Pet shaming – where owners share photos of their dog or cat’s destructive escapades – is a growing online trend, unfortunately some take it too far. It started as a cute Internet diversion, “Stuff my kids ruined,” where parents featured photos of destroyed laptops, smartphones, and crayoned walls.
Now the idea has trickled down to pet owners, and a number of cute and not-so-cute photos are appearing online depicting pets with signs nearby, or hung around their necks, that announce their “shame” to the world.
Harmless and entertaining
Most dog-shaming photos are quite funny and harmless, like the one showing a cute little black dog yawning while nestled in blankets next to a sign that reads: “I have been in this bed for 16 hours straight.”
In another photo, two large beige dogs named Phoenix and Angie are sprawled asleep on the living room floor surrounded by the debris of some now unidentifiable item, nearby, a hilarious hand-lettered sign reads: “We wrecked the joint.”
In what could be an online set-up, one of the funniest photos features a dog training DVD punctured with teeth marks and an accompanying brochure with shredded corners. All of these supposed dog shaming photos are perfect examples of the frustrations of pet ownership, but they’re kept humorous, harmless, and entertaining.
Humiliating and questionable
Unfortunately, there are always some dog owners who leave you wondering how these poor dogs will be treated after the camera is put away. There are signs around the dog’s neck or nearby that spell out their shame and call them names, like jerk, a—hole, or even s—face.
This incredibly abusive evidence has raised the ire of other pet parents, as noted by emotional comments and blogs posted. The mean-spirited photos are unsettling and cast a pall over the remainder of lighthearted photos in the mix.
Which type of pet parent are you?
One way to test the treatment of your pet is to ask yourself if you would ever treat a human toddler that way. After all, most dogs only understand language and commands to the level of a 2- or 3-year-old human. If the owner hasn’t raised the dog properly, that is where the real responsibility lies, and hopefully, there’s a special place reserved for people who torment their animals.
With the amount of shaming we’re seeing online, any dog whisperer would have their work cut out for them. So what are some of the remedies for chewed shoes, sofas, and such? Crating your pet from puppyhood helps get the dog accustomed to sleeping quietly in one place while you’re out of the home.
Typically, if you have crated the dog for the first six months of its life, it generally does not associate your absence with an excuse to destroy things. However, it’s important that you don’t leave a pet alone too long – even the best-behaved pet will not like being left on its own for 12 hours straight.
That being said, all puppies are teething and chewing comes naturally, so the important thing is to correct the bad behavior and supply a positive chewable substitute like a rawhide; and then praise them while they’re chewing it.
Of course, you may need to put away your shoes and keep an eagle eye on the dog while at home, to catch and correct behavior. If you do post a dog shaming photo, make sure it’s cute and lighthearted, otherwise, the only one being shamed is you.
