You know what annoys me?

[ShootingStar]

Lots of things really...

But right now specifically?

People who buy pets for other people as a gift, and don't prepare to take it back if the individual (or family) cannot take care of the dog.

Seriously, a dog is NOT a handbag you can shove into the back of the closet because it's ugly. It's a living, breathing creature who needs love and care. You cannot just give them to someone, especially when you have no idea if they ever know how to train it, or if they can afford to keep it fed and clean every month! Heck, even IF this person has a lot of experience with dogs and CAN afford one, it doesn't mean they'll WANT to!

Dogs are also highly social creatures.
You, as a person, might have friends, a job, school, or hobbies, but what does a dog have?
You.
That's it. That's ALL there is to a dogs life.
You can't keep a dog if you work 12 hour days and come home too tired to walk or play with them!


Discuss

+ Dogs (In general)
+ Dog ownership
+ Irresponsible dog owners
+ Responsibility as a dog owner

Note
Post your puppy pics!

[silverflame22]

I agree. Animals of any kind should not be a gift. They should be a commitment you have thought hard about, not a toy. I love dogs, but don't have one a) because I do not currently have the time I would need for a dog and b) because I can not afford to have a dog currently. Maybe in a few years.

[Llemons]

Agreed! I feel like the only time it would be an appropriate time to gift an animal is maybe a parent to their own child. That way it's a gift, but you are still taking care of it. I got my puppy a little over a year ago and I'm glad I had the rest of my family helping me train her and clean up after her before she was house trained and everything else that goes with owning a dog. Although I love my puppy to death, I wouldn't want to have something like that forced onto me if I wasn't able to handle it. Another thing with gifting an animal, especially something like a dog, is that it's not something you can just forget about in two weeks. Owning an dog in my opinion is until either you or the dog die. It's not an animal that can adjust easily to a new owner if you decide to get rid of it after a year or two. If you abandon a dog after it bonds with you, it may never truly bond to another person. Sure you can get a new dog and love it just the same, but the dog will never love another 'owner' the same way it did you. Rant over.


Now happy story and picture time!!
So like I said I got her a little over a year ago when she was only about 7ish weeks old or so, and we found her at the animal shelter. She just a mutt, but she's the cutest mutt ever! All we know for sure is she has some amount of Husky in her She has one brown eye and one blue eye, and after about a week of arguing me and my family finally agreed on a name: Chili! Now she probably weighs about 70 pounds or so.

So here she is!
(Both images clickable for larger picutures)
The first day I saw her as a puppy:


Somewhat recent picture: /She be a little spoiled/

[Kastilla]

To be totally honest, I think gifting an animal in general to a small child is stupid. That is, if the child is not ready for the responsibility. I'm mainly focusing on the small children who really, really want a puppy, kitten, fish, gerbil, what have you but when it arrives under their tree they have no clue on what to do. What I believe would be smart parenting is to teach your kiddie responsibility at young age(4-8 age range). Explain that it will not always be fun and easy, things can get messy, and even the consequences to them if they are not to properly take care of their animal. There are plenty of books that aim around pet care for beginners, and I'm sure there are some aimed at children. Some kids may even realize it would be too much of a bother and not be interested in the pet anymore. Overall, they need to know that if they really want the animal that bad, then they need to understand that it is their animal, their responsibility. Parents can aim them in the right direction, perhaps make a game out of feeding the pet, or make an everyday to-do chart; things to keep the little ones motivated.

As for pet abandonment, there is no excuse. Absolutely no excuse. It is pure laziness to just leave your animal behind, you can at least put them in the pound. Now, the pound isn't always a sure thing and there is the chance of euthanasia. Just look at it this way, would you rather a dog die starving and in the cold or would you rather the dog die with a full stomach, in a warm environment? Euthanasia is a sad thing, but look at the bright side compared to the life of an abandoned dog.

Ahh, there's my two cents.
Good topic, ayeee. Wolfie likes!

[Javarock]

I love dogs, so much. But I think it'd be unthinkable to give a dog to someone who's not expecting, especially if you don't have a backup plan for that dog. Sometimes people aren't in a place in life where they can take care of a pet, and a pet is a big commitment to time, money, and patience. I remember reading somewhere about puppy's being given as Christmas presents, and how that is a terrible idea for multiple reasons.

