# A little harsh?...You decide.



## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

So yesterday I answer the door... we get A LOT of solicitors coming by the house... DRIVES ME NUTS... Well these 2 girls from the neighborhood come by and as I answer, Dakota comes with me. I have him by the collar when i answer the door, he isn't pulling just came to say hi. No barking or growling, just a vicious tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. Well the younger girl (they were about 9 and 12 or so) Screams when she see him. Then proceeds to ask me if I can throw that big dog in a cage. Um...let me think. So I answered, "No, this is his house, and he isn't doing anything wrong, Can I help you?!?" Well they were doing some fundraiser at school and took 5 minutes to get it out. I already knew my answer. I had decided it would be no, as soon as she asked me to put that mean dog in a cage. 

So was I mean to those girls? I don't think so, but I'm a little biased.


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

My whole neighborhood is terrified of Paige.she is actually an "urban legend" around here so no one EVER comes to my door,lol.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Nice... Yeah when we walk we either get "OMG!" or "AAAHHHH!!!!" or "is that a wolf" Or "is that a shepherd (insert fear in eyes)?!?!?" I swear I've never seen so much fear over a black ball of fur that does nothing but chasing toads and guard me from the evil squirrels. Some lady screamed, not because he lunged at her, but he looked at her as he walked past. Thats all. We have a sheriff that lives in the neighborhood and her little girl, about 5-6 came running up to Dakota and wanted to pet him and the mom about had a heart attack. Geesh. I understand, don't run up to strange dogs, but still. He was being good and I swear he loves kids, especially since the neighbor boy that lives next door met him. Now all kids must taste like BBQ chicken.


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

Ha, nope, not too harsh! 

We are also the terror of the neighborhood, except for the few people who also have large dogs. Everyone else here has a chihuahua, a yorkie, or some other toy breed and they think that Minnie's going to eat them alive. I've had some little kids run away from her screaming and all we're doing is walking, quite nicely I might add, down the street. 

I think miseducation is the problem. Now, kids should not approach an unknown dog, but they should still be able to understand that not all dogs are going to eat them.


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## Sashmom (Jun 5, 2002)

> Originally Posted By: SuzyEMy whole neighborhood is terrified of Paige.she is actually an "urban legend" around here so no one EVER comes to my door,lol.


[email protected] Paige, you go girl!!


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

Not at all! 
I love having my big bad vicious dogs no one comes a knocking anymore and I love it especially when I see them walking the streets and I am like they won't be coming here


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## VectorSketcher (Jul 20, 2008)

I don't think you were too harsh either. We too get a lot of solicitors, I even have a huge sign up that says 'NO SOLICITING', doesn't seem to phase them. However, no one here is afraid of my two monsters, they love to baby talk them which really amps Rogue up, and then I have a barking fiasco going on in the house, still even after all the noise and barking the solicitors don't care and keep coming on by.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: vectorSketcherI don't think you were too harsh either. We too get a lot of solicitors, I even have a huge sign up that says 'NO SOLICITING', doesn't seem to phase them. However, no one here is afraid of my two monsters, they love to baby talk them which really amps Rogue up, and then I have a barking fiasco going on in the house, still even after all the noise and barking the solicitors don't care and keep coming on by.



No!!!! I was hoping a big black dog staring at them when they walked up to try and sell me steaks or bug spray or an A/C unit would make them go away. I thought about just ignoring the door...look out the window, if I don't know them, I'll stay on the couch.


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

Bold kids. Coming to your home and asking you to cage your dog so they can sell you something.

I don't agree with school fundraisers that require kids to go door to door. They should have had an adult present.


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## weber1b (Nov 30, 2008)

I think you are right in that it's your house and they weren't doing anything wrong. You didn't ask them to come to your door. To me, having the dogs helps get rid of those I don't want. Clover makes a huge fuss when the door bell rings, and we have taught her to step back and sit before I open the door. Max just follows suit whatever she does from the barking to the sitting.

