Book Review: The Etiquette Book – A Complete Guide to Modern Manners
Over the years in my journalism life, I’ve collected a handful of go-to experts on a variety of topics. Jodi R. R. Smith from Mannersmith is one such guru for all my etiquette soundbite needs. Her newest book includes several pieces of pet (mostly dog) etiquette advice.
The Etiquette Book – A Complete Guide to Modern Manners … Pet Topics
A beautifully bound, designed, and produced reference resource, The Etiquette Book – A Complete Guide to Modern Manners covers these pet-related topics, in addition to 406 pages of great advice for nearly every situation you may face in modern life:
- Alerting visiting guests in advance to the presence of your pets so that you can pre-plan what to do with pets if the guest is fearful or allergic
- Tactfully letting pet-loving guests know if their furry friend is welcome or not in your home
- Using last-minute survival tactics if a guest shows up with an unexpected pet in tow
- Setting rules for guests whose pets are welcome in your home
- Handling awkward pet situations (humping, for example)
- Bringing along token gifts for your host’s pampered pets
- Keeping other pedestrians’ in mind while walking your dog
- Being polite to others in the elevator when you have your pet along
Smith cautions at one point that all of her pet etiquette advice “presume the pet has mastered its manners.” Otherwise, she says, “Unruly animals should always be left home.”
The High-Maintenance Pet
As much as we adore our canine heroine, Lilly probably falls into the category of a high-maintenance pet since her fears make her more prone to less-than-ideal behavior when faced with scary situations with children or other pets.
In these cases, Smith advises: “Animals that are high-strung, nervous, aggressive, accident prone, or high needs, should remain at home or in the care of a skilled sitter.”
Your Best / Worst Pet Etiquette Stories
I tried to think of a pet guest story to share, and the only one I can recall this minute is the time our friends Jess and Linda brought along their darling new sheltie puppy Onchu (whose untimely passing we noted previously).
At the time, Ginko was only a year or so old. Boisterous, big, silly … he ran straight up to little Onchu … who promptly piddled all over the floor. Ginko literally scare the pee right out of him.
Since we have tile floors on the main level of the house, it wasn’t a big deal.
FTC Disclosure:
I requested and received a free copy of the book to review. I was not compensated in any way for this review.