Did you laugh when you saw Daisy and Cooper getting ice cream at McDonald’s?
If you’re one of the six people in the world who hasn’t seen this viral video, check out the footage:
Not everyone found it funny. If you read the comments under the video, you’ll find plenty of people accusing Cooper’s people of abuse.
“Don’t feed sugar to dogs they will die.”
“Sugar doesn’t kill you right away, first it makes your dogs blind and their teeth fall of (sic), and the dog suffers and dies… ”
My personal favorite: “And it’s humans like these that should never own pets…”
Okay, I know that too much milk gives many dogs diarrhea. And sugar’s not good for anyone.
But is a treat from the drive-thru dog abuse? And if it is, how many of us could also be accused of abusing our dogs?
How Do You Abuse Your Dog?
Okay, I’ll start first. I’ll lay myself bare and tell you how I abuse my dog Honey.
- When we go out for ice cream, I let her lick the last sea salt caramel clinging to the bowl.
- I make her sit in the freezing cold posing for pictures in exchange for a few treats.
- I play OK Go’s White Knuckles video and laugh at Honey while she watches the dogs on the screen.
- When we rent a car, I let her put her head out the window at slow speeds without making her wear doggles.
- I don’t let Honey carry her stuffies out into the yard.
- And sometimes, gasp, I even go out to work so I can earn money to keep her in dog food and treats, leaving Honey alone in the house with no one to watch her sleep.
I know. I’m a terrible person. But a dog abuser?
Let’s just say I’m glad I’m not being judged by the YouTube courts.
Your Turn: How do YOU abuse YOUR Dog?
Rachael
Wow, I’m guilty of all of the above. It’s probably best that I find Del a more suitable owner, and FAST! I think people have too much time on their hands if they’re genuinely worried about a dog having a lick of ice cream :/
Pamela
Yes, I feel so sorry for Del. What a rough life. 🙂
Your comment made me think of a commercial: “In the time you spend making judgmental comments on the internet, you could be doing something that actually helps abused animals. For just a few words a day, you can share a message that counts…”
Rachael
Couldn’t have put it better myself, Pam! Perhaps actually doing something to help rather than trolling people on social media would make them feel better about themselves 🙂
Melissa Garrett
Consider the junk we feed our human kids, even if it’s just occasionally. I guess we’re guilty of child abuse, too.
Pamela
Ha ha, Melissa. That’s the exact comment my husband made. 🙂
slimdoggy
That’s so funny, I of course saw that video and immediately wanted to share it on FB…and then though oh dear, what a bad example from SLIMDoggy…so I didn’t, but chuckled at it nonetheless because that is EXACTLY what Jack would do. Maggie would be all dainty and Jack would take my hand off. I abuse them in many the same ways as you…for instance, just yesterday, I pulled that dead rabbit out of Jack’s mouth and didn’t let him finish eating it. 50 lashes.
(and let’s be honest, I didn’t pull it out, I made Steve do it.)
Rumpy
I think we are on a similar wavelength. These ridiculously high standards we set for dog owners make me want to puke. Shouldn’t own a dog? Over ice cream? Right, because we have far more homes wanting dogs than dogs to put in them. Some people need to grow up!
Sara
Hadn’t seen that, but I did laugh! Having some sense about treats applies to dogs and people both, obviously. This morning I abused my dog by frying a quarter slice of bread in leftover bacon fat and letting him have it after we finished breakfast. This was abusive because after smelling bacon for an hour, he didn’t get any actual bacon (we rarely have it and the humans finished it off). He didn’t seem to feel slighted, however.
Ariella
Thanks for sharing that video. I was indeed one of the 6 people in the world that hadn’t seen it.
-When I prep meals, I let Bailey stand by me, and I toss her some food. Just yesterday she got some blueberries, peppers, kidney beans, and bacon. I know. Bacon. I’m so horrible.
-It’s 40 degrees, rainy and windy, and I just let Bailey go outside to play in the yard.
-I let Bailey stick her face out the car window when we’re on the highway. Do I get points for strapping her in while she does this?
