Please Don't Eat Our Best Friends

[HeyYou]

6 minutes ago, UsernameWithA9 said:

Scent plays a huge part in how they interpret their environment. They aren't offended by it as we are. I wouldn't be too concerned as long as they don't start eating the scat. That's a problem. Just keep a water hose, copious dog shampoo and fresh towels at the ready.

Yep. They have no desire to eat it, deer are herbivores after all, so, nothing appealing in their piles... cat poop on the other hand.... yeah, lots of undigested proteins there, and unfortunately, the dogs like it. Just not a good plan.....

The dogs are supervised when they are outside though. Make sure they stay in the yard, and out of trouble. We are *generally* successful.... but, only 'generally'.

The neighbors have a puppy as well... (the ones that just moved in. VERY young couple..... ) They also have a three year old daughter.... and Daisy LOVES to go over and play.... First time, the neighbor was scared of her... (she isn't a small dog....) but, I told 'em Daisy was a real sweetheart, and all she wanted to do was play... and it was all good.

[Guest deleted156886133]

1 minute ago, UsernameWithA9 said:

They don't bother anything.

 

3 minutes ago, HeyYou said:

I may have 50 skunks around here, and just not know about it

Well, except for maybe you. Wow! 50? 

[HeyYou]

Just now, UsernameWithA9 said:

 

Well, except for maybe you. Wow! 50? 

I haven't SEEN one in quite some time....... Fortunately.

[Karna5]

1 minute ago, HeyYou said:

We generally leave a bowl of food out during the day for the neighborhood cats. (and our three as well....) but, the population of barn cats has been diminishing over time.... and I am not sure why.

There's a good chance one or more of your neighbors may be Feral Colony Caretakers. I was one for many years. Our local humane society had a program where volunteers take classes in how to be feral colony caretakers (which I took, of course), and then we were put into their program and acquired live traps to catch feral cats for TNR (trap, neuter and release).

When I began as a caretakers, there were around 14 or 15 cats around my house. Within a few years there was rarely more than one at a time. They weren't dying off any faster than feral cats normally die. They just weren't increasing by 4 to 6 every few months per female cat, and the alpha mother of any colony chases away her kittens when they grow up, leaving you with just the main mother and maybe a male cat by your property and no new kittens.

[HeyYou]

1 minute ago, Karna5 said:

There's a good chance one or more of your neighbors may be Feral Colony Caretakers. I was one for many years. Our local humane society had a program where volunteers take classes in how to be feral colony caretakers (which I took, of course), and then we were put into their program and acquired live traps to catch feral cats for TNR (trap, neuter and release).

When I began as a caretakers, there were around 14 or 15 cats around my house. Within a few years there was rarely more than one at a time. They weren't dying off any faster than feral cats normally die. They just weren't increasing by 4 to 6 every few months per female cat, and the alpha mother of any colony chases away her kittens when they grow up, leaving you with just the main mother and maybe a male cat by your property and no new kittens.

The only kitten I have seen here, was more than likely a drop-off..... that found my wife when she was out walking the dogs..... She heard her in the weeds, so, called her, and she actually came out, didn't seem to care about the dogs.... Wife brought her home. That's Shirley. Shes been here a couple years now.

[Karna5]

4 minutes ago, HeyYou said:

She heard her in the weeds, so, called her, and she actually came out

Yes, that is almost certainly a drop off or stray, not a feral cat. You never hear and rarely see true feral cats. They're very quiet and very good at hiding.

p.s. I'm headed back to Skyrim. I can't remember why I logged out for a while *laughs* But it's good to know there are more kind people in this community.

[Guest deleted156886133]

@HeyYou The proteins, right. That's why dogs sometimes eat cat crap, because of a protein deficiency. That makes sense. I used to know a woman who had a dog doing that. She called them almond rocas.

[HeyYou]

10 minutes ago, Karna5 said:

Yes, that is almost certainly a drop off or stray, not a feral cat. You never hear and rarely see true feral cats. They're very quiet and very good at hiding.

p.s. I'm headed back to Skyrim. I can't remember why I logged out for a while *laughs* But it's good to know there are more kind people in this community.

Have fun storming the castle!

If I see an injured animal, that is not something I can just ignore.... If there is something I can do for them, I will, even if that is only to end their suffering.....

