# Maybe a dingo ate your baby **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 3, 2007, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524 "2007-01-03T12:42:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/201 "2007-01-04T19:02:32Z")
I must say, I’ve never been prouder of the people on this board. The level of maturity and our much-touted tolerance for differing view points exhibited here just brings a tear to my eye. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/202 "2007-01-04T19:05:10Z")
[QUOTE=alice\_in\_wonderland] Well, if you say so. [/quote] I did say so. In the original post. 🙂 > [@](#): > > I have a severe cat alergy, and inability to take anti-histamines, asthma, and a dog and realisticly can’t accomodate ANY cats, and I’m still taking my best girlfriend’s cat in when she moves so she knows it has a good home and doesn’t have to worry about it. But who’s worrying about you? If you were a friend of mine, I’d be worried. Any _severe_ allergy can be dangerous. Voluntarily aggravating it seems excessively risky to me. But as you say… > [@](#): > > I suppose that makes me a chump. Or something. YMMV and all that. It makes you an exceptionally kind-hearted person. Good luck to your girlfriend’s cat. > [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Well for fuck’s sake, you should have called jsgoddess. What does she have, eight? Hell, she won’t even notice another. 😃 I don’t have any beef with people who say that they would have made a different decision. My only beef is with people who have condemned us or my daughter. And Internet trolls who can’t find anything better to do than examine posts under a microscope looking for god knows what. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/203 "2007-01-04T19:14:58Z")
Bobkitty, now that your witch-hunt/investigation has panned out to be nothing more than a colossal waste of everyone’s time and a cowardly attack on my daughter, I just have two things to say to you. (1) You’ve posted four times in this thread. Each time, you’ve added new analysis and speculation. My question is: why didn’t you just put it all in your first post? That’s what you’ve demanded of me. You could have saved a lot of time on both our parts if you had just gone ahead and anticipated everything you might need to say and said it all at one time. (2) Asshole. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/204 "2007-01-04T19:16:29Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Well for fuck’s sake, you should have called **jsgoddess**. What does she have, eight? Hell, she won’t even notice another. [/quote] Our highest number was 11. It was awful. Terence made Albert live in the fireplace for six months. My sister wanted Terence, so we gave him to her. Since then, Tuffy and Ugly have died. Eight is a lot of cats. I wouldn’t recommend that many cats to most people. > [@](#): > > I think everyone in this thread who thinks that A) Cats raised in a loving home should be re-homed at all costs, and B) Adopting a cat is no big deal, to go to their local animal shelter _right fucking now_ and adopt a cat. I think adopting a cat is a very big deal, which is why when people do it I want them to take it very very seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Beaucarnea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@Beaucarnea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beaucarnea)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/205 "2007-01-04T20:13:53Z")
Those of us that visit/work/volunteer/ or adopt pets from shelters harbor an enormous amount of human guilt. Humans domesticated cats and dogs for our own purposes and they are now totally dependent on us. And though we cannot care for them all, careless pet owners contribute to the pet population without any sense of responsibility to the planet. The unexcusable surplus of unwanted pets suffer needlessly in shelters before they are put down, and those that run free do considerable damage to the environment. There are too many pets, and those people who can’t or won’t care for them responsibly, _shouldn’t_. You want to know why pet activists on this board are riled up? Because animals are not toys. Don’t get one if you cannot care for it properly. Many of us visit the always overcrowded shelter and wonder why people won’t spay and neuter. We frequently see purebred, clean, groomed, and well-behaved cats and dogs at shelters. We wonder where they came from. We wonder about the character and personal accountability of people who turn pets over to the shelter when they become inconvenient. The OP’s daughter is just one of many people who have the space and resources to care for a pet, and choose not to. The shelter is not a library- it is a last resort and a method for controlling the out of control pet population. And my home is not a substitute shelter either. Every friend, family member, and acquaintence who knows that I volunteer at a shelter and that I have just one cat and one dog calls me when they tire of a pet. I have to endure every sad story, every threat of “If you don’t take the dog, it will be put down” and every sorry excuse for giving up on a pet when caring for it becomes inconvenient. And many of these bored pet owners lie- “The dog is not agressive. She will love your dog.” and “The tom cat has never sprayed anything. He only uses the litter box.” Until I take the pet, and find out that