Author Topic: Leaving pets behind. (Read 14556 times)

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #25 on:** February 17, 2009, 04:35:44 PM »

Dogs don't lie.

They have no guile, even when in the vet's office.

We found my little weiner-spaniel Missy walking around in North Highlands, CA after being abandoned by her former owner.

RIP, Missy. (found 1994, assessed to be 4-6 years old then -crossed rainbow bridge, 2006)

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #26 on:** February 17, 2009, 05:02:56 PM »

i have never been lied to or betrayed by a pet. i try to return the favor.one of the reasons i married my wife is the way she treated our dog.

Grandpa Shooter · « **Reply #27 on:** February 17, 2009, 05:14:30 PM »

Quote from: cassandra and sara's daddy on February 17, 2009, 05:02:56 PM

i have never been lied to or betrayed by a pet. i try to return the favor.one of the reasons i married my wife is the way she treated our dog.

I have often said that if I ever met a woman who loved my dogs as much as I do I would marry her. My Black Lab/Chow mix Bear did not like her and she did not like him. I should have taken his advice, but I wasn't paying attention at the time.

Seenterman · « **Reply #28 on:** February 17, 2009, 05:34:16 PM »

Quick Answer: Some Humans are selfish and care only about themselves.

In general animal are better that humans. They do not know spite, hate, bigotry or any of the other nasty things us Humans do to each other.

Antibubba · « **Reply #29 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:10:06 PM »

Quote

some Humans are selfish and care only about themselves.

In general animal are better that humans. They do not know spite, hate, bigotry or any of the other nasty things us Humans do to each other.

Whoa there! Down that road lies PETA. They, like us, are animals, and are dominated by their feelings, like hunger, fear, and yes, love. But don't think they wouldn't ever turn on you under the right circumstances.

Quote

i have never been lied to or betrayed by a pet

The dog tried to lie to me once; if she'd had opposable thumbs she would've gotten away with it.

There are few people who love dogs more than I, and I never pass an opportunity to greet one. I hope to have the time and space to bring one home some day. But if I was walking down the street and passed a house on fire, and I could save a child or a pet, but not both, it'd be the kid, no question. And I don't even like children.

I don't understand the "pet as mere possession" mentality either, but I also have no illusion that our animal family members are somehow nobler. We bred dogs to do many different jobs, but underlying all these purposes was the lesson that Man was the master, and that we come first. A dog that turns on people is destroyed, and no matter what their person may have done to make them that way, its necessary, most of the time. I always wince when people brag how their dog is "half wolf" or "quarter wolf", because wolves never learned the lessons we've taught dogs over the millennia. Those pets are waiting for their shot as pack leader, and it rarely ends well.

Someone once asked me what I thought was humanity's greatest creation, and I told them "dogs". We've created them in our image, which is why their name is God spelled backwards.

But remember, no matter how wonderful they are, at the bottom of it is a creature that happily eats its own poop.

Grandpa Shooter · « **Reply #30 on:** February 17, 2009, 06:20:05 PM »

But remember, no matter how wonderful they are, at the bottom of it is a creature that happily eats its own poop.

You just made me spit out my tea!

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 17, 2009, 07:27:56 PM »

Quote

Whoa there! Down that road lies PETA.

That's way far down the road, with a left turn at Albuquerque, onto the Interstate on-ramp, and a bypass to Froot Loop City for good measure.

I resent the connection, frankly.

Dogs are indeed better than humans, if only because they lack those characteristics spelled out by Seenterman, myself, and C&SD.

That doesn't make them the master race, nor will I give them equal billing as humans.

I've never had a more loyal companion though, and maybe I'm blessed that the dogs I've owned don't eat their own poop. YMMV, of course.

BlueStarLizzard · « **Reply #32 on:** February 17, 2009, 07:38:41 PM »

i'm leaning towards antibubba on this one.

i love my dogs. i call them my children. the one reason i love my job above all other reasons is because of the dogs.

but they are dogs. and i treat them as such. if i have to choice between saving an animal life or a human life, i most likley would save the human. and i don't believe in treating a dog like a human. its bad for them and its bad for the human, too. besides, if you treat your dogs like little people, you miss out on all the uniquly doggy things about them.

i would never abandon my dogs (or cats) because i have made that comitment to them. i took them in and therefore, i am responicble for them for the rest of their lives.

i don't consider dogs better then humans. when it comes down to it, we are all animals. we all have our pluses and minuses.

Leatherneck · « **Reply #33 on:** February 17, 2009, 07:56:37 PM »

Our animals trust us. I never betray a trust.
Semper Fi.
TC

K Frame · « **Reply #34 on:** February 17, 2009, 08:34:16 PM »

"Whoa there! Down that road lies PETA."

No. It's down a completely different road from PETA's address.

