The post Am I a Helicopter Dog Parent? Ways I May Be Overprotective of Penny by Savanna Stanfield appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Hi, Iām Savanna!Ā Read my introductionĀ to learn more about me and my spunky Chihuahua mix, Penny.
In case you arenāt familiar with the term, a āhelicopter parentā is someone that tends to hover over their children, being overprotective or in some cases, over-invested, trying to control absolutely every aspect of their lives. While the term usually applies to human children, I think itās possible to be a helicopter parent to a dog as well.
Why do I believe that? Well, because I think that sometimes I might be a helicopter dog parent to Penny. I canāt help it! Sheās just so small and I feel like she needs protecting. After all, small dogs are a bit different than big dogs, and there are a lot more dangers theyāre susceptible to.
My husband thinks there are definitely some areas where I am overprotective of Penny. But Iām someone that always thinks of the worst-case scenario, so I have to be prepared for anything. Then I stop to think, āMaybe I actually am just overthinking and overreacting.ā Here are some ways in which I might be a helicopter dog parent, but I still think some of them are justified!
The 4 Ways I Might Be Overprotecting Penny:
1. I Donāt Let Strangers Pet Herā¦ at All
Is this being a helicopter dog parent, or is this common sense? Penny is not what you would call a friendly dogā¦ at least to people she doesnāt know. Sheās very protective of her family, and she has shown her teeth before to people that have gotten too close to us while weāre out with her. Because of this, I donāt let strangers pet her at all.
Iām afraid sheās going to nip at somebody. Her bark is definitely worse than her bite, but if she nips at the wrong person, they may try to sue me or something, especially if there is a child involved. In the rare event that I do let someone pet her, I always give them a warning first that she doesnāt like strangers. But itās better to be safe than sorry and just avoid letting people pet her altogether. Iām even thinking about getting her one of those harnesses or bandanas that says ādo not pet.ā Then if someone tries to pet her, itās their own fault.
2. I Donāt Let Her Go Outside by Herself
Our street is not super busy with traffic, and sheās never once left our yard. All she does is just sit in the driveway and watch cars go by. But I still wonāt let her go outside by herself. I think this is totally rational since our front yard doesnāt have a fence.
See Mom, Iām not going to run away.
But what may make me a bit of a helicopter dog parent is that I donāt like for her to go into our fully fenced backyard by herself either. Sheās never once tried to escape from the backyard. But I donāt know, it just makes me uneasy thinking about her being out there all by herself, especially at night. We have hawks and owls in our neighborhood, and while hawks and owls attacking dogs is rare, it does happen.
I donāt think they could actually pick Penny up since she weighs 12 pounds. But to me, the possibility is still there. I might be overreacting a bit on this one.
3. I Donāt Let Her Get Too Far Away
When we take Penny on walks, I never let her get too far away from us. I keep her on a short leash, as they say, especially when strangers pass (refer back to number 1 on this list). Itās not just strangers though; Iām always afraid sheās going to be bitten by a snake or something. Weāve taken walks before in places where there were alligators, and while a hawk or owl likely wonāt get her, an alligator genuinely might.
How do I know an alligator isnāt going to come out of there?
I do let her sniff things and explore a bit when we go on walks, but I try to keep her close to me at all timesā¦ I donāt think thatās crazy.
Sometimes Iāll be afraid that the walk is too long or itās too hot, and I donāt want to overexert her or for her to get heatstroke, so I end up carrying her for half the walk. Is this an overreaction? Probably. But at least I know sheās safe.
4. I Cried When She Had Nasal Congestion
In my defense, I didnāt know that was what she had at the time. But one night, she started snorting and āsnufflingā a lot, along with licking the air and shaking her head. She couldnāt sleep and I couldnāt sleep. This was a few months after we got her, and the first time she had shown any signs of something being wrong with her.
I was afraid she had something stuck in her nose or throat, so I sat up with her all night, crying at the fact that something was wrong with her and I didnāt know what to do to help her. The closest emergency vet to us is an hour away, but she was breathing just fine, so I decided that we would just take her to the vet in the morning.
When we took her to the vet, it turns out that I definitely overreacted. She had nasal congestion due to the changing of the seasons, just like humans get, and she was totally fine by the time we brought her home from the vet. The vet prescribed an antihistamine in case it happened again, so the next time it happened, I was a little more prepared.
I donāt think this incident was helicopter dog parenting, but more genuine concern, especially when I didnāt know any better at the time. But Iām glad we didnāt end up driving an hour to the emergency vet in the middle of the night.
Fine, Iāll just hover over you.
So Am I a Helicopter Dog Parent or Not?
I think that in some cases, I might be a helicopter dog parent. But the way I see it is that Iām protecting her since sheās so small. If Penny were a bigger dog, I might not act this way, and I think some of my reasons are totally justified. I do understand that dogs have been living on their own and fending for themselves for years. But my job as a dog parent is to provide love, comfort, and safety for Penny, so thatās all Iām trying to do. I think I have her best interests at heart even if I do overreact sometimes.
The post Am I a Helicopter Dog Parent? Ways I May Be Overprotective of Penny by Savanna Stanfield appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
