# Do people often make assumptions about your babies? Specifically gender?



## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

I am not bothered nor offended, just making an observation after having the same conversation with many people. I saw a trend in questions asked and wondered if you all get the same. We take the girls LOTS of places and because they are small (and cute) we get a lot of onlookers and people coming up asking about them. 

They always assume Hope is a girl and always assume Ruby is a boy. Or they will ask, "is one a boy and one a girl?". I suppose they ask the latter because they may assume we breed them? I do not know. 

It may also be their coloring. I remember Tink saying that she puts bows on Jazz's collar because people think she is male. I wonder if then they assume Tango and Hope are girls (well, Hope is a girl, you know what I mean) becasue they are white/cream?

Ruby has the most dainty, delicate and feminine features of the two so of course, I see girl, but apparently no one else does because the sweet girl is always called "he". Thank goodness she is shy, has no idea what they are saying and wants them to stop talking to her anyway!

Just my random observation of the day because it happened again yesterday and I became aware that those are the consistent assumptions people make with our two. 

My son has big, blue eyes and eyelashes every woman would want and even if I had that child decked from head to toe in blue people would still tell me that SHE had the most beautiful eyes they had seen. I always just smiled and said thank you and kept going. Now that he is grown and married, he has a daughter with the same eyes. She looks all girl, for certain!!


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## mooberry (Jan 31, 2011)

I know where your coming from y #1 pet peeve is stupid people coming up to me and asking if Bijoux is Lincolns baby!!!! It makes me so mad I just look at them and snap "I don't believe in breeding my dogs for looks, there are enough puppy mills for that thank you!" I know it's a total witch move but it just makes me think those are the people who shop at pet stores! 

I get a 50/50 on gender for Bijoux and Lincoln is usually called male I think it's because he's a big dog and people just think all big dogs should be male?


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

I have had people come up and ask me if Lion is a girl. I am not offended either, but it is funny considering he wears a green camo harness and a red collar. Someone once assumed Lion was a girl after they saw him wearing a blue skull and crossbones fleece sweater.. Maybe it is his long hair that makes him look female, but he looks like a boy to me!

Now that I have Penny, I have been asked when I will have puppies.. (Um, never! They are related!) Also people assume Penny is Lion's baby.


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## OurCheekyChihuahuas (Nov 18, 2009)

Yes! You have a dog all in blue. Blue lead, harness or collar with a little jacket and everything yet its still assumed as a "she" sometimes its like are you blind? lol 

but i don't mind you get used to it and just learn to nod and smile. The bit that makes me giggle is when they think the chi is a female, he rolls over for a tummy rub and they either don't notice or go "oooh no its a he" and give you a look as if you didn't know yourself! lol


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## Poppys mummy (May 29, 2011)

As above, I put Poppy in a blue ferret harness and people say 'isn't he smaaallll'

I also think because she's dark red with a black mask she may look a little butch LOL... she certainly doesn't act like a lady at the best of times :daisy: :coolwink:


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## foggy (Oct 12, 2009)

People generally get mine right, but on the boards sometimes people think Pip is a girl. To me Pip looks so much like a boy and Roo looks so much like a girl, but.. who knows.


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## kimr (Nov 14, 2010)

Well, yes, I get the gender confusion all the time, but Gracie doesn't help things by hiking her leg to pee and 'scratching off' in the grass when she's done! 

And, when Pedro's hair is long, he does appear more feminine in appearance.

I don't correct them or say anything, as someone else said, for the most part my two are ready to get away from strangers as soon as possible anyway, so that's my focus...


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## Natti (Jun 24, 2010)

Maisie they usually get right saying shes a girl (although I had someone the other day trying to tell me she was male and that they wanted to use her to breed with their yorkie!! ummm NO!!! Impossible and I certainly dont support BYBs!) 

Pippi though im always getting told is a boy - Apparently the bright pink harness and pink diamonte collar and Pink lead dont give any clues away!


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## cherper (May 8, 2009)

I think in general people refer to a dog they don't know as a "he". Leila gets confused as a male even when she has a dress on.!! Which irritates me :foxes15:
Another thing which REALLY BUGS ME is when people ask what kind of dog she is and...if she is a MIN PIN!!! Ahhhhhhhhh :cussing::cussing::cussing:angry9: 
I am probably too sensitive but they are my babies.


