# Rude lady at Petco I gotta Vent!!



## Aryg2461 (Jul 10, 2008)

So the other day I was working and one of my shepherds came in ( there are quite a few shepherds that come in often and i'm known as the shepherd lady you have to stop and see) She is one of three from the same litter I have seen grow up. Anyways I was on the floor cuddling Lily (GSD) and chatting with her mom when two women walk in. Lily is a LCGSD and look about as sweet and innocent as a shepherd can and towards ppl that's definitely true. So she started to walk towards these two ladies and one of them walked as far away from her as possible. Lily's mom said oh don't worry she is very friendly (which is true) to which the women laughed and replied oh excuse me if I laugh at that it's hard to believe! The nerve of some ppl. Now I understand some ppl have very legitimate fears but Lily was nowhere near this lady and was fully under her mom's control and why the rudeness to a perfect stranger. If I hadn't been at work I would have used my favorite response: I hope you never go blind or need a service dog because there's a good chance a shepherd might be the one to help you.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

it's a common thing with shepherds. I've gotten it from people when Rayden was still small enough to sit on my lap. Sadly, around here it's a fear that comes with good reason. The majority of shepherds I meet here are skittish BYB dogs. very iffy temperaments, so it's no wonder that people assume that all of them will be the same.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

Lily walked towards the ladies so she wasn't under her mom's 
full control. <

your favorite responce about someone going blind
is really rude and condenscending. <

the lady that responded "oh excuse me if i laugh
at that it's hard to beleive", i would have said in responce,
"she really friendly, you can pet her".

that's my normal responce when someone
backs off my dog or they make a snarky comment,
"he's really friendly, you can pet him".



Aryg2461 said:


> So she started to walk towards these two ladies and one of them walked as far away from her as possible. Lily's mom said oh don't worry she is very friendly (which is true) to which the women laughed and replied oh excuse me if I laugh at that it's hard to believe! The nerve of some ppl. Now I understand some ppl have very legitimate fears but Lily was nowhere near this lady and was fully under her mom's control and why the rudeness to a perfect stranger. If I hadn't been at work I would have used my favorite response: I hope you never go blind or need a service dog because there's a good chance a shepherd might be the one to help you.


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## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

I wouldn't let what other people think bother you. You can't control what they think. 

I agree with doggie dad that in that situation I would have taken a minute to ensure this lady understood that your particular GSD was nothing to be afraid of. You can't change the overall impression people have of GSD's but maybe you could change this one person's misconceptions for the rest of her life in one moment.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

So this lady doesn't like dogs, you are not doing anything to keep a big dog that she is afraid of away from her, and she is probably too nervous to explain herself, so at least she tries to laugh it off, even if it came out a bit ackward. 

No need to be so sensitive about it. I have two big dogs in my house, but I'm really not interested in petting and cooing over every other dog that I run into, and if a dog I didn't know came up to me, small or large, I would not automatically be pleased, but be concerned about where the owner is, and why is the dog not under their control?

As supporters and lovers of GSDs, we should ALWAYS be super-considerate of other people's feelings, (even if they are rude - but that could be the fear and nervousness in them coming out). It is bad enough that big dogs like GSDs and Rottweilers have such a bad reputation, as owners, we should not get all offended because other people may have had bad experiences. 

There are so many posts here about how offended people get because their friendly dog went up to someone who was afraid of dogs and the person said something rude . . . . people, keep your dog by your side, that is the considerate and polite thing to do!


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Look... If the dog was able to walk towards a stranger, it might not have seemed like she was in FULL control. When people are fearful they can say things they wouldn't normally... MY own brother used to be so scared of dogs he'd trip over things trying to get away from big dogs. 

Being rude of getting offended doesn't help. When I had my bulldog if anyone was near who was looking uncomfortable or even getting too close I'd call her to my side and make her sit or lay down. I have had people tell me they would kill her if she got close while she was at my side behaving, 'kick her head in/break that dog's neck!' to which I'd reply, no, you wouldn't, because my dog isn't going to come near you. But if you'd like to pet her, she's friendly.

