Today, there are trigger warnings for everything under the sun, including the giant Mars in the sky.
There are parent warnings on TV, but it would be nice to have a dog alert too. Television contains many scenes and sounds that can be disturbing to dogs, just as some scenes can be to people.
Before you start a TV show – usually after every commercial – we put a little box in the corner with a string of letters inside. These simple letters refer to the content warnings you’ll see in the episode.
Think of shows like Chicago PD and Law & Order: SVU. Some of the most common parental warnings we see on TV (do we really need them?) include:
- V – Violence
- N——Nude
- L——Language
- S – sexual situation
- D——drugs
These letters affect a show’s Parental Guidelines rating, which can range from Safe for All Ages (TV-Y) to Suitable for Mature Adult Audiences Only (TV-MA).
Networks use these audience discretionary suggestions to cover their asses so that viewers won’t be triggered into following them. Some of us see this as another way to soften the younger generation.
Many parents are so protective of their children that they won’t watch a show with the word “potty” in it. I use swear words in my day-to-day parenting because I don’t have weak kids.
We listen to heavy music, and I share my favorite PG and PG-13 movies with them. My youngest son was watching The Walking Dead when he was five.
My oldest daughter is still a Criminal Minds fan after the first episode when she was eight years old. This inspired her to go to college and become a forensic psychologist.
Everyone has their own parenting style, and there is no perfect way. None of us knew what we were doing anyway.
While I don’t have many restrictions on what my kids watch, I still have to sit there with the remote at my fingertips, ready to react lightning-quickly at the slightest prompt.
Unfortunately, there was no warning about the type of trigger I had to hide.
See, my kids are grown now, so I have nothing to hide. Obviously, we avoid nudity, sex, and excessive gore. But drugs, foul language, minor violence, etc., are less important.
But I do share my personal space with six annoyingly self-absorbed dogs who have an unhealthy obsession with violating personal boundaries and binge-watching television.
It’s common to hear of dog parents having dogs who like to watch screens. One of the social media profiles I follow on Facebook (guess my age) has a mutt who is obsessed with Paw Patrol.
I read a study about why dogs are more interested in television now than in the past. My other dogs never seemed to react this way to screens.
Apparently, this is because TVs display images with higher definition than older screens.
Don’t I know? I have to scold my dogs multiple times a day when they see triggers on the screen: cats, running animals, babies, and balls, especially ones that bounce. Tennis is a big deal here.
But dogs don’t just respond to what they see on the screen. There’s a bigger problem emerging because they’re noisier.
Being TV fanatics, we have a great surround sound system. But that would backfire several times throughout the day. Everything in the house is quiet and peaceful when mom turns on the TV for emotional support.
I would get lost in the words and lose awareness of what was happening on the big screen. Then chaos breaks out.
Horns honked. Or the dog barks. The baby cried. Or the worst trigger, the doorbell.
Although this didn’t actually happen, the puppies didn’t know it. They will awaken from a deep sleep of coma, as if they had been gored by a cow.
Now, that doesn’t seem too bad until you consider that five of the six dogs are giant pit bulls, ranging in weight from 50 to 111 pounds. The sixth, a six-pound teacup Yorkshire terrier, barked the loudest and would incite riots among her troops.
As long as there is the slightest provocation on the TV, they will disperse to stand guard at various doors. Their huge claws pose a serious risk to glass as they stand on their hind legs and look out.
When they stand, these dogs are over four feet tall.
While on all fours, they move quickly around obstacles, knocking over things, including coffee tables on wheels that are often pushed out of position.
Now that you understand the dilemma, it makes sense that I’m just one of thousands of pet parents who enjoy pet alert warnings on TV. Please note that there will be dog triggers.
After each commercial break, a simple frame will appear at the top of the screen warning that the following scene may contain scenes that may be disturbing to dogs.
They can use the following code:
- H——Horn
- D——Doorbell
- B – bark
- K—Kids
- C——Cry
- A——Alert
- S – siren
Does anyone else have the same problem? Their dogs act like World War III has started when they hear certain sounds (or sights) on TV? What are your dog’s triggers? Did Dog Rating Warning work for you?