Funny thing about the reactions of others when we are out, these two have a fan club of all the kids in the neighborhood. They love to come up and pet CloverMax but then you see others when we walk them who cross the street. One of my friends in the neighborhood refers to them as my wolves.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

I buy from any kid who has the guts to go house to house because I remember all the neighbors who helped me out when I was doing the same. I go outside and close the door because I don't want to be known as both the crazy dog lady and the crazy dog lady with mean dogs-too many scarlet letters and I don't want attention drawn to me in that way. 

Kids don't know and only know what they are taught about dogs so it's nice to be able to (if you only have one dog) toss out a trick and show how great GSDs are. So that way you are the teacher and not allowing them to be taught by someone who is ignorant about the breed. 

Also regarding solicitation signs, I was a pretty verbal kid but didn't know that meant "don't try to sell things there." When I got home from selling Shrinky Dinks or some other ridiculous item my mom asked who I had sold to and I went through the list. She was like-you went to the Browns?!?!? Sure I did! She said but they have a no solicitation sign...and I had no idea!







It's not a word that kids come upon a lot. And honestly, I bet there are a lot of adults who don't either!


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: littledmcNot at all!
> I love having my big bad vicious dogs no one comes a knocking anymore and I love it especially when I see them walking the streets and I am like they won't be coming here


Yep, same here! No one is brave enough to come thru the gate to get to the door. I chuckle as I watch solicitors walking the neighborhood. 

I would have told the girl she had no business coming to my door if she was THAT scared of big dogs. Def would not buy anything from her after asking me to put my dog away.


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## DukeJazz (Jul 4, 2009)

Mmmmm, anyone coming unsolicited to my front door then telling me I need to cage my dogs is in for a tongue lashing .........


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## tnbsmommy (Mar 23, 2009)

I've never let my kids go door to door to sell anything. I do buy from kids that come to our door, but strangely enough, we haven't had too many solicitors since we've gotten Mya, lol... hmm.. never had anyone show a negative reaction to her, except my boyfriends mom who doesn't come in the house anymore, although she'll send her 7 yr old granddaughter in to get him, go figure. 

My just turned 16 yr old just asked me last week what the "no soliciting" sign meant on our door at my job. And she's a big reader, and has a large vocabulary, so I agree that most kids just don't know it means not to try to sell anything there.


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

LOL...I agree with you Jean. When the kids from my street come to my home to sell something...I slip outside and shut the door behind me. I know they don't own dogs...and big exuberant dogs are intimidating to them. 

<note to self...put Jean's house on my kids solicitation list







>


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

The last guy that came soliciting (Sears) came during the middle of me preparing the puppers raw meals...so there I am, blood on the hands (I'd just begun hacking away at a beef heart), bloody towel over my shoulder, knife in hand, aforementioned beef heart and other animal parts all on the counter in plain site looking like I'd killed a bus full of cheerleaders...giant black goofy Anna staring at him and dude looks at me and shakily gets out..

"Umm...is this a bad time....??"

Me: "Nah, I'm just finishing up with the last sales guy"

Dude said he'd come back later. Never did.


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## Doggydog (May 12, 2009)

Wish the Jehovah Witness' who relentlessly knock on my door were afraid of my dogs. Sigh. 
Maybe I'll try the bloody towel & knife next time.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

No, you were not mean at all! It's YOUR house! I *always* take a dog to the door with me if it's not someone I expect (ie, if I ordered pizza, I put up the baby gate, lol). I actually like when my dogs are pushy at the door b/c it means the person can't take forever to give their spiel, I'm not going to stand there for 10 minutes pushing my dogs back into the house (and yes I could ask them to down and stay, but half the reason I let them near the door is to get rid of people!!).


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

My sign that says, “don’t make us come out there ~ the dogs” seems to detour more solicitors than a “no soliciting” sign. Sometimes I find those goofy signs work wonders. We live in the country though and most of my neighbors have dogs. My next door neighbors have 2 GSDs and their daughter loves to come play with my dogs (they love her too). Anyone who is going to try knocking on a door out here is going to have to like dogs.