People act out rudely from fear and ignorance... And, my favorite thing to say: Meeting ignorance with anger will only create an angry AND ignorant person.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

While I think the woman's response was poorly stated and rude...fear, itself, is not rational. You have no way to know if she's suffered trauma at some time. There is a lady I know who is terrified of shepherds. She's 5' of nothing and was attacked by one that had been her shadow for two weeks. The attack was completely out of the blue and she was hurt quite badly. 

Before we get offended by everyone's response to our dogs I think we need to take into consideration that we own what is perceived as being one of the top aggressive breeds. Maybe instead of getting offended we need to show them that our dogs are not mean. I do this with kids...if she's licking a child's nose then she can't be to mean. 

Maybe instead of being offended respond with "I'm sorry she startled you but she really is very friendly and is everything a GSD is SUPPOSED to be" to let her know that GSD's are not supposed to be aggressive and then let it go. She'll either choose to come over or keep on going. You can't control others actions or reactions but you can choose to blow it off.


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## Jelpy (Nov 8, 2009)

I understand how you feel, but bear in mind fear doesn't respond to reason. If I walked into a store and someone's pet tarantula started walking towards me I would freak; and I dont' care HOW friendly they tell me it is. 

Jelpy


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Jelpy said:


> I understand how you feel, but bear in mind fear doesn't respond to reason.


Quite wrong. I used to hate, out of fear, bulldog breeds.
I listened to people who owned and worked them. I learned. Not everyone is going to turn up their noses because they're scared...


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

I try to understand people's fears. I have a few of my own - claustrophobia being one. When someone has a bad experience (and given the popularity and unstable temperaments of a lot of GS's) combined with the public perception, I don't really get offended because I understand it. I was bitten by a dog when I was little and had some fear for a while. I've had GS's all my life and all you can do is make sure your dog does the breed proud. Be an example.

But as a female who takes my dogs on long walks at various parks and secluded areas by myself, I'm glad of that perception most of the time. I don't want to be a body floating in a river...LOL. If I'm alone with my dog and people think twice about approaching me, I'm okay with that. It's partly why I'm drawn to the breed. Their protective nature, their loyalty, their size. You have to take the good with the bad.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

This really doesn't surprise me one bit. I take Tony everywhere and I go and I get that all the time. I just take it in stride and you are correct, if they go blind who will help them and when 9-11 happened who was there and when Hatti happened who was there to help, you could go on and on. Maybe some day a GSD will be their to catch the criminal who just ripped off her house or if she is buried in a snow flurry.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

3ToesTonyismydog said:


> and you are correct, if they go blind who will help them and when 9-11 happened who was there and when Hatti happened who was there to help, you could go on and on. Maybe some day a GSD will be their to catch the criminal who just ripped off her house or if she is buried in a snow flurry.


 So you make a statement that your GSD is fully capable of doing all those thing? If not then please don't exploit the reputation of working dogs in order to insult people who do not believe that your dogs are trained. They may have their reasons.

I do not trust anyone who screams from a distance that their approaching pet is friendly. Usually it's not the case. Poor lady from the story was actually very nice about the whole situation.


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## adasmomma22 (Feb 8, 2010)

wow you really cant vent in this place. in defense to the original poster, the lady actually was not rude to the scared lady she was just thinking it. i dont think either person was rude. it just upset her. again people arent allowed to vent in this place without so much negativity


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

GSD07 said:


> I do not trust anyone who screams from a distance that their approaching pet is friendly. Usually it's not the case.


Me, either. There are so many clueless pet owners who think their dogs won't bite. I have a relative who owns a plumbing business. You'd be surprised how many owners say their pet is friendly only to have that dog try to bite him...lol.

I'm not saying GS are unfairly targeted or that people have unfounded fear...but you really have to take into account clueless owners who do a disservice to the breed, unethical breeders, and people's past experiences.

I happen to like that my GS is a deterrent to people. But I also get aggravated that people lump all GS into once category. Sort of how they do to pit bulls. I do understand their apprehension, though.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

APBTLove said:


> Look... If the dog was able to walk towards a stranger, it might not have seemed like she was in FULL control.


