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Original poster

Is it cruel to have working dogs?

171 replies

williesandwonkas · 21/04/2019 23:01

I have name changed as I know how people get about animals and I have also seen a thread about dog walking which has provoked this question.

We own a massive sheep farm and have 7 dogs that work alongside us. These are pure working dogs. We do not consider them pets but, they are obviously treated very very well (best vet/best food). From the second we get up in the morning they are expected to work. Like any asset and the way of the farming life stipulates that if they don't and don't provide a benefit they need to be replaced.

I wonder how people perceive working animals compared to pet dogs? Our only friends are farming friends and seeing other people with pet dogs raises questions as to what people think about our situation.

OP posts:
Sunlov · 22/04/2019 00:18

@Hearhere
To have a dog put down, no matter how cold you are is almost impossible for a farmer. The two of them will have spent all day everyday together for 10 years. Farmers are used to livestock loss, but their dog is their buddy.

Our ones get to run out with the pups to try to train them until they're too ill to work anymore. Then they're PTS if they appear in pain.

Dieu · 22/04/2019 00:24

I recently saw a collie on the beach, trying to round up the other dogs Grin

Something that comes so naturally cannot be cruel.

Drogosnextwife · 22/04/2019 00:26

Are farmers all infertile?

Doubt there will just be groups of kids wandering about the farm for dogs to try and heard though, and why would they try and cross them over a road? Have they retired from farm work and tuned into lollipop dogs? Your attempt at humour was poor.

TheCraicDealer · 22/04/2019 00:26

And I just know someone is going to take umbrage with the dogs being chained. In a farming community, you just can't have collies on the loose.

It's as if none of those people have ever read Far From The Madding Crowd!

I would much rather be a working sheepdog or gundog rather than one of those huskies bought by people without the time, inclination or resources to give them the exercise and stimulation they need.

HaroldsSocalledBluetits · 22/04/2019 00:28

Working dogs I can totally get. Wanting to have a dog as a pet baffles me. Especially in urban or suburban areas. I see them round here, living in flats, trotting along with their paws on concrete. Now that is weird.

boilersontheblink · 22/04/2019 00:29

I have a working dog (Cocker Spaniel) but he is a pet, however we do understand his needs and act accordingly. He gets a 40minute at least run around fetching balls/sniffing each day then 3 other lead walks.

It takes a lot of time and I'm lucky my partner works from home so has the time to work with the dog otherwise I'd never get it all doneGrin

He eats working dog food though (the wagg brand) does that increase his energy? Are we better off going for a different food to calm him a little?

Hearhere · 22/04/2019 00:32

@Sunlov, I love the way that they just instinctively drop back and act as mentors, for the other dogs 😊
and helping the calves!?
I'm trying to imagine what they could do to assist calves though😋

Drogosnextwife · 22/04/2019 00:34

Because their life is not as good as it was, and they don’t understand why not.

That doesn't mean it's a terrible life.

Sunlov · 22/04/2019 00:35

They're very clever. I know they're not the top of the list for clever dogs, but they are well up there.
They sense what to do, it's just in them I guess.

BertrandRussell · 22/04/2019 00:39

“Because their life is not as good as it was, and they don’t understand why not.

That doesn't mean it's a terrible life”

I aim for better than “not terrible” for the animals I have responsibility for.

Drogosnextwife · 22/04/2019 00:41

I aim for better than “not terrible” for the animals I have responsibility for

It can still be a good life but hey, you crack on with whatever you feel is right. I'm sure you know best.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 22/04/2019 00:42

Doubt there will just be groups of kids wandering about the farm for dogs to try and heard though, and why would they try and cross them over a road?

Oh fucking hell.

HaroldsSocalledBluetits · 22/04/2019 00:44

I've seen collies try to herd cars before. Now that is sad. Also dangerous.

Drogosnextwife · 22/04/2019 00:50

Oh fucking hell.

Yes that was exactly my thought to your post.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 22/04/2019 00:52

You clearly haven’t a clue drogo. No point even trying to explain to you.

BertrandRussell · 22/04/2019 00:53

“It can still be a good life but hey, you crack on with whatever you feel is right. I'm sure you know best”

Yes, in this context I think I do know best. I can look at my life and rationally say “well, when I was younger, I loved running up mountains. When I got a bit older, I walked and older still, I still for pleasure from looking at videos of other people doing it. And I also have found lots of other interests that suit my age and capabilities. So my life is as good as it ever was, but different. This is not something a dog can do. I wish we could get away from this idea that being PTS is the worst thing that can happen to an animal.

Raspberrytruffle · 22/04/2019 00:58

My cousin has working dogs and I must say they appear to love there job! They look so happy plus they get treat incredibly well. Like someone else up thread said if they are purebred working dogs I suspect they'd be pretty miserable and bored not doing there jobs.

HaroldsSocalledBluetits · 22/04/2019 00:59

Agreed. Dog charities can be bad with this ime. An old neighbour of mine was forever getting "old girls" from the local shelter - they'd ring her up when one of these cases came in, sick, stinky, poorly behaved etc. She spent so much money on vet bills that she was massively in debt, she had a little two up two down full of these dogs who were clearly not having a good time, but she thought she was mother Teresa or something because this fucking charity kept on palming off all these animals on her that wouldn't be happy anywhere and had realistically speaking gone way beyond the end of any kind of life.

SarahBeeney · 22/04/2019 01:01

Why do working dogs smell so bad? Is it just the general outdoor lifestyle/grubby on a farm stuff?
Fascinating thread!

HaroldsSocalledBluetits · 22/04/2019 01:02

That was to BertrandRussell.

PregnantSea · 22/04/2019 01:12

People are so precious about this. Dogs love to be useful. There's so many pet dogs out there that people don't walk enough or provide enough mental stimulation to and they get bored and frustrated. Running around an open field herding ship is a much better life for them than sitting in the living room alone all day waiting for a 20 minute walk with their owner.

Hearhere · 22/04/2019 01:38

it seems as if the farm dogs are able to exist in a kind of liminal zone between the human world and the wild state, and in this sector they are able to fully extend themselves

wombat1a · 22/04/2019 04:10

One of the other reasons working dogs live outside is so that they grow their coat thick enough to work in the winter.

Our's when they 'retired' had the run of the farm and at a certain stage became indoor sleeping dogs who used to ride around in the tractors and landrovers 'supervising' the younger working dogs.

Onceuponacheesecake · 22/04/2019 04:27

I'm sure most working dogs lead a very good life. I think they should be able to enjoy their retirement though, absolutely don't agree with PTS at the end of their working life. Something makes me uncomfortable about 'disposing' of a dog like that.

Baffles me as to why the average family, young kids, working 9-5 will go out and buy a working dog just to run it round the block twice a day. I think that's cruler.

agnurse · 22/04/2019 04:43

YANBU. Working breeds have been selectively bred to have a "working" temperament.

Our local animal shelter will adopt out cats as "Barn Buddies". These are cats who will not use a litter box and it has been ascertained that there is no physiologic cause. The shelter offers them free of charge to people to use as mousers for barns and shops. It is an expectation that they are still fed and watered by the new owner and this is made clear to them up front.