Yes, to people parking their buggies right smack in the middle of the aisle at the grocery store and then giving you a dirty look when you say excuse me. I am quite soft spoken and so have to often repeat myself and by that time I'm a little frustrated.

People talking on their cell phone while they are at the check out. Although I am seeing that less often than in the past.

I'll give the other side of dog complaints!

Owners with leashed dogs that have done very little training and socializing of their dog. A leash is not a substitute for training.

I do hike off leash with my dog, but I have spent lots of time and money in training to have a perfect recall and she isn't that interested in other dogs or people.

In my area people who let their dogs off leash have excellent control of their dogs. If a dog is on leash on the mountain trails it usually means that their dog is the one with behavior issues.

I hate off leash dogs. I walk my dog almost daily at a place where 1/3 of the dogs are off leash. ( millennial's/ college campus/ lake dike) My dog is the best, seriously, but it scares me to see the other dogs and not know what is coming. I have to protect my dog.

Arriving early for a doctor appointment and cooling my heels in the waiting room for two hours to be called. And nary an apology.

Snow in April. I mean, come on. It's spring already!

People being critical about a baby/child safety wrist link or other similar items.

I hate to admit I thought ALL those same judgmental things until I gave birth to DS2, Adventure Baby. Yes, this dear boy has humbled me. It's rarely used and doesn't take the place of parenting by any means, but for now there are times when we feel it's a responsible extra for his safety.

I honestly don’t care how perfectly any dog is trained. If you are in an on leash area, please keep every dog on leash.

After that Newfie attack (he came out of his yard onto a public sidewalk to attack my dog who was ignoring him entirely before the attack), the owner swore up and down he had never done anything like that before. Didn’t keep us safe at all. And didn’t help one bit that the other dog had never done that before when my previously mellow dog started exhibiting leash anxiety when off leash dogs approached because of that attack. And it didn’t fix any of that when the owner had the Newfie put down a couple of weeks because he had health problems and the first clue was his unusual behavior in attacking my dog. What would have worked was following the rules of that locality and keeping the dog on leash outside.

Oh, and there was the guy who let his dog off leash to chase, yes actually chase, my oldest through the children’s playground in SF which was clearly signed no dogs allowed at all. Ds was four and already inexplicably afraid of dogs (he has long since outgrown that) That owner insisted his dog was “just playing” when I told him he needed to put the dog back on leash as my child cried and clung to me. A decade later and I still get mad thinking about what an entitled jerk he was.

Oh, and then there was the “really gentle” dog who literally knocked my daughter on the ground because his owner let him off leash at another park.

I will never understand people who think they don’t have to follow the rules because their dog has always behaved or is really gentle or whatever their excuse is.

Now, if you are in an off leash area, fair enough. I avoided those if I had a small child with me because I accept that dogs are unpredictable. And my dog was socialized at class as a puppy and is just fine with other off leash dogs as long as he can be off leash too (always gets an A from the dog boarding place).

I agree w/ everything crl_ said. I just don't see what the benefit is of not having your dog on a leash and I think there are leash laws for a reason and it drives me crazy when people think they don't apply to them just because their dog is good. Those laws don't say only poorly behaved dogs on a leash. It's like people who think I'm a good driver, so the speed limit doesn't apply to me and I can drive 100 MPH. Maybe you're a really good driver, but things can still go wrong and other people aren't going to know you're a good driver when they see your car barreling forward.

A dog can have a perfectly fine time even if on a leash -- and so much can go wrong when you don't have one. It only takes one time for something crazy to happen. Not just your dog experiencing an unexpected behavior change (which does happen) but also if your dog is not close to you on a lead, your own dog is at risk too.

What if there's something on the ground like a dead squirrel your dog wants to eat but you don't have a leash to pull him back? Or if the dog is running off way ahead of you and there's a snake on the path but the dog isn't with you so you can't stop him?

"Learning of important stressful business dealings on Friday late afternoon and having to wait until they open back up on Monday at 10 am. Hate that!"

Indeed, it's enormously frustrating getting a stressful piece of snail or voicemail ('your windstorm insurance payment was not received and your insurance is being cancelled') that you receive after business hours on Friday then worry about all weekend till you can call or email to find out what's happening.

Daily grinding traffic everywhere, on every street, every day. Probably due to escaping it on weekends, the level of traffic delay in my community is a constant nagging irritant. I'm exacerbating it with a new bad habit-I time how long it takes me to go from x to y in Miami and compare it with how long it takes me to go the same distance during the same time period in the Keys. I need to stop doing that!