^^^ What he said.

This may have absolutely nothing at all to do with the fact that it was a GSD. This woman may not like dogs at all, or may not like large dogs. Who knows. Remember that petco caters to those with cats, hamsters, rabbits, birds, etc. While it's easy to forget not everyone shopping there is a dog person, many customers may understand there are dogs in the store, but don't necessarily want to be right by them.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Aryg2461 said:


> If I hadn't been at work I would have used my favorite response: I hope you never go blind or need a service dog because there's a good chance a shepherd might be the one to help you.


Unfortunately these days the chances are good it will probably be a lab, golden, or a "doodle" of some kind. Some of the largest guide and service dog agencies don't even use GSD's anymore because of the difficulty maintaining a breeding program of healthy ones will good temperaments.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Um in these "rants" people are mad because someone makes a rude comment about a GSD.
UM. Hello? Do we not deal with rude people EVERYDAY? Much worse than this?
if someone doesnt like my dog & says it outloud, UM who cares?
If you dont want to side aside your ignorance/fear/whatever to meet my dog, I dont care.
To each his own.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

doggiedad said:


> Lily walked towards the ladies so she wasn't under her mom's
> full control.


Don't you think that some dogs can be off lead and still be under full control?

Obviously I don't know about Lily as i don't know her - but to just state a general statement as above about ALL dogs is uncalled for.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Castlemaid said:


> So this lady doesn't like dogs, you are not doing anything to keep a big dog that she is afraid of away from her, and she is probably too nervous to explain herself, so at least she tries to laugh it off, even if it came out a bit ackward.
> 
> No need to be so sensitive about it. I have two big dogs in my house, but I'm really not interested in petting and cooing over every other dog that I run into, and if a dog I didn't know came up to me, small or large, I would not automatically be pleased, but be concerned about where the owner is, and why is the dog not under their control?
> 
> ...


Very good advice.

When I take my 2yo 90lb male GSD into Western Farm Supply and he wants to go over and greet someone (which he almost always does) I will say something like ("Don't be a pest, Baron, not everyone likes you") That way if the person DOES want to pet him they will say something to him or me and I will let him go otherwise I just keep him right next to me on a short leash. Seems to work pretty good.

BTW - about 90% of the people that we meet seem to want to pet and visit with him in the store - lower % when we are out walking.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

that's the move. :thumbup:


Castlemaid said:


> There are so many posts here about how offended people get because their friendly dog went up to someone who was afraid of dogs and the person said something rude . . . . people, keep your dog by your side, that is the considerate and polite thing to do!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

yes, many dogs can be off lead and be under control.
where did i say something about ALL dogs?



codmaster said:


> Don't you think that some dogs can be off lead and still be under full control?
> 
> Obviously I don't know about Lily as i don't know her - but to just state a general statement as above about ALL dogs is uncalled for.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

originally Posted by doggiedad


doggiedad; "Lily
walked towards the ladies so she wasn't under her
moms full control said:


> yes, some dogs can be off leash and be under control.
> where did i state a general statement about all dogs?
> my comment starts out with the word Lily, not all dogs,
> therefore i was talking about Lily.
> ...


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

doggiedad said:


> originally Posted by doggiedad
> 
> 
> doggiedad; "Lily
> ...


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the owner of Lily didn't post. the lady petting her made the post.<

if she walked towards the ladies she wasn't under controll.
now that doesn't mean she was going to do anything other
than say hello.<

a dog under control doesn't approach people or other animals. <



codmaster said:


> doggiedad said:
> 
> 
> > originally Posted by doggiedad
> ...


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

"walked towards the lady" does not equal "walked into the lady's personal space" or even walked close enough to be a threat. I could be 40 feet away from you and still be considered walking towards you if I was walking in that direction.

