Community Chat

[libbyannE]

The dogs should have been locked away during the breakfast. Manners is about making OTHERS feel at ease. Shoes? It’s a matter of local customs. Where I grew up, it would have been rude to ask guests to remove shoes, and, equally bad in our area, asking guests to remove their shoes would have been viewed as the act of a the parvenu or nouveau riche. To paraphrase my mother, if you have to worry that much about something, whether it’s your home flooring or a handbag, “you can’t afford it.” Better for some people to have cheap vinyl flooring and allow guests to wear shoes. I wouldn’t want to be shoeless in someone else’s home, esp if they have dogs.

[libbyannE]

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@Lipstickdiva wrote:

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@LolaLasagne wrote:

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@viva923 wrote:

my opinion is YES, 

she had 2 large dogs that can't take off their paws after going outside.

I ask people to take off their shoes at my house. I have NO pets of any kind. 

I would keep a pair of slippers in my car so if you are ever asked to go to her house again,  you have these nice slippers in car for taking off your shoes at her house.

My DD has this rule at her house, no shoes, she has slippers at her house that i brought to her for when i visit. she has a dog

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@viva923It's not about taking off shoes. It's about the fact that if a host invites a guest into a home where they are going to be mauled by dogs and end up covered in slobber and hair that's everywhere, they probably shouldn't be so concerned about asking the guests to remove their shoes to protect their floors.

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If I was having a meeting at my house, I would make sure everyone was comfortable around dogs.  If not, I would either not have the meeting at my home or I would put the dogs in a bedroom.  However, you were hardly "mauled" by dogs.

Dog hair can be swept up and dog drool can be easily cleaned up.  Crud ground into the carpet from shoes or scratched up wood floors from something stuck on the bottom of shoes are trickier. 

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If that’s how you feel, then do not invite guests. Period.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

I have this sign in my home.  Those who know me, friends and family, know how devoted I am to our dog.  They know what to expect when they visit us.  Even though this is the way I feel about our dog, I do feel that in the situation you were put in, your boss should have been more considerate of her guests, since the relationship is different and you all had business to discuss.

Being hospitable, IMO, means making your guests feel welcome and comfortable, even if it means you sacrificing your own comfort.  As the owner of a giant Golden Retreiver, I know what it's like to have dog hair all over.  I joke that's it's become another fashion accessory for me because there's no way to keep the house entirely hair free even with regular vacuuming.  I always keep a good supply of lint rollers on hand plus one in the car.  Your boss' dogs should have been better trained than to be jumping and sniffing where they didn't belong.  Sometimes with new people, dogs will be excited and nosy upon their arrival but then settle down and retreat to another room.  If their pressence was interfering with a guest's comfort or the business meeting, she should have moved them to another room or their crates for the time being.  

I can't help but think about Calpurnia's lecture to Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird when a poor classmate (Walter) was invited to dinner at the Finch's home and poured syrup all over his meat, potatoes, and vegetables.  Scout was astonished and pitched a fit, embarrassing Walter in the process.  Calpurnia let her know, in know uncertain terms, the proper way to treat guests in your home.  IMO, if I prefer to go barefoot in my house, that's my choice.  As a good hostess, I shouldn't require guests to remove their shoes.  Provide a doormat where shoe bottoms can be cleaned off.  

[gidgetgh]

I would have had a migraine that morning and would have called in sick. I’m just sure of it. 

Just let me have the meeting at the office please. Bring in some biscuits from a local restaurant. I don’t want a field trip to the bosses house. I’m fine with the shoe policy but really wouldn’t want to have to deal with the dogs during a staff meeting. I have nothing against dogs, love the dogs that are in my life, but just wouldn’t want to fool with the whole situation with someone elses’s dogs. 

Cats would be a a deal breaker for me. I’m highly allergic. 

[occasionalrain]

If people want shoes off, have free roaming dogs, or any other issue that guests have to endure, they have an obligation to forewarn those they invite giving them an opportunity to decline or come prepared.

This being a business meeting, declining may not have been an option.

[Cakers3]

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@LolaLasagne wrote:

My boss decided to have our weekly staff meeting at her house this morning, because she wanted to cook us breakfast. There are only 10 of us. I thought that was so nice, and several of us brought fresh juice, special jams, etc.

When I arrived, she asked me to take off my shoes. Now, I know a lot of people ask this of their guests, so regardless of what I think of this practice, I get it, and I'm fine with doing it. However, she has two giant Golden Retrievers who were running around the house jumping up on me, digging their snouts into my crotch, and I had to avoid giant tumbleweeds of dog hair everywhere I walked. By the time breakfast was finished, I was covered in dog hair and slobber. Am I crazy, or was it too much for her to ask us to take off our shoes in this particular situation?

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@LolaLasagne  Your descriptions are over the top.

"Giant Golden Retrievers"  (they are not giants)

"Giant tumbleweeds of dog hair" (dogs musn't have much fur left on them)

"Covered in dog hair and slobber"  (indicates head to toe)

What did your co-workers say?  Were they also covered in "dog hair and slobber"?

Were their crotches violated by dog snouts?

Were they jumped on too?

Your narrative is only in the first person so I'm curious if those dogs singled you out.

Just curious-how was the food?

[BirkiLady]

Never had been a fan of dog jumping on me or drooling on me. Forget sniffing at my crotch. All this on the way to the dining room? Doubt I would have made it to the actual brunch! I would have turned around and headed to my car in horror. Nope. Not my idea of a bruch with dogs in the room. I'm out. Don't care if it's my boss or not. She can choose between me or the drooling dogs. That's thoughtless and rude IMO.

[mousiegirl]

I once knew a family whose home smelled of animal urine, yet she wanted shoes off, I kept mine on.  We would just walk from the front door to the yard where the pool was for the kids to swim, and stayed outside the entire time, lol, also left through the yard gate.

Another home also wanted shoes off, all of a sudden, but I stepped inside and sat in the first chair and stayed put, with shoes on.

[AlleyCat]

While I think it a bit odd, if she wanted people to take off their shoes then that was her right within her own home.  Personally, I would put my animals in a separate room or part of the house if I was entertaining. 

[Lion]

If the dogs really were that rambunctious, they probably should've been kept away from the guests.

As far a the "no shoes" rule,  I think guests should be told ahead of time about the rule so they can be prepared, or not attend.   

Depending on the weather and season, many people go w/o socks or stockings.   I wouldn't want people going barefoot in my home.   I especially wouldn't want to see people's bare feet during a meal.