I live in a beautiful part rural Massachusetts in a true colonial built in 1760. We have 2 1/2 acres of wooded land. When we bought the house 1 1/2 years ago, we adopted the previous owner’s dog, a giant Samoyed named Bear because the man has MS and couldn’t take him to the assisted living home that he was moving into. Bear has been a superb dog. He is weighs over 100 pounds and I play with him every day and take him for multi-mile walks several days a week. This fall, I spent almost $600 dollars to build Bear the mother of all doghouses. It is large enough for approximately 4 adults to fit into comfortably. I built it because Samoyeds are Siberian sled dogs and cannot take hot temperatures. Last summer, we had to keep him in the house many days because he just got too hot. He has been in heaven so far this winter. It has been the snowiest in several years. Bear stays inside his doghouse when he wants to sleep and frolics around in the snow whenever he wants to play.
We were running around in the snow tonight when I decided to check the mail. I got the mail out of the mailbox in front of the driveway and then noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the snow on top. I pulled it out. It was a full-color brochure from PETA outlining how leaving dogs outside was the pinnacle of abuse. I cannot describe the horrors of the photos inside. They had pictures of dogs dead and bloated from heat exhaustion, flea-bitten tied up dogs, and abused dogs.
I cannot believe that some ignorant PETA fuck would take the time to leave this on top of our mailbox. Bear is one of the most spoiled dogs in the world. He is a Siberian sled dog for god’s sake. He begs to sleep outside and loves his giant doghouse. Bear ended up in this part of the world because a trucker found him as a puppy walking beside the road in Arizona. He brought him back to Massachusetts and gave him to the previous owner of our house.
As you can tell, I am offended but also a little worried. PETA isn’t exactly a rational organization and I don’t like the fact that they noticed and stopped by my house. What if they take Bear or just let him off of his lead in the name of freedom? :rolleyes: I do have a pellet gun and won’t hesitate to put a cap in their bum if I seem them around these parts again.
I hate them fucks. They want to euthanize my dog because of his breed. Never mind that he’s a loving, gentle, spoiled-rotten 62 lb lap dog. He looks dangerous. Other people besides me fight other dogs of his breed. He’s a pit bull. So my dog should be euthanized. It’s just not “ethical” to allow him to live, like it’s not “ethical” to allow you snow dog to play outside in the snow. :rolleyes
If he was a human, we’d call that type of prejudice racism, or bigotry or something equally uncomplimentary and assume the person who held the view to be an ignoramus.
If you can understand that rationale, perhaps you can explain to me the logic of ELF in using jugs of gasoline to burn several SUVs at a dealership, since they are ‘gas guzzlers’. Help me out, here.
PETA wants to euthanize my dogs, because 1) they’re pets held captive by a human, never mind that they were bred specifically to be fisherman’s companions, and 2) they’re rare breed dogs that I didn’t get from a shelter.
Portuguese Water Dogs run cool, but they’re not cold-weather or arctic dogs, so they can’t spend the night outside. Nope … at night, when I’m sleeping, I have a windows open and the thermostat at 60. It’s also relatively cold in here when I’m not home. It’s a small sacrifice to make for the privilege of having them share my home.
Whenever I think of PETA, I think of this college organizer moron from a number of years back who, when asked about Mosquitoes, said that he considered killing them to be murder, since they were only trying to eat like everyone else.
The guy should be run through the woods for about 10 miles on a 100 degree, 100% humidity day, then strapped to a tree next to a swampy forest pond. Or maybe with his legs stuck in it (leeches).
For a few weeks.
These people are the ultimate twips.
Meat is murder. Yup, and like Dennis Leary says, it tastes pretty damned good, doesn’t it.
And I just know that those Cows want me to drink their milk and make it into cheese. They really do! I’m certain of it!
That being said, some people who have outside dogs neglect them terribly. My neighbor was one such person. The dog was shoved outside once he grew too “big and rowdy” to live in the house. He was imprisoned a kennel pen, and had a dog house, and was fed and watered, so there was nothing illegal, but nevertheless, I felt horribly sorry for him. Out of sight, out of mind: once he was outside and grew stinky, the kids forgot his very existance, except to resentfully toss in a portion of dry kibble, or to fill his water with the garden hose. The only attention he was paid was the family shouting at him to shut up when he barked excitedly as they entered and exited the house. Not once in eight months did I see that dog out of the kennel pen.
You are a good pet owner, but when a lot of people see outside dogs, they automatically assume the same kind of neglect that my neighbor’s dog went through.
I will reitterate my point that the flyer was pointless, because if given one of them, my neighbors would have just snorted and tossed it into the trash. People like that would not be moved one iota, and would probably curse and revile PETA for sticking its collective nose in their business.
Yes, I have to wholeheartedly agree. Not only do they pull idiotic stunts like this, the worst part is that most of them are bored “junior league” types or rich kids funded by daddy who have no knowledge of animals whatsoever!!!
