A Lot Of Barking, And Not Just From The Puppers

I’m an investigator who works the entire state, and I work with a dog (German shepherd). This was seven or eight years ago.

When I have to stay out overnight, I usually stay at a [Hotel]. They’re all dog-friendly, so the dog is never an issue. Add to that the fact that my dog is 100% trained. He understands both verbal commands and hand signals.

I was about five hours from home, and I called around until I found a hotel to crash at. I confirmed that they had availability and pet-friendly rooms available.

I parked about fifty yards from the front entrance. I slid my laptop into my overnight bag and wheeled it to the side of my SUV. I opened the door and let the dog out. He used the grass to potty, and I clipped a leash on him and walked into the building. When I got inside, I went directly to the front desk. The front desk agent was in the back, but he came out within a minute or so.

The counter to the front desk extended about twelve inches over the base.

I recognized the clerk’s voice and thanked him for helping me on the phone earlier. He took my ID and card, and I reminded him that I had a dog. This hotel had a fee of $25.00 per pet. As he was printing off the documents for me to sign and initial, a couple came in behind me with two older teen kids, two Yorkies, and two dachshunds.

The little snack-sized dogs were yapping very loudly, and they had high-pitched barks and whines. We heard them yapping out in the lot, and it continued all the way into the lobby and up the desk. [Agent] came back to the counter, and I couldn’t hear him over the Fuzz Ball Quartet.

Agent: *To the couple* “Could you quiet your dogs, please?”

The couple got indignant.

Man: “All dogs will bark when they go into a strange place!”

Woman: “They’re warning people not to come near because they’re guarding their owners and staking their claim on the new turf!”

[Agent] was annoyed, partly at the noise but mostly at the attitude.

Agent: “You must control your pets. The dogs need to behave to get service.”

Man: “All dogs bark, especially at other dogs. Our dogs are barking at his dog!”

Agent: *To me, looking perplexed* “Where is your dog?”

He was under the overhang of the counter, sitting down and leaning against me. I stepped back and called the dog to me, and the clerk smiled.

Agent: *To the couple* “If all dogs bark at other dogs, why isn’t his dog barking?”

When he said that, I told my dog to bark. He let out a very deep bark and stopped. The clerk held up my keys, which I took, and I headed to my room.

The couple glared at me until I was out of sight. I was petting my dog and saying, “Good boy,” all the way to the hallway.

And that’s how I was a bad example for a couple of ignorant puppy parents.