What Dog Related Issues REALLY Get Your Blood Boiling?

Question

We all have to pick our battles. To some people, it's spay/neuter, to others it's combating back yard breeders and "commercial breeding enterprises".

For me, it's any anti-dog related legislation! This includes BSL, mandatory s/n, increased licensing/breeder fees...

What issue(s) REALLY gets your blood boiling??
What are you doing to help educate about these issues?

Great answers so far.
I hope those reading this question and the answers can somewhat understand why we(those that give a crap) get so passionate here in the dog section.
Keep it up! I'm curious to see what else we get!

I'm finding it interesting that the answers that are receiving the most thumbs down are the ones against BSL or dog legislation or Peta..

Would anyone like to take a guess as to why? Is it personal against the answerer? Or is it because they are PRO BSL, peta, and dog legislation?

Wow, there are some really great answers, I'll have to sleep on it tonight and choose tomorrow!

Answer 1

I guess a big one for me is BYBreeding, breeding indiscriminately, uneducated breeding, whatever you want to call it.

I guess that's probably for a couple reasons:

1. I've been involved in purebred rescue for so long, and I've had to deal with so many dogs with issues, and who came from BYBs that I know of, but who refuse to take their dogs back.

2. I'm a firm believer in dogs with a purpose, and understanding the original function of a breed, and these people respect neither one. In my breed it's all about markings, eye color, and money for these people.

3. Working in a vet clinic and with rescue, I've seen so many purebreds with health problems that could easily have been prevented, if their breeders had a clue.

What am I doing to help? I've written articles on finding a responsible breeder, and I try to get people to at least do the genetic testing required for their breed before they go forward with it. I try to make people in this forum understand why they need to buy from someone with a vested interest in the breed. I do the same for people who contact me about my breed, and constantly refer them to people I trust if I don't have any puppies available (which is 95% of the time).

Answer 2

Hmmm, I think Ill have to make a list for you:
1. PETA, hypocrites (dont want pet ownership but run a slaughterhouse of a pet shelter where they do adopt out pets once in a blue moon)- I do everything I can to prove that their hearts are in most of the right place but they have alot of extremists and extremist (IMHO) views.
2. BSL, in areas where its in effect they are starting to use labs and other non-targeted breeds instead. I have something up my sleeve but I dont want my idea stolen, Im in the process of contacting people for it.
3. BYB, I hate seeing the puppies put down because they will never walk because someone bred fluffy and bruno who both had worse than poor hips and their puppies dont have any at all, if theyd have been tested there never would have been a problem because they would have been fixed. If the owners actually test for genetic issues I say go for it but if not do the puppies a favour and fix the dogs.
4. Puppy Mills, I argue with Petland employees about how horrible they are. At the local Petland where I live some of my friends worked there and told another friend not to buy a Yorkie puppy because it had a brain tumor and was going to die soon.
5. Mandatory S/N, they dont enforce it for stupid people why enforce it for the only people who will listen, the responsible ones.
6. In specific, Labrador BYBs, Ive been reading more and more often of these dogs having aggression/"snapping" problems. They are being bred to ignore pain and fear which is a horrible idea, I actually think that the puppies being produced have a form of "doggie" autism, people are saying that Fido is randomly snapping then again if I was autistic and some kid pulled my tail really hard and I didnt know what to do Id probably freak too. This may sound extreme but if you search for Lab Aggression you will get alot of help forums and articles on "fear" biting but I dont think it is because they are supposed to be too friendly to fear things... good Lab breeders ^^ dont seem to have those problems

Answer 3

I guess there are two for me. BSL related subjects really get me going. Any questions that bash certain breeds, like pitties and rotties, I feel that it is my duty to protect my own dog, and all the other misunderstood dog breeds. To help fight BSL I start on the small scale. I educate people around me about the breeds. And I am a responsible Pit Bull owners, and I show my well behaved dog off to the public. We have changed many minds so far, and I have aided in the rescue of a few Pit Bulls.

The other one is people who don't consider adoption when looking for a new dog. This includes people who want to breed their own dog and keep a puppy. People who insist that pet stores aren't bad. People who go to backyard breeders. And anyone who BUYS a mixed breed dog from a breeder. I educated them about adoption. It feels good when they at least accept my advice, but I get going when they start spouting out all this inaccurate information, and they won't just listen to what EVERYONE is telling them. So far I have helped a few people find 'designer breeds' at animal shelters, and I have talked to many people about spaying and neutering, and it has helped.

Answer 4

Breed Specific Legislation makes my blood boil. I get so angry that some people want to restrict the breeds we're allowed to keep, and in doing so condemn misunderstood breeds such as pitbulls and rotties to death. People need to realize that when you ban one breed, the backyard breeders will just find another breed to ruin. In general, BSL operates under the erroneous assumption that certain breeds are naturally cruel and need to be exterminated, and that no gentle dog could possibly be one of those breeds. Perfectly sweet dogs have been killed, just because of BSL laws.

