[nagdu] Devil's advocate on ownership

[Jenine Stanley]

Angie, 

I wish that it was as simple as granting people ownership for them to feel
as if they could contact the school if they have issues. 

Sadly, I talk to people on a regular basis who know they own their dogs but
still are afraid to contact the school because they fear having the dog
taken away. I explain that we cannot take their dogs away without the
intervention of an outside party, nor would we want to do so.

I think some people are more embarrassed than afraid of the big bad school,
and I completely understand that one. 

I think maybe we all, school staff included, need to explore what we think
ownership means. There's a gravity to ownership, a responsibility if you
will, that says that if the school is going to trust that I am an adult and
that I am capable of caring for and working with this dog, I should then
make every effort to do so, if not exactly as I was taught, then within good
practices at least. 

The sad part is that there are a number of people, and I'd love to survey
this one, who allow their dogs to become overweight, don't keep up on
vaccinations or grooming, don't follow proper working etiquette, i.e.,
allowing scavenging, barking in harness, etc. 

It puts me in mind of that old saying our parents loved, or at least mine
did. 

"If you want to be treated like an adult, act like one and treat your stuff
like one." OK, that last part was added by me. I'm sure my parents said
something akin to it though when I neglected things I'd sworn I'd take care
of. 

I'm not saying everyone neglects their dogs, but sadly, more people do than
we really want to admit as other handlers. My spouse and I have differing
views of in harness etiquette and I'd say that some of his control issues
with his dog are a direct result of his views. <grin> There's a pretty wide
spectrum of behavior and conditions before you get to neglect or misuse, or
even abuse, but still, it hurts to hear on one hand that people want to be
thought of and treated as adults, then to deal with them when their dogs are
extremely overweight, when they are having control issues that might have
been less or non-existent had they been doing things as they'd been taught. 

Maybe more authority needs to be exercised during class or training in any
venue, about dog care and why it's bad to allow the dog to get fat, etc.
Agencies these days in general are really trying to be more respectful but
some things maybe need a little firmer or more strident explanation? Just
trying to figure out what would help cement in people's brains that yes, you
are an adult and yes we trust you to own this dog outright, but that means
we also expect that you will keep the dog in good condition. 

All of my presumptions in this discussion assume that both the person in
question and the school, particularly the school, are behaving above board,
admitting to problems and working for the betterment of the team. We all
know that doesn't always happen in the best of schools. 

Fascinating discussion though.