I don’t think you were too harsh. Maybe put up a goofy sign in the future. Then people are forewarned and you don’t feel like maybe you should of reacted differently.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

HAHAH! Thats nice compared what I would have said LOL!!
Our business is right next to our house and Kilo is NEVER on a leash.
You would be surprized how many people dont get out of the car because he is there. And he really could care less about the people going into the store. Just ignores them. (just dont cut through our yard! or he will be right on you in about 3 seconds. LOL!!!)


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

It would have been different if you had said something about you having ahold of her so she wouldn't bite the kids head off or something, but all you stated was fact: it IS her house and she was NOT doing anything wrong. Would they have said that if your DH or DS came to the door with you?

People in my neighborhood are afraid of Mandalay, too. I dont get it. I took her to town yesterday and we walked around. I have gotten used to people crossing the street or going off the sidewalk when we come.

We stopped at a corner and sat on the bench for a few minutes and an older lady stopped and asked if she could tell Mandi hello. I thanked her for asking and not just lunging out and slapping my dog on the head. I also thanked her for stopping since no one ever does. Even as this lady was petting Mandi (who had her eyes closed since she was getting her ears scratched and was leaning against this woman) people took a step away as they passed. 

People are odd.


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Liesje I'm not going to stand there for 10 minutes pushing my dogs back into the house (and yes I could ask them to down and stay, but half the reason I let them near the door is to get rid of people!!).


That's funny! I do that same thing. I will actually grab Mandalays collar and act like it is a real chore to keep her back off of the people if it is someone selling something or coming by to ask for my vote in the next election. LoL


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Harsh? NO. I don't have people comming to my door anymore, thanks to a 6 foot fence in the front thats closed from the inside when I'm home. I simply have no tolerance for people coming to my home.


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## 2Dogs (Sep 26, 2009)

Not harsh at all, in fact you were very kind to her the little angel out for five minutes. Too many parents trying to save their kids from any bump and bruise that may come there way it is only natural for the little darlings to be afraid of anything larger than the family yorkie.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I live in the boonies and rarely have people come to my door for anything, and when they do, I use it as a socialization opportunity. I ask them if they like dogs, and if they do, I ask them in, and have them give treats out after I've managed to calm the pups and have them sit nicely!

The only persons I don't ask in are the gas people who try to get you to switch providers by some scam story about needing to check your last gas bill for errors, or some other story about how they work for some independent organization and have heard rumors that my gas company was overcharging customers on purpose and they need to check my bill to make sure I'm not being scammed - all along THEY are the ones scamming, trying to get people to switch to them and lock them in with high set prices, with scare stories about the price of gas going up - not true, it has been going DOWN! 

Anyways - scammers, go away!! Other people, if you have braved my long, muddy, bumpy driveway in the dark of the night, and the crazed barking of two dogs in the house, COME ON IN!! You're MY kind of folks!


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

NOBODY BOTHERS ME ... knocking on wood that it continues!

I've lived here 14 years and can count on one finger the number of people I've had come to the door trying to sell something. 

We live three doors down from the end of a dead end street. I have large, 12x18" BAD DOG and DOGS IN YARD signs on both the front gates. And when someone's at the gate, the Hooligans start barking like crazy regardless if they're outdoors or in the house.


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## GSDluver4lyfe (Nov 15, 2006)

I always take my dog to the door too if I dont know who it is. And if they asked me to put him away then that will make me question their true intentions (kids are different, I'm talking an adult person or older teen). If your scared leave a pamphlete and move on. 

I dont think you were harsh, if she would have asked nicely, I would have walked outside and closed the door behind me. But I sense she had a little 'tude when she said it.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Come on folks, we are talking about a nine year old and a twelve year old, not the pizza delivery guy. 

I think you did right when you said no, that it is his house and he is doing nothing wrong. 

But if the only reason you chose not to buy from these kids is because they asked you to cage the dog, I think that IS extreme. 

Maybe it is because I am not so old as not being able to remember some of the utterly stupid things I said when I was nine and twelve years old. This is when we learn what is acceptable, and what is not acceptable, not when we know it all. 