-I bought treats made in China because they were on clearance for $1.50 (Valentines Day themed treats).
I should call animal control on myself right now.
Jen
People are really getting annoying these days and need to relax, the people that bitch about that video are the people that are doing more harm than good for dogs in general.
I abused Sherman the other night and gave him a piece a parsley that I was getting ready for the guinea pig. Then I gave him a carrot. He was mortified that I gave him raw vegetables.
All Things Collie
So much judgement…people need to focus a little more on their own actions and less worrying about others. (and no, I do not mean ignoring actual, REAL animal abuse.) But come on, it’s a little ice cream, it’s not abuse. And I have let my dogs have it, in small quantities, none of them got sick either.
I’m with you, some of things we allow our pets to do, or not do, can be judged too harshly by others.
emma
Mom is a big abuser! But, you know what she abuses herself too…eating potato chips on occasion or grabbing fast food every couple months…a little abuse is good is our thinking. The best part is that she shares the abuse with us giving us each a chip or fry. I know, call animal control, it is bad at our pad!
Kristen–well minded
I knew you had a dark side! I’m guilty of letting my dog sleep in the bed with me. Clearly, not a “dog place.”
Miranda
Oh no, my dogs are horribly abused then! They get Frosty Paws occasionally, too. And perhaps any bits of food that fall onto the floor when we’re cooking (with exceptions to onions and other stuff they *really* can’t eat). I’ll also admit to sharing a fry or two, back when we ate fries (sob – I miss them so…) from the drive-thru on the way home.
Vlad & Barkly's Dee
Our old Airedale, Dannyboy was addicted to Dairy Queen soft-serve and expected it if he was taken to the vet for a “well” visit. He’d actually turn his head in the direction he knew the car would be turning up ahead. I’d get a small and split it between him and Sharkly–after I took a couple of bites of course. (You KNOW they wanted to share with me!) Some of the treats I occasionally make for Vlad & Barkly have horrid ingredients in them like honey and maple syrup, and the most awful of all?(!) I actually expect them to walk longer to burn it off. Yes, I’m abusing them just as badly as I did our sons when I’d say, “No. You can’t play video games. Take yourselves outside and find your friends to get a ballgame together or something!”
Jodi, Kolchak & Felix
Now, as someone who has studied this A LOT, I would rather see my dog eat a few bites of a quality ice cream made with real milk and sugar than about 75% of the dog kibbles and treats on the market (many of which include some form of sugar or pseudo-sugar to make them “palatable”.)
However, I think my blog stands as a lasting testiment to how completely and totally abusive I am towards my dogs. Kolchak has a terrible life and Felix has it even worse.
But that is what makes the internet a great and terrible place. It can give a voice to people who want to make things better and unfortunately, it gives a voice to people who just want to be jerkwads too.
24 Paws of Love
I have given my dogs McDonald’s ice cream AND French Fries! OMG! I should probably be turned in as an animal torturer. 🙂
Bad people! Bad people!
Sand Spring Chesapeakes
I’m a dog abuser also and do all those things too! I go to MCD quite often and get my gang icecream.
Maggie
Yes. To all of them. Heads hanging out the window, licking ice cream (and other) bowls, torturous picture posing, and on and on. I drove Emmett through Starbucks after every pet therapy session and ordered him a “puppy latte” as a reward for his hard work. Lucas gets a sneaky treat every night before bed since he stays up late with me. And they’re happy, so I’m happy! 🙂
Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom
I’m a terrible dog mom! I, too, make Callie and Shadow leave their stuffies and other indoor toys inside and their outdoor toys outside. And I occasionally let them lick the bowls clean after we’ve had ice cream (except chocolate because it makes them constipated — I know, TMI). And God forbid, they even get extra treats at bedtime. But when we go to Brusters, the girls have to settle for a “doggie sundae”! HORRORS! Call out animal control! Like Rumpy said, some people just need to grow up!! No, I haven’t seen the video but will now!!