As for treating dogs like humans... I'd never make that mistake. I treat my dogs like dogs. Most humans? I wouldn't even bother to treat them like dogs.

"But don't think they wouldn't ever turn on you under the right circumstances."

Of course they would, out of self-preservation.

But that's the inherent difference between dogs and humans. Dogs will turn on you because they have been forced to.

Humans, on the other hand, will turn on you with malicious glee simply because they can.

Doggy Daddy · « **Reply #35 on:** February 17, 2009, 10:11:37 PM »

Quote

Our animals trust us. I never betray a trust.

Well said!!

This is an excellent thread. If nothing else, I'm learning more about which fellow THRers I like.

(I've even picked up some new respect for some that I wasn't totally happy with up to now...) :rolleyes:

BlueStarLizzard · « **Reply #36 on:** February 17, 2009, 10:23:36 PM »

Quote from: Mike Irwin on February 17, 2009, 08:34:16 PM

But that's the inherent difference between dogs and humans. Dogs will turn on you because they have been forced to.

Humans, on the other hand, will turn on you with malicious glee simply because they can.

i will point out that certain dogs of my aquaintance do in fact have that malicious glee. several of the anatolians much enjoy making people jump back with fright.

in fact, Mary (mary, mary, quite contrary) was part of the reason one women was fired.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #37 on:** February 17, 2009, 10:33:46 PM »

my daughter takes the definition of "pet" pretty far. she counts the chickens goats pony and duck. all of which are provided for in our emergency planning. she was quite adamant.

BMacklem · « **Reply #38 on:** February 17, 2009, 10:59:49 PM »

I do have to say that you people give me a good feeling that there may actually be some hope for the human race after all, and just as I was beginning to give up hope. (mainly been getting this way, but especially after November 5th)

As far as dogs being so civilized as to eat their own poop.... don't forget that they'll eat others poop too, not just their own.

That's one of my biggest fears in a bug-out scenario.... we have 9 (yup count 'em nine) cats to try and herd into a couple of vehicles, along with all the other supplies and stuff.
I do have all the main survival equipment in a RV, so I don't have to pack all the camping stuff, and general gear.... just the clothes, food, guns and us will be on the way out the door.

And who here actually thinks we "own" cats anyways? I follow Heinleins' thoughts that we are simply servants to the cats, and they allow us to reside in their homes with them.

If it came down to a choice of having to take my cats, or a family heirloom, I'd leave the heirloom, and hope I could return to get it later if need-be.
Time to try and go get some sleep here (that's if the cats will stop attacking my feet under the covers long enough to let me)

Dntsycnt · « **Reply #39 on:** February 17, 2009, 11:09:55 PM »

Domesticated animals are better than humans in one narrow aspect: they are too stupid to hate you.

I've loved every pet I ever had, and am enraged by those who mistreat their own, but saying animals are better than people just makes no sense. People are the reason you even have domesticated animals. People are the reason we are fat and healthy.

If humans weren't better than animals then we would still be animals.

What you are prizing so far above human ingenuity is thoughtless loyalty, which I find to be disgusting.

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #40 on:** February 17, 2009, 11:14:03 PM »

Well, there you have it, boys and girls.

Dntsycnt is disgusted...

BlueStarLizzard · « **Reply #41 on:** February 17, 2009, 11:27:07 PM »

Quote from: Gewehr98 on February 17, 2009, 11:14:03 PM

Well, there you have it, boys and girls.

Dntsycnt is disgusted...

do i care? when i go to bed tonight, that thoughtless loyal creature will follow and curl up at my feet.

besides, i disagree. i think dogs know their humans are pretty stupid sometimes. they just give you that look. usually when you put dinner leftovers back in the fridge.

iiibdsiil · « **Reply #42 on:** February 17, 2009, 11:47:33 PM »

I adopted a Boxer/Bulldog/Pit/Something mix. Basically he looks like a 30 pound pitbull. It is the sweetest dog in the world. It lives for being pet and sleeping in a nice comfortable spot. I bring him to my (auto) shop with me and he just lays out in the middle of the drive waiting for cars to honk (to get my attention, he's not moving). Occasionally he disappears, and I get to go looking for him. He's either a couple bays down at another mechanics shop, or on the back side of the building at the upholstery shop, both places I spend a good amount of time at. Whenever he does it, I don't know whether to punish him or praise him for going where he knows.

Point is, I don't have a single friend that wouldn't take him from me had I a need to get rid of him. How he ended up in the pound, I have no idea. I honestly don't know how anyone could give him up.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #43 on:** February 17, 2009, 11:52:27 PM »

people are often offended/scared of qualities they don't have

K Frame · « **Reply #44 on:** February 18, 2009, 12:10:57 AM »

"If humans weren't better than animals then we would still be animals."

