YA needs a change? Are we here to help or preach?

Question

I have two beefs with answers I've seen lately. The two topics have been breeding and diet. Let me just say that I'm very against puppy mills and back yard breeders. I know what a reputable breeder is. I'm also VERY involved with dog rescue. Here is my problem... Why are people on here so mean? When someone asks a question... don't rip them apart! Give them nice advice.. even if that includes info on breeding help. Of course encourage these people to to breed responsibly, or spay and neuter. But don't attack them to the point that they delete their question and go get advice some place different. That other source may lead them down a very bad path. We are on this forum to help educate. That includes the pet over population problem. Be nice! Teach responsibilty, don't PREACH anything.
Diet... Since there are dogs still chained in yards that barely get any food... how does anyone feel that they can be rude about what someone is feeding? You wanna help? Educate. Don't judge!

When people ask questions here... at least they are asking. That is when we encourage them to speak to their vet and find a very reputable breeder as a mentor. We still shouldn't be rude. We send them off angry.. does nothing to help the dogs.

You are missing the point. This is not an area for rants! I'm trying to figure out a way to help these people and get the point of responsibilty through to them. Dog lovers will ALWAYS deal with this issue. This will not stop in any of our lifetimes. Teach these people what is right in a nice way. Just telling them how horrible they are doesn't help. If you thinking screaming at them to fix their pets will get a point acrossed, your wrong. It will just make them think we are all a bunch of PETA freaks.

It's sad that people are using this question to rant. We need to learn how to turn off the bitterness. It's so counterproductive. Go volunteer at a humane society, one of the first things you'll learn is that you get a lot further with sugar than you do vinegar.

Answer 1

Yeah YA needs to change. In a lot of ways.

Get rid of the darned Thumbs down for one.
Only let level 3 or above report
Make people give REAL information when they sign up to hold them accountable for their account.

I could go on.

Everyone has good days and bad days. We all have our polite times and we lose our tempers. I know I lose mine on occasion. Does it make me a horrible person? Nope. I'm human. I do my best to answer questions honestly but I do get frustrated.

It will happen to you as well. And you'll bounce back and be polite again.

It comes in waves. Some of the things you read will make you just want to scream. When you see how many people breed or accidently breed, you'll just about die - especially if you are at all aware of how many dogs die in shelters.... Other things make it fun. But you will lose your temper on ocassion even if you don't mean to.

You do your best, be honest, you keep answering and that's about the best you can do.

Answer 2

I'm sorry I absolutely refuse to give breeding advice other than how long a heat cycle lasts, and that is so they can hopefully avoid accidental breeding, or the requirements before breeding, and the risks and responsibility that go with it.

If a dog is already pregnant, I'll help with that, or the new pups and encourage them to spay mom and spay and neuter pups too.

If they really want to breed the right way, they'll look into those risks and responsibilities, do some of their own research, etc. etc.

I'm not going to tell every average Joe/Jane when they should breed their *****. That would be irresponsible of me, I'm not going to be an enabler for an irresponsible breeder.

If I'm rude for not doing so, than so be it.

Answer 3

A lot of people don't realize how strict the YA guidelines are. Just simply being the least bit rude or mean and your answer can be deleted. A lot of people don't take the time to read them until they get reported and wonder why their answer was deleted.
I agree 100% something needs to be done about breeding. Unfortunately people are going to keep being irresponsible until the government takes over every aspect of pet ownership and we wont have any say in the matter.
There needs to be low cost spay & neuter programs in every City or County if it's a group of small towns. Every vet should have to educate pet owners that use their services on pet over population and spay & neutering.
http://www.sniksnak.com/stop_s-n.html

Answer 4

Freedom and Shanna have all of my sentiments to the T. There are days when I read questions on this site and start crying for the poor animals that some of these people own.
I firmly disagree with any kind of encouragement to a breeder who obviously doesn't know and doesn't care. I will be rude when the question is so offensive that I can't even believe they have the nerve to show how cold and evil they are on this site.
When you have been here longer, your heart will ache just like the rest of us, for all the poor dogs and puppies who suffer or die because people would rather sit on their computer and ask questions after their dog is in jeopardy than learn about the creation of life before they just do it.

