So I’m walking my dog the other day, and pass by this guy that says hello, and bends over to pet my dog. Only he didn’t just pet. I’ve seen this elsewhere, particularly amongst dog breeder and show folk…he gave a full-on rubbing and prodding inspection of her abdomen, under her tail, between her legs. My dog had never been felt up that way before, and had a very confused look on her face, but I could tell that she was gearing up to give a serious growl and snap at the rather presumptious guy.
So, dog-show folks…what kind of information is one possibly looking for by poking and digging around a dog’s abdomen, or response does one hope to gain? What’s wrong with a simple scratch on the head?
Hahahaha! That’s a little rude! I’ve no idea why they do it, I suppose to just check out the general health of the dog, but I would find that rather rude if someone did that to my dog without asking first. Same goes for petting without asking first.
Yes, I suspect that it was a major breach of manners on a public street, but see it done all the time in the context of a formal showing. Reminds me of being little, and having an aunt check my gums and look behind my ears instead of actually interacting with me on a human level.
For reference, my wife raises and shows Old English Sheepdogs. At a dog show, the judge would be checking for general muscle tone, any specific physical traits of the breed (barrel chest rather than not, etc), and to confirm that the male was intact and that the testes had descended. If you really care, http://www.akc.org provides the breed standards.
Having said that, it is odd in the extreme that a person you don’t know would go over your dog in such a manner without asking. The public street thing doesn’t matter all that much, at least in my opinion.
Is your dog purebred? Perhaps of a breed that is currently desirable? I second the notion that that is what the guy was doing - sizing your dog up for potential theft. NO real dog person I know would EVER grab a strangers dog. Even a judge will wait until you and the dog are ready, to keep from getting bit.
Often, what a judge is checking for is to see whether or not a male has both testicles.
Reminds me of the time a friend and I were drinking at my house. He was watching my dog lick himself in the genitals. He commented, “Man, I wish I could do that!”
