# Can a dog by "gang raped" by other dogs? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544 "2013-08-07T01:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/41 "2013-08-09T22:30:44Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Because I overlooked it. Sorry; totally my fault. > > That said, the psychology of non-human animals is sufficiently different from ours that I do not think we can extend human (let alone contemporary Western) notions of sexual morality to them. It is, again, like calling a dog who takes food meant (by a human) for another dog an embezzler or thief, or calling a lion that kills the cubs of a pride it has just taken over a murderer. If this is just a matter of semantics (which it seems like), I think it’s obvious that forced sexual intercourse, i.e., rape, happens in other species. But as you imply, whether they suffer the same emotional/physical trauma that human survivors do is debatable, and they almost certainly don’t have moral qualms about it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/42 "2013-08-09T22:34:02Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > If this is just a matter of semantics (which it seems like), I think it’s obvious that forced sexual intercourse, i.e., rape, happens in other species. The reason I don’t think it’s just a matter of semantics is that I think that rape is only a meaningful concept when applied to creatures possessing sentience and language. That ain’t dogs. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/43 "2013-08-09T22:51:19Z")
Dogs most certainly possess sentience, in the real definition and not the Star Trek one. Sapience is more accurate. They’re not human but are hominids: a mating strategy for _some_ orangutan males is called the “sneak and rape” strategy… This becomes a bit of semantics and not much else. I’d say, if the sex is messed up from our perspective, yet typical for that species, then it’s not rape under any definition. If it is an action that these animals don’t normally do, “is it rape” depends on how Clintonian you are. > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I’m always happy when I have a reason to post my most favorite link ever > [http://www.cracked.com/funny-2938-duck-rape/](http://www.cracked.com/funny-2938-duck-rape/) Wow. Before Cracked discovered dates, or not hotlinking images. There you go, they’re okay to eat because they’re dicks. Can’t fault that logic, duck is good. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/44 "2013-08-09T23:20:20Z")
A few months ago, coming out of the movie theater, I saw a trio of male ducks (mallard if that makes a difference) essentially “gang raping” a female. After some googling and a wiki page, it seems this is not unheard of behavior for ducks. No wonder they’re “fowl”. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/45 "2013-08-17T12:08:13Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The reason I don’t think it’s just a matter of semantics is that I think that rape is only a meaningful concept when applied to creatures possessing sentience and language. That ain’t dogs. That’s the very definition of a matter of semantics You think rape means something that other people do not think it means. I also still don’t get the language requirement. You can express that you want someone to not do something without language. A bitch, could, for example, run away from a dog who is trying to hump her. That would be an indication that she doesn’t want to be mounted. My problem is not with either of your requirements. It is whether dogs can actually act separate from instinct or conditioning and whether they can understand moral concepts about those actions. Or, to be more specific, if a dog sees another dog in heat, is he capable of acting contrary to its instincts and not try to mount her? Is it even possible to teach a dog how to recognize that a bitch doesn’t want to be mounted and thus to act contrary to his instincts in that situation? My guess is no, and that is why dogs can’t rape. Rape, like any “sin” (for lack of a better word), requires intent. I would not, say, consider a child who has been sexually abused and considers sex to be affection to be trying to rape me. The kid just doesn’t understand what they’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/46 "2013-08-17T16:48:47Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > From [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com): > > Actually dogs can be raped. And Dolphins too. You’ve demonstrated that people use the word rape to refer to animals. However, that point was never in question. The point of contention was whether it _makes sense_ to apply the concept of rape to animals. Dictionary entries don’t speak to that issue. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/47 "2013-08-17T17:10:28Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > You’ve demonstrated that people use the word rape to refer to animals. However, that point was never in question. The point of contention was whether it _makes sense_ to apply the concept of rape to animals. Dictionary entries don’t speak to that issue. It does make sense. If someone says to me “My dog was raped by a pit bull.” I know exactly what they are talking about, and I feel no compulsion to conflate morality with rape when used in this context. I don’t get why people are thinking, if it’s not a morality issue, or if a law wasn’t broken, than it couldn’t possibly be rape. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/48 "2013-08-17T20:15:15Z")