Preparing myself for push back from dog lovers: dogs everywhere, including places I never want to see dogs like grocery stores, restaurants and shopping centers. I'm not a dog fan in general and I greatly dislike this moment of cultural zeitgeist in which it seemingly has now become the default setting that everyone likes and accepts peoples' dogs everywhere and anywhere. I would have protested vociferously if my work place ever allowed people to bring their dogs in. An office isn't a dog park and people should never be expected to tolerate animals where they earn a living. It's not an option for coworkers to move away or not show up so animals at work are a hard no for me. I suppose my logic is also that if dogs are allowed then anyone should be allowed to bring their pets. I sure don't want to try to get my work done while cats wander, birds chirp or sqawk, ferrets slink around under desks, and snakes poke the tops of their owners glass cages sitting desktop. No thanks!

Comcast!

Running - I adore dogs. We dote on ours and treat them like 'short, hairy' members of the family. But just as with our own kids, we taught them manners, how to behave in public, what's acceptable - what isn't. Our current Lab has excelled at obedience training yet I keep her on a leash when we are outside unless we're at our vacation home - which is in the middle of 140 acres of forest yet she's still trained to stay within 30' of us.

I also think dogs have their place and it isn't sitting in the child seat of a shopping cart in Bed, Bath and Beyond or the grocery store or running loose in a playground where there are signs stating 'Pets must be on Leashes' . Or my favorite - sitting next to me in while flying under the guise of 'therapy' dogs. I have no issue with true therapy dogs.

I think too many pet owners indulge their pets (just as many parents indulge their kids) and just can't seem to understand that they are pets - not equals.

I certainly wouldn't be off-leash in a crowded area, not because I don't trust my dog, but I don't trust other people and kids. Yes, we have leash laws, but if you come to hike in the hills surrounding LA, which are not full of people, expect to see most dogs off leash.

As far as critters and long distance recall, yes I can call my dog off of those and do it daily. I've recalled her perfectly off of squirrels, rabbits, snake, coyote and deer. I have a large, high prey drive dog, so a high level of training is the only responsible way to own a dog like that. She wasn't this way when I adopted her. As I said, many hours of training to get there and we train daily. If anyone is looking for this type of relationship with their dog, this is the trainer we used http://unleashedpotential.ca/

Not to get too far OT, but where I live and hike, I would be pretty afraid to have my dog off leash no matter how well trained she was. I would not want her tangling with coyotes, moose or bear, or even porcupines. These are all real possibilities here, even 100 feet up the hill.

There's so many tragic stories about off-leash "trained" dogs who were killed because they were following their prey drive and ran into traffic. My father, who worked in Animal Regulation, always reminded me that animals just can't be trusted to look out for their own safety.

I’ll stand beside you, running. I know many, many people love their dogs. I get that. But I DON’T love dogs. I’m not an animal-lover and would truly resent animals in the workplace.

I saw a man going inside our local farm-and-garden store with his lab yesterday. WTH was the dog going to do - choose his own dog food or peruse the selection of garden rakes? Or maybe help his owner pick out a new pair of Levi’s. And, by the way, there was no identification on him relating to therapy or companion animal. I checked.

Ok, throw rocks at me.

there was no identification on him relating to therapy or companion animal.

That is not required.

Good to know, Lucille. In addition to not caring for animals, I am uninformed about them, too.

Littlebug, you deserve to have a good life with no unnecessary annoyances. If some owners did not have a sense of entitlement, letting their loose dogs jump up on people and poop in other people's yards, etc. everyone's life would be happier. I love animals, but I love people too and try not to let my critters annoy others just because that is common courtesy.

I wouldn't say this is a frustration, more of an annoyance. I don't mind picking up after myself but I dislike busing my plates and silver at restaurants like Panera. I live in a large urban area and most restaurants are usually packed at lunch and the trash areas are overflowing. The last thing I want to do after enjoying my meal is to stand by a filthy trash area and sort my dirty plates and silver.

Ok, I can’t resist, duck Littlebug!!

I’m a huge animal lover, especially when it comes to my own dog, BUT...I have to agree, there is a time and place for them and the stores isn’t one of them.

I also feel very strongly that dog owners have a responsibility to work with and train their dogs so that they aren’t a burden to ones neighbors. It’s important to me that we’re thought of as good neighbors. When we got Ellie, I invested a lot of time and energy into her training to ensure she bothered no one. Now, some of my neighbors enjoy coming over to love her up and one who is also not fond of dogs will comment on how good she is.