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## Missygal (May 19, 2011)

How funny, I also wondered about this. People think Bailey is a boy. I think it's her color but not sure. Can't wait until her flowered harness gets here.


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## Blondie87 (Jan 10, 2011)

My girls could be wearing pink outfits and pink harnesses and collars, and someone will ask, "Is one boy and one a girl?" Or "Are they girls?" I am like... seriously? People are just stupid sometimes. Like, I always get asked if Bella is the mommy and Izzie is the baby. Or my sister has a boy Chi that's about the size of Bella and prolly about 2/3 years old, and they will be like, "Look, it's the whole family!"


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## Charlotte~ (Apr 5, 2011)

Daisy wears a bright (and I mean BRIGHT) pink harness. Most people assume she is a girl but I have had a few people come up to me and ask what she is.


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## pam6400 (Oct 5, 2008)

Yup Frankie is a SHE to the outside world.... "oh, isn't she pretty"???

He is all boy!


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## hershey109 (Jan 11, 2011)

Hahaha. Hershey is always referred to as a "he" even if all her shirts are pink and she wears a harness with a big pink bow. I think it's the color and markings.


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## rms3402 (Dec 2, 2010)

I go through these same experiences too! Roxy can be wearing her pink harness, or a pink collar with a big pink bow or WHATEVER it is that makes it OBVIOUS that she's a girl and people will say 'aww! he's so cute!' ....... Seriously?! :foxes15: I mean, boys can wear pink too, but most often it means GIRL! I'm not offended either. It's whatever. As someone mentioned above, I think many people often just call dogs 'he' and since Roxy is dark, they may assume 'he' as well. Although I'm not offended and it's not a big deal, it kind of annoys me too!


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

cherper said:


> I think in general people refer to a dog they don't know as a "he". Leila gets confused as a male even when she has a dress on.!! Which irritates me :foxes15:
> Another thing which REALLY BUGS ME is when people ask what kind of dog she is and...if she is a MIN PIN!!! Ahhhhhhhhh :cussing::cussing::cussing:angry9:
> I am probably too sensitive but they are my babies.


I have the same thing happen... I have been asked many times if Lion was a Paipillon or a Pomeranian. I guess he does look a tad like a Papillon with his coloring, but he looks obviously like a chi to me.


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## LadyJ (Aug 20, 2010)

Most everyone thinks Lavender is a girl. She is very feminine, dainty and frilly. She acts like a girl, too, calm and cuddly and a little shy. She has her wild side and loves to romp and play, but people don't see that side of her in public.

When I had two Bichons, male and female, many people asked if they were going to have puppies. People do assume you're going to breed them. A lot of people think my 12-year-old Bichon, Cosmo, is a puppy or quite young. He is small and very bright and outgoing, approaches people with his tail waving and looking to be petted. He's a therapy dog and he thinks everyone came just to see him. )

Jeanette


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## LadyJ (Aug 20, 2010)

My son has big, blue eyes and eyelashes every woman would want and even if I had that child decked from head to toe in blue people would still tell me that SHE had the most beautiful eyes they had seen. I always just smiled and said thank you and kept going. Now that he is grown and married, he has a daughter with the same eyes. She looks all girl, for certain!![/QUOTE]

My younger son has beautiful blue eyes, too, and curly blond hair that most women would die for. I didn't cut his hair until he was about two years old and my sister kept nagging me because everyone thought he was a girl. He has a love/hate relationship with his curly hair. Keeps it cut really short now. His daughter has her mother's dark hair and eyes and no curls.


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## LadyJ (Aug 20, 2010)

cherper said:


> I think in general people refer to a dog they don't know as a "he". Leila gets confused as a male even when she has a dress on.!! Which irritates me :foxes15:
> Another thing which REALLY BUGS ME is when people ask what kind of dog she is and...if she is a MIN PIN!!! Ahhhhhhhhh :cussing::cussing::cussing:angry9:
> I am probably too sensitive but they are my babies.


I got used to no one knowing what kind of dog mine were after years of having Bichons that everyone thought were Poodles. I get asked what kind of dog Lavender is, I guess because she has a long coat and most people don't think of Chihuahuas as having a long coat. I had a tri-color smooth coat collie many years ago and no one knew what kind of dog he was. I had him at a dog show one day and a little boy walking by asked his dad what kind of dog he was. His dad looked at my beautiful collie and told his son he was a Doberman Pincher. Anyone ever seen a black and white Dobie?


