Yelling about dogs on the internet
May. 30th, 2010 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
summer_jackelSadly, I have let myself get a few pounds heavier than I prefer in the last couple of months, and am therefore decreasing fatty food and increasing ride time. Although I do get birthday cake this weekend, dammit. Still, here I am, pedaling hard and trying to keep a sustained, raised heartrate and cadence, which hurts, so I think I'll vent a bit of people-are-stupid-about-dogs rage to take my mind off of it. I've been meaning to bitch about all three of these things for awhile, so here you have them, all at once. Feel free to ignore long, vitriolic ranting under the cut.
Rant #1: Neighbors' yappy terriers
Some people up the street have these fantastically nasty, barky Jack Russel Terriers which snarl and yowl furiously whenever we walk past and scream hysterically whenever we meet them on the trail. There used to be a pair of them, but the people just got a new, even nastier and louder one from the pound, and now they're much worse. They aren't trained at all and are walked on retractable bungee leashes. The male slipped loose a couple of weeks ago and attacked (leashed) Coba, who thankfully sustained no injuries; somehow neither I nor Jez hurt the damned terrier, although I think Jez got a decent nip in. All those years of being made to walk past the terriers even though she really, really wanted to take them up on the offer of bloodshed held; I love you, Jezzie.
I am darkly amused and will guiltily admit arrogance about keeping, for the whole lives of two so far, three wolfdogs who would walk calmly on leashes and sit quietly while terriers shrieked at them, despite their fervent desire to respond with deadly force. Meanwhile, these two people cannot control three 25-lb yappers. When my three herding dog fashion victims and the terriers saw each other off leash this morning, I recalled them. Coba came back immediately, while Rogue and Bliss turned at the third command and before making contact with the terriers. (Jez was leashed; you can't expect to train a dog with a very high prey drive to recall like that). All three, including Jez, sat quietly while I leashed them, while the neighbors dragged their screaming terriers up another trail.
Sure, I'm awesome and all, but people of the world, train your fucking dogs, please. It's true that JRTs are genetically predisposed to be jerks, but it is possible to shape that into something that isn't completely awful; go on, basic obedience classes are fun.
Rant #2: Toy dogs sitting in drivers' laps; OMGWTF?
While driving home from visiting friends in the East Bay this morning and negotiating the San Rafael bridge toll plaza---this is a large urban freeway, non-CA people---a bright red and smartly groomed toy poodle cross, very nice and well kept if that's your kinda dog, hung half of his body out the open driver's side window of the car in front of me as she paid her fare and accelerated into traffic. This is not the first toy dog riding in a driver's lap I've seen recently, and in fact I appear to be noticing an increasing number of them this spring. So far it's been a Bichon, a couple of poodles, a mini schnauzer, a terrier and a couple other little dogs in the driver's seat since the beginning of April.
What? Is this some kind of trend thing, and why would you ever want an animal in your lap while you were driving? Is this just local stupidity? I keep thinking of that case a couple years ago in San Francisco: there was a mild fender-bender on the freeway, and the two cars pulled off to the shoulder. Driver A got out of his car and grabbed driver B's little bichon, who was on her lap, and threw him into traffic (with the inevitable outcome of squished puppy). The guy got into major trouble, of course, which is good because I wouldn't mind tossing HIM into traffic, but lady, really, why were you driving with a dog in your lap?
Rant #3: Rescue Extremists
This happens lots and lots: Somebody on the internet posts pictures of her adorable purebred puppy on a web community, and an asshat pipes in with 'why would you get a puppy from a breeder when there are so many in the shelters?!' On a more general level, the whole attitude that none should be bred until there's nothing left in the shelters. Obviously this is a fractious, sensitive and emotional issue with anybody who cares greatly for animals, but this extreme point of view ignores a significant aspect of human experience and dog ownership. So here's my stance, and I will try to be as level-headed and fair about it as I can, despite the fact that I get mad.
