# Papsett, "The Rainbow Bridge," dog killing, and bullshit New Age pet philosophy **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 21, 2005, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055 "2005-11-21T08:27:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/81 "2005-11-22T00:06:22Z")
Anna, sometimes doing the right thing is difficult. But the decision you made was the right one and you made it for the right reasons. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/82 "2005-11-22T00:10:40Z")
**PapSett** - You did the right thing, both in giving Jake a chance and in knowing when to let go of him. Take comfort in that, and feel better as soon as you can. ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/83 "2005-11-22T00:10:56Z")
Ditto Little Nemo. You did a difficult and painful thing that became absolutely necessary to protect the safety of your pets and yourself. The damage was pretty obviously done before Papsett got hold of Jake. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/84 "2005-11-22T00:14:07Z")
**Papsett** , I’m so very very sorry for what happened. And I’m also sorry for **VCO3** ’s shitting all over your grief. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/85 "2005-11-22T00:17:24Z")
Oh for Og’s sake. Your whole problem is you can’t deal with the fact that others have beliefs that you don’t? Grow up! As long as the person is peaceful, and law abiding, doing no one (including you) harm, they have a right to live the Creed they choose. You actually have no say in that matter, just as they have no say in your right not to believe in such things. You gripe about intolerance, look in the mirror. You’re complaining about the thing you dislike about yourself. So, grow up and work on changing that trait. Learn to be more tolerant. It’ll be good for you. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/86 "2005-11-22T00:19:12Z")
Anna, honestly, this idiot would have been yelling at you if you hadn’t done the right thing and Jake had gotten to one of your other pets. You don’t have to defend yourself, but I understand feeling like you should. My friend recently put down her…uh, some big dog, that had major aggression problems. They tried like hell for a while, but just couldn’t do it. Mastiff! That’s what it was. Anyway, they also had two other rescue dogs and a rescue cat, and they feared for their lives. People who take in rescue animals are to be admired. It’s hard to try and work through the issues cruel unfeeling humans have left behind, and sometimes you just can’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![VegemiteMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@VegemiteMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegemiteMoose)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/87 "2005-11-22T00:21:56Z")
You know, I was thinking that at least **VC03** had the brains not to dump his shit in the original thread and then, damn, he dumps it in a similar thread. Care to apologize for post #14 in this thread as well **VC03**? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/88 "2005-11-22T01:38:37Z")
> [@VegemiteMoose](#): > > You know, I was thinking that at least **VC03** had the brains not to dump his shit in the original thread and then, damn, he dumps it in a similar thread. Care to apologize for post #14 in this thread as well **VC03**? Link doesn’t work. Again, please? Though why I’d want to read yet more logorrhea from that cretin, I do not know. ---
**Author:** ![VegemiteMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@VegemiteMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegemiteMoose)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/89 "2005-11-22T01:43:51Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Link doesn’t work. Again, please? > > Though why I’d want to read yet more logorrhea from that cretin, I do not know. Oops.[Try this one.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=345829) ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/90 "2005-11-22T01:50:58Z")
Oh. Yeh, I saw that and wanted to smack him but decided to ignore the fuckwit instead. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/91 "2005-11-22T06:00:59Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > I genuinely feel that that’s what happened here, especially because we’re not exactly talking about a dog that savaged a child or tore out the mailman’s throat. The OP used the “Rainbow Bridge,” even saying things like “look up my old gang [of dead pets] when you’re there” and “I didn’t really feel bad about putting the dog down because he’s just going back to the Rainbow Bridge,” making it explicitly clear that this is a literal belief. You weren’t in her shoes. You didn’t have to drag the growling, snarling dog away. She deemed it a threat. You weren’t there. Unless you have astral projection or something, you wouldn’t know. Geez, you are a joy at funeral, aren’t you? > [@](#): > > What happened to the SDMB? You used to at least be able to find an even split on most issues, especially ones like this. This shit is like living in an episode of _Gilmore Girls_. Does it ever occur to you, for once, that you are utterly, completely, totally, **wrong**? ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/92 "2005-11-22T06:05:33Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > Well, I don’t think we’re living in an M.L.A.-citeable living document that conforms to style guides and standards, so I think the board runs on its own rules and inherent sense of intuitive style. Since we have a built-in “quoting mechanism” - the ability to place direct quotes in their own boxes - the old-fashioned system of using " " for direct quotes inherently and automatically becomes a paraphrasing mechanism. In other words, there are no “quote boxes” in traditional text, but since there are in hypertext, they replace the traditional " " brackets for quoting. Actually! Since there’s already a “quote” tag, why can’t you use that? ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/93 "2005-11-22T06:51:01Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > You’re kidding, right? I posted an OP that some people disagree with. How is it that the resulting barrage of personal attacks, insults, “fuckknuckles” and the like aren’t “jerk behavior” but my OP is? Um, not some people disagree with. ALL people disagree with. Stupidity and one is a majority eh? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/94 "2005-11-22T07:01:49Z")