Taking it out on a couple of kids for soliciting (others in the thread) is a little extreme too. When I was a kid we sold everything from christmas cards to light bulbs. Our parents NEVER had anything to do with it. We NEVER bothered our relatives with stuff like this. The kids that won these contests hit up their aunts and uncles and grandparents and had their parents selling them in church and at work. These kids were out there doing the job themselves. I actually like to see that.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

we are in the middle of Girl Scout Candy drive. if the kids go out alone, the whole troop would lose it's selling privileges and that means no cookies either!! 

Im not a big fan of going door to door for little kids. my daughter loves it, but she doesn't go alone. Of course Rayden loves to go along too!

sad to say, some people are quite rude to her. one woman even started lecturing her on the evils of girl scouts and sexism. hello, she's 9??? woman was even yelling from the porch as we went up to the next house!


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

> Quote:Come on folks, we are talking about a nine year old and a twelve year old, not the pizza delivery guy.
> 
> I think you did right when you said no, that it is his house and he is doing nothing wrong.
> 
> ...



Exactly!

What a shame and we're supposed to be the adults.. People never cease to amaze me with there comments or what they complain about on this bb..


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

I also think it is miseducation, but in the area of manners. I was taught as a child that you don't tell people what to do on their own property, even to make suggestions. If you don't like it, you leave.


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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

My house is setup for dogs, meaning that all entrances are fenced in some manner and doggie doors let my mutts greet potential visitors prior to me saying HI. Wanna guess how many solicitors I've had in the last 5 years? ZERO. When guests visit I block off an entrance to at least let my visitors into the house without Banjo and Company raising a holy nightmare. My GSD's job is house guarding/protection and I let him do his job, otherwise he'd go all neurotic. GSs are amazingly smart and Banjo knows who is and isn't allowed to come on in. My sister,brother-in-law and niece and a handful of close friends can walk right into my house and Banjo will merely escort them, possibly mugging for a scratch. Someone new? Sounds like a Saturn 5 rocket blasting off. I'm certain I could leave a 100 dollar bill taped to my front door and it would stay there till I decided to take it down.

Only one person that I feel for and that WAS the meter reader guy. What ended up happening there was the meter-guy would call a day prior and we'd setup a time for him to check the meter. Now I have one of the remote-read meters (first in the county in fact, LOL).


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

as long as you were kind to them you weren't being harsh. if that happened to my dog i probably would have donated anyway.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

too harsh and maybe unfair too. gee, some of you act like these were two sweaty 50 year old men in bad suits trying to sell you some encyclopedias.

a little perspective, please.


these girls are 9 and 12 years olds. you have no idea what the 9 year old girls experience is wiith dogs. she didnt run away when you didnt put the dog away.

more importantly, these arent your run of the mill door to door salesman. they are young girls, taking the initiative to help raise needed funds for whatever school cause/function it is. to have decided to say no to them based on the comment of a 9 year old (who may simply have had a terrifying experience with a large dog or simply has a limited knowledge base) seems very unfair.

i understand we all get ignorant comments from adults who should know bettert or at least keep their mouth shut, but, sorry, imo thats way too much sensitivity to that comment from a 9 year old girl.


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## jfisher (Dec 29, 2005)

> Quote: My GSD's job is house guarding/protection and I let him do his job, otherwise he'd go all neurotic.


LOL, I let my GSD do his job and he's STILL neurotic!









-Jackie


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## jfisher (Dec 29, 2005)

> Quote:Then proceeds to ask me if I can throw that big dog in a cage.


I just don't like the way these children spoke to an adult. No respect. How bout, "I'm a little bit afraid of dogs, would you mind moving him somewhere else please?"

-Jackie


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Children with poor grammar, or lacking in proper etticate are not to blame. Children do not pick up etticate and grammer by breathing in and out. They pretty much reflect where they are raised. It is not their fault. 

And still, seven year old children, especially when frightened, do not necessarily consider how someone might feel when they make a statement about a large dog. They do not necessarily think in elaborate sentences. They see a big dog, and say, "boy, that is huge dog, can you lock him up."

Look at how a seven year old writes a paragraph. That is how they are thinking and how they are speaking. It is not perfect. They are works in progress. You can try to correct mistakes in an appropriate manner, but expecting an adult response to a situation is a bit much. 

