# Do you ask to handle others pups at vet visits?



## Calisi (Jul 1, 2014)

Did I overreact????

While at a routine vet visit, Calisi was in her carrier when a woman ask if she could see my puppy. I was hesitant but removed Calisi from the carrier, the woman ask to hold her and I refused stating that she's not fully vaccinated and I fear her becoming ill. The woman apologized in a sarcastic manner. 
:sorry:

I never ask to handle young puppies, especially while I'm at a vet visit with my other pets, is this odd???


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Calisi said:


> Did I overreact????
> 
> While at a routine vet visit, Calisi was in her carrier when a woman ask if she could see my puppy. I was hesitant but removed Calisi from the carrier, the woman ask to hold her and I refused stating that she's not fully vaccinated and I fear her becoming ill. The woman apologized in a sarcastic manner.
> :sorry:
> ...


I never ask to touch a dog at the vet, unless I have been sitting and talking with the person for a while. Often, people are under stress, and the pets can be too, while at the vet.

On the other hand, when MiMi and Ray were puppies I used to take them out. When people, most often young girls wanted to touch my puppy, I would hand her or him right over to be held and snuggled. As a result I have two dogs who just love everybody they meet.

I have another reason. People adore puppies, I adore puppies, but unless you are a breeder, you can have only a short time with a puppy. It is so wonderful, that I have always wanted to share the joy. I love to meet puppies and touch and smell them, it isn't too hard to figure out if the person is okay with your attention or not. I would never be pushy.

You didn't over-react, if this is how you feel. You have every right to decide when, where, and with whom you will share your little darling.


----------



## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

I NEVER ask to hold a pet at the vets office, the reasons for most vet appointments are because the pet isn't feeling well, plus the stress of the vets office with the pet can stress them even more by being held by a stranger
The lady just wasn't thinking about that, she saw a precious Maltese puppy and wanted to hold it.
You did the right thing


----------



## Ann Mother (Dec 18, 2013)

I love having people hold my dog but not @ the vets office. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

I don't think you overreacted. She was in her carrier, so it was pretty rude of the lady to ask to hold her. You're just protective of your baby.


----------



## LovelyLily (Mar 26, 2013)

Wow, Trena, had that same experience with Lily last year when she was not yet fully vaccinated. I was very afraid of parvo or any other contagious thing at the vet's office, and a woman with a large dog asked to hold my (very stressed) puppy when I was putting her back in the carrier to leave the vet's office.

She did not take kindly to my refusal to let her hold her, and I--like you--felt very awkward about the whole situation. 

Later, when Lily was fully vaccinated and still only months old, I had a couple of situations at the pet store where people asked to hold her and I let them, though felt uncomfortable/fearful of her being dropped/harmed. Probably should have refused. Let them because I was apprehensive about being judged, and let that rule me rather than putting my dog first. I feel more comfortable promoting her socialization with other people and dogs if her four paws are on the ground.

As a young adult dog she now loves strangers and will play with other dogs--but is whacko still about guarding me when I am on my property or at times when in my car (though we are making some slow progress with that). 

Linda


----------



## mdbflorida (Feb 28, 2013)

I agree. I have never been approached at the vets office. Out and about people will always ask to pet but never to hold.


----------



## Chardy (Oct 30, 2008)

I always have the same answer to everyone that wants to handle my two!! I always thank them for wanting to hold them or pick them up and then politely explain they are in training and can't be handled. 



Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Ahag (Aug 28, 2013)

I had a problem with a lady at the vets wanting to pet Bella before being fully vaccinated. I wouldn't have been as scared if she didn't have a big pit with cropped ears with her:shocked: I just put Bella back in her kennel as fast as I could. She gave me the stank eye but I wasn't trying to be rude. 1st you didn't really ask, you just walked up as you were saying it. 2nd I do not trust a pit, sorry I don't (especially when little Mia was mauled to death this year from a pit). 3rd I told her my breeder said no contact with anyone at the vet until she is vaccinated. I should of been the one giving her the stank eye but I'm not that kind of person. I did apologize to her and explained what my breeder had advised me. Needless to say she sat far away from me and it was awkward. I don't think you were being rude. I let people pet Bella now that she is vaccinated and everyone loves her:wub:


----------



## Lou's Mom (Apr 8, 2014)

I don't think you overreacted at all. I've never had anyone ask that but I can be pretty sure I wouldn't let them. We do get a lot of folks that want to pet them and mine are very friendly - I am very cautious with kids though, partly because the dogs get excited and so do the kids. I'm afraid the dogs will get squeezed or stepped on or that the kids will get tangled in the leashes and fall. I will usually reel the dogs in pretty close to me and sit on the ground with the kids. It's a sight, one old lady wrapped in dog leashes with several little girls, squealing with dog kisses sitting on the curb!