The big reason to adopt a dog from a shelter is obvious, OK? (Also applies to cats, parrots, etc.; but I'm talking about dogs specifically here). Nobody likes that thousands of animals are euthed every year for want of homes. If a rescue dog will work for you, please get one, because this whole situation sucks and we pretty much all think so. Leaving that aside, another bonus of adopting an adult dog from anywhere is seeing what you're going to have; no puppy surprises. Also, you don't have to raise a puppy, which can be a plus.
There are, however, a lot of extremely good reasons you might want a pup and/or a purebred, hopefully from a halfway decent breeder. Doing so in no way makes you a bad person or SPO. Dogs are hugely diverse, and for the relationship to be successful, the canine and person's basic personality types need to be compatible. Some people, myself included, have highly specific personality needs in a dog. Purebrededness tends to give you a pretty clear picture of what you're getting into, resulting in a higher probability of fit. Getting the dog you want to begin with gives you a better chance of being able to live happily with it for the next decade or so, thereby lowering the probability that your dog ends up in a shelter. This is what we all want.
So why not a purebred rescue or finding something purebred in the shelter? Again, awesome if you find your dog there, no question, that's great. There are still some really good reasons to raise a puppy; socialization at a young age is critically important to the development of a dog's adult behavior. If you are doing it mindfully and putting the work in, it can be much easier to bring up a well behaved, well socialized adult dog from a puppy than if you start with a remedial case. Many shelter dogs were given up because the original owner didn't do that basic, irreplaceable groundwork at the crucial age, and have behavioral problems which will now be difficult or impossible to retrain. Sure, you may be able to work with it, but honestly, there is no shame in deciding that you don't want to take that on. If you might want to do anything in the realm of dog sports or showing, puppy socialization becomes even more important.
Then there's the whole "oh, mutts are genetically healthier" argument that gets trotted out all the time. Bullshit, sorry. It is true that the linebreeding necessary to produce any domestic animal or plant can emphasize negative traits as well as positive ones, and every breed is attended by its special genetic problems. This is why, if you are a breeder, you need to really know what you're doing (whether you have a huge show kennel or are a competent amateur with a few dogs) and any adequate breeder tests the heck out of her stock. Choosing a purebred pup from a super renowned breeder doesn't guarantee lack of problems, but it gets you at least as good a chance as something from the pound.
Possibly better---mindful breeders rarely have accidental crossbreedings, so most of the mixes you encounter (and a casual glance at Petfinder reveals that the majority of shelter dogs are, in fact, crosses) result from untested, pet quality parents more likely to carry their breed problem. Their puppies are just as likely to inherit problems from both parents as to inherit neither. For instance, If a CEA-affected collie has a 50% chance of passing the dominant gene to it's offspring and a dysplastic German Shepherd has the same chance, your odds of getting pups with one, the other, both or none are about equal. It's true that recessive problems are easier to get in a more limited gene pool and that many genetic diseases are more complicated than I just sketched, but a lot of the major dog genetic problems are dominant and this point applies.
I could go on, but this is getting long and I'll wind it down. My point: If the relationship is functional, the dog a person chooses is going to be an extremely interactive, vital presence that winds tendrils through her whole life. A dog will cost thousands of dollars in basic care over the course of his life and is a huge amount of work and time. This is important, an ancient symbiotic relationship that's developed between people and wolves, shaping the cultural, physical and historical development of both species, but it isn't always easy or simple to make it work. The failure of this relationship is pretty much universally tragic on some level for the individual dog. Given these high stakes, the best thing you can do if you decide you want a dog is to know as much about yourself and about dogs as you possibly can before you do it.
Given this, people who do find what they want in a rescue are awesome but do not get any moral high gorund, sorry. By being a source of good animals and information, quality breeders are a solution to the shelter problem, not a cause. Besides, breeders and breed clubs are some of the major driving forces behind rescue; Coba's breeder, for instance, organizes a major sheltie rescue network in Wyoming. Who do people think they're attacking by breeder-bashing? Extremism and zealotry in any sphere usually cause more problems than they solve, and this example is no different.
