ginsie is a supersweet supercute sweetie-pie. :D

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

No, it's the Harp & Fiddle (http://www.flanagansharpandfiddle.com/). It's a really neat little place.

The problem with the idea of aggressive breeds is that it's not a specific breed that is aggressive as much as it is there are breeds that are stronger and if they bite they will cause more damage. A chihuahua won't cause nearly the same amount of damage as a bulldog. However, if that's the case, ask people to mussel their dogs. Or, at least, mussel the larger dogs.

Thanks! :-) The furball is behaving right now...for now. She's been good the past couple of days...I think she's planning something.

[ren_flora.livejournal.com]

Harp and Fiddle has great food (better than Ri Ra IMHO). My office just went there yesterday for a post-St. Pat's bar night. Nice place and good atmosphere too.

[pepperbeast.livejournal.com]

*shrug* I think you may have the moral high ground, but I also sympathize with event stewards who just don't want one more thing to police.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

I can see that too. If that is the case though, maybe take back the middle ages/Renaissance tradition of a dogwhipper (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/06/10/do1007.xml). Not necessarily to actually whip the dogs...as much as to whip the owners into controlling their animals. I've seen at one of the local Celtic faires, vets and other people volunteering at the faire going around and checking on all the animals to make sure that they are being given water and behaving properly.

[florentinescot.livejournal.com]

Don't know about the feral chihuahua, but I had a friend with a Killer Daschaund (tm). And my mother-in-law had a Pit Poodle (tm). (Diamond was a really MEAN toy poodle. If Elsie wasn't around, you were safe.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

Shiloh, Mom's dog, use to be fierce. He bit everyone in the house as one point and my best friend. He would snarl at anyone daring to enter the front door and then snap at your calves as you tried to get away. He was a very mean, very aggressive dog. Did I mention he's a cocker spaniel? Not exactly a dog known for their aggressiveness.
He's gotten a LOT better. He hasn't bitten anyone in 2 years. I haven't heard him snarl except in play. He does still bark at anyone coming into the house but a little bit of barking is allowed. Snarling and biting is not. Besides, all I have to do now is put my hands on my hips and he knows from the back of the house it's me and stops. :-)
Still, I'd be weary taking him to an event for any longer than a couple of hours...even then it would have to be completely outside. He's amazingly good around kids (which is really scary. Babies can pull his ears and tail and...nothing. He kisses them. We only found that out because my Aunt brought over her kids and no one was home to warn her about the mean ole dog. Keen was only 9 months old at the time and just would flop on top of Shiloh and Shiloh would just give him a kiss and walk away.) I just know he gets nervous around a lot of people.
Ginsie, on the other hand, the more people the better. I've been socializing her since I got her and trying to get her use to being around large groups. She loves it. She knows she'll get anything that just so happens to somehow accidentally fall on the floor... and petted which all she really cares about. Food and hugs...sounds good to me too!

[florentinescot.livejournal.com]

Diamond bit everybody in the family except me -- and I wouldn't get close enough!