Body shaming dogs?

[Anonymous]

Is this a thing? I adopted a dog who was used exclusively for breeding and she has large hanging teats. They’ll probably never fully go back to normal. I have been stopped multiple times to ask what’s going on with her by both men and women. I’ve also heard random comments at the dog park to other park goers about how awful I must be treating her to make her look the way she does even though I adopted her that way. I don’t understand the need for comments or how it’s such an odd thing to see a dog with teats.

[Anonymous]

you can't "body shame" a dog, they don't care... now, you don't like the comments and they are likely not very appropriate - butt that's a "you" issue... just like if someone was making comments about your car, the car does not care either :/

[Anonymous]

Your dog doesn't care. It is odd to see that, don't pretend like it's not. But people shouldn't be commenting on it any more than they should be talking about how ugly the color of your car is, to PP's point.

[Anonymous]

People are being rude and judgmental, but you'll get an eye roll if you call it body shaming. My adopted dog has a docked tail, and people assume I'm a horrible person who insisted the tail be cut off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the need for comments or how it’s such an odd thing to see a dog with teats.

You can't have it both ways OP. Either your dog's teats were affected by years spent as a breeder, or they weren't.

Either you can answer strangers' questions, and help spread awareness and sympathy for what breeder dogs go through, or you can choose to be offended.

Life is too short for the second one.

[Anonymous]

Dog does not care.

If you do and are directly asked or overhear a comment, you say you rescued her from a puppy mill and ask if the other person’s dog came from a puppy mill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People are being rude and judgmental, but you'll get an eye roll if you call it body shaming. My adopted dog has a docked tail, and people assume I'm a horrible person who insisted the tail be cut off.

Calling it body shaming for a dog deserves an eyeroll.

[Anonymous]

Aw, I'm so glad that you rescued this dog and gave her a chance to rest and be loved, OP.

I work with a cat rescue, and it's terrible that we have cats who are old or just not as pretty, and no one wants them or will give them a chance. It's always the cute kittens or the pedigree cats who get picked first, and the elderly cat who is missing an eye and half a tail, or the cat who has bald patches from burns that will never heal are just left. You can see that some people look at them and feel bad, and are conflicted, but they end up going for the cuter pet anyway. So thank you for giving this girl a chance. Cats and dogs used for breeding generally don't have happy or healthy lives, so your dog is so lucky to end up with you. She will love you so much.

The thing that people don't get about the "body shaming" of the dog is that, while the dog doesn't care, the fact is that so many people really care about how their pet looks, as if the pet is a flash car or a designer bag, and that pets with physical/cosmetic issues are often overlooked because of this. And people are shallow, even when they don't want to be. This kind of attitude, of just making comments about how a pet looks, is why people who are on the fence about maybe giving an older or less pretty pet a chance will falter in the end.

You are a good person, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are being rude and judgmental, but you'll get an eye roll if you call it body shaming. My adopted dog has a docked tail, and people assume I'm a horrible person who insisted the tail be cut off.

Calling it body shaming for a dog deserves an eyeroll.

OK, let's call it being a shallow, insensitive jerk.

[Anonymous]

Having pets teaches children/people compassion, so yeah, I do think that adults making comments like this about how the dog looks are setting a bad example. Part of the reason we (should be) keep animals is because they teach us to be better people.

[Anonymous]

Ha, I’d probably say something like “I wanted a dog whose tits look like mine”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha, I’d probably say something like “I wanted a dog whose tits look like mine”

Genius! That will probably work exactly as intended.

[Anonymous]

I foster pregnant dogs for a rescue, and care for them and their puppies in my home before adopting them out.

The engorged teats are highly visible but have never led to comments by anyone... but then I don't go to dog parks. The behavior at dog parks is usually not optimal, OP, for humans or dogs.

Stop being so thin-skinned, OP. I highly doubt a large number of people are judging you or your dog.

[Anonymous]

Are you exaggerating? You have "been stopped multiple times"? My rescue poodle was a momma in a puppy mill before going into rescue and and has very low hanging teats and no one has ever said a word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you exaggerating? You have "been stopped multiple times"? My rescue poodle was a momma in a puppy mill before going into rescue and and has very low hanging teats and no one has ever said a word.

OP here. No I am not exaggerating

A man at the dog park wanted to know what was wrong with her thinking it was cancer and I explained that she was just bred a lot

Another woman at the same park saw her run by and commented “gross” and “clearly someone doesn’t stop breeding her”.

At petsmart someone wanted to know when she had puppies and if they were for sale based on her appearance

I’ve had double takes and have heard other not so nice comments. When she was at the shelter they kept a sweater on her to make her more visually appealing I think by hiding it. Obviously it didn’t bother me. She’s a mastiff mix and was being breed multiple times a year for 5 years based on what I was told.