Rant #1: Neighbors' yappy terriers
Some people up the street have these fantastically nasty, barky Jack Russel Terriers which snarl and yowl furiously whenever we walk past and scream hysterically whenever we meet them on the trail. There used to be a pair of them, but the people just got a new, even nastier and louder one from the pound, and now they're much worse. They aren't trained at all and are walked on retractable bungee leashes. The male slipped loose a couple of weeks ago and attacked (leashed) Coba, who thankfully sustained no injuries; somehow neither I nor Jez hurt the damned terrier, although I think Jez got a decent nip in. All those years of being made to walk past the terriers even though she really, really wanted to take them up on the offer of bloodshed held; I love you, Jezzie.
I am darkly amused and will guiltily admit arrogance about keeping, for the whole lives of two so far, three wolfdogs who would walk calmly on leashes and sit quietly while terriers shrieked at them, despite their fervent desire to respond with deadly force. Meanwhile, these two people cannot control three 25-lb yappers. When my three herding dog fashion victims and the terriers saw each other off leash this morning, I recalled them. Coba came back immediately, while Rogue and Bliss turned at the third command and before making contact with the terriers. (Jez was leashed; you can't expect to train a dog with a very high prey drive to recall like that). All three, including Jez, sat quietly while I leashed them, while the neighbors dragged their screaming terriers up another trail.
Sure, I'm awesome and all, but people of the world, train your fucking dogs, please. It's true that JRTs are genetically predisposed to be jerks, but it is possible to shape that into something that isn't completely awful; go on, basic obedience classes are fun.
Rant #2: Toy dogs sitting in drivers' laps; OMGWTF?
While driving home from visiting friends in the East Bay this morning and negotiating the San Rafael bridge toll plaza---this is a large urban freeway, non-CA people---a bright red and smartly groomed toy poodle cross, very nice and well kept if that's your kinda dog, hung half of his body out the open driver's side window of the car in front of me as she paid her fare and accelerated into traffic. This is not the first toy dog riding in a driver's lap I've seen recently, and in fact I appear to be noticing an increasing number of them this spring. So far it's been a Bichon, a couple of poodles, a mini schnauzer, a terrier and a couple other little dogs in the driver's seat since the beginning of April.
What? Is this some kind of trend thing, and why would you ever want an animal in your lap while you were driving? Is this just local stupidity? I keep thinking of that case a couple years ago in San Francisco: there was a mild fender-bender on the freeway, and the two cars pulled off to the shoulder. Driver A got out of his car and grabbed driver B's little bichon, who was on her lap, and threw him into traffic (with the inevitable outcome of squished puppy). The guy got into major trouble, of course, which is good because I wouldn't mind tossing HIM into traffic, but lady, really, why were you driving with a dog in your lap?
Rant #3: Rescue Extremists
This happens lots and lots: Somebody on the internet posts pictures of her adorable purebred puppy on a web community, and an asshat pipes in with 'why would you get a puppy from a breeder when there are so many in the shelters?!' On a more general level, the whole attitude that none should be bred until there's nothing left in the shelters. Obviously this is a fractious, sensitive and emotional issue with anybody who cares greatly for animals, but this extreme point of view ignores a significant aspect of human experience and dog ownership. So here's my stance, and I will try to be as level-headed and fair about it as I can, despite the fact that I get mad.
The big reason to adopt a dog from a shelter is obvious, OK? (Also applies to cats, parrots, etc.; but I'm talking about dogs specifically here). Nobody likes that thousands of animals are euthed every year for want of homes. If a rescue dog will work for you, please get one, because this whole situation sucks and we pretty much all think so. Leaving that aside, another bonus of adopting an adult dog from anywhere is seeing what you're going to have; no puppy surprises. Also, you don't have to raise a puppy, which can be a plus.