They come to Alaska quite frequently and are shocked almost to fainting at the “Iditarod” start. “Those poor dogs are screaming in agony” one was quoted as saying in our newspaper. (I’m sure most of you have seen at least news of dog sled races, anyone with half a brain can see that the animals are having the time of their life and cannot WAIT to run!!!).
As you say, that type of dog loves the cold and it would in fact be real abuse were you to make him stay inside.
Have you contacted your local PETA office to let them know that someone who is completely ignorant of animal behaviour left the flyer? I would certainly lodge a formal complaint, just in case.
Which proves our point about their lack of knowledge re: animals.
Mosquitos do NOT “suck your blood” to feed. Only the female mosquito does it, and it isn’t for food for her, but part of the egg-laying cycle. (don’t ask me more, that was in 8th grade which was eons ago, and that’s all I remember, lol).
Perhaps the humanitarian thing to do is organize legions of PETA members, stationed adjacent to swampy areas and other environs of mosquito larvae such that they become one with the creatures they so adore.
I wholeheartedly agree. The dogs have huge doggy grins, and are prancing and dancing while waiting for the start. I belive strongly in animals’ rights to be free from unnecessary cruelty, and this ain’t it. Them are some happy dogs!
According to a documentary I saw on Iditarod, they have special vets who are dispatched by helicopter if a dog appears to be injured or disspirited.
Well, he’s right in one sense . . . it’s not the bug’s fault she’s a mosquito, and all of Earth’s creatures have to eat, but that won’t keep me from smashing the bitch if she tries to feed off of me! It’s a hard, cruel world, and I have fast hands. Survival of the fittest, m’dear.
I support PETA in their efforts to try and ensure that food animals live in decent conditions are killed in humane manners. I’m an omnivore, and frankly, I feel that there’s nothing wrong with eating an animal. Is a lion a mass murderer? But, I’d like to think that the animal I’m eating was in living in a humane, clean environment, and was killed as painlessly as possible, which is why I boycott fast-food, and try, if at all possible, to buy free-range products.
I understand your concern. However, before you panic, check with your neighbors to be sure that this was not just a general posting throuh the neighborhood, since it is now winter. They may not have actually singled you out.
-Actually, there’s sometimes upwards of a dozen vets involved. Yes, a helicopter might be used in certain situations, but actually, there’s already a vet prestationed at almost each one of the checkpoints.
And we’re not just talking the turn-your-head-and-cough type, most of them are qualified surgeons, and a few have extensive knowledge on the esoterica, such as cardiology or even veterinary oncology.
The Iditarod sled dogs get some of the best treatment of any “working” animal alive. To the musher, that dog is not just a possession, it’s a pet, family member and an animal upon which the owner is literally trusting his or her life.
Iditarod rules mandate rest periods, for both driver and dogs, the animals are fed high-fat, high-protein food (usually real meat, not “kibble”) and given mats of clean straw (outdoors- like Bear, these dogs would burn up indoors) while each are carefully checked over in turn by the vet during the break.
Seriously, I wouldn’t worry too much about this. These people are brochure-happy and will plaster anything in sight if they think there’s the slightest chance someone might read their manifesto. They also, as tomndebb pointed out, occasionally stage neighborhood-wide mailbox campaigns, so it’s unlikely you were singled out. In fact, not too long ago I got a brochure from these people about the evils of circuses, and I am certainly not running a circus. You were probably just a random target. Don’t sweat it.
On the other hand, I have to agree with Lissa: there is an unfortunate number of shitheads who will leave their dog chained outside all the time, regardless of weather or anything else. Maybe some well-intentioned but clueless neighbor thought s/he was helping you out? A lot of people are pretty clueless about dogs in general, and rare breeds in particular, and whoever put the brochure in your mailbox (assuming they did single you out) might not realize that your dog is in fact a sled dog, and given a choice, would much rather spend the day romping in the snow than sitting around the house.
Either way, I seriously doubt anything will come of it. PETA-types love to stage big rallies and hand out their flyers, but when it comes to actually doing anything, they tend to balk. You might want to keep an eye on Bear when he’s in the yard, though, just in case, and do not hesitate to call the police the second a stranger goes near your dog in your own yard. But really, this is unlikely- these people are much more the type to just place an anonymous cal to animal control. If (god forbid) that happens, they’ll send somebody by the house, and when the officer sees what a happy, healthy, and exceptionally well-cared for dog you have, s/he will just apologize for the inconvenience, and chalk it up to another overly-concerned and badly misinformed do-gooder.
Best of luck to you, and keep us posted. Give Bear a pat from me.
I third that sled-dogs are well-treated. When I lived up North, I learned that sled-dogs are tricked out with little doggie booties so they don’t hurt their paws, and have little doggie diapers on if it’s too cold (so their little doggie balls don’t freeze off). Yeah, it gets pretty cold up there.
What tomndebb said. If you poke around and it turns out you were singled out, I suggest that you write PETA a friendly (this is important) letter, telling them all the things about your dog that you told us in your OP: the particular needs of his breed, how he ended up where he is, how much care you give him. Leave the letter on your mailbox if the brochure you received has no address on it.
If they are reasonable, they will leave you alone. If they are reasonable.