We have some terrible dog problems in our neighborhood, one barks insistently from 5:30 am to well after midnight, others roam from house to house scaring people, doing their business and even digging holes in the grass. There is a pack mentality with a couple one of which has a muzzle on. I’m so frustrated that I’ve decided to have some conversations with their owners when I see them out and about. I’ve had enough.

A foot of snow on Apri 14

I hesitated admitting this up thread but since Runninginplace was brave enough to voice her similar discontent I will second that even as a dog lover I will admit to being tired of dogs everywhere! I especially dislike uncontrolled dogs everywhere. I do not especially like to bring children on my errands but by law I have to but it is perfectly normal and legal to leave our pets at home when you shop, go for ice cream or to the doctor, yes I have been licked by a stranger's pesky dogs while waiting for my gyn.

I see this constant need to bring a pet everywhere as a form of attention seeking and a sign of loneliness. As society has become more impersonal with excessive cell phone usage pets everywhere seemed to explode. Not sure it is coincidental.

I am taking a course in counseling and a student always bring her dog to class. It is so ironic that years ago, in this same college, I had to drop out because I couldn't bring my pregnant self to class.

I have often threatened to bring my pet ball python to public popular dog haunts to provide a taste of how it feels to be forced to coexist with other people's pets in inappropriate places. I love my Shelly, but know many have terrible phobias so she stays home as a courtesy.

Nanny - on our local news channel the other day I heard a report that there are now 20 colleges and universities in the US that allow students to have their dogs live in the dorms with them. Of course the dog must be trained and the room mate has to agree. The theory is that it helps them cope with the stress of college. When I told DH about it he commented "will kids today ever grow up?"

I saw that story!! One had a rabbit! Infuriating!

And the student I'm referring to in the above post, is in her 60's.......all grown up, supposedly.

Animals do help many cope with stress and while it's easy to want them to man up, I used to feel that way, the rise of suicide as an option for stress is a huge factor for showing a little compassion for a lifestyle you might think is soft.

Unfortunately, often the animals suffer as college students need to learn how to care for the animals too.

I am what is considered a highly sensitive person and do not do well in stressful environments for very long. I have structured my life to work, produce and be contributing to the world, however, my dogs have brought laughter, joy and tranquility into my life daily. Just being around her is wonderful. I may not be suicidal but it's possible I could become so.

One of the elementary schools I teach a weekly art program at keeps a rabbit in the office areas. It hops around freely and is litterbox trained. I can see how that would make many happy. Some not, of course.

I don’t think that having an animal in a dorm room is that bad IF all parties agree and the animal is properly cared for. A rabbit may even be a better alternative than a dog in that scenario.

When we visited colleges with DS, we learned most schools allow only fish in the dorms. At one school, we asked a question about a retention pond, and the tour guide told us that the previous year they had to drain the pond for some maintenance work, and at the bottom were all these dead goldfish carcasses. The kids didn't (couldn't, wouldn't) take their fish home for breaks and just "set them free" in the retention pond!

I'm sorry that people feel stress and understand a pet can be comforting. However, some of us who are not dog lovers do not appreciate the added stress we feel about having to interact with dogs in public places where dogs don't belong. My grandson is allergic to dogs and I think he should be able to go to "people places" like stores and restaurants, planes and public transportation without being exposed to dogs.

I do not like dogs for the most part and especially strange dogs. I don't appreciate being approached, sniffed, jumped on or barked at when I'm out in public. It makes me a nervous wreck to have some aggressive dog barking at me from the next car when I'm trying to load groceries even. I know they are in the cage of a car, but it still makes me really uneasy and jumpy. I don't understand why people can't just leave them home. We had generations of families with dogs that never were hauled and toted around to every possible place. And the dogs were fine with that. So were the people.

We have a certified service dog. She is kind, gentle, and respectful. I am sad that her presence makes others uncomfortable.

I'll probably be excoriated for speaking my mind, but here goes.

I like dogs well enough...used to have them myself. I think they are wonderful creatures and dearly loved our girls over the years, but I was glad when they made the library a dog-free zone.

