I took my little Georgie out for a walk today.
During our stroll, a perfect stranger bent down to pet her and ask what breed she was. She was walking a Maltese of her own and I think she was curious. Since Georgie has some tan coloring on her ears, not everyone is certain that she’s a Maltese. No biggie.
But the very next thing this woman said was, “You know you can get rid of her tear stains.” She proceeded to offer some tips: distilled water, boiled water, etc. She proudly noted how it clearly worked on her dog and indeed it looked like it had. Her Maltese’s face was clear of any tear staining.
As I gratefully thanked her for the information, I mentioned that our previous little one had grown out of it. She had staining until she turned one, but then it went away. So I haven’t been too concerned.
THEN she said, “Absolutely, there’s no need for concern. It doesn’t harm them. It just isn’t pretty.” And in a squeaky baby’s voice she spoke to Georgie, “You’re too cute to have your face stained like this. You could be so pretty. Yes, you could. Yes, you could.”
The subtext being, “You could be so pretty if only your mommy would take better care of you. Yes, you could.”
Seriously?!
Yes, it was obvious that her Maltese didn’t have tear staining. If I had brought it up and asked, “How do you keep your Maltese’s eyes so clear?” well then sure, I’d be all ears. But I didn’t ask, so perhaps she should have held her tongue. She most definitely should not have insulted my puppy and me, no matter how tear-stained and scruffy Georgie appeared.
Hey lady, I’m sure you meant well. But now I’m the one with the tear stains. And this time, there’s some harm in it.
You should have told that butt-in-ski that the red coloring was the latest in doggie face fashion and that next week you were changing the red to green.
Oooooh no. That lady would have gotten SO much attitude from me it’s not even funny! Gotta love people who feel the need to give their opinions when they’re not asked for..
Paige….I have four Maltese and two have tear stains that they have never outgrown. They are perfect in our eyes and in God’s eyes and nobody else’s opinion matters. 🙂
Well I think your puppy dog is adorable and who is she to tell you how to take care of her anyway?! Don’t let people like her ruin your day 🙂
That’s odd, because our little girl didn’t have tear-stains until after she was grown. She hated efforts to clean the stains (with specially purchased cleanser pads), so we just gave it up. The “old man” Maltese never seems to have the problem, but he is forever wiping his face on the floor, used towels, and people’s shoes (we call it “shoe worship”)
That lady wasn’t worth the time spent worrying about her opinion. Until you’ve walked in another’s shoes, you cannot judge. ‘Course then you will be judging them without their shoes on! 😉
could be? She IS adorable!
What a snotty …. well, it’s not nice of me to say so I’ll bite my tongue. I’m constantly amazed by the “helpful” advice people offer when not asked. Your Georgie is beautiful. What a lucky, loved fur baby. Don’t waste any tears on that crazy woman. She’s not worth it.
The strange things people say will never cease to amaze me. And Georgie is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.
Something like this happened to my mom and I on a walk with her puppy. People can really put their nose where it doesn’t belong. Georgie is adorable with or without them! I think it gives her character!