What vaccinations do you give or not give your dogs?
@pomchi:If my folks had their way they'd vaccinate the poor thing & do whatever our vet tells them to do but..I(Lacey's main caretaker) beg to differ & hope to find some evidence that WILL convince them to not vaccinate my dear pup.It really does not sound like a conincidence to me..It sounds like there is strong evidence that vaccines CAN & WILL KILL a animal or human if there's too much "overdosing"on vaccines.Where we live in Hawaii there are a lot of fleas yeararound so currently she's on Revolution but I'd like to rear her off of it so I am thinking some kind of natural flea spray or diatomaceous earth as I am sure my mom will WANT her on something for fleas since she goes walking daily.Hawaii is free from Rabies so unless I move to a different state or country she will not get another Rabies,Parvo or Distemper shot.What would you recommend?I am defiantly interested in getting other people's opinions before making a decision next January & will look at points of view before comin
Can we have an INTELLIGENT opinion poll on Dangerous Dogs Legislation, BSL, Breed Bans etc?
When answeing any of the many questions regarding 'dangerous dogs', particularly Pit Bull type, I tend to give the same answer along the lines of "Yes there are individuals who have steady temperaments, but as a whole the breed/type do not have good temperaments (all these laws have to be based on fact) and so rather than trying to police each and every individual, the most sensible solution is a blaket ban" But always get thumbs down, despite no other answerers voicing a different opinion. If you do not agree with an opinion, don't just thumbs down- give an alternative opinion. So here is an opportunity for the "Pit Bull Brigade" to tell us all why their dogs should not be the focus of legislation. And I mean legible, coherent answers, not just "Deed not breed" answers. Legislation has shown that the breed/ype is responsible for a higher incidence of attacks, so the 'Deed not breed' argument is null and void. And obviously if you agree with the laws then you are also welcome to voice your opinions.
Does anyone else thing Cesar Millan is a joke?
Hazel- Figured out what it was. I figured asking for an opinion before dropping a few hundred would be a good idea first. Just asked for opinions, stop taking it so hard. lol
What is your opinion about people who consume dogs as food?
I don’t have one either way. I assume you are referring to the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival practiced in Yulin, China. I will say what I always do when people lose their collective shits over this: it is a part of their culture. They are not killing and eating pets. The dogs killed and consumed in these festivals are dogs bred and raised for their meat, in a similar fashion to how we breed and raise cattle, chickens, or any other type of animal for human consumption. The Chinese, just like us in America, make a very clear distinction between a pet animal and a food animal. People in the US who have a pet cow or pet chicken or pet pig make the exact same distinction. They may also be meat eaters, and love a fast food burger/chicken strips, and love bacon with their breakfast, but they would never consider eating their pet, which produces the same meats they eat. The people putting on and being a part of the festival look at the dogs the same way. They would never consider eating their household pet. But the dogs raised for food? Why not? It is NO DIFFERENT than us eating cows/chickens/pigs/etc livestock animals. These dogs are their livestock.
I DONT want to babysit tonight..Parents opinions?howwould you feel if your babysitter dropped out last minute?
Well I already agreed to babysit for my nightbors 2 kids (2 girls, 4 and 6). She wants me to babysit from 9 tonight till 2:30 in the morning. I always babysit them, but only for a couple hours after school or something. (im 13). The thing is, I dont mind them, but they were raised to get what they want, and if they dont, they cry or freak out. Also, I dont like their house. It sorta makes me uncomfertible. Whenever I go over there, I check the clock every 5 minutes, because I have this uneasy feeling. So I really dont want to do this! How can I tell my mum I dont want to, and tell the lady?? I feel bad because Im sappose to go over there in 3 hours and she probably wont be able to find another babysitter. Then she wont ask me to babysit again :( OH YA: Also, my dog just hurt her 2 back legs. One is almost ok, but the other she cant stand on at all. She can barely walk, and she cant crouch down to go to the bathroom. Maybe I could say I need to stay home to talk care of my dog? I dont know! Please help!!
What is you opinion on dog fighting?
Kudos to Erica T. Most of these kiddies have no idea what the old timers went through to make The APBT what it is today. Most of them put in 30-40 years of nothing but improving these dogs to be the best in the world at what they do. They know nothing of the true history of these dogs and the constant effort to preserve the gameness. But Gotti and the rest are taking away what Colby, Greenwood, Mayfield, Boudreaux, Carver, Corvino, and the handful of other true dogmen sweated blood to achieve. On the pro level, I agree to the matching of APBT`s as it is the only way to test for gameness and to keep the game dog from becoming extinct. Amateur and street level fighting is just what it is. Dogs are mistreated and abused before they even enter the square. The amateurs and thugs know nothing about nutrition and less about conditioning. The general public has a preconcieved notion that matches are won only after one of the combatants is dead and nothing could be further from the truth. A dog can be picked up at any time during a match with the loser leaving with nothing more than a bloody nose. The use of bait dogs and torturing a dog that loses is pure nonsense in the level of matching dogs that I`m talking about. The amount of time and money spent on a gamedog , only a complete moron would allow his dog to suffer serious injury.
