Irresponsible Pet Owners....?????

Question

New pet owners are just that. New pet owners. The people who use this site to ask questions are looking for answers, not insults or name calling. We wouldn't do that to our dogs. I remember my first dog and I was clueless. Everyone has to start at the beginning and to call someone irresponsible for asking questions is to be irresponsible. Those people came to this website for help, not harassment. Instead we should be offering support, solutions and mostly teaching them when, where and what to ask their vet. We should also be teaching them what to keep in the house for emergencies and for day to day things.
Remember the day you got your first dog and remember how clueless you were.
Sorry for the rant, but I find it troublesome that people would condemn someone as being irresponsible for askinng questions.

Answer 1

I agree. I researched a lot about the dog I was getting before I picked my puppy up, but advice from seasoned pet owners really helped me bring my dog up. It is unproductive to tell someone they are irresponsible when they are asking for help. If you feel the need to put someone down, then that is your right, but at least leave them info that they can use. I'm sure those people who claim other people are irresponsible are not perfect and have made blunders before. By the way, not everyone who is poor will be bad pet owners.

Answer 2

While I agree with you, at least they are asking (if they are being genuine). They might be questions that make us cringe but the owners are really trying to learn about their pet and see if doing this or that is really okay. Does that really make them irresponsible when you think of it like that? I can tell you that most pet owners won't bother to even go on the Internet and research. That being said, the amount of people that own pets but know nothing about them disturbs me. I work at a pet shop and the ignorance of some people who come in is heartbreaking sometimes. MOST of them, the ONLY research they will do for caring for their pet is a 2 minute explanation from a pet shop employee. This is so risky, I would not trust most pet shop people to give me advice (that being said, we're not all bad... I am obsessed with birds and am constantly researching them... I even use to be in the top 10 answerers for the pet bird section on Y!A... yet I'm a pet shop employee). We even get people who come to us for advice when their pet is dying and we tell them to go to the vet... they say no it's too expensive and want us to do something instead. Hmm... that sounds a lot like Y!A too, doesn't it? >_> I don't know why there are so many irresponsible pet owners... but the more ways we can find to educate these people, the better.

Answer 3

I agree that new dog owners should be given time to learn. There are plenty of books available at the pet stores and the book stores that will teach people how to care for a pet. They are not expensive. Before anyone takes on the care of a living thing, they should be at least a little prepared. If it was a baby they would be asking all kinds of questions and reading everything they could get their hands on before the baby was even born. Why can't we show the same sense of responsibility toward our pets? The major excuse for giving a dog up to a shelter or just letting it go is that the owners were completely "clueless". This kind of behavior is just not acceptable in my book.

Answer 4

You are correct! I have seen many questions that were wrote the wrong way.. If I write something like VET HELP NOW!!!! I might get many people that just insult or give non help full answers. but if I was to put " My dog Fido has not been acting like him self. He does not want to eat, and looks to be having a hard time going to the bathroom. Does any one have a clue on what is going on? is home treatment an option. Does Fido need immediate Vet care? " You can not call some one irresponsible because they are having a hard time explaining their problem... What is common since to you, is not common since to every one... You might have grown up with dogs and you, might be a Dog guru but if someone wants a dog and never had one there are going to be LOTS of questions!!!!!

Answer 5

Thank you. I asked a question about my puppy and someone said I shouldn't have gotten one and that I suck. I found the poor thing abandoned and covered with fleas and ticks with dried blood on her head and a sore neck from scratching. I brought her home last night in spite of opposition from my husband. We do not know how old she is or what we need to do for her, but I couldn't leave her there or she would have died. I don't have a lot of money. I am going to college and I have 3 kids and my husband is a roofer. I will do what NEEDS to be done for her, but cannot afford to do everything that could be done at the vet, etc. She is very loving towards me already. I have bathed her and I have picked A LOT of fleas and some ticks off of her.

Answer 6

you are right in some ways but as a human you have access to information and should undertake that before throwing inexperience at the life of an animal who has no choice; the world is full of unwanted pets; pets who are no longer cute ; pets who had poor excuse for owners who got bored and turned them into the pound; remember all the faces of the animals looking through the bars at the pounds and shelters and have their life extinguished b/c someone didn't follow through with a commitment no matter what ; I have two dogs and raised several litters and still keep in contact with all ; I have an unconditional policy to take back the dog if at any time someone changes to prevent our pups facing abandonment; an animal doesn't need clueless they need an owner; how many questions here ; I have a 8 week pup and I could cry ; they are cute yes, but babies and an adult can't stand a couple nights of crying and train for success; or utilize shock and spray collars instead of time and effort; or crates to isolate and limit space as training; I house trained some 16 pups before they left here at 10 weeks old ; knowing commands to sit; leash comfort; visits back with Mom; that is responsibility ; look at the number of animals put to death b/c of clueless people; what about all those faces and lives; that is where my sympathy is ; a human knows better an animal puts his faith in trust in us; no room for clueless

Answer 7

Back when I first started we were clueless, but we didn't have the internet. We had barely anything. These days there is a wealth of info on animals of all kinds, their care etc - anything you need to know there's tons of out there.
There's a certain amount of info to get from a public Q&A, and some research from sources like vets that can be done.
I'm all for doing research here, but not to make this the only source.
I've gotten my fair share of abuse on Yahoo, but with the bad comes the good, I don't take it personally. We find those we agree with and those we don't.

Answer 8

on one hand, i totally agree with you. sometimes the answerers over react. sometimes i think they're just grumpy jerks who are using this as a way to take their frustrations out on others, anonymously. but on the other hand, i *have* seen a lot of disturbing questions, and i haven't even been here that long. i imagine it *does* get easier to get rude after you've seen evidence of neglect time and time again.

it's one thing to ask questions like "how do i get my dog to stop chewing the sofa?" or "which dog food do you guys think is best?", and it's another thing to ask a question like "my dog is pooping blood, should i take him to the vet?" or "my dog is coughing up blood. why do you think that is?" i have seen both of these questions, unfortunately, but at least those trogs are reaching out for help instead of letting the dog rot. think of how many people are out there who don't even care enough to ask about what to do. horrifying.

i mean, you read enough of those and you realise just how many poor dogs are stuck outside, bleeding, with idiot owners who don't take care of them. it can get to you after awhile. although in most cases, i think you'll help the dogs more in the long run if you try to explain things in a civil manner to these clueless, borderline criminal dolts. if you yell at them, a lot of the time, they're not going to listen... and the dog is going to continue to suffer.

Answer 9

I so VERY much agree with you!!! Some of the answers are horrible, and downright rude. This is supposed to be a helpful place, not a place to judge another, call names, or rant and rave about personal feelings or beliefs. Come on people. Be helpful and give the new owners a break, or don't bother to answer just for points!!!!

Answer 10

True. I am happy to offer advice on things I know about and have experienced and I will continue to do so. I admire people for asking such questions rather than trying to wing it and geting it wrong at the risk of the pets health.