Dog Owner vs. Dog Person

Posted on Posted in Dog

I was having a discussion with a friend of mine the other day. I said a dog person’s life revolves around her dog. She considered herself a dog person but, said her family and other obligations come before her dog. I told her she was a dog owner, not a dog person.

So what’s the difference?

  1. Six months before going on vacation, a dog owner reserves a kennel for her dog. Six months before a vacation, a dog person reserves a hotel room that accepts dogs.
  2. A dog owner takes her dog to the vet because she doesn’t have time to regularly clean her dog’s teeth. A dog person cleans her dog’s teeth and takes her dog to the vet for more important things.
  3. A dog owner has a standing appointment at the groomer. A dog person has more dog brushes in her bathroom than people brushes.
  4. A dog owner buys the economy size bag of treats. A dog person portions her own dinner out to her dog.
  5. A dog owner buys her dog’s food in the pet aisle. A dog person shops the perimeter of the store for her dog.
  6. A dog owner misses training because she has to babysit her grand kids, and after all, they’re more important than her dog. A dog person tells her son and daughter-in-law that her interests are just as important as theirs.
  7. A dog owner calls the next door neighbor to let out her dog if she goes out for the day. A dog person will either cut short her social engagement to go home and take care of her dog, or she’d have her dog with her.
  8. A dog owner may take her dog to the shelter because her lifestyle has changed and she no longer has time for the dog. A dog person may adopt a dog from the shelter because her lifestyle has changed.
  9. A dog owner may give up her dog because her housing accommodations no longer allow her to own a dog. A dog person will look for new housing accommodations so she can keep her dog.
  10. A dog owner will give her dog a warm, dry dog house in the backyard. A dog person’s home is her dog’s warm, dry dog house.
  11. A dog owner will buy her dog it’s own bed. A dog person may buy her dog it’s own pillow on her bed.
  12. A dog owner leaves dog training class a few minutes early so she’s not late for dinner. A dog person leaves dinner a few minutes early so she’s not late for dog training class.
  13. A dog owner puts her dog in another room so her dog doesn’t jump on people and act obnoxious. A dog person trains her dog to not bother her guests.
  14. A dog owner answers her cell phone during dog training class. A dog person leaves her phone in the car when she gets to class.
  15. A dog owner allows her dog in a small area of the yard. A dog person bought the house with the big yard for her dog.
  16. A dog owner cares what her friends think of her dog. A dog person cares what her dog thinks about her friends.
  17. A dog owner will get rid of a dog that her boyfriend doesn’t like. A dog person will get rid of a boyfriend that who her dog doesn’t like.
  18. A dog owner will take her dog to the vet to maintain its health. In addition to a vet, a dog person will also take her dog to the chiropractor, the acupuncturist, the masseuse, and the herbalist.
  19. A dog owner will enroll her puppy in a puppy kindergarten class, and later, if her dog develops behavioral problems, she may enroll it in a class at her local box pet store. A dog person will enroll her puppy in a puppy skills class of her preferred discipline (agility, obedience, nose work, herding, etc.) After that, she’ll enroll her dog in a foundation class, then a competition class, then attend workshops and clinics led by international trainers.
  20. A dog owner will say “guess what I did yesterday?” A dog person will say “guess what my dog did yesterday?”
  21. A dog owner will post a picture of herself for her Facebook profile. A dog person will post a picture of her dog for her Facebook profile.
  22. A dog owner will attach her dog’s license to his collar. A dog person also has an identification tag on the collar that has her phone number stitched on it and either tattoos or microchips her dog.

Did I miss anything? I would love to hear anybody else’s thoughts on dog owner vs dog person.