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## chisrock (Jul 4, 2011)

I get all of the above when im out with chilli:......aw cute puppie ( err.. hello:banghead: hes two!! ) and always.....its tiny! what is it?? (IT!!!:foxes15 HE gets called SHE all the time, even in the most masculine of chi attire!!! This is always followed by DOES SHE BITE!! :angry4: i just feel like saying yes! lol ,just so they go away,insult my baby!..... then try and pet him,i think not. Soooo! glad he does not talk to strangers, especially stupid ones!! lol Phew! its good to ventxxx


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## Munchii (Mar 22, 2011)

My chloe wears a bright pink harness with hearts on it. She also has a pink polka dot coat. But still people say "Isn't he lovely? What an adorable little boy!!" 
*sigh* I personally think its obvious she's a girl. :/


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## Tink (Oct 14, 2009)

jesuschick said:


> It may also be their coloring. I remember Tink saying that she puts bows on Jazz's collar because people think she is male. I wonder if then they assume Tango and Hope are girls (well, Hope is a girl, you know what I mean) becasue they are white/cream?


Yes, this. Pretty feminine colored bows on collar, harness, leash. My signature pic is an example of bow on harness. Add to that a couple more bows clipped to her leash. And a frilly dress on under the harness. 

I've come to the conclusion that it definitely has to do with the dogs' coloring. Tango is typically assumed to be female because he's a light color, like Hope, who is also light, but IS female. Jazz is often assumed to be male because her coloring is darker. Why light = female and dark = male I have NO clue, but given what I've personally experienced, and what I've read in this thread and others like it, I can draw no other conclusion. 

And I personally DO find it frustrating, especially when I go to some lengths to eliminate gender confusion. I mean, really, if *I* saw two dogs together, and one was dressed and harnessed in pink and bows and frills, and the other was in bold red and deep blue and black, I sincerely doubt I'd be referring to them as anything other than he, and she, appropriately. I can understand it a LITTLE more if I'm only out with the one, even if that one is dressed in his/her gender specific color....with no comparison, I guess it's possible that someone might want to be tactful (notice I'm trying hard to not be rude and assume that they're just ignorant lol!) But with the comparison right in front of their noses.....one OBVIOUSLY in very feminine colors and trim and the other not at all.....how can they STILL err?


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## foggy (Oct 12, 2009)

jesuschick said:


> It may also be their coloring. I remember Tink saying that she puts bows on Jazz's collar because people think she is male. I wonder if then they assume Tango and Hope are girls (well, Hope is a girl, you know what I mean) becasue they are white/cream?


I think this is often true. People seem to think darker colored dogs are boys and lighter colored ones are girls. Kinda weird. That said, people generally get the sex of my little ones correct, even though they are both dark. People generally always think Roo is a girl. At least in person.


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## LittleHead (May 20, 2004)

There was a man who thought Britney was male. She was maybe 2 or 3 at the time and I had a blue collar & leash. For me personally, having my girls wear pink makes things easier


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## Gingersmom (Mar 12, 2009)

I get that with my girls..one always has to be a boy, then there's the is she still a puppy(Abby), and last when you breed them, I want a puppy! Ummm they're all girls, Abby's fully grown and five, Nope never breeding them! I leave that to the professionals


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## christina (Jul 10, 2011)

People always think my dobes are male because they're dobes despite the fact that Naavi has an ultra-feminine face (snipey, even) and both girls typically wear fairly to very feminine collars. So far no one has made assumptions about Piper's gender and usually ask if she's male or female after I pass her over for them to hold. Cassius never gets mistaken for being anything other than a boy. I'd die of shock if anyone thought he's a she... There's nothing feminine about him at all.


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## widogmom (Mar 23, 2011)

People always assumed my big, male Dobe, Dary, was a female; I think it was the name, and the velcroness of him (he was a leaner). Kali they always assume is a girl, even though she's a tomboy - one time the groomer put ribbons in her curly ears, and spouse pitched a fit LOL! Pablo's built like a little linebacker so everybody assumes he's a boy.

Christina, I think Naavi has a beautiful head, very feminine...believe me, I've seen some snipey, incorrect heads, and I think hers is just ladylike!


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