Jackie Bouchard
Oh, I’m the worst for abusing the dog! I let her eat “people” food sometimes. And she just had a frosty paw this afternoon. Worst of all – I feed her kibble. Granted it’s high-end, grain-free, and it’s mixed with organic canned or rehydrated raw – but still. Kibble. Dog abuse! My sis abuses her dog by feeding it store bought kibble – and she has the oldest dog in the family, and it’s never been to the vet for anything beyond checkups. But still – abuse! That kind of person shouldn’t own a dog!
Sue
Call the police. It is a family tradition here that on a dog birthday we all go to DQ and the dogs share a small bowl of vanilla soft serve. Be mindful: when the police show up, they’ll have to contend with 2 very large dogs and 1 large dog – all fanged – who love their special trips to DQ. In other words, the arrest will not be pretty.
Mike Webster
From the Husband:
I think you are all missing the most obviously abusive thing about the video, and it has nothing to do with ice cream. Does anybody see where these dogs are SITTING?
That’s right. It’s quite clear that this owner lets her dogs DRIVE HER CAR.
I can’t even imagine how dangerous this is, both to the dogs and to society at large. Especially since Daisy can’t reach the pedals and Cooper is obviously too fixated on ice cream to be able to focus for long on maneuvering a vehicle.
The only thing I can think of that could be more irresponsible is when Pam would let ME drive OUR car. (Back when we had a car.)
Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart
I thought maybe you were going to post about the dogs and lemons thing. I did once make a video of Lilly tasting the handful of flavors that dogs (supposedly) can detect. I also got a snotty comment on the kissing booth dog video because instead of 25 cents per kiss … I included text that said cheese was also an acceptable form of payment. I got a lecture on cheese.
Pamela
I feel very lucky that I haven’t gotten much kick back from commenters (thank goodness for a small readership?). But when I do, it’s usually someone leaving their first and only comment.
They flutter in like judgmental fairies, dropping sparkly droppings all over everyone else’s fun.
Luckily, Lilly always had your back. 🙂
Rebekah
I am a world class dog abuser as well. Sigh…
Patricia
I am guilty of ALL of the above offenses. Their favorite is after we leave the vet’s office. We stop at Wendy’s drive through for plain cheeseburgers. If human kids get treats after getting a shot (I did) then why not the dogs?
Linda - Alfie's Blog
Haha I love poor old Cooper’s face before he gets a taste of that ice cream! We never let our Alfie taste our food (oh yeah I am really that mean!) but he is spoiled to pieces anyway. Admittedly I do let him suffer for at least ten seconds before letting him have his dinner – I think we’re getting permanent drool marks on our floor soon 🙂
Jen K
Ice cream for dogs? Guilty as charged!
Actually, a coworker was once ranting on how she thought dogs who were crated during the day while their owners were at work were suffering and abused. Ever the shit-disturber, I immediately piped up that Alma gets crated during the day (we’ve weaned her off it slowly, but to note that would’ve dimished my point). Then I explained that allowing a dog to roam freely when it leads to destruction and anxiety is actually far more cruel and detrimental, and that if a crate is a dog’s safe space, it’s actually the kinder option. Then I cautioned about blanket statements like that, since, as always, what may be true for you and your dog, (likely) isn’t going to be true for everyone else.
Roberta
My dogs are daily abused – I don’t cook. They have no chance for fresh vegetables, fruit, fresh meat, even bacon. Slap my hand.
That video is hilarious and delightful. The “abuse” is getting out of hand. Can dogs sleep outside? Yes – with a consideration for the weather, the type of dog, and the whole situation. Should they be relegated to the back yard on a chain w/o interaction with family? NO.
Sigh. Such a difference.
When I adopt out a dog, I warn the adopters said dog is NOT used to smelling or being exposed to people cooking normally…just to help them beware of a potential over-reaction: “Bacon! I smell BACON!”
Lauranne
People are getting a little silly, what happened to common sense and a little bit of anything in moderation? Yes if the owners were feeding their dogs nothing but ice cream on a daily basis I would be concerned, but a little bit of something special which we don’t need but want does us all some good!!