2 minutes ago, UsernameWithA9 said:

@HeyYou The proteins, right. That's why dogs sometimes eat cat crap, because of a protein deficiency. That makes sense. I used to know a woman who had a dog doing that. She called them almond rocas.

Ewww..

 

Yeah, sometimes I just don't quite get why dogs eat some of the things they do... Sure, part of it simply because it smells tasty..... and their opinion on that is FAR different from mine..... But, they haven't built up the prejudices since birth that I have either. Yep, there are something that I simply will NOT eat. Put it on a fork or spoon though, and my dogs will happily eat it. Even salad.

[Guest deleted156886133]

I had a little fun with the word dog/s by swapping around the letters in an anagram/acronym type hybrid exercise to create some random dog related phrases. Some may require a small amount of intuitiveness on the part of the reader. I had a little help from an online letter combination calculator and a dictionary/thesaurus.

Dog
dog: dogs or goldfish?
god: good ol' dog
ogd: our growling dog
odg: odiferous dog gas
gdo: Geriatric Dog Oncology
dgo: dog going out

 Dogs

dogs: dog of great stamina
odgs: one dog goes stray
gdos: gnarly dogs or snakes?
dgos: dog groups of six
ogds: oddly glowing dog slobber
gods: gentlemanly ol' dog society
sodg: sage or dog guy?
osdg: on-site dog guard
dsog: dog scat on Google or dog scooting on grass (I had to go with both on this one.)
sdog: snarling dogs or gunfire?
odsg: old dogs served gallantly
dosg: dog of stunning grandiosity
dgso: dog gestures suggest otherwise
gdso: Greg's dog's shaggy offspring
sdgo: salivating dog going over
dsgo: dog stayed great once
gsdo: gave some dog orders
sgdo: stupid guy's dog occupation
sgod: several goats or dogs?
gsod: Gary saved only dogs
osgd: Onward, strangely galloping dogs
sogd: seeking only guide dogs
gosd: got one stupid dog
ogsd: one goofy, silly dog

Edited August 12 by UsernameWithA9
No matter how many times I proofread, there's always one typo. What am I, stoned? Oh yeah, I am.

[Guest deleted156886133]

I have a theory on why Americans have elevated canines to such high regard. The species as a whole is perhaps one of the most versatile and dynamic of all. They've recognized that fact and built upon it by cross-breeding to the point of creating a breed for a large variety of purposes. I could list a handful but everyone knows what dogs can do/have done. And what the species has accomplished through that service to humans has led to the love and admiration we, as Americans, feel towards dogs. Cows, pigs, and chickens just don't stack up in terms of usefulness, except for their meat. Yes, I agree that the manner in which they are kept is to be abhorred. I can't do anything about that but lament. Changes are being implemented though. But the fact remains, people need to eat and those animals have been deemed fodder by the powers that be long ago. It is what it is, folks.

Here's something ridiculous for you to ponder and bear with me please: Let's say it was different and dogs were now what's for dinner. Roles are switched, dogs are now fodder and cows are utilized to herd them. Both species still have the same characteristics, nothing's changed there. Picture a dog ranch out in the Midwest. The young farmer recently inherited the ranch, which used to raise and slaughter cattle, from his father and was having doubts. All but one cow of his father's herd was adopted out after the new meat consumption laws were passed and he had a herd of 150 border collie females to wrangle in, one-by-one, into containment pens for veterinary evaluations. I hope you can see his dilemma. Cows aren't known for their herding abilities. Yeah, I know. Someone's probably saying, "Well, as long as the dogs aren't aggressive, they'll submit willingly to the exam." Don't apply too much logic to my ridiculous hypothetical but hopefully you can see my point that things are the way they are for a reason.

For a laugh, let's now pretend it's the chicken that has to herd the collies. Or a rooster, which would actually be more entertaining.

But why must we eat meat at all? Well, we don't necessarily. We can survive on plant proteins but we need the rich levels of iron that animal flesh provides. It feeds our own flesh. Vegetarians and vegans have difficulties maintaining that same level of essential nutrient in their diets. Some succeed, some don't, succumbing to their cravings for iron and the animal flesh that provides it so richly. It happened to me when I went vegetarian earlier in my life. I knew about keeping an eye on iron intake but I didn't really put in the work to be vigilant about it so I eventually caved around six months in. I needed a cheeseburger. Utter bliss on that first bite!