Two of the sweetest dogs I've ever met were a rottweiler, and an akita/chow mix. Both of those dogs would have been exterminated under BSL. And there have been many accounts of heroic pitbulls saving people's lives, and sometimes sacrificing their own in the process. Do these dogs deserve the bad reputation they've gotten? Should they be killed on sight? Get past the breed of the dog, and assess the dog as an individual!

I'm hurt because I know that when I adopt a pitbull or a rottie, nobody's going to want to come around my house, especially with their children. I wish that people wouldn't believe all the hype. The hype has gotten so big and out of control, that most people just refuse to believe the actual owners of these dogs when they insist that the canines aren't vicious!

I'm angry at the media for portraying all of these dogs as killers, and making hardly any mention when one of them does a good thing. Search online for reports of heroic "bully breeds." What's more, there have been a LOT of times where the media has reported a "pitbull attack" only to realize later that the dog was not actually a pitbull at all! But they never seem to print a retraction! And the poor pitbulls are left with all the blame. People need to realize that pitbulls were not really bred for looks like some other breeds were, and therefore it's very difficult to recognize a pitbull when you see one, with 100% accuracy. There's an online game about "Find the Pitbull"...I bet you can't figure out which is the pit and which isn't!

I am also livid about the unscrupulous backyard breeders. The fact that they're churning out more dogs than the population can handle is actually only my secondary concern with this issue. What really gets me about the BYB's is that they are the ones that shoulder most of the blame for almost ruining certain breeds. Whenever a breed gets popular, the BYB's start breeding that breed, and almost always produce behaviorally and genetically unstable individuals. And then those unstable dogs are bred, and it just leads to tainted lines that give the breed itself a bad name. And when this happens, the public usually only sees the bad specimens as representative of the breed, and assume that the whole breed is bad. These tainted lines become the most visible members of the breed, and that leads to BSL!

And it does make it scary when picking out a dog. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a good dog, or at least that is how it seems. (Of course, the answer to this is not more BSL, it's just a matter of searching harder for a good-tempered dog. BSL doesn't work.) I mean, I've heard from professional dog trainers that even GOLDEN RETRIEVERS are becoming increasingly neurotic, and it's the result of these BYB's.

Another sort of dog-related thing that infuriates me is PETA! What a scam! They're supposed to be animal advocates, but they kill more animals than anyone else! Do you know the truth about the owner-surrendered animals they are supposed to find new homes for?! They try to say that they euthanize at the same rate as other shelters in their area, but that is just not true. Their euthanasia rate is not just a little higher...it is INCREDIBLY higher! In my opinion, PETA has no credibility. Google "PETA kills" and you'll see the frightening statistics that this organization tries desperately to hide from the public.

Obviously I'm angry at a lot of things, huh? Uuuuggghhhhhh!

Answer 5

All of it sort of boils my blood but I have been dealing with the ignorance so long and attempting to educate only to keep running into brick walls that it really sort of is a slow boil now ... still don't like a lot of what goes on but have just come to realize that stupid is global and incurable :( Of course the BSL, extreme animal rightser stuff gets me going - particularly knowing their ultimate agenda and watching what is going on in Europe where they have taken a strong foothold already. I am not at all anti-animal welfare but the two are completely different and the sad fact is, most people don't realize it and are drawn to the PETAish stuff due to some of the sensationalism without realizing the ultimate goal of eliminating all companion animal ownership... then there is the mandatory s/n thing -- while on the surface it woudl be great the sad facts are that people that are irresponsible will continue to be so and those that care won't be adding to the problematic issues anyway and they will be the ones that will abid by regulations and end up being affected in the long run and it is just knee jerk response to a problem that is not really based in that issue anyway -- mandating s/n in areas won't keep illbred and irresponsibly placed puppies from being borne... Then there is always the just plain uncaring owners who think it is a right of theirs to let their foofoo make puppies without any veterinary care or any knowledge about what they are doing -- the dog likely hasn't even had proper healthcare and yet they think because they believe it is 'cute' and 'has a wonderful temperament' (although it is a fearbiting crippled mess) that they should be reproducing with it and then whine when they have emergency needs and come on here with 'I can't go to the vet' for some trumped up reason that holds no water... see, I can get simmering about all of it but knowing that you can't cure stupid has allowed me to not actually boil up so much :) My blood pressure couldn't stand it! haha