If the child said, "Put that *censored* dog in a cage, man." I'd agree with you.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

I'd have made up my mind too after she asked me to put him in a cage. Maybe depending on my mood, I would have tried to edumacate the chillrins that while my dog isn't going to eat them for shrieking, someone else's dog might.



> Originally Posted By: SuzyEMy whole neighborhood is terrified of Paige.she is actually an "urban legend" around here so no one EVER comes to my door,lol.


Morgan too. She had never done anything other than bark to deserve the question of why is that dog so mean.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

if i ever have a 9 year old daughter, i'll be sure not to send her to that neighborhood, lest she be judged for making what was really an innocent comment based on her limited life experience and/or upbringing. good lord.

to decide these girls werent worthy of any consideration the second that comment was made is ridiculous.

is anyone here so old they forget what it was like to be 9 years old. 9 freakin years old. do you remember the way you expressed your thought/opinions at that age? give me a break.

i expect kids to be generally polite, but i am not going to hold a 9 year old girl so accountable (for a comment she made in a situation that may have frightened her) that im going to dismiss her fundraising efforts out of hand.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I know that I wouldn't have asked someone to put their dog away. I know that I wouldn't allow my kids to either. if there is a house with a big barking dog, we just pass it by.

seriously, it comes down to the fact that these kids shouldn't have been out alone. all the schools and programs here have rules that each child must be chaperoned by an adult (at least 18 yrs old) older siblings don't count unless they are of age.

sadly, when you send kids door to door to hawk for money, they are going to meet a variety of people. as long as the OP wasn't rude about it, there is no reason to think that the kids were scarred. As I said before, one woman even tried to lecture my DD on why the girl scouts were sexist....


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## Denman (Jul 6, 2009)

WOW, these are two little girls... I know the board is some what anti-kids, which is fine, thats your opinion, but honestly they were two little girls, now if it was a adult with a questionable background selling Advantage Cleaning Products, sure give them [heck], but seriously you were all kids once too


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Dainerra as long as the OP wasn't rude about it, there is no reason to think that the kids were scarred.


there is no way to know what experience she has had with dogs to have caused her to ask that question. she may have been attacked by a dog looking very similar to that, in which case it would have been a legitimate fear for a 9 year old.

whether 2 girls that age should even be out doing that unsupervised is another question. im just commenting on the unfairness of deciding these girls were not worthy of a donation based solely on that comment.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

When we were kids we sold everything, candy bars, Christmas cards, lightbulbs, newspapers. My parents NEVER accompanied any of us, and NEVER did any selling for us either. We lived in the middle of Cleveland. I think it was not necessarily safe for us to do these things, not then, not now. But it is a sad state of affairs when parents have to have their noses so far up their kids' butts, that the kids cannot try to hawk something for school at a neighbor's home.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: selzerBut it is a sad state of affairs when parents have to have their noses so far up their kids' butts, that the kids cannot try to hawk something for school at a neighbor's home.


I bet the parents who are still looking for the bodies of their kids so they can bury them wish they had put their noses up their kids butts.

I was standing on my porch, on a back dirt road, watching my 4 year old son play in the yard. I got a birds eye view of a creepy looking maroon boat of a car slow down while the creepy guy was watching my son. He stopped in the road, I stepped off the porch and he sped away. I very well could have lost my son that day. There is a reason we parents have our noses shoved up our kids' butts.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

If they would execute child molesters and murderers, than those child molesters and murderers would not molest or murder again. 

It is a sad state of affairs when parents HAVE to have their noses so far up their kids' butts, that the kids cannot try to hawk something for school at a neighbor's home. 

If you read this, you will see that I am not knocking the vigilence of parents. But the state of our society. 

We are talking about a seven year old and nine year old. When I was four years old, my mom drew me a map to show me how to get to the babysitter's house after school. By the time my sister was nine, she was babysitting for other people's kids. Nowadays kids do not go out and get jobs, and babysit for people, at least, not without their parents running a background check on them. When we were seven and nine, we road the RTAs to Parma town on our own, and were always doing something. Today's kids have been robbed of a part of growing up because we cannot protect them by eliminating the bad guys.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

it is dangerous for kids, especially young girls, to go door to door. like it or not, sad but true. it's dangerous.

and the ratio of parents who don't have a clue where their kids even are to those who have their 'nose up their kids' tushies' is probably 100 to 1. so many kids growing up without limits or structure or supervision.

jmho.