We have book group at the library and the former director would bring her little dog. She was very friendly, but I'm sorry, she smelled (the dog, not the librarian!) Many dogs smell, even if groomed on a regular basis. Just because you don't smell it any more, doesn't mean the rest of us can't. If the conference room door was open and the dog got out, she'd end up peeing on a stack somewhere, so we had to watch her all the time. Then while we were snacking, she'd beg, and naturally some of the 'dog lovers' would feed her so she'd keep begging. We never ever allowed our dogs to beg. And of course if she didn't like something, she'd just spit it out on the floor (the dog, not the librarian!) Ugh. I found the whole thing distasteful and disruptive.

I would take the worst behaved dog any day of the week over the people who douse themselves with perfume / body spray / scented lotion and then sit down next to me on an airplane or in a waiting room or theatre... etc. Highly scented laundry detergent and fabric softener is even worse.

smhinhb, my husband travels often and he has been complaining about people who bring a steaming container of Mexican or Chinese food on to his early morning flights.

I think he would prefer perfume.

I would take the worst behaved dog any day of the week

I understand what you are saying about scents, but badly behaved dogs can and sometimes do maul or kill, I believe the average cost for a bite injury has risen to about $32,000.

I am not necessarily blaming the dog, if a dog owner is aware of behavior problems he/she should get help and meanwhile keep the dog leashed or in an area where it cannot hurt someone.

If I had to choose between 50 stitches from a dog bite and 3 hours of perfume I didn't like, I'd choose the perfume.

Dragonflywings, fwiw, I have never been bothered by service dogs. I have never seen one off-leash nor have I ever seen an ill-behaved one.

If I had to choose between 50 stitches from a dog bite and 3 hours of perfume I didn't like, I'd choose the perfume.

Although my first sentence was somewhat tongue in cheek, I would point out that for some people it's not just a matter of disliking a perfume - scents can trigger severe asthma attacks, allergic reactions, nausea, migraines, etc. Scent and chemical sensitivities can be extreme and are a real & life altering issue for many people.

Edited to add: I'm casually acquainted with a woman (a friend of a friend) who has missed significant time from work, once landing in the hospital, due to severe asthma trigged by someone coming into her workplace wearing perfume or cologne or whatever - apparently thinking the scent-free policy didn't apply to them, in spite of the notices specifically warning of a severe allergy in the building.

I have never seen a service dog behaving in any way other than calm, cool and collected. They are a great help to those who need them. I am not talking about service dogs in this post.

But I am with Olychick. I don't like dogs jumping all over me and sniffing me. My dear friend who is a dog owner takes it very personally when I am somewhat cool to her dogs and try to ignore them as they run all around me, sniff me in embarrassing places and bark uncontrollably. I have told my friend that I have nothing against HER dogs, I just don't like dogs doing that to me. I also do not think dogs belong in restaurants or other places that involve food.

I think what the whole animal in public issue boils down to in many ways is that we have increasingly become a society of “me me me, it’s all about me” and in many ways having a basic consideration of others whether they are family, neighbors or even strangers is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Just because we can take an animal into a public place doesn’t mean that it’s right or fair for the majority of people who are there.

We have an really cool out door mall that has concerts and things for kids to do, it is also a mall that welcomes dogs, inside the stores and out. That is the norm for that shopping center. People going there know this and can choose whether they want that experience or not. On the other hand, places like Costco, Home Depot or especially the public library are not. Their norm is that they are pet free environments and folks go to those places with that expectation. It doesn’t matter why they don’t want to be forced to interact in the same space as a person’s dog, it’s their choice. And it’s not right for the one person to ignore that it’s a pet free environment and force others to “deal” with it. Service dogs are of course the exception, but only true services dogs, certified service dogs.

A few years ago, we were using a vet’s office where both vets insisted on bringing their dogs to work with them. One vets dogs, some miniature pinchers would bark non stop and so loud I couldn’t focus on what the Vet was telling me. The other vet’s dogs barked as well but one was also very large would lunge up on the rickety gate at you. The Vets and staff spent more time yelling and scolding the dogs then they did with paying customers. The receptionist was responsible for keeping them calm while she was doing her “real” job. It was chaotic, it wasn’t ideal for their customers and more importantly, it stressed out the sick animals who were there to be treated. This and Ann’s issue are perfect examples of that “me me me” mentality; the only choice I had was to find another vet, an avian vet which are rare in our area so it wasn’t a choice at all but once I no longer had the birds, I no longer used that vet office.

Just as it’s important to be a good neighbor, I think it’s important to consider the people around us regardless of where we are, it’s just common sense.

