No, but your suggestion in thisthread about what do to to shut up a barking dog, gives me serious doubt as to your apologetic response in this thread.
In short - you’re everything I said in that thread. Squared.
I see that you’re taking my suggestion about staying out of the gene pool seriously. Good.
Does it occur to any-one else that we pet-owners maybe a little (just a tad, mind you), how shall I put this?
Nuts.
The vigor with which we defend not just our own pets, whom we know and love, but even animals whom we have never met!
Our automatic response to ‘it’s me or the dogs’ (‘bye’).
Etc.
I can’t disagree with anyone here (except myself, of course), but I would find the level of our conviction scary if it were in relation to, as an example, religion.
Not really. A lot of people consider their pets to be their children. If not their children, certainly members of their family.
Would it appear odd if a potential significant other said it’s me or your kid/niece/brother whatever, and you automatically said my kid/niece/brother whatever?
Certainly not! In fact, people would probably wonder what was wrong with you if you didn’t answer that way!
If you’ve had a pet for a number of years, it’s not at all suprising that you’d kick anyone who suggested you “get rid of it” to the curb. I wouldn’t expect anything less.
Also, animals don’t really have a voice. So to me we need to be the voice of reason regarding them. i don’t think I phrased that correctly, but I know what I mean, darn it.
You mean your pets don’t speak? I thought everyone’s did.
Well, I can understand them. Duh! But I have to let everyone else in on what they are saying
You obviously have never met my family.
(And check out my 2nd to last post.)
You are making unwarranted an assumption there. I will bet you five dollars (to be donated to the loser’s local animal shelter) that I have more pet-years in my life than you.
My point is, our pets are a different species (if yours aren’t I don’t want to know about it) (but your local police might …); they are profoundly different from us (except The Perfect Dog, of course).
And we not only take the side (sides?) of our own dogs and cats against other humans, we take that of dogs and cats whom we have never met and whose owners we have never met except through little print letters on a computer terminal.
I tell you, we’re nuts. Here’s a test:
You are walking past a full grown male Rottwieler chained in a yard with no fence, lunging to the end of the chain, growling and bark fit to beat the probverbial band. Your first thought is:
a.) His crazy owner should put up a fence, too.
b.) I hope the chain holds.
c.) Poor baby, left chained outside like that.
We all would think ©, right?
Nuts.
I would absolutely think B) before I think C). If you see a large Rottweiler lunging at you, your first thoughts are of self-preservation, not the well-being of the dog.
I would think (D) That stupid owner doesn’t deserve to have a dog, look how he’s probably ruined this one.
dantheman:
Actually, no.
I was in this situation (well, there was a fence, but only four feet high).
EVERY time I walked past that dog my first thought was ‘Poor baby.’ (Followed closely by, ‘Hope the chain holds.’)
Once, on my way to work, there was (ominously) no barking. I looked around; the dog was loose on the other side of the street. What was my reaction? I started toward the dog’s property to open the gate.
Fortunately, sanity struck (I wouldn’t open a Lab’s gate).
I stood on the side walk calling for the owner for a full minute; if the owner hadn’t come out, I probably would have tried to borrow a broom or something from a neighbor to open the gate for that damn dog. There was no way I was going to leave that rottweiler loose. Why?
She might have gotten in trouble; I wouldn’t want her to suffer for her owner’s irresponsibility.
(I know I said male in my post, but I didn’t know she was female until the owner said, ‘She won’t hurt you.’ Who really checks out a dog?)
Weirdly enough, she didn’t seem to be. When she got loose she just wandered a bit to check out the other side of the street. She wasn’t upset by me, standing in the street shout my head off (oh, that’s another thing; I stood in the middle of the street calling to the owner, just in case she decided to go back to her yard. I didn’t want some fool barrelling down the street on the way to work to hit her.) And she returned to her yard as soon as the owner called her.
It was like all the barking and fussing was her job, but she didn’t take it too seriously.
But don’t ask me about the dog that lived next door to me …
I’m confused. The dog was loose on the other side of the street, so you walked to its own gate to open it. You italicize this action as if it’s unthinkable, or at least dangerous.
How is this dangerous? Dog’s on the other side of the street, not the gate. And you also say you wouldn’t open a gate for a Lab. Why not? Did you mention that breed merely to note that you wouldn’t open the gate for any dog to get back to its own property? (Or by “Lab” did you mean “laboratory”? I’m lost.)
You’re concerned for the dog’s safety, but you won’t open the gate. How come? Was it an electric gate?
