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From Forbes, a new survey of US counselors asked dog parents about “dog shaming.” Commonly seen on social media, parents of upset dogs will display their puppies, sometimes in costume, with posters broadcasting their bad behavior.
After surveying 2,000 American dog parents, Forbes found that most dog parents (56%) had naughty dogs. Of these, 12% said their dog was generally misbehaved, and only 5% said their dog was still naughty. Unfortunately, only 8% described their dogs as “angelic”.
Surprisingly, 44% of respondents said their dog’s mean behavior did not disrupt the household. Surprisingly, only 16% answered “somewhat disruptive” and 4% answered “very disruptive”. Apparently, the bar for shameful dog behavior is set pretty low.
A hard truth to swallow
So what is actually the meanest dog behavior? According to this survey, 60% of respondents said their dogs got into trouble because they “ate things they shouldn’t.” Alarmingly, this was followed by “jumping something high” (21%). When it comes to what the dog swallowed the most, the usual culprit was a toy (32%). In particular, medicine came in at 13%, poisonous plants at 13% and marijuana edibles at a whopping 11%.
Fortunately, only 18% of respondents said their dogs were injured or sick. However, parents who had to see a veterinarian reported average bills over $1,000. Surprisingly, 19% reported bills of $1,000 to $2,000.
Millennials most guilty of dog-shaming
Although only 14% of dog parents said they had actively “shamed” their pets, the idea is undeniably trendy. Significantly, the survey found that millennials between the ages of 20 and 42 were the most likely to post pictures of their naughty dogs.
More importantly, the investigation highlighted the parents’ shared responsibility for their dog’s naughty acts. According to reports, 31% said they felt “somewhat responsible” and 25% felt “somewhat responsible”. Overall, more than 85% of respondents feel responsible for their pet’s naughtiness. In the end, maybe that’s why we love dog-shaming so much, because we actually laugh at ourselves.