Judging by what I see every day out of so-called "humans," I'd have to say the "human" race has a long way to go before it creeps up to the level of those domesticated animals. You'd think that in the process of domestication humans would have learned something, even the smallest thing, of the better traits of the animals that have been domesticated. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case at all.

"What you are prizing so far above human ingenuity is thoughtless loyalty, which I find to be disgusting."

Ah, animals and thoughtless loyalty. Thoughtless loyalty, like the Obama nation, the Hitler Youth, Pol Pot's merry band of brothers?

And human ingenuity and inventiveness, the qualities that give humans the ability to kill and destroy at an ever increasing pace. And let's not forget the ingenuity and inventiveness that allows humans to savage the environment more efficiently and more thoroughly than a plague of locusts.

Yes, yes.... certainly qualities to be admired, those traits of ingenuity and inventiveness.

Balog · « **Reply #45 on:** February 18, 2009, 12:42:13 AM »

I'll never understand the massive self-loathing threads about dogs seem to bring out. How does "I love my dogs" turn into a diatribe about how vile humankind is?

In any case, anthropomorphism is silly. And no subject makes people quite so irrational and emotional as their pets, so I think I'll just leave it at that.

K Frame · « **Reply #46 on:** February 18, 2009, 06:15:08 AM »

"I'll never understand the massive self-loathing threads about dogs seem to bring out. How does "I love my dogs" turn into a diatribe about how vile humankind is?"

Apparently because somewhere deep down inside you still hold on to a cute, but ultimately silly and futile, notion that man is somehow a noble creature with redemptive qualities.

castle key · « **Reply #47 on:** February 18, 2009, 06:28:55 AM »

I look at the issue from two different directions. I have companion animals and work animals.

My companion animals are a large part of what defines me.

About a year and a half ago, I had an untenable dog situation where two of the hounds decided that they simply despised each other...just one of those things. I tried many different things to attempt a resolution, spent a great deal of time trying to fix the situation, and it simply grew worse. What a horror. Two dogs were miserable and I loathed the idea that one would need to move to a different home. This created a huge problem, because while the home situation was bad, an unknown could be either wonderful or horrible.

Well things sometimes have a good way of working out and the solution was right in front of me. A friend had lost his dogs and kinda needed the companionship of a dog, but this friend was really not ready for another dog. But after the loss of a great dog, when is the right time for a new set of memories? There really is no perfect time as we can't replace a great dog, only start a new set of memories.

This friend is a complete dog lover who would provide a great home for one of my dogs and I knew his dog standards well and was completely confident that my baby would be happy and well taken care of. As I was discussing my need to move this one dog along, my friend and I realized at the same time what the solution was. It was a bitter sweet moment when I dropped the big guy off at his new home, but I did it with confidence.

Now, when I see my "former" dog, I realize what a great choice it was. The dog is very happy and well taken care of, and my friend is so happy with his dog. A perfect solution!!

I could never ever ever dump such a noble and loyal animal as a dog.

Now, my work animals are a different story. These horses are well maintained, they are conditionally loved as work animals, not companions, and they do not live in my house. I will protect them, vet them, and enjoy them, but as work animlas, I am forced to maintain an emotional distance from them. Anything else causes them to lose their effectiveness. Simple facts that must be followed.

BryanP · « **Reply #48 on:** February 18, 2009, 06:59:04 AM »

I too cannot understand people who would abandon a pet. If I couldn't evacuate with my pets I'd probably just sit tight.

The case that pissed me off more than anything else was a cat my wife rescued about 15 years back. Some people moved away and left him in the closet of their apartment. Poor guy was a long hair (smoke persian), completely matted in his own feces and dehydrated almost to the point of death. My current dog was somebody's abandoned (or possibly runaway, to be fair) pet a friend rescued off the streets. Unfortunately as the economy continues to tank I suspect we'll see a lot more abandoned pets. Me, I couldn't do it.

castle key · « **Reply #49 on:** February 18, 2009, 08:03:26 AM »

Mike Irwin clearly felt an incredible affinity for his Ruger. She was an absolutely wonderful dog. His gaining of this important part of his life has a really neat back story...involving fast driving, thugs, guns, feces, middle of the night visits to the dog pound, etc. It was something that obviously was meant to be and turned out really well.

I don't know if Mike ever shared the story with us all, or if he even wants to, but if does want to write about it, I think it would warm up even the most hardened of us. If he doesn't choose to share the story, please don't push him, as Ruger meant so much to him that it may hurt a bit relating the facts. If he chooses not to share it, please understand that the story is great, and that it may change some people's opinions of Mike as a crass knucklehead!!!

I know both sides of Mike, the knucklehead and the animal person. The jury is still out on which I prefer!!

News:

Author Topic: Leaving pets behind. (Read 14556 times)