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"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 1 day ago)
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I think people would say I never show affection to my dog, ever.
This is the freakiest little dog I've ever had. When company comes over, it's a struggle to get him to stop licking them. Dog LOVERS say oh no, really, he's fine, but he's NOT fine. If they roughhouse and hug him, next minute, he's humping them. Or pre-humping them, which I can see is about to happen but thank the good lord the other guests don't necessarily notice it yet before I can correct it.
So when I have guests over, he has a couple chances. Go sit there on the carpet, over there, GO, calm down, or I'm picking you up and taking you to your crate upstairs and closing the door.
I love him a lot, and give him a lot of affection, and he follows me around. But my friends don't ever get to see that because he's so inappropriate with outsiders.
My neighbors across from my lakefront property have a pit-hound mix that has been chained outside for the last 6 years. He's worn down a circle of bare dirt from his pacing at the end of his chain. He has a bare wooden house, and a scummy metal bowl for food and another for water. Often they are empty or fouled by leaves or vulture poop. The vultures also steal his kibble after his bowl has been filled. On the rare occasions that his owners speak to him (I've never seen them actually touch the dog), Toby (the dog's name) will whine piteously for some affection, which is never forthcoming. Frankly, the neighbors would be better off with a lawn statue of a dog, and so would Toby. He's a sweet boy and doesn't deserve to be alone 24/7/365.
Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 1 day ago)
35,580 posts, read 17,923,325 times
Reputation: 50612
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bungalove
My neighbors across from my lakefront property have a pit-hound mix that has been chained outside for the last 6 years. He's worn down a circle of bare dirt from his pacing at the end of his chain. He has a bare wooden house, and a scummy metal bowl for food and another for water. Often they are empty or fouled by leaves or vulture poop. The vultures also steal his kibble after his bowl has been filled. On the rare occasions that his owners speak to him (I've never seen them actually touch the dog), Toby (the dog's name) will whine piteously for some affection, which is never forthcoming. Frankly, the neighbors would be better off with a lawn statue of a dog, and so would Toby. He's a sweet boy and doesn't deserve to be alone 24/7/365.
Certainly not the case at our house. Although I knew folks that didn't show much affection towards their kids either, so could not imagine showing any to a pet.
I've only seen it once in my life (luckily) and that was when I was a kid, probably around 11 years old.
We had a neighbor who had 5 beagles that he kept outside all of the time. In the winter, they had a shelter they went into but they never went into the house and I never saw him petting the dogs or showing affection to them. I remember asking him what their names were and he just laughed and said they didn't have names because they were hunting dogs not pets. He didn't mistreat them or anything but I thought it was odd he didn't consider them to be pets.
He had one of the beagles get trampled to death by a deer while he was out hunting one year and just left it in the woods. He was angry about it because the dog had cost him ' a lot of money'. It was very sad how little regard he had for his dogs. Me and a couple of my friends went back and buried the beagle and made a marker.
I've only seen it once in my life (luckily) and that was when I was a kid, probably around 11 years old.
We had a neighbor who had 5 beagles that he kept outside all of the time. In the winter, they had a shelter they went into but they never went into the house and I never saw him petting the dogs or showing affection to them. I remember asking him what their names were and he just laughed and said they didn't have names because they were hunting dogs not pets. He didn't mistreat them or anything but I thought it was odd he didn't consider them to be pets.
He had one of the beagles get trampled to death by a deer while he was out hunting one year and just left it in the woods. He was angry about it because the dog had cost him ' a lot of money'. It was very sad how little regard he had for his dogs. Me and a couple of my friends went back and buried the beagle and made a marker.
Just as there are those amongst our fellow humans whom we can legitimately describe as "people users" (i.e, it is characteristic of said persons to just use other indivduals to one's own ends rather than to look to make it a reciprocal relationship; that is, a relationship of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch your back" or "you fulfill or benefit me and I'll fulfill or benefit you in return"), there are those amongst our fellow humans (which you and many others in his thread attest to) who apparently just use an animal or animals to their own utilitarian ends but have nary a concern for the dignity and needs of the animal other just to keep it alive to fulfill the person's utilitarian ends. The animal (say, a dog) is just there to fulfill a utilitarian role for the person but the person seemingly has no discernable recognition that this sentient creature is one that, like humans, needs to be shown love and affection, indulgence, and closeness with its human owner(s)/caretaker(s). The animal needs to feel that it is valued, not just simply being tuned out and cast away most of the time by its owner/caretaker and having a paucity of regular affection and loving indulgence shown to it. Think of these animals like your own children. Would you treat your own children this way?
As poster ClaraC stated above, it is understandable if the animal is wholly hyperactively out-of-control and hence one may need to restrain it or keep it out of the company of visitors (unless the visitors enjoy all that affection from the animal). But, if one's animal (say, a dog), is not one who goes stir-crazy and utterly out-of-control every time it is in the presence of any humans, then the animal does need the loving presence and indulgence of humans as a way-of-life . . . not just a once-in-a-blue-moon indulgence on its owner's/caretaker's part. Our dogs and cats (and select other creatures whom we take in as pets) are rather like us humans; they have the same emotional needs as us for affection, bonding, and indulgence . . . to feel truly wanted and valued as a way-of-life.
Taking care of a pet and providing for its well being is love and affection to some people. Some people don't want to be bothered, and some animals don't want to be bothered. I don't see why this is so difficult to understand.
My neighbors across from my lakefront property have a pit-hound mix that has been chained outside for the last 6 years. He's worn down a circle of bare dirt from his pacing at the end of his chain. He has a bare wooden house, and a scummy metal bowl for food and another for water. Often they are empty or fouled by leaves or vulture poop. The vultures also steal his kibble after his bowl has been filled. On the rare occasions that his owners speak to him (I've never seen them actually touch the dog), Toby (the dog's name) will whine piteously for some affection, which is never forthcoming. Frankly, the neighbors would be better off with a lawn statue of a dog, and so would Toby. He's a sweet boy and doesn't deserve to be alone 24/7/365.
I would wait for them to leave the house, then take the dog. I could not look at that for 6 yrs. without doing something.
Agreed, NY Joe, but I wouldn't do anything without filing an animal cruelty case with the local authorities first. You never know who could be watching.
I cannot STAND situations such as this very sad, and disturbing example regarding Toby. IMO, there are simply too many subhumans who have possession of animals. These abusers should be dealt with the same cruelty with which they inflict.
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