Dogs At The Barn
posted by citizen.K on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 / 
Print & Hang in the Barn
Dogs and barns seem to go hand in hand. Of course, there are your stereotypical Corgi’s and Jack Russell Terrier barn dogs; those don’t seem to bother me too much. Corgi’s and Jack Russell’s sorta’ fit the barn atmosphere - they’re chill and out of the way, for the most part.
The barn is for riding, not showcasing your pocket dog.
The worst thing is driving up to a barn and trying to get out of your car with a pack of dogs at your door. I don’t dislike dogs. I have a dog, I love my dog. But, I don’t expect anyone else to love my dog, think my dog is cute, pet my dog, or allow my dog to jump on them, lick them, rub on them, or get in their car. I don’t go to the barn to pet dogs. I don’t go to the barn to keep dogs from taking stuff out of my tack box. I don’t go to the barn so that a dog can run out in front of a fence I am going to jump. I don’t go to the barn so a dog can run right in front of my horse as I’m cantering on the rail. I don’t go to the barn to get full of dog hair.
So, for everyone who thinks it is so cute that their dog goes to the barn with you, don’t think everyone else at the barn thinks it’s cute. Even if they don’t say anything - they may even tell you your dog is sweet, nice, or some other compliment - know they are just being nice.
I don’t go to the barn to pet dogs. I don’t go to the barn to keep dogs from taking stuff out of my tack box.
Even more importantly, please spare everyone from having to fake a smile or laugh when you bring your pocket dog to the barn with a new sweater, blanket, coat, or fancy collar. It’s not show and tell. The barn is for riding, not showcasing your dog.
I wish more barns would ban dogs (besides resident dogs) from the property or at least mandate leashes!
Bottom line, there too many damn dogs at the barn.
4 Responses to “Dogs At The Barn”
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April 25th, 2008 at 1:43 am
I love the idea of having dogs at the barn, but they have to be well-behaved. If people are going to bring their dogs to the barn, they have to train them to stay out of the arena, stay out of the way of cars and not make a whole lot of noise. I don’t think wimpy dogs should be brought to barns. They’re just going to get broken. I also don’t think it’s fair to a dog to bring them to the barn and lock them in the car the whole time. If they can’t play and have fun, it’s better off to leave them at home. I am deeply connected to my dog and I want him to be as much as part of my life as possible. But I have worked hard to train him not to be a pain in the ass. If I had a barn, I woul allow dogs but only after they undergo a temperament test done by me.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:50 am
I love the idea of having dogs at the barn, too. If you don’t, find a barn that doesn’t allow them. Problem solved. Such a simple thing. Why waste time writing about it?
May 5th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Im with Kay, they really need to be under control,…..i have seen way to many ALMOST accidents because of it, so yeah they need to be TESTED before they can RUN all over with no supervision……
August 11th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Dogs at the barn…leash them and pick up their poop.
At the barn I expect a certian amount of horse manure and I don’t mind treading in the odd pile, since you can’t catch it all. What I do find offensive is trying to pick dog poop out of mine or my horses feet, it is nasty. Who knows what those furry little monsters eat.
I have three dogs who live at home, go to the beach and the dog park off leash but if they go to the barn (one at a time) they are leashed, and picked up after.
It is just good manners to leash or control your pets (horses included) and clean up after them.