And a dog under control can still be curious about things and walk towards it. Not everyone keeps their dogs on a 3 inch long leash.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

codmaster said:


> Very good advice.
> 
> When I take my 2yo 90lb male GSD into Western Farm Supply and he wants to go over and greet someone (which he almost always does) I will say something like ("Don't be a pest, Baron, not everyone likes you") That way if the person DOES want to pet him they will say something to him or me and I will let him go otherwise I just keep him right next to me on a short leash. Seems to work pretty good.
> 
> BTW - about 90% of the people that we meet seem to want to pet and visit with him in the store - lower % when we are out walking.


EXCELLENT! I do the same!
Kilo wants so sniff EVERYONE! So I say to Keys "Dont be so nosey!"
And people WANT to pet him!!


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

"the owner of Lily didn't post. the lady petting her made the post."

Absolutely correct - my mistake in reading the post.

"if she walked towards the ladies she wasn't under controll.
now that doesn't mean she was going to do anything other
than say hello. 
a dog under control doesn't approach people or other animals. " 

Absolutely untrue - a dog generally can certainly be in motion and be under control. 

Or maybe you are of the opinion that a dog must be absolutely still (maybe in a Down" to be under control?

As far as approaching another dog or person - how close could a dog come and still be under control. 

I was once approched by a police canine dog who came right up to me - would you also say that the K9 was "out of control"?

At any rate this topic is now getting out of control so i am done with it. Last post onit by me.


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## Aryg2461 (Jul 10, 2008)

So to clarify I stated that the Lily walked towards the lady it was about of foot that she had of slack leash about 12 ft or so from the lady who moved to the other part of the store. And by under control I meant her mom only gave her about a foot of leash to come see me and she wasnt tearing off towards the rude lady.Also thank you to those of you who defended me when I had the thought about this lady having a shepherd as a service dog. As I stated I only thought it.And I do understand how this lady feels of course I have fears too but the difference is in how you choose to react she wasn't laughing off her fear she was deliberately mocking Lily's mom who I am very close to and there was no need. Anyway I took Ary to Petco today and showed off how a well behaved shepherd should act so I am taking steps toward eliminating the stigma of shepherds being aggressive I got quite a few compliments including " I've been sitting her all day watching dogs coming and going and yours is the best behaved " from a shelter volunteer


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yeah, you have to have a thick skin if you have sheps. Just the way it is. But I NEVER believe people who say, "Oh she's friendly." I find IT one of the worst statements and am afraid when I hear it. Usually it is a chocolate lab, whose owners think that because it hasn't eaten any small children recently it is absolutely wonderful. Their dog is friendly, so they let it charge right into your puppy or dog, not bothering to ask if YOUR dog is friendly. 

The same people who say, "Oh she's friendly" are just as quick to utter, "She's never done anything like that before." 

I do not trust anyone's statement about their dog. 

And, if I see someone is nervous about my dog, instead of telling them how friendly she is, I call the dog to me and pet her. If they ask, then I tell them. But I do not force my dogs on people, and then get all upset about it when they do not appreciate them. I also find it much better to socialize dogs to people who are not already afraid of the.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I find that the people that state "don't worry, she's friendly!!" are frequently using a code phrase for "she's wild, and she probably won't bite but she'll jump up and scratch the crap out of you, and try to lick every skin cell off while doing this."

I love my dogs, but I don't want to pet everyone elses all the time when I'm in a store. There are times my SO and I stop by petstores on the way out to eat for the night, and I don't particularly want to get scratched or slobbered on, nor do I want to smell like stinky dog since the vast majority of society believes their pet doesn't need regular baths and brushing, so they smell like wet dog. I've even been pee'd on by dogs whose owners failed to mention they have excitement urination problems. Of course they had no idea this was a problem until just then.....

There is a time and place....but there's no need to be offended just because someone doesn't want to pet your dog (or a dog you happen to like, since in this case it's not the OP's dog).

For what it's worth though, I think it's great that you've gotten to see some of the same litter grow up, and their owners continue to bring them into the stores and socialize them.


