Doggone it! Readers share their pet peeves

MSNBC.com's story on party-crashing pets sure got some readers barking mad.

Hundreds wrote in to share their run-ins with pooches in inappropriate places, even Grandma's funeral!

Others defended their right to bring their four-legged "children" wherever they go. "Love me, love my dog!," one doggie-defender wrote in. Others responded: Forget you, and your dog!

An "ex-friend" took their small dog, "Doodles", uninvited to another friend’s cocktail party. After letting themselves in, they put the dog down and let him romp. Unfortunately, the host and his kids are extremely allergic to dogs. Our ex-friend was shocked when they were forced to pay a $3,500 professional cleaning bill for bringing their pet uninvited and unannounced to the party. The problem was repeated a few weeks later when they brought the dog to our house unannounced. Unknown to me, my son let them in with the dog. They put the dog down and it acted like it owned the place. Unfortunately for "Doodles," this didn't go over well with our shepherd-retriever mix. After "Doodles" attempted to stand his ground while helping himself to our dog's food bowl, the fight was on. Before we could intervene, our dog dispatched "Doodles" like he was an overstuffed chew toy. It was horrible. Worse still, they actually blamed us. Now we're no longer friends and from what I've heard they're still bringing the new "Mr. Doodles" with them wherever they go. Go figure.
— Bill, O’Fallon, Ill.

We went to a performance of the local symphony, where love of music trumps just about everything, even missed notes and faulty conducting. But the smelly owner accompanied by his smelly Dachshund was too much. My boss was seated right behind him before intermission, and after intermission my boss and everybody else within a three-seat radius had moved to empty seats downstairs. I love my little 20-pound doggie and wish I could take her everywhere, but I do not want that particular door opened. If she's there, some mutt that could eat her in two gulps will be there too and will probably try it.
—Jean, Durango, Colo.

My dogs are like my kids, and my feeling is, anywhere kids are allowed, dogs should be allowed. However, it is vital that they be well-behaved. Rowdy and disruptive behavior is not acceptable in public, be it from dogs or children (or adults for that matter!!) I volunteer for a nonprofit organization that trains and certifies Assistance Dogs (http://www.circletail.org/), and it is very concerning when I hear of people trying to pass off their pets as assistance dogs. But my feeling is — as long as companion animals are well-mannered, they should be allowed access to many more places than they are now. One solution may be for establishments to only allow dogs and owners who have passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test (http://www.akc.org/).
— Jen, Cincinnati, Ohio

Hell no, it's bad enough when people bring kids to a restaurant, they scream in your ears, throw food and ruin your meal. If someone brought their dog to my home without asking first, they wouldn't ever be allowed in my home again, even family.
—Danny, Modesto, Calif.

I take my two large dogs everywhere I can. They love it, and I love it. The only difference is that mine are well-behaved, obedience-trained, and almost always welcomed back to any event. This is the difference between a reasonable dog-lover, and an outlandish one. If your dog is going to clean up the snack table, perhaps he/she needs more training before being let off-leash at parties. My dogs behave well; they don't jump on guests or steal objects. People that are uninterested in them hardly notice they are there. Another important idea is to ask permission to bring your canine companion. Many people are willing to invite your four-legged friend, if they know how much it means to you, and that the dog will behave. Those are the most significant differences between responsible and irresponsible canine companionship.
— Raven

These people are part of the "new age" that thinks it is cruel to discipline their pets and lets them run amuck at other peoples expenses most of the larger pets will end up in already over crowded shelters when the owners become to scared of the animal to be willing to keep it. I would not let any misbehaving animal run loose, there are leash laws and property owners should be able to enforce them on there own property too.
—Sara, Washougal, Wash.

Love me, love my dog! My dogs are expected to stay home while I am at work and non- dog social functions. The dogs are part of our lives and if you come to my house you had better be prepared to be greeted by a Newfie and have some dog hair on your clothes. If you can't handle that, then don't bother coming over. My mother-in-law showed up at my door unexpectedly. I was working with my Newfie, who was puppy at the time, so she was on the leash. When I opened the door, I thought mother-in-law was going to mess her pants. This was in my own home. I was polite and kept the dog on a leash and under control while she was there. My dog stayed by my side the entire time, either in a sit or a down stay. I could tell mother-in-law was uncomfortable. She has not spent the night at our house since. It was my house, my rules, and offensive to me that she was afraid of my well-trained dog.
—Cindy, Portland, Ore.

