Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Mystery dog treats can set pet parents on edge

A car trip with the dogs today turned into a serious of deep thoughts.

I went through the bank drive-thru to deposit some money. The teller asked me how many dogs I had in the car.

"Two," I said, suspecting what came next.

As she sent me my receipt, she said "I sent your some treats too."

"Thanks," I replied. But I wasn't grateful.

Sure enough, two beige, nameless mystery dog treats arrive in my bank canister. I grab them and put them in a cubby away from nosy beagles.

Here's the thing: Jasmine is allergic to chicken. I also try not to give Lulu grains. So what are these mysterious treats? Are they ok for my dogs, or will I have to deal with Jasmine itching and Lulu having gross poop?

 Am I being rational, or am I being ridiculous?

Who says dog parents aren't real parents?

I mean lets face it. If we leave dogs to their own devices, they'll eat cat poop and left over chicken bones and half-eaten burritos found on the side of the road (true story -- Lulu got the burrito before I could stop her. Imagine her surprise when an army of ants came out. Did she learn her lesson? NOOOOOOO.).

I'm trying to make sure these dogs don't eat something stupid. I'm not perfect, but I try hard.

I would want the bank tellers to ask before giving cookies. Give me a chance to say no without putting me in a position to throw out the treats. And this goes for other places that keep pet goodies. Ask before you offer, because you never know what problems pets may have. 

4 comments :

  1. It drives me nuts when people give our dogs treats. The UPS guy will toss treats over in our dogs’ yard (I’ve seen remnants) and it really ticks me off. I know that they mean well and I wish that I was home when this happened, because I would let them know about our dogs’ chicken allergies. One well meaning treat leads to a mess of loose stool in our yard.

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  2. I am glad I am not alone in this. I agree that the bank tellers and others who think they are being "kind" actually mean well, but I never, EVER give treats to Dakota that come from:

    1) Unmarked bags or hands and I have no clue as to their origin, age, or what is in them

    2) Or from people that I do not know well.

    I hate to say this, but even at blogging conferences, etc, I have been given treats in bags that were not in their original packaging (goody bags from fellow bloggers) I won't even give Dakota those.

    We have people in our apartment complex who have driven by while we were walking Dakota and stopped and said, "Oh can we give him a treat?" from their car window, I always say thank you but no......it is sad to say but I am paranoid. Someone that I don't know could PRETEND that they love dogs but there are sick people out there who could lace treats with poison.

    I am sure the bank treats are safe, and yes, they definitely mean well, but I think they should stick to giving human kids lollipops and stay out of the pet treat arena.

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  3. Thankfully Luna doesn't have any allergies, so technically she can eat anything. But, I'm picky and I want to know what she eats. Usually I've had people ask and I can politely decline. I find that if they are offering free treats they are probably pretty cheap and aren't great quality. Once we had a hotel give us a bag of treats that I'm pretty sure were from the dollar store. That went straight in the trash. However, every once in a while I find someone who knows dogs well and has a good quality treat.
    -Jessica from Beagles & Bargains

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  4. My girl won't take treats from strangers most of the time - but we have had the half eaten burrito on the sidewalk discussion. (what is it with burritos on the sidewalk?!) My boy would likely eat anything from anyone and since he's got that sensitive belly that often explodes in a very foul mess when he gets something new, I have to thwart the hand that gifts. Upside, i always know when a parent has fed him table scraps! (ugh!)

    When my girl was a pup her favorite treat flavor was duck (i think it was Zukes?) so from then on, all dog 'candy' is known as "ducks." I don't use "cookie" or "treat" or any common words because if someone asks me "Can your dog have a treat?" I can say "NO" and my dogs are none the wiser.

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