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## Vault_101 (Feb 13, 2010)

adasmomma22 said:


> wow you really cant vent in this place. in defense to the original poster, the lady actually was not rude to the scared lady she was just thinking it. i dont think either person was rude. it just upset her. again people arent allowed to vent in this place without so much negativity


 
agreed, aweful lot of high horses in these pastures


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

I haven't read all the responses here but I must say I do LOVE your "comeback" and think you should have used it


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

oh wow, is this thread still going?



die thread die!!!


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Meh, I frequently say "Don't worry, he's friendly." I don't like being responsible for people crapping their pants or their children running away screaming in terror. My boyfriend's niece does that and she isn't even scared. She just gets a tonne of attention when she does it. It's annoying.

It's just a way of reassuring people that they aren't in danger. It's not an invitation or a command for the person to come pet him. They do so of their own will. Saying your dog is friendly means your dog won't bite, not that it is obedient.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

when you're in public with your dog don't
let them approach people, end of story.



codmaster said:


> "the owner of Lily didn't post. the lady petting her made the post."
> 
> Absolutely correct - my mistake in reading the post.
> 
> ...


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

good points.



Syaoransbear said:


> Meh, I frequently say "Don't worry, he's friendly." I don't like being responsible for people crapping their pants or their children running away screaming in terror. My boyfriend's niece does that and she isn't even scared. She just gets a tonne of attention when she does it. It's annoying.
> 
> It's just a way of reassuring people that they aren't in danger. It's not an invitation or a command for the person to come pet him. They do so of their own will. Saying your dog is friendly means your dog won't bite, not that it is obedient.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i died. :wild: 


JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> oh wow, is this thread still going?
> 
> 
> 
> die thread die!!!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

who wants to be a low horse???



Vault_101 said:


> agreed, aweful lot of high horses in these pastures


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

It is out of control???

I suppose it may be approaching some people in ways that make them uncomfortable.

Saying that your dog is friendly while it is sitting nicely by your side or clearly under control is well and good. But people think "under control" could be anything short of a mauling.


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## trish07 (Mar 5, 2010)

Personnally, I got much more bad comments about Phenix as a GSD than Lilly got from this women.

A lot of people are scared of big dogs (first) and more often from big dogs that have "bad reputations".

You say she laugh at it because "it's hard to believe", it all depend, I think, the way she "laugh". Was it condescendent? If yes, she's dumb. If it was more like a "nervous" laugh, "surprised" laugh, than I can understand.

When I walk Phenix, people genrally change of street side, passed comments like "ohhhh, he looks mean..", "Can't trust them", "they are born to attack", "they are so hypocritical" and bla-bla-bla....

Once, I was at the vet. There was planty of dogs. They were all barking, becoming impatient (we were there for 1½ hour I think...). Than a new dog came in and Phenix gots excited and bark. A woman standing close to use looked at Phenix and told us we were going to have a lot of problems with this kind of dog. She told us we better bring him to a good and strong educator and buy him a choke or electric colar to control him. 

I was choked. Speachless. Her little sassy caniche barking in her hands made me laugh.

When I was going to the dog park, other owners told me how incredible was my dog towards other dogs, they thought GSD were pretty bad and couldn't trust them.

When I rented my appartment, I told the owner I had a big dog. He said no problem. When he saw Phenix for the first time, he told us he didn't expect that kind of dog (meaning the breed) and he wasn't sure if he wanted this dog to stay close to him. We explained it all again, giving him the more informations we could on the GSD.

All this to say, people are not informed. We have to inform people about our dogs.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

All I have to say is WOW PEOPLE.....REALLY? Not everything needs to be an arguement.


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## GermanPrinceHero (Feb 13, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> All I have to say is WOW PEOPLE.....REALLY? Not everything needs to be an arguement.


I agree with that. Sometimes people want to just say something without being attacked from all directions. I learned immediately on this website that a lot of the senior members (senior only meaning they make a lot of posts) do not like their opinions being disagreed with, and you must listen to them and agree with what they say or they get very nasty. As I have said before, we have to remember most of them have advanced degrees in dog rearing and dog psychology, so we must do everything they say and under no circumstances disagree with them, because their opinions are the only thing that matters.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

HAHAHAHA.....................Love it!:rofl:


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