I had a co-worker a few years ago who had 3 big dogs. I can’t remember what they were, but she showed me pictures of them, and they were huge. They stayed sectioned off in the kitchen during the day when she, her husband, and her daughter were at work/school. When they got home, the dogs went out back. When they went to bed, the dogs went back in the kitchen. Just before I left that job, she had gotten rid of one because of “behavior issues” and replaced it that very same week with a . . . Saint Fucking Bernard.
Now why might a bigass dog who gets locked in a smallass kitchen with two other bigass dogs all day every day have behavior issues? :rolleyes:
That brings me to my neighbors. They have 3 bigass dogs. Not quite as big as my former co-worker’s dogs, but big. Lab-sized. Mutts, I think, but I’ve only seen them in glimpses. Every morning around 6:00 they come out barking like all Hell is at their heels. They keep that up for an hour or two, and then settle down until the slightest little noise happens anywhere in the neighborhood and they’re off again. Seriously, just the sound of me opening my front door will set them off for 5 solid minutes. Anything louder and they could be going for 15 or 20 minutes. Sometime between 9:00 and 11:00 every night, they’ll work every dog in the neighborhood up and have canine rock concert. It’s maddening. I have no doubt that the neighbors just lock them away in kennels or some corner every night-- I can’t imagine them dumping the dogs outside all day every day and then cuddling up with them when they finally bring them inside.
(These neighbors aren’t friendly, btw, and would probably just tell me to fuck off if I said anything, and the cops here don’t respond to barking dog complaints. I’m thinking about contacting our HOA about it, but I don’t know if they could/would do anything.)
But seriously, what the FUCK is the point of maintaining a pack of eating/pooping machines that you clearly don’t give a flying fart about?
I have no idea, since we got a dog so that we would have a loving companion who enjoys interacting with us. Plus, it’s good for us. You know, cuddles and play and petting and walks. I can’t imagine going to bed at night now, without me, husband–and doggie in the middle.
We’re the same way. Our dog is part of our family. She follows us from room to room because we all interact with each other a lot. Her name was my son’s first word. I think some people just want big “cool”-looking animals to be in command of. It’s ridiculous.
My girlfriend’s parents keep a dog chained the backyard all the time. She has a doghouse, but still, she’s got to be lonely. I keep telling her that we should buy the dog from the parents and find a good home for her, but she always “forgets.”
I just chalk it up to another inscrutable aspect of human behavior.
My best friend growing up had a dog he kept chained up out back. It was a chow named . . . Chow. He went out there once a day and cautiously put a bowl of food down near the outer limits of Chow’s reach (he had bit a few people.) I asked him why he never let him off the chain, and he said that Chow would run straight into the road and get hit by a car if he did. One day he let him off the chain, and Chow ran straight into the road and got hit by a car.
I wonder if, for some people, having a dog is the next thing to check off on some “adult life” list. You graduate from high school, you go to college or get a job, you graduate from college and get a job or get promoted in the job you’ve had since high school, you get married and/or have children (not necessarily in that order), you buy or rent a house rather than an apartment…and the next step is that you get a dog.
Not one a’ them sissy cats, a DOG. That stays in the yard and BARKS, 'cause that protects your property. Or something.
I do seem to see the mindset of “dog = signature of adult life” in some people who own those poor creatures.
My old next-door neighbours had one of these dogs too. The poor thing would escape the yard regularly (who could blame her?) and run free around the area. Owner never went looking for the dog, just waited for it to come back. After living there a while I found this dog was also not spayed. You can probably guess how I found that out.
Anyways, I always assumed that these people thought they wanted dog, or thought their children should have a dog, but were not ready for the realities of properly caring for said dog. There probably is an element of that ‘it’s an adult thing to do’ mentality to it.
It seems weird to me because my dog is very rarely outside by himself for any significant length of time - he goes on walks and usually to the dog park every day, and of course he goes outside to do his business, but he doesn’t seem at all into staying out there without his people, and we’d rather have him inside with us. Quite apart from his important function as a cuddly bed-warmer, he makes a good security system. I feel better sleeping in the house alone knowing he woud deter an intruder and wake me up with his barking. I don’t see how that would work if he was outside just barking his fool head off at any old thing.
