Seriously, a Dog Stroller?
September 15th, 2009 by winna | Featured Blogger
Image from petstorebyconny.com
I’m not a dog owner so I have to be honest, I’m being a little judgmental here but seriously, what in the name of heck do we need dog strollers for? Dogs love to walk, run and play. Why put them in a stroller when a leash is cheaper and allows more exercise? Let them smell the poo on the ground and frolic in the puddles. So what if they get dirty? They’re DOGS! I get embarrassed for dogs just seeing them in that thing! I get so angry when I see these strollers on the bus because they take up so much space and I don’t even get to pet the animal because they’re behind their stupid veil of “protection”!
To me it’s just another useless, niche product that people buy to spoil their dogs. The target market for this product is obviously geared towards people who are willing to fork over at least $100 to pamper their small dogs. What is with you people and spoiling your dogs? Dogs are simple, okay? They love to play, eat, snuggle and smell weird things.
I read this article on the benefits of having one: 16 reasons to Use a Dog Stroller, and I’m still not convinced. To me all the reasons are excuses to be lazy. Besides, this stroller is really only meant for small dogs (imagine a Great Dane in one of those) which you can easily carry in your purse, which I see a lot of people do, or in a carrier. Or, hey, let them walk! Unlike babies, dogs were born to walk almost from the moment they were born. I have a 10 month year old neice so I know how challenging it can be to take care of someone. Dogs are challenging too, I get it, but let’s be honest here, this stroller business is really just an excessive desire for more ways to perpetuate our laziness and consumer greed.
September 15th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
It’s ridiculous how big and heavily saturated the market is for dog products!
September 15th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I think Hagrid put it nicely in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: “People can be stupid about their pets.”
February 1st, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Dog strollers are great for older dogs with arthritis who can only walk short distances. I love taking my dog with me everywhere but she can not walk much as she is old and has arthritis. Thats one great reason why dog strollers are good!
February 1st, 2010 at 3:49 pm
I never considered that so thanks Natalie. It’s just that I’ve always just pictured strollers being used by people who want to spoil their dogs.
April 29th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
We are retired with a beautiful little Bichon, she travels everywhere with us. When I first seen dog strollers I thought what next I got my puppy so that it would get me out walking more. I realized last year when we went to a huge RV show in Florida with our bichon why people use them, there were so many feet everywhere that we had to carry her or she would have been trampled. We can not leave her in our car when we are travelling. Regarding letting her smell the poop we all need to pick up the droppings from our pets or not have a dog! They can get a virus doing that and could die any vet will confirm this. I am now looking to buy a stroller so that she can enjoy coming with us when we travel and not have to be stuck somewhere in a kennel. We do walk her everyday 2 or 3 times so she gets lots of exercise.
May 8th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I love my dog, but to buy a stroller when it can walk itself is a little too much spoiling!. now if my dog had arthritis, i would buy a stroller.
May 27th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Don’t be too quick to judge.. Not all dogs are healthy and able to walk the distance. However, responsible pet owners know how important it is to keep your dog from loosing hope or getting depressed.
Since dog owners know all too well that a dog will always want to pretend they can keep up dispite injuries or a loss of leg, they understand how important it is too keep them active, even if it is a stroller.
I am an owner of a 3 legged dog and I too thought it was rediculous until I realized it is a necessity for my dogs health.
August 18th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
“laziness and greed” really? How simplistic your thought process is…
The vast majority of people using these strollers have dogs that are incapable of walking anymore, even the short distance to the park is a task. Once you get to the park you take your dog out of the stroller so he can sniff and socialize – much better quality of life then leaving them at home to be alone all day, that is cruelty. I can understand how people without dogs or with young healthy dogs are mortified when they are confronted with dogs in strollers – they just don’t have the mental capacity to look beyond the surface and think deeper as to “why” owners of dogs are doing this.
I guess senior citizens or the physically handicapped should remain at home because god forbid we wouldn’t want the “walker and wheelchair business to perpetuate our desire for laziness and consumer greed”…
August 18th, 2011 at 2:53 pm
I admit that I wrote this entry in haste and didn’t quite think it through. Thank you Christina and others for pointing out the over simplification in this. I honestly really like dogs and would hate to see any mistreatment done to them.