Answer 6

Oh, Goodness.. there are several things that get me truly aggravated but as many of you have seen... I already wrote one book tonight so I will narrow this down to the two things that get my hair up even when I am in my most ZEN of moods.
They would be BSL not just against my breeds of choice but against any and all breeds of dog. Part of it stems, of course, from being a dog lover that happens to be involved with a "bull breed" but also because of my disdain for racism and discrimination in all forms. BSL in my heart is nothing more than canine racism that is directed at a breed rather than an ethnic group. It is all just hate that is spread through ignorance.
My other "red flag" topic is PETA.
With many (most) of the animal welfare organizations out there that actually put their all on the line to make a difference being small and underfunded having a huge media gobbling yell loud but do little organization like PETA snatching up the donation dollars to me is criminal.
They spend a so much money every year to ensure that they make even more the following year that the real hero organizations just can not make ends meet well enough to keep afloat and may times die. And the real victims, of course, are the animals.
Ok... so I wrote too much as usual! Glad I kept it to my two most despised!
~Tyed~

Answer 7

It's anti-dog legislation for me, too.
What I do about it is to keep up on current efforts to make laws that forbid certain breeds, cause licensing fees to increase, make mandatory spay and neuter laws rather than incentives.
I am very much for spaying and neutering but by offering incentives for it rather than legislation. This has worked well in San Francisco/Nathan Winograd- introducing No Kill shelters there with educational programs, spay and neuter incentives and rewards.
I write legislators, city officials etc. when new laws are being brought up to vote on.
I own an APBT and I have her well trained and introduce her to the neighbors and that has changed a lot of minds about her breed. Where some people see these dogs and walk out of their way not to be near them, people let their kids get a "hug" from ours.
When reports go on TV or the news about "pit bull" or "pit bull type dogs" involved in fights, I do some investigating and call media when I have good reason to believe that the animal being identified is not an APBT or even a mix of that breed or a breed like it.
It's hard to imagine that dogs like APBT and English Staffie are forbidden in Australia now, considering that is the breed that their "Crocodile Hunter" and family (Irwin's) owned. And what a great dog she was! (Sui).
I post to any anti-APBT or anti other breed of dog that people are passing legislation against with links to sites regarding myths and facts, etc.
I hope this trend does not continue. It disturbs me greatly, the sort of legislation being passed in San Antonio right now. If the city goes through with passing all that is proposed there I won't vacation there ever again.

Answer 8

Well, responsible dog ownership is my pet issue here. To me, that means the average owner should probably spay/neuter and not breed, and TRAINING CLASSES! I'm also a shelter mutt dog lover, and I'm sure anyone's caught me advocating for them. It makes me so sad to think that some people are afraid of certain breeds of dogs.

Granted, the first time I heard a Doberman growl, I was a little scared (but so was the growling dog - my dog was trying to say hello and we were at the vet). I just don't understand how people can think that some breeds of dog are uniquely viscious. Yes, some were bred to fight, but given a few generations of caring breeders, tendencies will fade. I know Rotties are your cup of tea, and it's sad to me how these beautiful dogs are used as security systems.

You know what really gets my blood boiling? The comment that "shelter dogs have issues." Yes. Once upon a time, they ended up in a shelter. They were ABANDONED. This means they're overflowing with gratitude. It's a terrible thing to deal with, you know? And mine came with some AWFUL behaviors she'd learned, like putting her butt on the ground when someone says "sit" and knowing to pee outside. *Sigh* I'll stop now.

Answer 9

The thing that gets my blood boiling is people who support, or participate in the breeding of mixed dogs, or breeding purebreds to create "designer dogs." This hits close to home as I have two of these "designer dogs" from shelters and to see how their lives are affected by greed is really quite heartbreaking.

They not only have physical problems, but tempramental as well. One was diagnosed with luxating patellas at 8 months, and will eventually need surgery on both knees. To know that a dog who loves to run is going to end up with arthritis at, most likely, an early age is really a tragedy. She is spooked by every sound and strange sight she sees. The other has some severe problems with going out in public.

She hates to be approached by anyone she is not familiar with, growling at anyone who tries. She shys from strangers and other dogs, and generally seems to hate being anywhere but inside my home. To think that these people don't even take a second thought at what they are doing pisses me off.

As for your BSL question, people are thumbs-downing them because they are uneducated, and don't bother to see how wonderful these breeds can be. If I remember correctly, you show Rottweilers, correct? My brother has a Rott and I call her my big teddy bear. The most adorable dog, and funny thing is that she wants more than ANYTHING to be able to sit on people's lap, but most can't breathe while she tries =).

Answer 10

Poor breeding practices.

I understand that people will always breed their pets. However, is it really just too much to ask to have some sort of tests done to assure they don't carry genetic defects?

I mean, really! It may cost, but is it really that difficult to have the hips, knees, and elbows x-rayed? There are simple blood test to check for other known defects too.

I try to educate people on breed standards, genetic issues in certain breeds, and what to look for when getting a puppy.

I was actually thanked last week when I interrupted a couple when they were considering buying a Great Dane puppy. The parents weren't tested for hip dysplasia and the couple never realized that this could be a problem, until I mentioned it.

If the couple can educate two people each, and those two people educate the next two........

Wouldn't it be nice!