the sweet little kitty or doggy is an unruly terror who has no training, shreds furniture and pisses carpets, and little hope of fitting in my home. This is emotional extortion- and I have had enough of it, and enough of people who pick up a pet on a whim and assume that someone else will care for the animal when the whim is no longer entertaining. I have exactly as many pets as I have time and money to care for, and acquaintences should not rely on me to take responsibility for thier poor judgement. With the exception of the animal hoarders, most people with more than 2 or 3 cats or dogs are dealing with a level of stress and mess that most people have no time for. Crazy cat ladies and crazy dog guys are victims of irresponsible friends and neighbors who pawn off pets with sob stories. Pet lovers don’t set out to collect 10 cats and 5 dogs- they are tender hearted people with the willingness to take on the responsibility that others shrug off. And the most frustrating part of this rant? Is that if **Liberal** had explained his daughter’s fears and circumstances to me, I probably would have adopted her damn cat. And I bet at least 10 others here would have, too. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/206 "2007-01-04T20:20:38Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] Eight is a lot of cats. I wouldn’t recommend that many cats to most people. [/QUOTE] Sorry. I was being sarcastic. > [@](#): > > I think adopting a cat is a very big deal, which is why when people do it I want them to take it very very seriously. I completely agree. My point was to draw a contrast between the serious criticism of \*\*Liberal \*\*for not adopting a cat, (shoot, if you have three, what’s one more?) and the less than serious efforts of others to adopt cats. Or is everyone else at their cat threshold, but somehow \*\*Liberal \*\*is not? ANd we would know this how? ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/207 "2007-01-04T20:24:30Z")
[QUOTE=Beaucarnea] Those of us that visit/work/volunteer/ or adopt pets from shelters harbor an enormous amount of human guilt. Humans domesticated cats and dogs for our own purposes and they are now totally dependent on us. And though we cannot care for them all, careless pet owners contribute to the pet population without any sense of responsibility to the planet. The unexcusable surplus of unwanted pets suffer needlessly in shelters before they are put down, and those that run free do considerable damage to the environment. There are too many pets, and those people who can’t or won’t care for them responsibly, _shouldn’t_. You want to know why pet activists on this board are riled up? Because animals are not toys. Don’t get one if you cannot care for it properly. Many of us visit the always overcrowded shelter and wonder why people won’t spay and neuter. We frequently see purebred, clean, groomed, and well-behaved cats and dogs at shelters. We wonder where they came from. We wonder about the character and personal accountability of people who turn pets over to the shelter when they become inconvenient. The OP’s daughter is just one of many people who have the space and resources to care for a pet, and choose not to. The shelter is not a library- it is a last resort and a method for controlling the out of control pet population. And my home is not a substitute shelter either. Every friend, family member, and acquaintence who knows that I volunteer at a shelter and that I have just one cat and one dog calls me when they tire of a pet. I have to endure every sad story, every threat of “If you don’t take the dog, it will be put down” and every sorry excuse for giving up on a pet when caring for it becomes inconvenient. And many of these bored pet owners lie- “The dog is not agressive. She will love your dog.” and “The tom cat has never sprayed anything. He only uses the litter box.” Until I take the pet, and find out that the sweet little kitty or doggy is an unruly terror who has no training, shreds furniture and pisses carpets, and little hope of fitting in my home. This is emotional extortion- and I have had enough of it, and enough of people who pick up a pet on a whim and assume that someone else will care for the animal when the whim is no longer entertaining. I have exactly as many pets as I have time and money to care for, and acquaintences should not rely on me to take responsibility for thier poor judgement. With the exception of the animal hoarders, most people with more than 2 or 3 cats or dogs are dealing with a level of stress and mess that most people have no time for. Crazy cat ladies and crazy dog guys are victims of irresponsible friends and neighbors who pawn off pets with sob stories. Pet lovers don’t set out to collect 10 cats and 5 dogs- they are tender hearted people with the willingness to take on the responsibility that others shrug off. And the most frustrating part of this rant? Is that if **Liberal** had explained his daughter’s fears and circumstances to me, I probably would have adopted her damn cat. And I bet at least 10 others here would have, too. [/QUOTE] Quoted for absolute fuckin’ truth by another shelter volunteer. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/208 "2007-01-04T21:24:38Z")
