Dogs at our house for Thanksgiving

[Anonymous]

I’m the OP of the thread below. My advice is to stand firm, brace for impact, ride it out and emerge with a dog free event. Good luck!

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/815420.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP of the thread below. My advice is to stand firm, brace for impact, ride it out and emerge with a dog free event. Good luck!

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/815420.page

DP and wow… thanks for sharing that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No dogs, period. Dogs are not offspring. Don't indulge that lunacy.

I say this as a woman who is childless/childfree.

You being child-free gives you no more license on the topic than anyone else.

Look, OP, I feel like this topic is beyond a horse that has been beaten to death. It's your house, you set the rules. But, I would urge you to consider what is annoying vs. what you can tolerate. If you really don't want the dogs, fine. Then the relatives a) likely won't come and, b) you'll piss them off indefinitely in any event. If you can live with a and b then proceed. And that's that. Are you looking for permission???

Personally, when you open your home to 20 + people for a holiday (ridiculous) then you have to be inclusive or people will be left out. That's how it was in our family for holidays, weddings, etc. You get the good with the bad if you want them all together.

NO
You are inclusive of people, you DO NOT have to include animals that can damage your bone.
NO
NO
NO
I am a pet owner and I would NEVER impose my pet on other people.

[Anonymous]

Just say NO DOGS! These people are crazy dog nuts and won't care how much their large dogs will ruin your dinner. Also what if they bite another guest at your house? Will you be liable for this lunacy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just say NO DOGS! These people are crazy dog nuts and won't care how much their large dogs will ruin your dinner. Also what if they bite another guest at your house? Will you be liable for this lunacy?

Many dogs also get skittish when crammed into a small space with so many strangers. You don't want crazy uncle's oversize dog mauling your 3 year old niece.

[Anonymous]

No dogs. Tell them now so they can make alternative plans.

I adore my lab and treat her as part of the family, but she does just fine being crated when we have dinners or other busy activities going on in the house. I have absolutely no interest in her getting underfoot, stealing a spot on the couch, begging for snacks, etc. Only my best friend ever brings her dog over (they live 4 hours away and stay the weekend), and she’s the same way with crating and expectations.

[Anonymous]

OP no dogs and I say this as a dog owner. I would never assume I could bring my dog anywhere.

As host of you let them bring docs you would have to inform the other guests, some may decide not to come. They need to get a sitter and since thanksgiving Books early they should do it now. Rover dot com is excellent for finding a sitter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Get on Nextdoor and see if anyone has large crates you can borrow. The dogs are free to come out to go on walks but not free to roam around and get into food or get your (company clean as my mom would say) house dirty.

Don't do this. The dogs will just bark the entire time and you'll either wind up on edge from listening to that for hours, or your guests will insist on letting them out of the crates and you'll be right back where dogs are roaming your house.

Set the boundary now. "We love you and can't wait to see you. We won't be able to accommodate anyone's dog. I hope this gives you enough time to find a pet sitter or boarding spot. Thanks!"

+1. Dogs who aren’t used to being crated can be wild in the crates. Howling and barking nonstop.

They will go crazy crated in a strange house with lots of unknown people around. Bark like mad.

[Anonymous]

Just say no dogs and if people can’t make it carry on. People will be glad if no dogs who don’t have them.

[Anonymous]

I am a dog person and I sometimes will send my dog to doggie daycare when I’m having gatherings (like a kids birthday party), although this is harder on a holiday weekend. I would not invite dogs to a large Thanksgiving gathering, and you should reset expectations otherwise. My cousins St. Bernard puppy once got up on the kitchen counter and got ahold of the half carved turkey while people were eating in the dining room. It was a memorable Thanksgiving for sure, and the last time the dog was invited to holidays at my Aunt and Uncles house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the OP of the thread below. My advice is to stand firm, brace for impact, ride it out and emerge with a dog free event. Good luck!

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/815420.page

DP and wow… thanks for sharing that!

That thread is hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a dog lover but my sister’s dogs ruin pretty much every thanksgiving. They shred my parents’ leather couch, claw the woodwork, bark nonstop and beg for food. They get really aggressive mostly with my toddlers while they eat and try to knock food out of their hands. So then for dinners and actual Thanksgiving we have them barricaded. But then they howl…. It’s never ending. My parents allow them because otherwise they wouldn’t see my sister.

I actually have a small dog we bring and my parents have a dog too (theirs is big like my sisters) but our dogs just lay in the corner on their beds and behave. Same with my brother before his dog died. The difference is crazy. My dog wouldn’t even dream of begging for food. Some dogs are basically animals and can’t be civilized.

But you still bring your dog. Your dog is just "better". It sounds like hell on earth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a huge dog person. I would never bring my dog to someone’s house if they didn’t want my dog there. You say no dogs. Easy. There’s so many people coming! It’s going to be chaos.

I’m a dog person too. But here’s the problem. OP is voluntarily taking over the role of host in a preestablished ritual that involves dogs. If she changes the rules and says no dogs, people aren’t going to want to come and everyone will think she’s a failure for ruining the group’s holiday.

Easiest thing I can think of is to establish areas of the house where you can accept the dogs and then put up gates. In our family, my SIL, who always hosts, doesn’t want dogs in the bedroom area and in her formal living room. She also wants the outside during holiday meals. This has been working for everyone for the past couple of decades.

[Anonymous]

Make them bring crates and high value chew treats. And/or have bone in steaks a few times between now and then and freeze the bones. Annoying barking? Toss it a steak bone in the crate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. These responses are really helpful, thanks. No there is no tradition of people bringing dogs to the holidays. For one family it is a brand new dog (they’ve had it for less than a year) and the other family is usually excluded from family gatherings but they live close so we invited them. It had never occurred to me they would want to bring dogs to such a crowded gathering until they mentioned it.

Then it is really easy for you to say no dogs. The6 are asking now to know if they need to find pet sitters. Make the rule now so they can make arrangements.