I am a vet in a Fear Free practice and as much as I love the concept, I don't think I can stick with it. I like helping pets with lower stress in mind, and I genuinely enjoy the spicey cats...but recently we have become the dumping grounds of downright dangerous dogs.

Everyone refers out their aggressive dogs to see us...and the clients tend to be awful. 80% of them are afraid of their own pet and become combative when we ask them to place a muzzle. Today I had a man with an over 100# german shepherd mix who has been fired from other clinics for the dog biting and lunging at bystandards in the lobby and the O refusing to muzzle. He came in to us initially unmuzzled and going ballistic, so we sent home resources on muzzle training, PVPs, and scheduled for him to come in for a sedated exam with the caviot that he needs to come in to the hospital muzzled. Well, the O shows up with the dog un-medicated and un-muzzled and then immidiately starts arguing with my technician that we are sedating because he cannot muzzle. I went in to talk to him and it essentially came out to "you're fear free so you should be comfortable doing this, it's your job".

What the heck. My job is not being mauled. Ultimately, he walked out on me mid sentence and then called back to talk to the practice manager.

I swear I see a young dog with this temperment at least weekly. Fully untouchable, O cannot medicate, and then they are mad at us when we cannot place a muzzle, but they are too afraid to train the dog to wear one at home. Why do they even have these animals? What sense of entitlement do you have to have to feel that it is okay for your dog to bite veterinary staff because "it's your job"?