They may be a bit giant,
and they’re definitely extra furry.
Their slobber might even coat your walls.
They’ll probably need their own chair or two,
and their chins might rest on the table.
Their “shake” might tumble a toddler,
and a lean could knock you off your feet.
Their bark might intimidate crowds,
and a playful bow could as well.
They’re not the best at tricks
or following your every command.
Their size might cause a reaction
from dogs much smaller or unsure.
But don’t forget the reality remains
My dogs are still dogs.
While most of us are familiar with breed discrimination, we don’t always consider size discrimination. Many people are fairly accepting (and even in love) with Mauja and Atka’s size, but some people are not as receptive. While I truly believe it’s rarely meant to be hurtful, the insinuation that my dogs don’t belong somewhere (that they are allowed) because of their size is always upsetting.
Dr. Seuss once said –
A person’s a person, no matter how small.
Well, I believe –
I love how big they are! I’d have huge dogs too, if I wasn’t a renter. I can’t imagine trying to find anew apartment with dogs that big. My largest dog is only 25 pounds, and I’ve even had places turn me away become he’s “too big”. He loves large dogs too, so when I buy a house, we’re going to pick out a giant friend for him!
Finding an apartment to take giant breeds is extremely difficult. I’ll never understand the point of size when it comes to renting. A dog is a dog! Size doesn’t dictate their behavior. I look forward to seeing your new addition one day! 🙂
That’s such a sweet sentiment – and very true. I certainly don’t doubt that some people have size discrimination when it comes to dogs; unfortunately I’ve been guilty of making a lot of assumptions about small dogs before meeting them.
I have been the same way. I think it’s because I always grew up with large dogs, so seeing small dogs was something new. Most people I know with small dogs let them do whatever they want. Doesn’t lead to the most well-behaved pal.
This is very touching because so many wonderful breeds face breed discrimination. When people meet Wynston they say things like “OMG he must be so yappy! Does he bite everyone’s ankles?!” Um, no, actually he’s very quiet and well behaved. I get very angry. No pet parent should have to deal with breed discrimination, and no dog should have to either!
People should just let go. Some people prefer small dogs; others prefer giant.
Well said!
I love big dogs too when they belong to somebody else. For me I want a dog I can pick up and explain what good behavior is when they are naughty.
Yeah, we definitely don’t have that ability. You learn knew ways to work on appropriate behavior which I find very rewarding 🙂
Yes that’s hard to believe that their size gets them discriminated against. It’s too bad because I like big dogs much better than little ones. Love Dolly
It really is. Mauja likes little dogs more than anything. You two would be great pals 😉
Humans are so weird. For whatever reason, we choose to judge creatures (including those of our species) by one or two attributes. We tend to believe that our experience with one creature of a type generalizes out to all creatures of that type. Most often there is no evidence to back any of that up. I love big dogs. When I was a young child, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and they had 2 saint bernards. I have found myself attracted more to large dogs than small ones ever since. I loved seeing your dogs at Blogpaws. I didn’t mind it one bit when one of them cuddled up against me as I sat on the floor in one of the sessions.
You are so right. I was a bit frustrated at BlogPaws when so many people were shocked that my big dogs were behaving. Other than rolling around and pawing people on the floor (rather than paying attention to sessions!) they acted just as they should.
One thing that makes me insane is when so called pet-friendly hotels have size limits. Really, can you be certain that a 25 pound dog will be well behaved but a 26 pound one won’t be?
Are you sure that tiny terrier who barks at every noise is going to be a better guest than the mellow, elderly Newf or Pyr?
If someone would explain to me the reason for hotel prejudice based on size I could die happy.
So much yes. That’s always so frustrating when we travel… We can’t be too spontaneous or we could be sleeping in the car! 😉
I can imagine you do get a lot of people that make assumptions about your sweet dogs. Haley’s only 50 pounds but I’ve had people with small dogs act like she could gobble them up even though Haley’s wasn’t even paying attention to them.
The most threatening dogs we’ve run into are small dogs, including one that bit Haley in the butt while we were trying to walk down the street.
People assume size equals intimidating, misbehaving dogs. However, I will say that Mauja and Atka acted like model citizens (mostly, haha) when people didn’t expect them to.
Size discrimination is awful. Having had both large breeds (grew up with several Mastiffs) and now owning small dogs (dachshunds), I almost have to lean towards it being worse for small dogs. I can’t count how many times I’m told someone would like to kick my “football sized dog”.