----------



## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

I am amazed by how people think it is their right to grab puppies. I have had several experiences like this. Recently. I took my puppy with us for a road trip and stopped at a porch outside a restaurant. I had to ask people several times not to reach for her because she has not had all of her vaccines. Some are quick to apologize, but others do not seem to "get it." Most did not ask, they just reached out to either pet or grab.


----------



## justagirltv (Jun 3, 2014)

Your baby your terms! I understand people want to love on puppies. I LOVE BABIES (skin babies) I would ever ask to hold a strangers baby (even though I want to)


----------



## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I've never had anyone ask to hold them, but to pet them yes. I would say no, especially if they didn't have all of their shots.


----------



## Calisi (Jul 1, 2014)

Thank You for all your input.

I chat while in the vets office but I don't ask to touch anyones puppy. 

After the incident my friend who was with me and doesn't have dogs made me feel like some sort of weirdo. I tried to explain it to her but she didn't understand.
It's just a puppy; her words. 
She'll never dog sit for me. LOL


----------



## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I totally agree with the fact that it is your baby...your terms. But, I am curious as to why people think that a puppy who hasn't had all his/her shots could get sick from a human petting him/her. I mean, they could possibly carry parvo on their shoes, but do you have reason to think their hands are so filthy that they would give your puppy a disease? I am not being factious, I want to learn.


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Sylie said:


> ...I am curious as to why people think that a puppy who hasn't had all his/her shots could get sick from a human petting him/her...


 I was wondering the same thing LOL


----------



## Ahag (Aug 28, 2013)

Sylie said:


> I totally agree with the fact that it is your baby...your terms. But, I am curious as to why people think that a puppy who hasn't had all his/her shots could get sick from a human petting him/her. I mean, they could possibly carry parvo on their shoes, but do you have reason to think their hands are so filthy that they would give your puppy a disease? I am not being factious, I want to learn.


I'm not disagreeing but I also don't want to take that chance. I would rather be safe then sorry. My breeder told me when I go for her first visit to not let anyone pet her until she gets fully vaccinated. I did everything my breeder told me to. I don't have a problem with others petting and/or holding her now that she has been fully vaccinated. I know people sometimes can't help themselves and to be honest I might have done the same thing without knowing any better. I'm not saying a puppy will catch anything from a human but again I don't want to take any chance of my baby getting something. If she would have I would never forgive myself. Then again I am over paranoid when it comes to health issues. I was never like that before kids. My daughter had severe asthma that started right after I quit breastfeeding. We almost lost her, her lips turned blue and she had what they call silent chest. The doctor said he never seen a case this bad and that if we would have brought her in 5 minuets later she would have passed away. She spent a week in icu. I did bring her to the another hospital first who said she had a bad cold but I knew in my heart something was wrong. So I rushed an hour away to bring her to a kids special hospital and they saved her life. 2 weeks after my son was born he was hospitalized for 5 days with an enlarged kidney. Caused his urine to reflux which gave him a kidney infection. He was sent home with a pic line for 7 days with home help. Worst times in my life. So I do tend to be over paranoid when it comes to my skin and furry babies. I'm sure others that are over protective have their reasons as well. Just from my experience of why I am the way I am when it comes to my babies. I love my family:wub:


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

I have had a few puppies in and out of the vet office for vaccinations and have had only been asked if someone could hold a puppy once and I said no. I didn't say no because of worry of parvo but more I didn't want something to happen to the puppy (who was a bit of a softer temperament anyway) and make it even more nervous when it goes to the vet the next time. The waiting room is not a dog park or a petting zoo!


----------



## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

I don't think there is anything wrong with people asking but I also don't think your response was rude. If my friend told me my pup was 'just a puppy' I think I'd fly off the handle a bit. I personally wouldn't ask to hold a strangers puppy, just because I'm not that comfortable with people I don't know.


----------



## LovelyLily (Mar 26, 2013)

Posted by Sylvia:

I totally agree with the fact that it is your baby...your terms. But, I am curious as to why people think that a puppy who hasn't had all his/her shots could get sick from a human petting him/her. I mean, they could possibly carry parvo on their shoes, but do you have reason to think their hands are so filthy that they would give your puppy a disease? I am not being factious, I want to learn.

