1st April 2008

Naughty Pets And Red-Faced Owners

Read more: Behaviour | Comments (0)

It's usual for your children to embarrass you at inopportune moments by saying or doing something that makes you want to sink into the ground, but according to a new survey by PDSA, our pets are leaving us equally as red-faced.

The charity for pets in need of vets has surveyed pet owners to compile a list of 'pet-iquette' moments that have left owners lost for words. Around one in eight pet owners had embarrassing pet stories to share.

The anonymous survey, in which pet owners lifted the lid on their most embarrassing pet stories, found that a pet's natural bodily functions give owners the most cause for humiliation, with calls of nature (29%) and vomiting (5%) top of the list.

Equally embarrassing antics include pets mounting other people, animals breaking wind, either loudly or melodiously in public, and pets being a little too familiar when checking out friends and family.

PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Elaine Pendlebury, explains, "We think of our pets as members of the family, but these embarrassing situations serve to remind us that our pets are animals and occasionally they will give in to a call of nature at inconvenient times.

"However, it's important to stress that in some cases medical problems could be the reason for bad behaviour. For example, pets may urinate more because they are diabetic. A lack of training and behavioural problems could also be the cause. If owners are at all worried about their pet's bad manners they should most definitely seek veterinary advice to find out the true cause of their pet's poor behaviour."

To help owners learn more about their pet's behaviour, copies of the charity's responsible pet care leaflets, Consideration for Others and Training, can be downloaded free of charge from the PDSA website www.pdsa.org.uk. Both leaflets offer invaluable advice on teaching pets good manners.

Elaine adds, "Our dog training leaflet gives a step-by-step guide on teaching our canine pals to behave well in public and could certainly have helped to prevent some of the embarrassing moments etched in the memories of pet owners across the UK.

"Owners must not take for granted the important role they have in ensuring their pets behave appropriately. They give us so much and provide such wonderful joy and companionship. We owe it to them to ensure they are well behaved and a joy to be around."

Here is a selection of PDSA's 'paw pet-iquette':

• "My dog did a poo on my mother-in-law's white rug."
• "My pet urinated on my house guest's bed."
• "My dog licked the bald head of a man sitting in front of us on the bus."
• "My cat stole meat from a neighbour's kitchen."
• "My pet stole my smoked salmon breakfast on the morning of my wedding."
• "My pet urinated on someone's picnic at the beach."
• "My cat was sick in the middle of a dinner party."
• "My dog ran around the house with my friend's dirty underwear."
• "My pet drank out of the toilet when we had guests around".

If you want to share your own embarrassing pet stories, visit our message boards.

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