Infact, when I get a dog of my own, I'll try to get one from a rescue shelter, and it'll be a point in my life where I can take the dog out jogging, and I'll have a big enough house and yard for it to be comfortable. I want my pets to be happy, and if I just don't have the resources to make them happy, then there's just cruelty in me adopting a doggy.

[ShootingStar]

So here she is!
(Both images clickable for larger picutures)
The first day I saw her as a puppy:


Somewhat recent picture: /She be a little spoiled/

*inaudible adoring screeching noises*

As for pet abandonment, there is no excuse. Absolutely no excuse. It is pure laziness to just leave your animal behind, you can at least put them in the pound. Now, the pound isn't always a sure thing and there is the chance of euthanasia. Just look at it this way, would you rather a dog die starving and in the cold or would you rather the dog die with a full stomach, in a warm environment? Euthanasia is a sad thing, but look at the bright side compared to the life of an abandoned dog.

OH MY GOD THAT MAKES ME NEED TIME IN THE ANGRY DOME!

Seriously, bring your pets to a shelter! You're 100% right there IS no excuse for abandoning them.

Infact, when I get a dog of my own, I'll try to get one from a rescue shelter, and it'll be a point in my life where I can take the dog out jogging, and I'll have a big enough house and yard for it to be comfortable. I want my pets to be happy, and if I just don't have the resources to make them happy, then there's just cruelty in me adopting a doggy.

More people should adopt from shelters instead of spending money on specific breeds. However, that is a rant for another day.

[tiki]

I think it depends on the situation, because while yes, it is a big responsibility, it's also something that if it goes correctly will be a really fantastic present. For instance, my boyfriend gave me 2 fish for our anniversary one year. Although they may not be a big responsibility, they are still something that I have to take care of everyday. I really appreciated it because I remember telling him that I had fish when I was younger, and that I would love to have fish again, and he went out and actually got me some!

Like I said, I think it depends on the situation/personality/thoughts of the receiver. I also got my brother a puppy one year because he said he was in the market for one, and that he had a certain breed in mind, but didn't want to buy one from a breeder, and so I went out and found one that was up for adoption in another city and asked the pound if they could fly the baby out to where I live as long as I pay for the fees to do so, and they complied.

[Tekla]

More people should adopt from shelters instead of spending money on specific breeds. However, that is a rant for another day.

People spend money on specific breeds because they want specific traits. When I get to a place where I can have a dog, chances are I will be looking exclusively at sighthounds, with a focus on the borzoi. Sighthounds have a lot of traits I like, including generally being larger dogs, not being not very barky, and being good "apartment dogs" since they're generally built for short bursts of heavy exercise rather than needing to run about all the time.

While adopting a shelter dog is a great thing to do and I would recommend it, I am not interested in the uncertainty of behaviours and I absolutely do not want very barky dogs.

What bothers me the most about pet adoptions is that so many people fail to actually research dogs and what it actually takes to care for one. I've done my research, which is why I'm so specific with what I want, but I feel like a lot of people just walk in with the "I want a dog" mindset without actually knowing anything. Dogs, no matter the breed, will need daily attention and exercise, even if it's just an hour-long walk, and longhaired ones add an extra level of needs.

Just...I've seen this happen with some family friends. The only one willing to put in the effort is also the only one working, and he has a full time university professorship. He can't do everything and the rest of the family doesn't seem to want to put in the effort. I feel sorry for him, and sorry for their pets.

I love dogs, so much. But I think it'd be unthinkable to give a dog to someone who's not expecting, especially if you don't have a backup plan for that dog. Sometimes people aren't in a place in life where they can take care of a pet, and a pet is a big commitment to time, money, and patience. I remember reading somewhere about puppy's being given as Christmas presents, and how that is a terrible idea for multiple reasons.

I feel like a lot of people get the gift puppy idea from Lady and the Tramp and assume that everything will be fine like in the movie. U:

[ShootingStar]

People spend money on specific breeds because they want specific traits. While adopting a shelter dog is a great thing to do and I would recommend it, I am not interested in the uncertainty of behaviours and I absolutely do not want very barky dogs.

The problem with looking for specific breeds, is that dogs are bred for the benefit of people, and not the benefit of the dog. A lot of pure bred dogs tend to have some serious genetic problems.
For example, over 60% of Golden Retrievers will die from cancer. That's MOST.
Boxers, Cocker spaniels, and German Shepherds are also at high risk for various types of cancer.