(Don't know if I am doing this cut and paste thing correctly on this site so prefaced it with "posted by Sylvia")

Sylvia, hi! My story is the breeder I got Lily from allowed me to take her to my vet for her first shots while still in the breeder's care. The vet told me parvo has been rather rampant in the past few years here, and that with wee sized dogs like Maltese he advises that until after (ten days after? two weeks after?) their last puppy immunizations they not put their paws on areas other dogs may have been, never down outside of my fenced yard, and not have the dog in contact with owners of other dogs if at all possible. He clearly led me to understand it is transmittable via humans who own dogs (maybe dogs licking humans? I didn't ask how).

Now, he gave other advice that in retrospect I question (should give her puppy nutracal (spelling?) daily for fear of hypoglycemia, which I now understand from this forum and other reading is not advisable if not warranted. (She hated it and refused it so it wasn't an issue.) He could possibly have been overly zealous about the parvo issue. I never researched it or gave it a second thought until now.

Linda


----------



## Calisi (Jul 1, 2014)

As Ashley stated, 

We are the way we are often from past experiences and many of us agree upon "Better Safe than Sorry" 

Our pups depend on us to keep them safe. 
I know I'm overprotective but years ago I helped treat a puppy who had parvo and I still carry those horrid images. 
The man whose puppy contracted parvo, didn't know what was wrong with the puppy. He took him to the vet, unintentionally exposing others.

We really shouldn't take any chances.


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Yes, but being educated is also important. I lost a 4 year old shelter Maltese to distemper a few years ago. I'm still not over her loss, nor will I ever be. And yes, I'm an overprotective parent of Zooey. However, I would like to learn the FACTS about disease transmission.


----------



## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

I don't think you over reacted. There are a lot of germs around the vet's office plus the stress of the environment. No need for further stress. You did the right thing. 

I am probably worse than you. I hardly ever allowed children to pet Sassy when we were in public. After Sassy became ill I mentioned it to my vet. She told me that I was doing the right thing, again lots of germs out there.


----------



## LovelyLily (Mar 26, 2013)

Elisabeth, I was curious to about transmission and just read info on a few sites in regard to this. 

Read that the canine parvovirus will not infect a human, but the means of transmission of it to a dog includes the dog having contact with virus-exposed skin, clothing, etc. (licking affected skin/clothing and thereby ingesting the parvo virus). A lot of info online about means of decontaminating various indoor and outdoor surfaces/areas (bleach solutions); the virus lives a long time in the environment.

I agree with being "better safe than sorry."


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Thank you for this info, Linda!


----------



## nwyant1946 (Jan 2, 2013)

*I've never had anyone in the vet's office ask me to hold her, but I have had people in Petco I had one woman just stuck her face right into Mia's before I could react...I waited for Mia to take her nose off, but thank God she didn't. She is much better now around people and this happened not too long after I got her. *

*I don't let kids pet her too often, simply because she isn't the best with the little kids. She is much better with my grandkids, but strange kids make her nervous and its apparent. *

*I'm afraid to hand her to strangers because I can just picture someone turning and running with her.....I'd never catch up...call me paranoid...LOL*


----------



## Ahag (Aug 28, 2013)

LovelyLily said:


> Elisabeth, I was curious to about transmission and just read info on a few sites in regard to this.
> 
> Read that the canine parvovirus will not infect a human, but the means of transmission of it to a dog includes the dog having contact with virus-exposed skin, clothing, etc. (licking affected skin/clothing and thereby ingesting the parvo virus). A lot of info online about means of decontaminating various indoor and outdoor surfaces/areas (bleach solutions); the virus lives a long time in the environment.
> 
> I agree with being "better safe than sorry."


:goodpost: Very informative


----------



## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

I agree I would not have wanted someone to hold her either, I didn't know about the disease transmission (good to know) but I would have been nervous if the puppy was wiggly and if she could jump away from the woman. I might have just left her in the carrier and said no, she's content in there. And if the waiting area had other dogs....I wouldn't have wanted to get everyone all excited.


----------



## Piccolina (Dec 25, 2009)

nwyant1946 said:


> I'm afraid to hand her to strangers because I can just picture someone turning and running with her.....





Same reason why I would never let anyone hold mine.:no2:





*


----------

