I saw a beautiful Chow Chow this morning who was a mess. Every inch of his body was covered in huge mats, it was ridiculous.
I would have loved to say something, maybe even offer some advice as to what brush they should buy for the dog, but I imagine anyone that would purposely ignore obvious mats on their dog doesn’t really care and would give me a place to put that brush.
Should I mind my own business? Any polite ways of offering advice as to how/why they should frequently brush their dog?
I’ve never had being nice work. Never ever. They take it "under advisement" and file it away.
The only advice that’s really ever considered, no matter the subject, is when it’s been solicited and pairs up with the receiver’s state of mind.
Meaning that people will never hear what they don’t want to hear.
The answer? Lie.
"Oh, my ex-best friend had a Chow Chow that had matting problems, too. It got so bad that his neighbors reported him to Animal Control who issued him a citation to take care of the problem, as they found it to be painful for the dog. My friend had to get the dog shaved down first, but then kept it up with a Furminator brush that the vet recommended, and they never had another problem!"
It’s your ex-best friend to show that you have better taste in friends.
You mention Animal Control so that they understand the consequences.
You mention pain to make sure they understand that it’s unhealthy for the dog.
Then, you offer an easy solution. : )
I would have simply said "Ouch, those look painful" and from that see what the owner says. If she said "we are going to take care of them" I would have said "good, here are some suggestions" if they said "no they are fine" I would simply say "if you can not take care of your dog you should not own one" and walk away. Never hurts to say something
In my expirence, being nice doesn’t do crap.
People that let their dog get that way won’t react to "you know there is a really good brush….".
They’ll react to you calling animal control on them for allowing their dog to get into such a sad state.
I tried being nice to a friend of mine when her cats were getting a little mangy and sickly, and then when I came back to her house two weeks later and there was a litter of kittens under the couch that she didn’t know about I just called animal control.
People who neglect their dogs don’t DESERVE a polite message. I’d like to send one on a Louisville slugger.
ACH!
It’s up to you if you feel safe contacting these people. You might want to contact the ASPCA or other humane society in your area and make a report on animal neglect. These mats are painful and they may be issued a citation and insist that the owner take care of the mats in a certain time frame. Good luck.
It depends on who they are. Do you think they’d be angry at you or insulted? Do you see them often? I have a bad habit of not keeping my mouth shut when I should and it gets me into trouble. I’d say something cause at least maybe it’ll make them think about it sometime but that’s just me. I’d also probably get punched out too but whatever! Oh ok, maybe you could ask them if they just adopted the dog from the shelter and didn’t get time to take it to the groomer or vet yet.
If I did say something I would play dumb & say something like, "what happened?" Then I would see how the conversation went.
If they seem offended – keep playing dumb, and maybe say something like "I just wondered what your dog might have gotten into." If they seem clueless and dristraught over it, then I would try offering some advice.
No!!! Take a stand. Matts hurt the dog. It pulls the skin. IF it has fleas and ticks than you definitly need to take a stand. Just tell that person to love their dog. And simply take it too the groomers once a week. If they tell you that they are. Than just say take a second look at him. Becuase i would hate to have my hair all matted.
Anything you say is going to just be taken as an insult, and will do way more harm than good. People don’t want to be told how to take care of their dogs from stangers. I say just leave it alone.