I'm Controversial?

But before we get into dirty looks and confusion, I would like to say thank you.


I recently wrote a post concerning proper blogging etiquette  and "selling" out  in the bloggy world I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to leave me your opinions and advice.

After reading all of these comments I have come to a few conclusions to some of the questions and uncertainty that I had on etiquette.

- The "follow for follow" groups aren't for me.
- The followers I currently have? They are awesome. I liked them and all, but recently I've been getting a lot of helpful feedback and comment love and when I sit back and think about it, this means a lot to me. Which leads me to my next conclusion:
- I do not want people following my blog who don't care about it. Because I care about my blog.
- I do not want to clutter up my google reader with junk I won't read. Waste.Of.My.Time.
- And finally, but certainly not least: I am comfortable with promoting my blog, but only on my terms and my time.

And that's all she wrote on that folks!

Now for the part where I'm a person that makes controversial decisions!

Since my mother had the day off,  she wanted to meet up. We picked the closest outlet mecca to do lunch and retail therapy. She brought Sister S along with her.

Please cherish a couple members of my family and how fabulous we all are for just a minute.

 I also went on this trip with intentions of getting something that Dave and I have been thinking about for quite some time. 

This is the part where some of you may judge me. 

As my regular readers probably well  know by now, I have a dog named Bruin and he is perfect.

I am just totally in love with him, as many dog owners often do. He is just my little gentleman. If you doubt my obsession love for him you can check out just how many posts I have done involving him.

What does this have to do with shopping and judgment being passed in my direction?

Well I have a secret.

Bruin isn't always perfect. Shocker I know.

Don't get me wrong, he poses for pictures, loves to run and play, loves to cuddle, and usually listens. 

Key phrase: usually listens. 

You might have noticed in some past posts that we enjoy to be outside. Now we don't own our own home, and in both of the apartments that we've lived in have been second floor with small yards that aren't fence in. 

We only like to let him off leash when we're in a fenced in yard, which as I found out recently was kind of a blessing in disguise.

But, on occasion, we do like to take him to take him to local fields to just let him run. And he will do great. Until he gets distracted or in the play zone. 

There will be times where we'll call him, and he'll come back to us, but will stop at about 10 feet away and then run away again. At this point we can usually only get him back after either some tricking with treats, the "scolding voice" or a combination of both. 

And if there is a squirrel? Forget it.

 We recently had a close call where I let go of his leash at the end of a walk sending him up to our doorstep. Buuuuut instead of the going up to the steps he chased an unknown object into the backyard and did a few laps around a few of the neighbor's houses. I got him in once I started running around like a crazy person in the streets asking him to chase me.

So with this said, we decided to get a training tool that we have put much thought and research into.

via

Yes, that is a shock collar. 

I'll give you a minute to pass judgment.....done? Okay.

Why am I inviting you to take a moment to judgeme? Well, after I made this purchase we wandered into the Nike outlet so I could buy some new bright pink running shorts. (OBVIOUSLY)

I walked into the store and the most awkward thing happened. The alarms on the door security system went off.

via

I looked down into the bag at my new collar. 

I looked at the store clerk at the register.

Me: "Uhhh, I just bought this electronic shock collar..."

Store Clerk: "Oh that's fine, don't worry about it come in."

Buttinski lady at the register: "What did you say?"

Me: "Um, a shock collar... (she keeps staring at me with her mouth open) you know...for my dog"

Mrs Buttinski: " A shock collar? Really? (Disgusted look on her face)"

Me: "Um,  it's like a training collar, it's not like a torture tool or anything..'

Big Butt Buttinski: Oh...ha.ha.ha. (nervous laughter) I didn't know."

Me: Yeah. (Walks away quickly)

Is it just me or was she rude?

I understand the confusion and general sentiment from where she was coming. But not the way she thought it was okay to just start yelling at a total stranger across a store about a purchase that they made at one of the most infamous outdoor and sporting good stores in the world.

I used to judge people who used shock collars too before I'd seen one used in person.

I used to wonder: How could someone who truly loves their dog put something that would deliver a shock? Won't it hurt him?

My answer: Because I want to make sure my dog is safe. And if you train your dog properly, you won't hurt it at all.

First off, the shock that you give your dog isn't really a shock. I put my finger on one once,  I didn't feel it until it was up to level 3 (out of 8) and it is like a little tingle. You figure out what level to start out with at your dog in a calm and planned out manner, and start out from there. 

A.K.A you don't just go outside and zap your dog until it puts it's tail between it's legs and cowers. 

Also, there's a beep mechanism that you can use to condition your dog. So eventually with a lot of work, you can hopefully get to a point where when your dog is not in his best space and listening, all you have to do is make the collar beep with NO NICK at all, and they will respond.

Am I still nervous about using it? Yes. I want to get this just right. I want my dog to be safe. And I want to be able to give him the exercise and freedom that he deserves while making sure he's safe no matter our surroundings.

Is this training tool for all dogs? No. Our dog is a mix of sporting dogs, he needs to play and run, and we are going to need control no matter how near or far he is off leash on occasion. Especially if we train him (again, properly and with time) to go hunting.

So is my decision to buy a electronic training collar controversial? Maybe?

But am I willing to put in the time and work with my dog  so I have peace of mind no matter the environment that we find ourselves in?

With a face like this, you bet.