How do I politely tell people I don't want their opinion on how I'm raising my child?
I've been a mom for three months and it took me less than three days to discover that everyone on Earth feels that they have the right to offer new parents unsolicited “advice”.It’s almost a compulsion for some people. They'll tell you how to do or not do a certain thing even if they have zero experience with children. There are times when I feel like I'll pummel the next random person who wants to tell me about some article they've read, but I take a deep breath and tell them that that is very interesting. Then I change the subject.Taking parenting classes and being a nurse doesn't make you an expert at parenting, but it should give people a hint that I know the basics of caring for an infant. It doesn't. People who know me well have still felt a need to tell not to forget to support her head or sterilize her bottles. The only person who I've successfully asked to butt out is my mother-in-law. She kept telling me a bunch of obvious stuff, and I had to remind her several times that I know how to change a diaper and feed my child. Because she is one of those rare people who care more about our relationship than her own ego, she acknowledged her mistakes, apologized, and eventually stopped.Everyone else has taken offense at even the politest reminder that I am not an idiot. Now I thank them for their input, but if they continue to press it, I explain that I am quite comfortable with the way I've been doing things. If they still persist, it means that it's time to point out their rude behavior and ask them to stop.Parenting is hard and I’ll take any help I can get — but I'll ask for it when I need it. There are some people who can offer their advice unsolicited without overstepping, but they know who they are. If you're not my daughter’s parent, grandparent*, or pediatrician, please resist the urge to backseat parent.*Now that my mother-in-law has overcome her instinct to always be in control, her help and advice have become invaluable.
Questions and thoughts from Pit Bull owners / Against the ban..?
I personally find it interesting that people want to band the breed all together because of a few horribly raised dogs, however, you bring up banning guns because of a few bad gun owners, and people flip out!! I'm not saying that pit bulls are as dangerous as guns, but both in the wrong hands can kill! Also, after a pit bull attack, the usually never say where the pit bull came from. I bet a large majority came from dog fighting rings that were set loose or escaped. It' not fair to judge a breed based on a group of animals breed like this. And I know that dogs, like humans, have completely different personalities, and it is possible to do everything "right" with a pit bull, and still have something bad happen. But you can do everything right with other breeds of dogs, and have something happen. Hello- aren't serial killers people who can from "a good home"? In fact, I have been bitten by three dogs: a golden, a small poodle, and a mutt. My pit is a big baby! He's afraid of our cat with no claws, and has been chased off by our friends cockapoo after approaching him on a "play date". My dog is also a very social dog with other dogs. He loves to play. And, it's usually the other dog who ends up barking and being aggressive and my dog in the submissive position. And even my mom who was afraid of him when she first saw him, has come to realize that he is a sweet and wonderful and well trained dog. In fact we are looking into getting him a AKC's Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) certificate to show what a great dog he is! Basically, I will give up my dog who offers me so much more then protection and IS NOT dangerous, when gun owners give up their guns whose only real purpose is to protect and kill and are extremely dangerous!
Is it wrong to compare raising children with training dogs?
I think there are plenty of comparisons that can be drawn between the two, as much as it can infuriate dog owners and parents alike! The main comparison I draw is on the issue of dicispline. Just a few decades ago, we though no child could learn effectively if we didn't issue harsh and varied punishments for getting it wrong. The image of a teacher was one of a stern man holding a ruler or even a cane and shouting "Three sixes? Come on, boy! Think! Three sixes?" With the threat of punishment for failure hanging heavy in the air.Similarly, in dog training the traditional image is of a scowling trainer, choke chain in hand, saying "Sit." And giving a yank on the leash to pull the dog into position. Nowadays, it's generally accepted that kids learn better if you get them to problem solve, and focus on rewarding the good rather than punishing failure.And again, similar leaps have been made in how we perceive dogs - not as stupid animals in need of total, dictatorial control, but as intelligent beings who only need the proper motivation to work out what we want from them. As our understanding of learning in all animals (including humans) has grown, focus has shifted from "they should know what I want or face the consequences" to "I will teach them what I want, and encourage them to do it". And quite rightly so, in my opinion.Unfortunately, in both dog ownership and child raising, there are those who still stand by 'tried and trusted' older methods, and in both cases an arguement can be made that all parties would be better off if that weren't so.I believe it's in her wonderful book 'Don't Shoot the Dog' (one for any parent, teacher, animal trainer or... Anyone interested in teaching anything to do something, really) that Karen Pryor recounts the man who, upon switching to using her newfangled 'positive reinforcement' methods on his dog, told her, "I stopped jerking my dog around, and then I realised what I was still doing to my kids!". There's even a TED talk where respected trainer Dr Ian Dunbar touches on how modern dog training and modern child rearing overlap. http://www.ted.com/talks/ian_dun...If you've got 15 minutes, it's well worth a watch.