So, plants. Here's another perhaps more plausible scenario I'll offer for your consideration. I have yet to eat an Impossible Burger but must admit, being a hard core beef eater, I'm intrigued and fascinated. It certainly looks the part. For those of you who don't know, the Impossible Burger is a plant-based alternative to beef that was formulated in a laboratory. Uncooked meat is red like beef and even bloody. I can envision scores of meat eaters making the switch, provided the plant flesh contains the essential levels of iron that an omnivorous human requires. I'm not certain, but I am inclined to think Impossible's formulators have that covered.

So flash forward 20 years. Impossible Meat Products has made leaps and bounds in research, production and plant-centric propaganda and they now create alternatives to all previous meat choices. The world view on meat consumption has shifted. Every animal that was previously in queue for slaughter has been released to various places; either adopted out to homes, released to roam freely in pastures or to the wilderness. Wolves, mountain lions and the like in Yosemite National Park are blissfully and gluttonously pleased by this new influx of protein sources, by the way. Their numbers in Yosemite alone increase exponentially in a only a matter of years. Can Yosemite support and what's more, contain them all? But hey, they're all free now PETA! No wait! Their work has diminished significantly but there are now black market animal flesh dealers to contend with. Not everyone submits to the new plant-centric mandates and propaganda. No surprise there. 

But don't worry about PETA. It's now 20 years later. We've been living high on the plant and dissent has been brewing about it. Impossible Meat's cultivation practices have come under severe scrutiny. The plants aren't being watered enough, some are being kept at uncomfortable temperatures, each plant doesn't have ample personal space to feel comfortable in and other plant welfare related issues have come to light. The source of the dissent is a new advocacy group who believe that all beings are sentient and should be respected. Yeah, the tree huggers are now in force and after years of effective lobbying, now have legislative backing. The Sentient Being Liberation Society or SBLS --I know, not as catchy as PETA-- is now calling the shots. They successfully spearhead a campaign for the release of the entirety of Impossible's inventory to be used in an effort to reclaim some of what's been lost due to the massive release of so many grazing animals upon the prairies, valleys and wildernesses of the planet. So, just what the hell are we to eat now? Guess we'll start with eliminating some of those grazing threats to the new re-planting effort. Hunting season's open again!

You can't tell me that some variation of that scenario wouldn't play out. Concedingly, not to the point of relinquishing our only food source. It's far-fetched at best, I know. The scenario simply demonstrates a point and that is: It's a simple, hard fact of life that you CAN NOT please every single person. Ever. This isn't a perfect world. There will be conflicts, major and minor. It doesn't matter. We, as humans, will fight over small amounts of currency when we don't really need it. We'll get a concealed carry permit and vow to blast the next person that tries to compete over that parking spot, any spot. We'll fight over perceived slights that have no basis in reality, essentially over nothing at all. Any and everything you can think of, a human will find some cause to complain, balk, dispute, disagree, bicker and fight with some other human about it. We'll fight over one too many ice cubes in our scotch, for duck's sake! And this post will most assuredly piss off someone, at least one.

I was wondering how to steer it back so I'll do that now by saying, one of the reasons I respect and love dogs so much is that they don't fight over stupid bullshit, as a whole. And they don't sweat the small stuff. They fight to protect their young, their food, themselves and mating rights. They'll fight for territory to establish a basis for their survival. And they'll fight to the death for their human if necessary. Because, after all, that human is imperative to it's survival. At least in it's eyes. And the human's also a decent person. The dog can tell.

So, that's that. Hopefully this serves to feed the fascination of those who wonder why Americans may seem hypocritical when it comes to the plight of farm animals and yet revere canines in such high regard. They offer us humans unconditional love, compassion, companionship, service and loyalty beyond measure that, at times, defies our logic. They seem to complete us, these best friends of ours. In my eyes, they are certainly worthy of the pedestal they have been placed upon. 

In closing, I'd like to offer a quote from The New York Times writer, Nicholas Kristof, who recently wrote an opinion piece entitled, Dogs are the best! But they highlight our hypocrisy. I came across it during a search for dog stories and that in turn, along with previous posts, inspired me to write this. Read at your leisure, the majority of the article reflects what was said here earlier in this thread, (coincidence?) but he says at one point, "There are a few statues of heroic dogs around the world — in Tokyo, in New York City, in Scotland — and in the United States I would love to see more. Perhaps we could replace some statues of Confederate generals with ones of dogs who represented a higher standard of, er, humanity?"

Sure, that sounds like a grand idea!