Dragonfly a true service dog never upsets me. Unfortunately it seems everyone now claims to need an untrained emotional support dog. All real service dogs I have encountered were almost invisible and never approach others without direction. It was not service dogs who licked me wet at my doctors office.

Our vet has his dog that is present at most of the visits. He is a wonderful dog ... golden retriever and perfectly behaved...and I think it's because he presents such a calming influence in the room that he helps keep our pets calm while being examined....even our cats seem calmer with him there. He's like a service animal for the animals.

My DD has a service dog, a legal emotional support animal, as she is very prone to stomach ulcers brought on by pretty much any stress. So much so that she was in physical misery and on meds for it for 3 years, with several ER visits before she got India. What a HUGE difference she’s made in my daughter’s life! DD is now off all meds and has had only a few minor ulcer flare ups since then. The change was almost immediate. BUT, as noted here, India is legal and trained. Before becoming a service dog, India (with a different name back then) was the top dog in her breed in the country for many years. So, very trained, very quiet, and well behaved.

When I was doing research online to find out how to go about getting DD an emotional support dog, though, I found several sites where you could just purchase service dog vests and bogus papers. That is so, so wrong!

There are 40 houses on my street and 29 dogs. One person has six little dogs which is more than out township allows in one household but no one complains because other than occasional yapping they are not a problem. Most of the dog owners are reasonable people and responsible dog owners. A few are not. There are the night time dog walkers who don't pick up. There are the dogs that are allowed to stick their nose in your crotch and jump on you with no discipline. There is one dog that barks incessantly and is let out at 6 a.m. every morning. The dog across the street is loose in the unfenced yard and barks and threatens everyone who walks by. One person has a pit bull that can't be trusted. Out of 29 dogs, nine are a huge nuisance.

I love dogs and have owned several over the years. I don't choose to have one now and I don't see why I am forced to tolerate the bad behavior of dogs with irresponsible owners.

We were once waiting for a ferry to cross Lake Michigan and were approached by a woman carrying a small dog wearing a vest. For reasons only she knew, the woman told us that she was only pretending her dog was a service dog, so she didn't have to put him in a carrier or leave him in her car. She walked her dog all over the waiting area and let him sniff people's feet and totes regardless of the expressions on their faces.

By contrast, we are often approached by people who want to "meet" our dog and we almost always say yes as it is a wonderful opportunity to educate folks who have questions. She is neither a sight or hearing assistance dog and meeting people is one of her greatest pleasures in life.

I have a friend whose son with diabetes has a dog that alerts for lows. He picks it up faster than the monitor does. Service dogs are amazing.

There's no solution here, but I will take an energetic, untrained dog over an inerrant child any day. I'm not talking bad seeds, dog or child, just the untrained, undeveloped nature.

Service dogs are amazing and do amazing things. I seriously doubt anyone would have issues when it comes to them being present anywhere; especially with the important work they do. It’s hard to ignore them the way we’re supposed to, especially the ones in training. LOL

We go to a doggie store that is privately owned and their 8 month old Aussie Doodle is there to greet people all the time. She’s adorable and so so sweet, I look forward to seeing her, but again, people go there knowing dogs are welcome and a part of the experience, it’s a choice thing.

Kids IMO are a whole different category and one that I’m sure there’s no right answer for.

After reading (a good portion of) this, I've decided that I do not experience much in the way of frustration. I would add, however, that I am unable not to pay attention to what anyone is saying, almost anywhere, and I do dislike listening in to boring conversations, but I have a hard time turning them off. My mother (and brother) were very adept at tuning out conversations (especially my father's), but I do not have that skill.

It used to bother me on public transportation in San Francisco that people would be having conversations in languages that I did not understand, and sometimes I would worry that they were talking about me, but I can understand Spanish well enough now to know what they are saying. I still do not understand Chinese or Tagalog. I was able to overhear conversations that German tourists were having in Mexico, and they definitely were complaining about my companion and me - for looking into a grave in Monte Albán without paying for the tour that they had paid for. The tour guide did tell them that everyone was allowed to look into the graves, however.

Nothing is more frustrating then a voice mail message in which the caller, when providing his or her phone number, speeds up, so I have to replay the voice mail message until I am sure that I have written down your phone number correctly. Your phone number is the most important part of the message so speak slowly when you are saying it, please.

Finding out that the results of the tests are we need to run more tests.

Soupgirl, when I finally return a call from someone who has said their number so fast that I had to listen to it three or four times to write it down, I let them know. Often the call back number is not the number on their caller ID, especially if it is a medical office.