Do you like dogs more than people and treat them better than people ?

[tvluv]

It seems to me there are a lot of people who value dogs higher than they do people and treat them better ?

Do you agree ? Do you do this ?

@BobLobIaw Your post actually made me laugh. You sound very angry. Scary angry.

I didn't have a traumatic upbringing, as it happens. That was my mum's first husband.

My dad is the proverbial man who wouldn't hurt a fly. Literally. I learned a lot from him about valuing ALL life. He is honestly the most ethical, moral person I know. He literally cannot conceive of making an immoral choice - ironically he'd hate a debate like this!

(I'm no such paragon)

Yes, I know that cats are killers. But I don't begrudge humans killing either. I am a meat eater, after all. I don't begrudge cats a bit of genetic predisposition to murder-based play. I accept that there's less malice in cats and dogs because their emotions are less complex.

What I don't accept is the flat application of complex intelligence as a virtue. Or anything as an assumed superiority. For one big reason - if it's OK to decide that some animals are better than others because they're more intelligent, then what is the logical bar to preventing humans from being assessed and ranked in the same way?

If you say that you are ranking on emotional and intellectual capacity, then why isn't a bomb sniffing dog who saved his master's baby from a fire and who acts as a comfort dog to children with depression more valued than, say, an inbred man with an IQ of seventy who is a paedophile?

Like I say - I value people and animals who are affectionate to me and give me service or provide me with benefit. I think that that is the honest, rational answer, and to be honest, that that is what it comes down to for most people.

Except, perhaps, my dad.

I like my dog. Don't care for other dogs. She's not on a par with my family or friends though. She's a dog.

I hate how nine people have been mauled to death by them this year, in the UK

You do realise more humans have killed another human than dogs this year. Also, there are many different breeds of dogs. These killer dogs aren't the norm.

Dogs spread diseases. Therefore they are vermin.

They also destroy crops, and are bad for the environment.

They regularly kill livestock.

They also sometimes kill humans.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxHkkaNsKOI_NeawXU3VrNXVcpbIHVA3

So do humans.

My DP says he'd rescue our dog over me in a house fire, so make of that what you will 😂.

Well we can't ban humans. We need each other. We don't need dogs.

Though if we could have an island for all the dog people to go to, I'd gladly send them off there, and see how they cope when they realise humans are the only ones who can treat them in hospital, or cut their hair, or fix their car.

I love my dog wholeheartedly and would definitely save her over any human.

I don’t really like my own species as a whole so I would probably save most animals over most humans, particularly given the 70% decline in animal populations.

There are too many of us, we are selfishly destroying the planet for all life out of selfishness and greed. The fewer of us, the better imo.

So what about search and rescue dogs (because you know, dogs have saved the lives of many a human), guide dogs, medical alert dogs, drug detection dogs, army and police dogs, bomb detection, therapy dogs, sheep dogs, cadaver search dogs etc - get rid of them?

You clearly don't have a clue. Whatever "love" is (and looking at "love" between humans, that's a measure is it?) there is scientific evidence that dogs experience a similar chemical reaction with "beloved" owners. Dogs also experience fear of owners, and a range of other emotions. Children "love" (ie try to please) abusive parents. Dogs "love" (ie try to please) abusive owners. If you died and your children went to live with someone else, then they would come to love them just as much as they loved you (one would hope). And I am not comparing dogs and children per se, simply debunking your assumptions. My dogs are dogs. My children are children. I have provided them both with safe, healthy, caring / loving homes, but in entirely different ways. Because one set are cannines and the others are humans. The right things for the right species.

The pack leader thing is a Victorian construct that has been long debunked.

There is now a vast array of scientific study and evidence that dogs are, like horses and some other species, capable of complex emotions and feelings, and highly intelligent. My own breed of dogs are assessed, in intelligence terms, as having the same level as a 4-5 year old child - and that is again scientific fact. They can problem solve at a complex level.

The sole purpose of this goady thread is to create yet another opportunity for a group of people to have a go at dogs and dog owners because they hate dogs. We don't have enough of these threads on MN because there are only about 6 a day. They don't do a thing - they are here to allow keyboard warriors without a clue to rant and spew uninformed views because they wouldn't dare talk to people like this in real life.

If people don't like dogs, I'm fine with that. I don't expect it. But don't expect those of us who do to fall into line with your opinions either. And if you are going to try to argue your point based on facts, fact check the facts first. Perhaps if you understood more about dogs you might be very surprised at what you find out about them.

Oh mate, that’s a shit load of hate for one human to carry about their lives. Perhaps a spot of therapy may help you? Poor you .

Then humans are vermin too, yes?

I love dogs and think that, in a lot of ways, dogs are better than humans - I definitely prefer my own dogs over many, many people. I would still save a human life first though.

@BobLobIaw
Of copurse, there is always one example of why one should prefer dogs over humans.

Adore my dog. He's my best friend but if it were him and a stranger drowning? I'm saving the stranger. It's the right thing to do.

First answer nails it for me

My dog has saved my life twice -when I was spiralling mentally after a diagnosis and when he made me visit a doctor after barking and scratching at me to alert me to a problem

He is my best friend and I treat him like family. I don't 'prefer' dogs to humans but I enjoy the company of the dogs I have had and loved them dearly

Quite.

Exactly.

@BobLobIaw What is your reply to this?

Agree with all this. Dogs should remain animal companians not dress up dolls and toys. My dog is out in the yard with me getting muddy all day. He'd be so annoyed if I tried dressing him in novelty clothes/hats/accessories. My sister has a bulldog that she dresses up and thinks it's funny when the dog sits facing the wall looking sad. I just think get a grip ffs. If you want a baby born get one, don't get a flipping animal.

You are extremely naive if you think no animal dies to feed you. You might not eat their flesh but animals definitely die in the production of crops. The production of all food causes harm to a living being somewhere along the line.

If you’re taking the definition of vermin to be something which spreads disease, then almost all animals and humans are vermin.

They might destroy crops if they walked through a field, I guess. My dog quite likes to eat grass, but he’s yet to develop a taste for crops.

But do you not like dogs then? I must have missed that in your earlier post…

BobLobIaw you are fully aware the 9 poor people per year, who are mauled to death by dogs have sadly done so because these dangerous dog breeds were actually bred by humans, are raised to be vicious by humans and badly treated by humans??
And please don’t even start on the ‘no animal has died for my diet’ shit. Unless you actually forage for your own pesticide free vegetation then you are way too high up on your high horse.

Absolutely this!
Also, if you removed dogs, the number of lives they’ve saved this year (or any year) outweighs the number of people they’ve killed, so there would be more dead humans, not less.

So if you had the choice to save the life of a stranger or your dog, which would you save ?

Depends whether it's my dog or a random dog?

With a dog, you're in charge.

You've never met my dog, I am NOT in charge 😂😂