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## TxRider (Apr 15, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: SuzyEMy whole neighborhood is terrified of Paige.she is actually an "urban legend" around here so no one EVER comes to my door,lol.


ROFL, My Hope is the exact opposite, every little kid in the neighborhood within a couple of miles loves her, and she loves them right back.

I'm surprised they don't come knock on the door to ask to walk her.

There is one girl, about 12 or so I guess, with a serious speech impediment and I'm not sure what else, who doesn't seem to have a lot of friends, that I allow to walk Hope under my supervision now and then after I send her running home to ask her Mom.


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## TxRider (Apr 15, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: roxy84if i ever have a 9 year old daughter, i'll be sure not to send her to that neighborhood, lest she be judged for making what was really an innocent comment based on her limited life experience and/or upbringing. good lord.
> 
> to decide these girls werent worthy of any consideration the second that comment was made is ridiculous.
> 
> is anyone here so old they forget what it was like to be 9 years old. 9 freakin years old. do you remember the way you expressed your thought/opinions at that age? give me a break.


It was so long ago I really don't remember. I do remember hawking things like seeds door to door though, and I remember it being quite a challenge to work up the courage to do so.



> Quote:i expect kids to be generally polite, but i am not going to hold a 9 year old girl so accountable (for a comment she made in a situation that may have frightened her) that im going to dismiss her fundraising efforts out of hand.


I'm a pushover, I would have told the kid the same thing about the dog, but I would have likely bought what they were selling. And likely had them petting my dog too.









In my neighborhood we get kids going door to door often, but usually Mom and Dad are out in the street keeping an eye on them.


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## Crabtree (Jan 6, 2006)

Just for the sake of curiousity.
Would it have really hurt to say excuse me and either put the dog in the other room or step outside to speak to them.

Hats off to the little girl who spoke up. That was an honest question and I don't know what the problem was.
Are you sure she was the one being rude?

She's nine, so I'm going to guess she's short right? Well get down on your knees and approach a big strange dog you know nothing about and TRY to think with the life experiences of a nine year old.

Some of the comments I've read here really make me worried.
Here we are facing the gun weather our breed is going to be hit next with the breed ban. Oh woah are us! 

But half you of whield your dogs like a weapon! An unloaded AKA looks just as intimidating to me as a loaded one, a GSD being held by an owner who is pretending it's out of control is the same as someone who has no control because these dogs are uncontrolable. And that is exactly what your doing. Your giving the image that even the owners of these dogs can't control them.

Instead of seething at the honest question of a 9 yr old, why didn't you take the moment to explain that he is harmless and let her pet him to change her mind on the breed. 

Everytime one of you acts out like this your hurting all of us. 
Don't let the opportunity to win one for our side of this BSB fight pass by.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

I don't think you did anything wrong. 

I get a lot of people selling things knocking at my door and it's NEVER the same person, lol. But each time someone knocks, my dogs go flying at the door barking, scares almost everyone. Had a few people jump a few feet away from the door or they ran away, lol. And even though I have a load of GSD things around the outside of the house, ie gsd statues, our door mat, the gsd chimes, the gsd post, etc it still doesn't seem to detour anybody though of course 2 big dogs flinging themselves at the door is intimidating.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Crabby~ 

Good post! And very thought provoking!


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## DSudd (Sep 22, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: G-burgCrabby~
> 
> Good post! And very thought provoking!


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## Heidi's Mom (Dec 27, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: JeanKBBMMMAANKids don't know and only know what they are taught about dogs so it's nice to be able to (if you only have one dog) toss out a trick and show how great GSDs are. So that way you are the teacher and not allowing them to be taught by someone who is ignorant about the breed.


I know I'm weighing in very late on Jean's response, but I think it's an excellent response. I don't think we need to reinforce the "mean, bad German Shepherd" ideas that so many people seem to have. At times, I've seen that people are scared of Heidi. If they only knew what a big mush she is....they just might get licked to death and would definitely get some of her toys if they gave her a chance!


