[wolfybaby]

when people feed my dog without my permission. strangers and even family and friends will hand my 6 month old pup food.. milk bones and table scraps. i know they have good intentions, but thats like giving someone elses kid a cookie or candy bar! even if its a piece of broccoli, you should ASK first!
an example.. my m-i-l knows i buy expensive food for winston [yes, thats my puppys name lol!] and dont feed him any "people food" from hand. when i do give him treats, its vegetables or raw meat. well, she was watching him one day and i come to get him and she mentions that she fed him a couple leftover hamburgers....

anyone else have this happen? i know i sound like im probably overreacting, but my puppy is on a strict grain-free, additive-free diet. milk bones do NOT cut it lol! i feel like this is a little taste of what its gonna be like when my 2 month old daughter starts eating solid food! lord help me!

[Mommie2One]

I've had the "benefit" (sort of) of a dog with SEVERE food allergies, so that has helped as I've scared folks with his reactions LoL. Also, if people come over (like my son's friends) and the kids are going ot eat I put my dogs in their crates. They're not out of my care (such as a family member watching them) and my petsitter knows how bad his allergies are so she keeps it to their food only when we go out of town.

But I completely agree with you. It is extremely rude and disrespects your role IMO and I totally agree that it's no different than giving a child food and folks should ask. IMO folks should ask about petting dogs too if they come over or pass by you while out walking but most do not and that also irritates me.

Have you tried explaining your reasons to your MIL? Maybe if she understood why she'd respect your decision? If not, then that may be when you have to let her know she can no longer spend time with the pup if she cannot abide by your rules.

Hope you're able to at least get family members on board as I definitely know how stressful it can be!

[wolfybaby]

i havent really explained it to her aside from "i want him to just eat this food.."
i feel kind of nervous about explaining exactly why since she has a dog as well and feeds her anything from kibbles-n-bits to macaroni. she doesnt understand what the proper diet is ffor a dog, and i dont blame her..not many do. but i feel like id be insulting her or berating her when i tell her i dont want my dog to eat the crap she feeds hers! i hate hurting peoples feelings that way.

i now have an excuse to not let her babysit winston anymore.. her dog doesnt like him anymore since he got bigger than her lol! so when he visits, ill have better control over the environment since ill be there too.

winston is SUCH a social butterfly id hate to lock him up when guests are over.. maybe i could make him a sweater that says "dont feed me" on it? ..too tacky?

[LucyWho]

I'm way less strict about my dogs' diet. Everyone who has contact with them knows not to give them things that are mainly grain, such as crackers or bread. But other than that, I've never cared when someone fed them. I feed them veggies and meat, wrap their meds in sliced cheese and lunch meat, etc. They get at least 5 treats a day, all that boxed crap you can buy at target, lol. They also get a dingo bone every night at bedtime, which I know most serious dog owners frown upon. It works for us.

But I do respect each dog owner's decisions, just like I would each parent's decision. I agree that someone should ask before feeding your dog, especially if you've already told them you only want them eating their specific food. It's disrespectful IMO to not ask.