Dog lovers aren’t animal lovers

I know? I didn’t say they weren’t different things?
As a whole, the domestic dog has evolved to have humans as companions.

Specific breeds do this in specific ways. So a GSD wants to be with their human about as much as a lab but a GSD will try to ‘herd’ and will be more protective and territorial whereas your lab is a retriever and will want to bring you things.

Massive simplification there of course but hopefully you get what I am trying to say.

For a small number of dog - social dogs. A large proportion don't want to socialise with other dogs.

Evolution and breeding are different things.

Many dog traits come about through selective breeding rather than evolution.

Evolution is a natural process. Breeding isn't.

I've said it a million times, but if you want something furry that gives affection, doesn't need walking and doesn't really need training THAT IS A CAT.

A significant minority of dog owners wish they owned a cat, they're just too dumb to realise it.

Mind you, I was raised in the country to know that if you have animals, your responsibility to them comes first. My next door neighbours got their six year-old chickens and have just got rid of them at a year old, because they didn't want to look after them!

Well, tough tits in my view.

Miniature Schnauzer??

Exactly the same here! Im wondering if we got a pup from the same litter

I dont own a dog and never have. But I count myself as an animal lover.

Acquiring a dog as a fashion accessory has been a thing for years. I'm old enough to remember when the Dulux ads first came out there was a rush to buy Old English sheepdogs. Followed by all the animal shelters being filled with these poor animals when people realised the reality of owning them. And this trend followed with Andrex puppies and countless other dogs

So many people dont think about the cost of dog ownership.And they don't research and find the right dog for their life style.

As a regular supporter of animal welfare charities it breaks my heart to see them filled with discarded animals.

We also have a large certificate whuch details all of his ancestors going back 5 generations.

Yup. The amount of judgement I’ve had for having outdoor dogs. Fairly normal on all the farms here but honestly. They are dogs, not people. They have a warm house and exercise hours every day. Plenty of interaction with us and stimulation. They can also roll in fox poop without us getting stressed about it coming in the house.

Those I know with similar breeds and indoors are not well trained, are left alone for hours while the owners go out and work and do not get the exercise they need. They are also showered all of the time and groomed so they don’t smell, because they don’t want the dogs to make their house smell. It’s not natural or good for them.

We have a pedigree puppy and he came from a wonderful breeder who not only had been registered with the Kennel Club for over 40 years, but bred from her own dog using a KC registered stud. I’ve stayed in touch and regularly ask how mummy is doing.
The breed we have, I’ve grown up with as has my mum and her uncle was a very highly regarded breeder of this breed, since the 1930s.
Please don’t tar us all with the same brush.

Agreed 100%.

Indoor cats - honestly, just trying to justify being scared to let them outside. Awful.

Frenchies, pugs, sausage dogs, cockerpoos or any of those other ridiculous designer breeds. So many of them left alone for 7-8 hours a day with one small walk. But no doubt a load of "jumpers" and "doggie birthday party" photos for social media.

Just people with no idea about animals and their needs sadly.

I think most are selfish. It is all about how the dog makes them (the owner) feel

Welfare of animals comes second.

I don’t completely disagree with ALL of your points but the domestic dog has evolved over millennia to be companions to humans and to work with them so both can get food. Dogs naturally rely on their human companions for shelter and food and many working breeds feel happiest when they have a job to do.

I agree, OP. There are so many new horrors as a result of the increased consumerisation of dog ownership.

One thing that gets to me in particular is the international trade in dogs via overseas 'rescues'. Do people really think it is in the best interest of a traumatised street dog to be crated up and shipped for hours to a profoundly different location, rather than humanely destroyed?

There was a story in the paper the other day about a dog that had been shipped from Dubai and had gone missing from its foster carers, travelling 200 miles and eventually swimming out to sea. Imagine the shock, confusion, trauma of the animal, trying desperately to return to the only 'normality' that it knew. Cruelty, pure and simple, dressed up as love.

I’m a dog owner and I agree with a lot of this. There’s a certain number of ‘breeds’ that make me raise an eyebrow. In my experience (and understand others may have experienced different) the owners I know who have more ‘serious’ breeds such as Rotties, GSDs etc seem to show more care and attention and put more effort in to training the dog to have good manners and be well socialised. Most that own a breed ending with “poo” or have little sausage dogs don’t seem to bother making much of an effort

A dog can be loved and cared for without humanising it, in fact humanising can be detrimental to care
In which way?

Agree with @KeineBedeutung. I think that the insane anthropomorphisation of pet dogs by their owners doesn't do them any favours.

The whole concept of exploiting the reproductive systems of animals so that humans can continue to have pets is repulsive.
Then we prevent them from being with their own species, prevent them mating when they want, prevent them being with their offspring past the first few weeks, put a chain on their neck, walk them round as we see fit, put them through medical procedures to extend their lives for our own benefit, it really is a horrible concept, all of it, but people don't want to think about any of this.

Our dog would have the odd poo accident in his sleep during the last year of his life. It was normally as he woke up on a morning and he didn't even realise he'd done it, so wasn't in distress. It wasn't on his fur or anything and just meant we did more frequent bed changes. It was likely as a result of needing to have his anal glands removed earlier in his life. He was also having weekly hydrotherapy, laser and massage and acupuncture appointments, so seeing 2 - 3 different vets each week. None of them mentioned about his quality of life/having him put to sleep until the point at which we did.

I've never bought from a breeder, but when I looked into it, it's actually not ethically as straightforward as looking at the parent's health tests and whether they're KC registered etc. A lot of dogs are intentionally bred to have traits which will cause them health problems down the line. For example, the trend for GSDs to have sloped backs is desirable in breeding circles, but is likely to cause the dog hip and mobility issues in the future.

A dog can be loved and cared for without humanising it, in fact humanising can be detrimental to care.

Most "dog lovers" are definitely not animal lovers. When you consider how many animals are slaughtered to feed dogs, that is obvious. The worship of pets to the detriment of other animals is, imo, a mental illness.

For me, being a dog lover & having anything to do with the Kennel Club are mutually exclusive. Don't tell me how much you adore dogs & animals whilst supporting a system & organisation that has destroyed breeds for the sake of looks.

I actually managed to get myself blocked on twitter, years ago, by both the KC & Crufts for tweeting alongside vets about what a repellent spectacle they've created.

This for me is lack of education rather than not caring. There was a lady in the paper yesterday who bought a dog from a puppy farm, she was appalled by what she saw and the state of the mum, but couldn’t bear to walk away and leave the puppy there.

What we should have is a proper route for reporting puppy farms, where people know the reports will be taken seriously and perhaps they can keep the puppy rather than being frightened that the puppies will disappear into rescue centres

Same with horses tbh - “care” and “love” wrapped up in completely unnatural discipline, stabling and feeding regimes.. love is not = to a happy fulfilled animal.

Iys no different to people who become parents because they like the idea of being a parent rather than because they love kids.

They will always be good and bad parents either way. Why would it be any different for pets owners?

I do disagree about dehumanising pets though. You can never love a dog enough. Them being an animal rather than human doesn't change this. A loved dog with plenty of attention and care is almost inevitably a happy dog.