Sounds like they are there to “protect the house”. My next door neighbor has a Boxer for that purpose apparently - the dog barks at the slightest disturbance in the area and slams on their gate so hard I’m surprised it hasn’t broken down. He’s out in the yard all day and sleeps in the garage at night.
I guess it’s better than being dead or living on the streets but sheesh, I feel bad when I don’t have time for all of my dogs every day!
I hate owners like that My two boxers are spoiled beyond belief; they nap on our bed all day so they’ll be ready to play when we get home. They’re outside alone only to chase the squirrels out of the yard and to go to the bathroom. Heck my husband bought a love seat to use at his computer desk so the dogs could sit beside him while he was playing. I can’t imagine treating a pet that way.
Large parts of the world keep dogs solely as guards for homes or domestic stock. They regard us as weird for letting them in the house and even weirder for treating them like furry people.
Our old neighbour (moved away now) had a golden lab that they kept out back, chained in a dog house. We always felt sorry for her. She spent every day, and every night alone. Sometimes one of the kids would play with her for a while, but she had a very lonely existence. “Why would anyone pay good money for a dog, and then leave her chained out back?” we thought constantly.
Even in the winter, the dog stayed outside in the dog house. One day, in the middle of winter, and after a cold snap (-25C) the dog was suddenly gone. We thought maybe they came to their senses and brought her inside. They didn’t. Apparently the dog “got sick” and died. We knew she froze to death.
My pups have a doggie door that they go through to the fenced-in back yard to do their business (walks are for walking). But mostly they hang inside…alternating between the lazyboy and couch. I never knew dogs slept so much.
However, my lab mix does feel like she is mayor of the neighborhood, and our boxer mix is her second-in-command. Our house backs up to a small park. And several people in the neighborhood will bring their dogs to the park and take them off their leashes (illegally); most commonly hitting tennis balls with a racket, etc… This activity makes my dogs go nuts.
It annoys me that people take their dogs off the leash basically in my back yard. There are literally tons of dog parks around here. But maybe I am mostly annoyed because my dogs are barking like crazy, and I am kind of embarrassed. All they want to do is establish their territory, and likely play. They LOVE other dogs, and are way more interested in dogs than other humans. (Of course they are mostly interested in catching squirrels, but…).
This is how I* ended up with six dogs. Two were chosen, two were feral rescues, and then the two that came from people who wanted a dog, but then never interacted with with the new pet.
Charlie, our beagle, was kept in the backyard alone while other beagles they owned were allowed in the house. He was starved for attention. The owners said that he wouldn’t hunt, and that they were allergic to only him. (I don’t believe that for a minute.)
Chiwi, the 3 year old chiweenie, was brought home by my daughter last month when she was visiting a friend. Friend’s roommates had the dog, but didn’t feed him regularly and did not give him medical attention. Within a week, I had him at the vet getting neutered, vaccinated, and getting his umbilical hernia repaired. He is very happy in his new pack.
*Two adults in the household to care for them and love them. They are mostly indoors, but have a huge “dog” yard that is theirs to destroy. Another 1.25 acres for them to run and play on.
The development organization Heifer International has a number of training ranches throughout the US. In these facilities they refine their training programs and livestock care procedures so they can go to developing countries and teach them how to care for livestock. My family has been spending part of our summer at the one closest to us each year recently. One of the things they do, since they’re focused on natural, sustainable, low-tech livestock management, is use sheep dogs. When we were being introduced to the ranch, they would tell us VERY SPECIFICALLY, do NOT play with the dogs, or treat them as pets. These are WORKING DOGS and if you teach them that their place is with you, playing, or being part of your pack, then they will become useless for their real purpose, which is to patrol the sheep meadow.
Human-canine relationships can be very diverse. There’s no reason to believe someone who treats a dog as a servant instead of a family member is being a bad owner.
That’s fine, but I don’t think any of the dogs in this thread are being trained or used as working animals. My neighbors dogs are so constantly going nuts that no one would know the difference if an intruder showed up. And a security system that can be defeated with a couple hot dogs is useless to me.
My two boxers are spoiled beyond belief; they nap on our bed all day so they’ll be ready to play when we get home. They’re outside alone only to chase the squirrels out of the yard and to go to the bathroom. Heck my husband bought a love seat to use at his computer desk so the dogs could sit beside him while he was playing. I can’t imagine treating a pet that way.