Second, of course if you walk by the same dog every day and see the same sight, you’ll very quickly stop wondering if the chain will hold, since you’ve seen it hold day after day. But if you’re telling me that the very first time you saw that full-grown rottweiler lunging at you, you didn’t flinch back a little… well, I’m not quite sure I buy that. That would go against human nature.
Third, what do you mean, “Actually, no”? Was my answer wrong? I think what you mean is that “No, that wasn’t the case for me in one instance.”
Not to mention, in the “IMHO” thread “Likes. Dislikes that would cause you to write off a person” you certainly didn’t have a problem judging whether you would write a person off for owning a cat.
Kinda hypocritical.
Not only that, but we’ve made a committment to another living creature.
When you get a pet, it’s not just a lark. You are, in effect, making a contract. If I get this dog/cat/bird, I will care for it and love it for its lifetime, not “until I get bored”.
They are living, loving creatures, and they bond with “their” humans. They’re not a knick knack or hobby that you put in the attic or throw away if they get inconvenient.
Rather than the person saying “if you loved/liked me, you’d get rid of your pet” they should realize that if they are ASKING that of the person they profess to love/like, that maybe, JUST maybe they might consider that THAT person is not the person for them, and they should find another pet hater.
I would think (D) What’s a Rottie doing acting like that??? All the ones I know are big cuddle bugs. The only dangerous thing about a Rottie is well, errrr that little digestive problem they have…it’s a bit odiferous 
The hair and drool is a bit of a problem too, other than that, they’re almost “THE Perfect Dog”.
One should never infringe on the territory of a dog to whom one is not known.
(I envision myself being introduce to a full-size poodle at tea.)
Rott was across the street, but that was her gate to her yard and I was not a member of her pack. No, touching her gate could have been dangerous. Bad idea. Stupid.
Labs have weaker jaws; Labs can breaks skin, Rotts can break bone; anatomy, not prejudice . Furthermore, retrievers are selected (and trained) for obedience (you have to be able to take fresh meat from their mouths); herders and guard dogs for more independance of action. You have to respect them for what they are.
God’s truth, my first thought was ‘poor dog’. (But, hell, even after I knew she was well trained, I flinched.)
I always crossed the street to her side and spoke to her while walking passed her house. I wanted her to get used to me.
In your final sentence, you use ‘you’, not ‘I’. (Not being pendantic; that is to what I was replying.)
[Preach]
This was not the point of my post, but it should be made: dogs are dogs, not our babies or our bestest friends or our little sweetie pies. We (dog owners) have to recognize that they are a different species living in a world dominated by our species. We need to understand their world view in order to train them how to live in our world.
To treat our dogs as our ‘babies’ and fail to give them what we give our children, adequate training in the accepted rules by which they can live in our world, is cruel and disrespectful of the dog.
If we fail our dogs in this matter, the consequences could be worse than our children might experience. When dogs fails to obey the dictates of society, society can kill them.
You have to respect them for what they are.
[/Preach]
I kinda meant “you” in the generic sense, but still - I wasn’t clear about it. My fault.
I don’t think the gate of a dog is its territory, and if I saw a dog in the street out of its yard, I wouldn’t think twice about opening its gate, as long as I was sure that’s where it came from. (And I don’t see how opening the gate with a broom would be okay with the dog, but opening it with your hand would not.)
elmwood, glad to hear you’re moving back to Cleveland…you’re going to be within striking distance of Mighty Taco again. (Heh!)
I have to say I’m not surprised this happened on match dot com. When I was on that site, it seemed to have a habit of calling anybody and everybody my “100% match.” You could say your hobbies were writing, playing basketball, and the opera, and your “100% matches” would be people who were interested in surfing, eating, and digging holes in the ground. One of my “100% matches” was only interested in dating black men, which was a shame as I’m not black. I too got matched with smokers when I requested non-smokers only. Psycho match probably took the “100% match” idea just a bit too far.
Sadly, we don’t train our children any better than we train our dogs. And children may also be destroyed if they don’t obey the dictates of society. The only difference is that dogs are destroyed for lesser offenses.
I had some 37 yr old turkey from Miami (5 hours away from me)
send me a message that said
“Saw your picture and profile, think its great I MUST MEET YOU. Call my cell at XXXX”
First off my profie states I am looking for someone in their late 40’s to early 50’s in MY city and I DON"T HAVE A FREAKING PICTURE ON THE PROFILE!!!
READ THE FREAKING PROFILE!