I am a huge dog (and cat) lover, and I have the BEST dog, a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier named “Elvis” (a 45-lb lap-dog-wannabe). While he is extremely well behaved and respectful of other two-leggers around him, I do not and would not bring him everywhere — separation anxiety or not. I've found, particularly through my local post office, that there are a HUGE number of non-dog lovers out there, up to and including people that are scared to death of even the smallest dog. While Elvis obeys nearly every command given him, I still do not take him everywhere with me, and would certainly not bring him uninvited anywhere. I personally think it's rude for people to bring their dogs absolutely everywhere, invited or not, especially if they are not controlling the dog. It's one thing to go to a picnic or outdoor party when the invitation specifically includes the canine, but to bring them uninvited and to allow them to run amok, that shows lack of respect to the host, hostess, other guests, and is downright rude.
— Stacy, Spring Grove, Penn.

I have a chocolate lab, Harley, who is 9. I have trained my dog very well so that I CAN bring him to certain places and he is always well-behaved. I have people who always love having him over because he is well-trained. I even use to take him to work with me. Like children, if they are not well-behaved in public, who wants to be around it? I believe if you train your dog well enough, society will have more welcome arms.
— Paula, Ill.

I'm FED up with folks who tote OR take their pooches with them to inappropriate locations. Emotional security is just so much nonsense and much more indicative of the entitlement mentality. I was stunned to observe a young woman relative arrive at her grandma's funeral with her "precious poochie" nestled in the designer bag. Grandma didn't particularly care for dogs and the family was stunned. It felt like the puppy was attending church. Fortunately, the puppy showed better manners and more respect than the granddaughter.
— Anonymous, Dallas

They have gone too far. It is one thing to have a well-behaved dog on a lead at a place/event where they are invited. I have a wonderful dog who is trained however I would never just take her to someone home or a business uninvited or if I am not sure they are welcome. These people are giving responsible owners and well-behaved dogs a bad name. Service dogs are highly trained and certified not just someone's pet (although many are beloved pets as well). It is insulting to those who have spent time and effort to train and certify their dogs to be compared to people who just want to bring their dog along.
— Anonymous

I adore all four of my dogs and love having them around me...at home. It would never occur to me to bring my beloved dogs to someone else's house. I would be mortified if they acted up and would never risk offending my host or hostess. Also, I am appalled at the thought of people bringing their dogs to restaurants and other public places. Are you kidding me? Also, I think it beyond rude to assume that just because I love animals that it would be okay to bring yours to my house No, Lucy, Zach, Jackson and Emily are best left in their own home, with their own toys, food and beds...and if they decide they have to misbehave (as all good dogs will from time to time), then it is MY home that they have messed up...as it should be. In fact, often the best part of my day is coming home to four loud, happy dogs that are so happy to see me and my family...talk about emotional support!
—Lisa, Savannah, Ga.

Dogs were meant to roam and I’d imagine staring at the same section of fence day after day has to be bad. I also think that’s got a lot to do with the dog biting incidents and such. The dogs go psycho. I think all the places they do have pets banned is fairly ridiculous, parks and such. There ought to be a way to take dogs to all parks and such and just learn how to fine the ones who don’t clean up after them. Furthermore, a lot of places cite not bringing dogs because they’re dirty. LOL! I’ve seen thousands of people that are a whole lot grosser and dirtier then my dog.
— Kaytlan, Shasta Lake, Calif.

My child “Momma the Kat” goes everywhere I go.  When I got together with my boyfriend he knew we were a package deal! In fact, when we get married my child will walk down the aisle with our wedding rings! Momma is not an animal; she is my little girl – my child! Everyone knows that. My Mom is Grandma, Sister is Auntie, Brothers are her Uncles. So Momma is the family! I have five insurances out in case something happens to me – each worth more than the next, with instructions to make sure my little girl stays in her queen-sized bed. So yes my child goes where I go …. Doesn’t yours?
—Tigress, Flushing, N.Y.

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