Dog lovers aren’t animal lovers

Don't we all look the other way regarding animal welfare when it suits us though? I've only ever adopted dogs from rescue centres and believe I do a good job looking after them and fulfilling their needs. I'm also a vegetarian, not because I have any issue with eating meat in itself but because I think it's entirely wrong to treat animals like future ingredients and not sentient beings. But then I do still drink milk knowing what that entails for the mother and calf, so I am a hypocrite too.

Yep, funny that 🤔

My cousin has these little terriers that always come with a docked tail. I asked him why and he said 'oh, I don't know, the breeder did it, it's a working dog'. It's a tiny fluffy little fucker that lives in the centre of a big city. Working as what?

He also let's them bark like mad and run away into the road every time he opens the front door. Leaves them alone all day with only water?

I don't know if that's normal but one he had died when it was hit by a car after only a couple of months with him!

This absolutely. I’m a first time dog owner and I thought I wanted a different breed. I posted on the Doghouse and had my arse handed to me and told to get a more suitable breed instead. I listened to them and got my Labrador.

It’s people who get say, a Border Collie and don’t exercise it or any other types of breed that never get to fulfill the purpose that they were bred for in the first place. I’m not saying you have to have a heard of sheep to get a BC, but they absolutely need so many opportunities to exercise and use their stunning brains. Better suited to a rural lifestyle or with plenty of opportunities to do something similar to what they were bred for

No update from OP either.

🥱

I would argue that no one is an animal lover if they are not vegan. 🤷

Aww another dog owners goady threat. Not had one for a while

Yes, and there’s a massive difference between a cat that is allowed out but chooses to stay in, and a cat who isn’t given the choice.

One of mine only really goes out to lie on the patio or to sleep in next doors garden, and often chooses to lie just inside the doorway - but at least he has a choice.

It’s not that people aren’t dog lovers it’s more that they are ignorant of animal welfare and lack knowledge of breed specifics.

First time dog owners often can’t see past the image of the dog they would like and don’t understand the breed requirements.

I agree
keeping a pet is a major comitment. it's expensive and time consuming.
imo it is very difficult to give a dog all it needs to be happy & healthy and all aspects should be considered before getting one.

You know you look after her and that's all that matters x

The dog I look after is fed vegan food.
I thought that was awful, so did some research to convince the owner. There wasn't one reason not to, which surprised me. Shouldn't have, as he loves his grub and is very healthy.

*Stellaris22 *
I couldn't agree more. I used to have dogs, but l'm currently doggy sitting a little dog (favour to a friend, not a business) and l feel so sorry for him.
He's very flat faced, obviously brachycephalic, and he's very snorty at the best of times. But when he's eating, it's horrendous. He struggles to breathe, and food goes all over the place, l suspect because he's trying to eat with his mouth open.
It concerns me, especially when he's in my care, l keep thinking he's going to choke.

I can't imagine ever having another dog myself, but there's no way on this earth that l'd consider a breed like this if l did.
His owner is lovely, he's very much loved and looked after, but l'm pretty sure his quality of life is affected by the way he's been bred.

I don't understand why anyone would choose a breed known to have health issues. There are plenty of well rounded healthy breeds out there. I have known several pug owners who had had to put them through operations so they can breath properly, some who who stand there and laugh when their dogs pass out when they get excited. And they are all very overweight too.

My dog does sometime poo in her sleep (the long night time sleep). She is not distressed by it (she is fast asleep and does not notice), and we have regular quality of life checks with the vet. So I don't think that point is fair at all. You need to look at the bigger picture on that.

A 'sausage dog' is not a designer breed. It was bred for hunting. I own one and he doesn't have a jumper, I don't carry him in a handbag and he needs exercise and mental exercise daily. (I can just imagine the side eye from him if I tried to pop him in my handbag or dress him up 😂). He walks for miles.
The problem we have is people suddenly see them (Dachshunds) as cute - which they are - but they are not a dog for the faint hearted, they are a hound with hound traits. They have big attitude and personality, so whatever you think of a Dachshund, they do not come under a designer breed.

However there will be some that will be bred for people who want one because they think they're cute (and no doubt in a variety of coat colours 🙄) & they will be badly bred to meet demand, owned by people who don't do their research into what a Dachshund needs in terms of exercise etc, which is what happened to the French Bulldog sadly.

I agree that dogs that are bred who can't breathe, or not able to manage long walks, or just not fully function as a dog should be phased out. Dogs are not and should never be a fashion accessory.
I also agree re cats being kept inside, to me that is cruel (edited to add: Unless for health reasons)

There are some cats who don't like the outside.

Yes - keeping them in for health reasons or during a storm etc. is one thing, but never allowing them outside is just awful IMO - why would you get an animal designed to hunt and roam and just keep it locked up inside? I don’t get it.

My cat was injured recently so we kept him inside for a couple of days, he was very upset being stuck indoors and couldn’t wait to go outside again.

Keeping them inside when injured or new to an area is sensible, but I feel they get enjoyment from freedom.

Why? I also feel sorry for rabbits kept in hutches and birds locked in cages - it’s cruel. If you’re not willing to let your cat be a cat then you shouldn’t have one.

Well my identity includes "feeding the flies to feed the birds" - everybody feeds the damn bees, but I feed the uglier critters too.

I've kept hens, and they're rather brutish animals - being hen-pecked is not a pretty sight, they almost killed each other if you don't intervene!

I grow my own veg, and do compost cycling to get a good worm population in. I chuck the attendant robin a few worms whilst I do so.

I own a rescue cat, who tackles the bigger, uglier rats in the garden, and I keep my cat away from the fox cubs living in the shed.

But I also eat meat.

I personally don’t think you can give a cat a proper life when it’s trapped inside your home. It’s no different to locking a rabbit inside a hutch or a bird inside a cage.

And I say that as someone who used to have indoor cats as I felt they were safer inside - they were - but they also had a poor life locked up indoors - never feeling the sun on their faces, the wind in their fur or the grass on their paws. Two of those cats now go outside and are a million times happier - one sadly passed away unexpectedly and my biggest regret is not allowing her to go outside.

The KC's job is to force dog breeds into very restrictive molds often at the expense of their health & longevity but to the HUGE benefit of breeders.

Frenchies can't even breed naturally or give birth naturally in the majority of cases for 'pedigree' examples. How grotesque is that? We've rendered an animal utterly useless.

Feeling sorry for indoor cats is plain bizarre.

I agree that people shut their eyes to a lot, but that applies to absolutely everything we do. I think the only thing people can do is tread as lightly as we can.

I’ve only ever had rescue mutts, and I couldn’t go to a breeder, but he eats animal protein (plus a lot of sweet potato etc), and the poo bags (and contents), food packaging and transport, the medications that they take, all of that has an impact. I try to offset him (and me) by not over-consuming in other areas. He also has company all day every day, two walks and a fenced garden. I wouldn’t have a dog if it couldn’t have that.