I look forward to VCO3’s response to PapSett’s post. ---
**Author:** ![blackhobyah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blackhobyah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackhobyah)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/95 "2005-11-22T11:03:31Z")
I posted in both of those threads, and from what I read **Papsett** has had dogs for a lot of years, it’s just that she’s not had a Bloodhound before. I’ve never owned a Bloodhound, but my understanding of them is that they are, in general, very mild-tempered, easy going dogs, and that the kind of aggression (which was more serious than simply growling at another dog) showed by Jake is not usual in the breed. Anyone who has spent intelligent time around dogs will be quite clear about what is normal dog behaviour, and what is not. Generally, dog-dog and dog-human aggression are different behaviours; the fact that Jake showed aggression to both another dog, and to a human, strongly suggests a dog with some serious problems. Having seen something similiar in a dog I owned, and which I posted about in the second thread, there is a distinct and terrifying difference between normal dog interaction, even with some aggressive behaviour, and the kind of thing Papsett described. The fact that the rescue worker so quickly agreed that Jake should be euthanised, also suggests that she wasn’t overly surprised by his behaviour. While it is possible that work with a behaviouralist who specialises in aggression and resource guarding, might have turned Jake around, such training requires enormous dedication from an owner, with no guarantee of success. In Papsett’s case there was no way to guarantee her safety, the safety of others in the house, or of her other pets. The rescue group were clearly unwilling to take Jake back, so in the circumstances I think she made a very difficult and distressing, but responsible decision. Frankly, there are too many dogs of good temperament in need of a home already, for someone to risk her own safety and that of her other dogs, in going to great lengths to keep alive an unstable and possibly unsafe dog. How Papsett chooses to characterise a truly awful decision is up to her, I don’t see anything in her posts which suggests she made that decision lightly. I think this is an unfair pitting, and one which displays a fair bit of ignorance about the nature of dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Exploding\_Kitchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Exploding\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exploding_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/96 "2005-11-22T11:10:23Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > What I’m positing is that it seems that the OP allowed the idea of magical fairytale land of the “Rainbow Bridge” - a concept that’s based on a _piece of glurge_ - to justify killing her own dog, and as a sane and loving pet owner, I find that completely and utterly appalling and unacceptable. Having read this rant, your response, and other threads by you, I feel the need to take issue with the part of your OP in which you claim that you are sane. Obviously, this is not the case. ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/97 "2005-11-22T14:48:15Z")
I should let this thread pass me by, but I cant. I really think the jump on VC03 bandwagon is full, and some people need to get off. I agree with all that the pitting was out of line. I read the thread and think she did the right thing. Pitting her might have been insensitive, but my God…alot of you have taken a silly pitting and turned into a bash fest! Disagree with him all you want, but come on, is the best the SDMB can do is “fuckwit” “cretin”, “fucktard”? I expected better, and am disapointed. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/98 "2005-11-22T15:16:20Z")
> [@Dob](#): > > I should let this thread pass me by, but I cant. I really think the jump on VC03 bandwagon is full, and some people need to get off. I agree with all that the pitting was out of line. I read the thread and think she did the right thing. > > Pitting her might have been insensitive, but my God…alot of you have taken a silly pitting and turned into a bash fest! Disagree with him all you want, but come on, is the best the SDMB can do is “fuckwit” “cretin”, “fucktard”? I expected better, and am disapointed. Consider us antibodies responding to an infection of the SDMB body. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/99 "2005-11-22T15:48:23Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I look forward to VCO3’s response to PapSett’s post. Unfortunately, I doubt he’s man enough to respond. PapSett, I’m so very sorry. We just “rescued” our new baby from a shelter - he had been unadoptable by two previous people, and thankfully, it is working out PERFECTLY with our family - I can only imagine the pain you must feel going through this. You’re in my thoughts… ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055/100 "2005-11-22T16:37:01Z")
So, I read the OP, read the linked thread, and thought, “this will end badly.” And so it has. Sorry, **PapSett** , for your grief. I’d make it better, if I could. However, I applaud your actions - they were the actions of a responsible pet owner, awful as they were. I live next to some irresponsible pet owners, and live in fear of some kid (or my own nieces!) being chewed up by their German Shepard. Gods, I hate that dog. Thank you for taking responsibility for your pets. I’m sorry it played out as it did, I’m sorry you had to make such an awful decision, but you done good, kid. Snicks [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/papsett-the-rainbow-bridge-dog-killing-and-bullshit-new-age-pet-philosophy/332055.md?page=6)