The King Charles Cavalier Spaniel is considered one of the best dog breeds in terms of temperament, train-ability and being ridiculously cute. But over half of them, by age five, will develop Mitral Valve disease, a serious heart condition that often leads to premature death.
Over 70% of them suffer from canine syringomyelia, which is where the skull stops growing before the brain, leading to very serious issues including damage to the spinal cord.

A lot of the most popular breeds have the worst health problems, which greatly affect the dogs quality of life. However, because people still want those 'selective traits', the dogs suffer as a result. I think that's one of the most selfish, and stupid things a dog owner can do too, because not only is the dog suffering, but it can be really costly to take care of those medical issues, and very emotionally stressful (especially for children in the case of a family pet) to go through a dog having cancer and other health issues. Most behaviors can be trained out of the average dog, but failing organs cannot.

I feel like a lot of people get the gift puppy idea from Lady and the Tramp and assume that everything will be fine like in the movie. U:\\

I like how people assume Disney is realistic in ANY way.
Like, I remember 'Darling' being pregnant and not once did you hear her sobbing hysterically from the hormones. Even the scenes with the baby depict it as a quiet little angel instead of a screaming, filthy mess of boob and vomit 90% of the time, which to me, is FAR more unrealistic than dogs sharing spaghetti together.

I think it depends on the situation, because while yes, it is a big responsibility, it's also something that if it goes correctly will be a really fantastic present.

The problem is that people gift dogs to people without the expectation of taking the dog back if the receivers don't work out. I've seen parents gifting puppies to their YOUNG kids, like 6-8, and then bringing them to the shelter after Christmas because the kid didn't want to take care of the dog. Fantastic present or not, it's not an object, it's a living, breathing creature that needs LOVE as much as food and water.

[Tekla]

The problem with looking for specific breeds, is that dogs are bred for the benefit of people, and not the benefit of the dog. A lot of pure bred dogs tend to have some serious genetic problems.
For example, over 60% of Golden Retrievers will die from cancer. That's MOST.
Boxers, Cocker spaniels, and German Shepherds are also at high risk for various types of cancer.

The King Charles Cavalier Spaniel is considered one of the best dog breeds in terms of temperament, train-ability and being ridiculously cute. But over half of them, by age five, will develop Mitral Valve disease, a serious heart condition that often leads to premature death.
Over 70% of them suffer from canine syringomyelia, which is where the skull stops growing before the brain, leading to very serious issues including damage to the spinal cord.

A lot of the most popular breeds have the worst health problems, which greatly affect the dogs quality of life. However, because people still want those 'selective traits', the dogs suffer as a result. I think that's one of the most selfish, and stupid things a dog owner can do too, because not only is the dog suffering, but it can be really costly to take care of those medical issues, and very emotionally stressful (especially for children in the case of a family pet) to go through a dog having cancer and other health issues. Most behaviors can be trained out of the average dog, but failing organs cannot.

I am aware of the health issues faced by many purebred dogs.

I don't see anything wrong with breeding for specific features and traits as long as they are bred with the dog's health and wellbeing in mind, and as long as the owner takes steps to reduce potential health risks. I've done a lot of research into the breed I'm interested in; I know the risks, especially the major ones, and I've looked a lot into what to do to reduce development of those issues.

Unfortunately, a lot of purebred breeds suffer because of too much inbreeding (and/or the founder effect), and because people are breeding only for what I can only consider very warped standards of "beauty". On top of that many of the fancier clubs are resistant to widening the gene pool by using other breeds or even just mutts - take the dalmatian, for example. The backcross project to reintroduce the gene for healthy uric acid by breeding a dalmatian with another breed was fought by the Dalmatian Club of America and ultimately those dogs from that project are still not permitted to register as purebred dalmatians...despite the fact that they have exactly the same traits as dalmatians (including the inherent deafness in the breed!), but have a much lower risk of developing stones and such related to abnormal uric acid.

I like mutts just the same, and I fully support those who want to do shelter adoptions. But shelter adoption is not something for me, just like purebreds are not for you, and neither choice is "selfish" or "stupid" because a dog is as much about finding the right dog for the person as it is finding a healthy dog (I mean I could walk into any shelter and grab a chihuahua, and we would definitely not get along!).

And, really, I'm not so picky as to necessarily be after specifically a purebred: I'm mainly after the body type, behavioural traits, and working skills common to greyhounds and borzois, so a crossbreed isn't out out of the question.