Because dogs dont have sex randomly? Because there arent a small subset of male dogs that go around mating with bitches that arent in heat? The very concept of ‘in heat’? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/49 "2013-08-17T21:23:35Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Because dogs dont have sex randomly? Because there arent a small subset of male dogs that go around mating with bitches that arent in heat? The very concept of ‘in heat’? Dogs do have sex randomly. Dude, have you never seen a dog hump a leg? That’s pretty damn random. Unless you think that leg was “in heat”… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/50 "2013-08-17T21:45:22Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Dogs do have sex randomly. Dude, have you never seen a dog hump a leg? That’s pretty damn random. Unless you think that leg was “in heat”… Dogs aren’t having sex with legs. Dogs hump legs, not have sex with them, to assert dominance. It only looks like dog sex to people who haven’t seen dog sex. Dog copulation starts with humping, but then gets really slow and they end up butt to butt more often than not. That’s the sex part. Dogs don’t actually do it doggy style… ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/51 "2013-08-17T21:58:31Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > It does make sense. If someone says to me “My dog was raped by a pit bull.” I know exactly what they are talking about, and I feel no compulsion to conflate morality with rape when used in this context. This has been dealt with pretty well, but I don’t think anyone is saying we don’t understand what the woman _means_ when she says “My dog was raped by a pit bull,” just that she’s nuts for thinking that. I suppose it’s possible that it happened… but I doubt it. As I mentioned, I’ve met more than one nutball who was scandalized that their Special Princess had dared to be sullied by a pack of street mutts. It’s stupidly common (in my experience) for people to assign human morality onto their dogs, especially the kind of owners who don’t really grok that their dog isn’t a person trapped in a furry body. I think this kind of insanity is far more likely than anything resembling dog rape. eta: and IF the woman in the OP did feel like Snookums had been raped by pitbulls, and freaked out whenever she saw one, it would be extremely normal for her dog to begin reacting fearfully to those dogs as well. But that isn’t PTSD; that’s a dipshit inadvertently training their dog to act out. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/52 "2013-08-17T22:03:56Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > It does make sense. If someone says to me “My dog was raped by a pit bull.” I know exactly what they are talking about, and I feel no compulsion to conflate morality with rape when used in this context. I quite frequently know exactly what idiots mean when they say idiotic stuff. Just because someone can clearly communicate an idea doesn’t mean the idea isn’t stupid. > [@](#): > > I don’t get why people are thinking, if it’s not a morality issue, or if a law wasn’t broken, than it couldn’t possibly be rape. Because those are the things that differentiate “rape” from “having sex.” ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/53 "2013-08-18T00:10:37Z")
A long while ago I lived in a cul-de-sac, at the end of which lived a church lady type that had apparently never married. She had this ridiculous poodle that she would keep under lock and key whenever it was in heat. One day her dog escaped while it was in heat and met with the neighbors dog and they did their thing in the middle of the street in front of the kids playing outside. The giggling and shouting alerted her and she went out screaming that her “virgin” dog was being raped, and threatening the other dog’s owner with calling the police. Fun times, fun times. I miss that neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/54 "2013-08-18T00:37:20Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I quite frequently know exactly what idiots mean when they say idiotic stuff. Just because someone can clearly communicate an idea doesn’t mean the idea isn’t stupid. Thank you for confirming my initial suspicions. This whole thread is about pedantic snobbery. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/55 "2013-08-18T00:42:19Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Thank you for confirming my initial suspicions. This whole thread is about pedantic snobbery. > > Got it. Actually, it’s about the fact that rape is a horrible thing, and shouldn’t be trivialized by using it to describe mating habits of animals. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/56 "2013-08-18T00:58:09Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Actually, it’s about the fact that rape is a horrible thing, and shouldn’t be trivialized by using it to describe mating habits of animals. LOL. No it isn’t. I don’t think anybody in this thread is trivializing rape. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/57 "2013-08-18T01:45:02Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > LOL. No it isn’t. I don’t think anybody in this thread is trivializing rape. Other than you? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/58 "2013-08-18T02:03:37Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Other than you? As far as debating tactics go, what you’re doing is about as low as it gets. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/59 "2013-08-18T02:04:47Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Dogs aren’t having sex with legs. > > Dogs hump legs, not have sex with them, to assert dominance. It only looks like dog sex to people who haven’t seen dog sex. Dog copulation starts with humping, but then gets really slow and they end up butt to butt more often than not. That’s the sex part. Dogs don’t actually do it doggy style… Mind…blown. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544/60 "2013-08-18T02:11:51Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > As far as debating tactics go, what you’re doing is about as low as it gets. If you can’t handle criticism of your opinions, you shouldn’t share them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-dog-by-gang-raped-by-other-dogs/665544.md?page=4)