[QUOTE=Beaucarnea] \With the exception of the animal hoarders, most people with more than 2 or 3 cats or dogs are dealing with a level of stress and mess that most people have no time for.\ [/QUOTE] I agree with everything you’ve posted except this - I think two cats are less work and stress than one cat. The myth that cats are solitary creatures lingers long. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/209 "2007-01-04T21:47:28Z")
[QUOTE=lisacurl] Quoted for absolute fuckin’ truth by another shelter volunteer. [/QUOTE] Fortuitous timing for you two. Ten minutes earlier, it wouldn’t have been there. ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/210 "2007-01-04T22:33:03Z")
I did not read this whole thread, and maybe I shouldn’t throw my 2 cents in, but people are up in arms about this new parent getting rid of a cat or 2, however the fact she smokes is barely registering? To me that is disgusting. I know she quit during the pregnancy, and so did the husband, but come on! Oh they smoke outside is not much better. If they really cared why the hell would they smoke? ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/211 "2007-01-04T22:40:07Z")
The smoking nannies already hit that point about 10 pages ago. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/212 "2007-01-04T22:43:39Z")
[QUOTE=Caridwen] The smoking nannies already hit that point about 10 pages ago. [/QUOTE] And were roundly pooh-poohed by the cat nannies. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/213 "2007-01-04T22:49:34Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] And were roundly pooh-poohed by the cat nannies. [/QUOTE] both groups were, however, outnumbered by all the ninnies. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/214 "2007-01-04T23:11:56Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Bobkitty, now that your witch-hunt/investigation has panned out to be nothing more than a colossal waste of everyone’s time and a cowardly attack on my daughter, I just have two things to say to you. (1) You’ve posted four times in this thread. Each time, you’ve added new analysis and speculation. My question is: why didn’t you just put it all in your first post? That’s what you’ve demanded of me. You could have saved a lot of time on both our parts if you had just gone ahead and anticipated everything you might need to say and said it all at one time. (2) Asshole. [/QUOTE] I’m sorry- can you show me where my posts have panned out to be a waste of everyone’s time, or an attack on your daughter? I mean, to be a waste of everyone’s time, I would have to be ignoring all attempts from folks asking for clarification, and simply insisting on whacking people over the head. And were I to attack your daughter, there would be no chance of misinterpreting it. It would look something like this: “Your daughter is a pitiful excuse for a pet owner. I would have had some sympathy for her, but the fact that she will toss aside a living creature who hasn’t actually done anything to deserve such a fate before she will completely give up a habit that is proven to be physically damaging to infants, tells me that she is a god-damn moron who probably shouldn’t be breeding in the first place.” Now, _that_ is an attack (though it’s one that I may not be fully invested in). Were I to have posted that in the MPSIMs thread, you would have had my blessing to play white-knight dad. If you’d care to, perhaps, accept partial responsibilty for your role in this whole thing (as I believe I have provided more than enough evidence for), or, say, admit that you’ve openly lied in this thread, then perhaps I’ll address your point #1. You are welcome to your assertion in point #2. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/215 "2007-01-04T23:23:09Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m sorry- can you show me where my posts have panned out to be a waste of everyone’s time, or an attack on your daughter? Are you serious? You mean your last post that was complete with CAPS, bolding, lists and a timeline of when people posted? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/216 "2007-01-04T23:35:54Z")
[QUOTE=bobkitty] I’m sorry- can you show me where my posts have panned out to be a waste of everyone’s time, or an attack on your daughter? [/QUOTE] Did he say everyone’s time? Or did he say your time and his time? Do you think that you and he are everyone? If so, shouldn’t you try to, you know, get along? It’s might lonely out there all by yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/217 "2007-01-05T00:20:30Z")
Svyuslly, zi fif dsy rbrtyonr. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/218 "2007-01-05T00:21:35Z")
Sorry. That was supposed to say, “Actually, I did say everyone.” ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/219 "2007-01-05T00:22:00Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Did he say everyone’s time? [/QUOTE] Yeah. > [@Liberal](#): > > Bobkitty, now that your witch-hunt/investigation has panned out to be nothing more than a colossal waste of everyone’s time ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524/220 "2007-01-05T00:30:33Z")
[QUOTE=Queuing] I did not read this whole thread, and maybe I shouldn’t throw my 2 cents in, but . . . . [/QUOTE] I have no bone to pick with this particular (unknown to me) poster, but as this thread and post show, if you feel like you shouldn’t post without reading the entire thread, there’s probably good reason for you to go with that feeling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-a-dingo-ate-your-baby/386524.md?page=12)