I'm wanting to get opinions on how you handle or would handle family members that insist on bringing their dogs with them when you invite them over for a weekend. We have a yearly tradition of having my parents and both sisters stay with us for a weekend in the Fall. However, one sister brings two dogs, my other sister brings her dog, and the parents bring their Irish Setter. This happens without asking. They don't have anyone to watch their dogs so they bring them. I'm guessing if I explain to them that it would be nice to not have all the dog traffic they would be no shows. Not sure if this is me overreacting or if others would feel the same way?
Family Pets
- Thread starter HoosierNole
- Start date
I don't see how you can go wrong calling their bluff. They are lying to you when they say there's no one to watch their dogs.
Or you can try adopting a couple of rescue pitbulls.
There are places that board pets all the time. That is what we do if we can't have family available to watch our dog.
There are 5 places to board our dog within 7 miles of my house. I’m sure it’s the same for them.
It is annoying to have 5 dogs running around with a full house of people, if it’s too much tell them to leave them behind.
It is annoying to have 5 dogs running around with a full house of people, if it’s too much tell them to leave them behind.
It's your house. If you don't want the dogs there, let them know. If they like their dogs more than being with you without them....tells you a lot.
I'm getting more and more annoyed by "dog culture" these days. I really like dogs, had one growing up and will get one again someday when I have a family. But people taking their dogs everywhere they go including grocery stores and malls is absurd. Tell your family about "rover". Everyone I know uses it and most have had great experiences. Unless you have a big fenced in yard I can't imagine having 5 dogs running around the house for a weekend.
Exactly. We experienced some of this several years ago with our kids’ pets and very kindly said we would prefer not to have them running around in a home already full of people. It worked itself out in various ways satisfactorily
VRBO and/or Rover.com should do the trick. They can have someone look after their animals or they can find a place to stay near you that allows pets. We've used rover.com quite a few times and it worked out great.
Tell them it's a dog free weekend. People do this with kids and put "adult only please" on invites to parties or weddings. I barely want family to come over and stay for weekend so I surely don't want their dogs over.
A couple months before they come, send them names of kennels near their houses and near yours.
Loving dogs and not wanting an additional 5 running around your house when it's already full with human guests are not mutually exclusive.
Family or not, it seems pretty inconsiderate of them to bring their dogs without asking and getting your buy-in. I guess the complicating factor is since it's a "tradition" for them to come out, if they've been bringing their dogs with them for several years, you've kind of allowed a precedent to be set and it's gonna be hard to un-do that without some hurt feelings.
I know, but it's principalities involved here. Dogs shed and slobber and get into things and break stuff and snap at kids and are overall kind of a nuisance when they're not your dogs. Just like kids: yours are the best, and screw (figuratively) everyone else's.
I usually put up with it, but I don't love the extra dogs. I bring my dogs when I travel though so fair is fair.
I'd prefer my family send their dogs and leave themselves at home.
I'll take most dogs over most humans most times.
62Nole
Seminole Insider
Before they arrive tell them you now have a Korean chef.
Hey, if you want to spoil your family get together it’s your prerogative- lay down the rules and tell the people who raised you and wiped your ass that bringing their beloved pet is just too much of a burden for you.
We have 4 chickens...they don’t travel. We trade eggs for baby sitting help.
I want a golden retriever, will get once wife is out of school.
I want a golden retriever, will get once wife is out of school.
Some dogs suck; other dogs are angels.
OP never said the dogs behavior was a problem. If he did, I'd advise him to ban the dogs.
It sounds like OP should just suck it up for 1.5 days, IMO.
Why in the world would someone think it's ok to bring their dog along when they're going on a multi-day visit?
Shoot 'em.
Shoot 'em.
That was my gut reaction too.
It's ludicrous to think that would be ok.
My hunch is that somewhere the OP is complicit. Maybe in the past has said, "sure, bring your dogs" and now wishes he never did. Something is not adding up.
In my experience the best behaved kids are those visiting without their parents. This is true of those visiting us as well as my own kids visiting friends. When they first started play dates and sleepovers, I thought the other parents had accidentally brought me back the wrong kids as they told me how well behaved they were.
Yeah, I find it hard to believe that they would just bring all of their dogs without asking.
On another note, we had an emergency surgery performed on our dog on Friday for a splenic mass. Waiting on the biopsy results. She had 500 ml of blood in her abdomen. Poor girl would have died an excruciating death.
It's your house. Tell them that you'd love to have them, but that the dogs are too much. If they absolutely can't get together without the dogs, then maybe one of them can host or you can all go in to rent a big beach house or something for the weekend.
Unless dogs can learn to wear shoes and take them off at the door when they enter a house, they ain't coming in mine
We're not a dog family. Judging by our town, we will soon be forcibly evicted out into the hinterlands and forced to live apart from proper dog worshipping society.
Dogs are now in stores, restaurants, offices, everywhere. It's a love dogs or else world.
We went to a restaurant a few weeks ago, and the waitress seats us at a table with a dog under it. The people next to us brought their big dog, and the dog was resting under the table next to it, where she seated us. I asked the waitress nicely if we could be seated at another table without a dog, and she looked at me as if I owned slaves.
She seated us at another table where no server ever came, and we eventually left. Maybe coincidence, maybe a statement, I don't know. But while we were waiting, another couple was seated at the dog table, and they were thrilled! Petting the dog, getting licked by the dog, licking the dog back, feeding it their chips and salsa, they could not have been happier.
So we're the freaks I guess. Every time I go someplace and see a dog and say to myself "Hmm, that doesn't really seem like an appropriate place to take your dog" there are inevitably a string of people stopping by to hump the dog's legs with joy, so that ship has sailed. You don't have a choice to be a dog person or not, it is inappropriate for anyone to expect not be around them.
Wouldn't surprise me in the least that the OP's guest would bring their dogs, from everything I have seen you are expected to welcome dogs everywhere in all situations.
Dogs are now in stores, restaurants, offices, everywhere. It's a love dogs or else world.
We went to a restaurant a few weeks ago, and the waitress seats us at a table with a dog under it. The people next to us brought their big dog, and the dog was resting under the table next to it, where she seated us. I asked the waitress nicely if we could be seated at another table without a dog, and she looked at me as if I owned slaves.
She seated us at another table where no server ever came, and we eventually left. Maybe coincidence, maybe a statement, I don't know. But while we were waiting, another couple was seated at the dog table, and they were thrilled! Petting the dog, getting licked by the dog, licking the dog back, feeding it their chips and salsa, they could not have been happier.
So we're the freaks I guess. Every time I go someplace and see a dog and say to myself "Hmm, that doesn't really seem like an appropriate place to take your dog" there are inevitably a string of people stopping by to hump the dog's legs with joy, so that ship has sailed. You don't have a choice to be a dog person or not, it is inappropriate for anyone to expect not be around them.
Wouldn't surprise me in the least that the OP's guest would bring their dogs, from everything I have seen you are expected to welcome dogs everywhere in all situations.
Best thing about chickens as a pet is you can always just have a fried chicken night or two before your vacation and then restock when you're home.
Sitting in Panera now and a lady has her “service dog” with her in the restaurant. Wth?