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## Heidi's Mom (Dec 27, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: DSudd
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: G-burgCrabby~
> ...


And another one...lol


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Heidis Mom
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: DSudd
> ...










Me Too!!

We do have a boxer that can not be trusted. If someone comes to the door we either go outside and shut the door or someone holds her. I consider this protecting her more than the person and it is my responsibility to make sure nothing happens regardless of what dog it is.

I think, if the dog was Jax, I would have refused to put her away because I know that she is not a threat and invited the girl to pet her so she wasn't afraid. If she had refused to pet her then I would have stepped outside with the girls.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: crabbyJust for the sake of curiousity.
> Would it have really hurt to say excuse me and either put the dog in the other room or step outside to speak to them.
> 
> Hats off to the little girl who spoke up. That was an honest question and I don't know what the problem was.
> ...










awesome post! some very good points. it could have been a great teaching moment but someone was too busy being offended.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

That was the bst post on the subject Crabby. And Selzer you re pretty right on too, as is Jean.

The OP is correct in that it is her house and the dog lives there. We can all Monday morning quarterback and I know it upsets me when my dogs are commented on and people show fear of them just because of their breed. I know I have been guilty of letting my upset step in the face of my common sense too.

Max is hard to trust at the door, he has charged the UPS guy. Our method of dealing with callers at our house is to put the dogs in the yard, garage or another room until we have the guests under control, then the dogs get to come meet the callers. 

If someone comes door to door, if they have the patience to wait while I put the dogs up, I answer the door. If not, too bad. I do not like door to door solicitation. I really hate to see little kids without a parent. I think it is unsafe and that is a comment on our society. I imagine the worst since the little Somers girl was just found slain.

The last thing I want is for my dogs to scare people or decide someone might be a threat. Protection is my job, not the dog's unless I ask it of them.


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## StryderPup (May 16, 2009)

Stryder surprises all the people who come to our door. He loves the pizza guy and the chinese guy. Alot of kids ask if he is "mean". My answer is "no, but he is protective" I then make Stryder sit and let them pet him if they want to. I know we have a family across the street from us who have a black pug, well we walked by the pug once while on our walk (Stryder was on a lead and controlled) and the pug ran out to us, well the lady who owned the pug freaked out and Stryder started barking. I told her he was only 6 months old and is s puppy. Well, now when we walk by she runs back into her house with the pug. Seriously....


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: GSDSunshine
> So was I mean to those girls? I don't think so, but I'm a little biased.


nah......now to help in the future, you might just have one of those chalk outlines on your porch............you know the ones at a crime scene? bet the door to door stuff stops IMMEDIATELY....


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

Actually, I had a police officer (my car was stolen about a month ago) refuse to come into my house until I put Ava up........Ava is soooo non threatening.....I told him she'd be just fine and to come on in, nope, he suggested we talk outside then........sheesh!!! Oh well, some people either do not trust the dogs......or the owners to know what their dog can and cannot handle. To be honest with you, I have seen some pretty poorly behaved animals, I cant say that I blame them sometimes. But the difference between a barking dog, and one sitting politely is huge!!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Some dogs have a reaction to the uniform, and I bet that officer has seen his share. Those poor UPS drivers, too!


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

I'm sure he has, police, fireman and other such professions probably get more than their fair share of bites.


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## duramax (Dec 7, 2009)

My old shepherd and old lab would always attack the UPS mans truck tires. I mean it would look visious, He'd jump out of the truck and they would melt in his hands. I don't know where he got the nerve to do that.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

After getting charged so many times, UPS drivers probably have to take a course on crazy for them dog management!
My dogs hate the delivery guys, they run up to the door w/ hat and sunglasses, drop off the big package and run back to the truck. We get alot of deliveries as my DH has a machine shop business. Drivers are supposed to leave them on the side, but they are always running them up to the door where the dogs can see them.
Now anyone in sunglasses/ hat gets a reaction from the dogs. My training director couldn't understand why Onyx didn't like him...


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