There are, however, a lot of extremely good reasons you might want a pup and/or a purebred, hopefully from a halfway decent breeder. Doing so in no way makes you a bad person or SPO. Dogs are hugely diverse, and for the relationship to be successful, the canine and person's basic personality types need to be compatible. Some people, myself included, have highly specific personality needs in a dog. Purebrededness tends to give you a pretty clear picture of what you're getting into, resulting in a higher probability of fit. Getting the dog you want to begin with gives you a better chance of being able to live happily with it for the next decade or so, thereby lowering the probability that your dog ends up in a shelter. This is what we all want.
So why not a purebred rescue or finding something purebred in the shelter? Again, awesome if you find your dog there, no question, that's great. There are still some really good reasons to raise a puppy; socialization at a young age is critically important to the development of a dog's adult behavior. If you are doing it mindfully and putting the work in, it can be much easier to bring up a well behaved, well socialized adult dog from a puppy than if you start with a remedial case. Many shelter dogs were given up because the original owner didn't do that basic, irreplaceable groundwork at the crucial age, and have behavioral problems which will now be difficult or impossible to retrain. Sure, you may be able to work with it, but honestly, there is no shame in deciding that you don't want to take that on. If you might want to do anything in the realm of dog sports or showing, puppy socialization becomes even more important.
Then there's the whole "oh, mutts are genetically healthier" argument that gets trotted out all the time. Bullshit, sorry. It is true that the linebreeding necessary to produce any domestic animal or plant can emphasize negative traits as well as positive ones, and every breed is attended by its special genetic problems. This is why, if you are a breeder, you need to really know what you're doing (whether you have a huge show kennel or are a competent amateur with a few dogs) and any adequate breeder tests the heck out of her stock. Choosing a purebred pup from a super renowned breeder doesn't guarantee lack of problems, but it gets you at least as good a chance as something from the pound.
Possibly better---mindful breeders rarely have accidental crossbreedings, so most of the mixes you encounter (and a casual glance at Petfinder reveals that the majority of shelter dogs are, in fact, crosses) result from untested, pet quality parents more likely to carry their breed problem. Their puppies are just as likely to inherit problems from both parents as to inherit neither. For instance, If a CEA-affected collie has a 50% chance of passing the dominant gene to it's offspring and a dysplastic German Shepherd has the same chance, your odds of getting pups with one, the other, both or none are about equal. It's true that recessive problems are easier to get in a more limited gene pool and that many genetic diseases are more complicated than I just sketched, but a lot of the major dog genetic problems are dominant and this point applies.
I could go on, but this is getting long and I'll wind it down. My point: If the relationship is functional, the dog a person chooses is going to be an extremely interactive, vital presence that winds tendrils through her whole life. A dog will cost thousands of dollars in basic care over the course of his life and is a huge amount of work and time. This is important, an ancient symbiotic relationship that's developed between people and wolves, shaping the cultural, physical and historical development of both species, but it isn't always easy or simple to make it work. The failure of this relationship is pretty much universally tragic on some level for the individual dog. Given these high stakes, the best thing you can do if you decide you want a dog is to know as much about yourself and about dogs as you possibly can before you do it.
Given this, people who do find what they want in a rescue are awesome but do not get any moral high gorund, sorry. By being a source of good animals and information, quality breeders are a solution to the shelter problem, not a cause. Besides, breeders and breed clubs are some of the major driving forces behind rescue; Coba's breeder, for instance, organizes a major sheltie rescue network in Wyoming. Who do people think they're attacking by breeder-bashing? Extremism and zealotry in any sphere usually cause more problems than they solve, and this example is no different.
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Date: 2010-06-03 03:06 pm (UTC)In regards to your last rant specifically, see here for my capslock-riddled thoughts on the subject. In summary, most of the "all dogs should be spayed/neutered" arguments have, at their core, the implication "...since you're going to neglect them anyway," which makes me all snarlyfaced.