By the way, did you know that some of the foods mentioned on this site were the cause of alot of death in this country from melamine poisoning?

As far as other sources go, any other informational source, like a vet, or a mentor breeder, or even a book on breeding is safer than taking advice off the Internet.

Answer 5

I'll be honest here. When I first came to Yahoo, I was just like you. Why can't we be nice, right? Well, after about 500 questions about breeding where you just KNEW that either that b itch or all the puppies were going to die, you get a little more than annoyed. It starts to really get to you that people treat breeding as just something fun to do, rather than what it is, and that is creating lives. It should NOT be taken lightly and unfortunately people take it VERY lightly.
Owning a dog does not just give you a license to put their reproductive organs into action if you do not have the time, energy, and money to provide the care necessary. AND people have NO business breeding when they have done so little research that they have to come on here and ask such elementary questions. I have never bred a litter in my life, but I know 1000 times more than these losers do and I STILL don't feel qualified to breed.
That is why people are rude. They are sick of the blame of over population being place squarely on their shoulders when they are the responsible breeder. They are sick of picking up the pieces in rescue when some fool decides to stu[idly breed their dog. And they are sick of sticking the needle into innocent dogs to kill them because people don't bother to count shelter numbers before they breed more mutts.
That's why we are rude. Give it time, you'll get there too.

Oh, and I have to agree with Believer. 99% of the so-called rude answers aren't actually rude; they just go against what the asker wants to hear.
If I ask you if you like Dobermans and you say no, is that you being rude because I do like them? No, that is just being honest and too many people confuse the two.
I read Tara's previous question and Believer is right, not a rude answer in the bunch, but because it wasn't what she wanted to hear, she labeled them as rude. Now THAT is what is rude.

Answer 6

I asked a question very similar to this one a few days ago. Check it out.

We can only try to educate though experience and knowledge, So if the asker takes our advice is their choice, if not that is their problem. Yes it may have an ill effect on their pets health.

My problem is people constantly harping on one or two subjects.. Yes we NEED to educate people, but by being rude is not really going to work (even if it is the truth), it is going to go in one ear and out the other.


A pleasant but truthful answer is going to get you further then a rude and truthful one will.

Answer 7

There is really nothing I can add here, just wanted to acknowledge that I saw the question. Dog Addict, I KNOW your heart's in the right place, and in theory I do agree with you, BUT I have to agree with Believer, Shanna, and a few of the others. We all started out here wanting to help. But after a few months, it just becomes impossible to remain civil day after day in the face of such utter ignorance.

When someone is uneducated I try to give them help and information. But I can't fix stupid.

Answer 8

I hear you 100%....I try to be nice..but sometimes it gets irritating. I see people so uneducated..you wonder if they are really that ignorant. I really try to be informative...and i'm sure others are too...we just get sick of the same questions over and over and the same ignorance over and over...it gets tiring trying to educate and it's hard to be nice at times.

Answer 9

I Agree... I am only New to this site and I personally have been shocked at the level of attack I have seen on this site when someone asks a question...I thought it was a place to get advice and answers not try to enforce ones beliefs through judgement and rudeness.. a person will never listen to ones advise when it comes with such venem and abuse...and they will immediatley shut you off no matter what your advise is...good or bad....I dont agree with puppy mills and I believe that not all people should have puppies as they are not responsible enough to the dog or breed..but i dont believe i have the right to tell someone what to do with their dog...unless i know all the facts and then advise is only given......if it is not taken its their choice ...but i would be as arrogant as i have seen some on this site if i became abusive because they didnt listen to me....

Answer 10

Jeeeeeez: I just 'stopped in here' to get a break from 'Dental' for a while...

From what I've seen, people are asking questions (for the most part) to get advice from others who preferably have been in the same predicament. Some do give advice, others belittle the poster as if they should have known better... while this may be the case, they are still looking for anwers, which is where the rest of us come in.

Everyone raises their dogs differently and I would hope that when answers are given, the poster would 'listen' to the ones that meet their needs and not be afraid of getting 'bashed'.

Those that 'bash' are usually reported anyway....