Sunday, 04 March 2012
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Our Social Health: Dog Racism?
There's this project for an online class I'm taking about Dimensional Ethics (or something like that). The project involves me doing community service and then write about my experience there and if there was an ethical or moral problem in the place I serviced.
I'm extremely antisocial, by nature... and I always get nervous around people, especially people I don't know. I'm only comfortable with the people that are found in my circle of trust, which are very few. And it's because of this, I chose to work at a pet hound. It's really more like a sanctuary for stray, abandoned and abused animals (cats and dogs). I could've worked in the orphanage or the old people place, but like I said before, I'm not comfortable around people. But I'm extremely comfortable around animals.
Now, this Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization where it's run with pure donations.They are called a "Sanctuary" because they don't kill un-adopted animals, to put it simply, they don't put an animal to sleep if they don't get adopted unlike normal animal hounds do. And I think that it's great that they don't put any of those lovable animals to sleep.
The maintenance and work of the place and the animals depend solely on volunteers. Fortunately, there are volunteers, just not that many because there aren't a lot of people that are willing to get their hands dirty. But there are a lot of people that donate things like dog and cat shampoo, dog and cat food and other things to help out. This Sanctuary houses mostly "mutts" cats and dogs alike. There a rarely any pure breeds there.
I love animals (including any kind of rodent), and I don't discriminate them whether their pure bred or not. However, there are a great number of people that do. A lot of people would rather buy a pure bred puppy in a pet shop, then adopt a "mutt." And I think that this resembles a lot to racism because there are people that hate mutts and that won't take in a dog if it's not of a pure breed. This situation is seen a lot in our society with fellow human beings.
Anyways, as I said before, I LOVE animals.
I went with my mom to the Animal Sanctuary to offer my services. I spoke with the current supervisor to let her know about my project proposal, she immediately agreed. I'll be able to volunteer during the weekends with whatever that needs to be done, whether it be shoveling out poop, giving an animal a bath, feeding them or even playing with them!
There are people that do have the kind heart to adopt an animal from the Sanctuary to give them a home and lots of love. This goes to show that there isn't only racism in humans but also in animals. Interesting?
What do you think about this? Would you rather adopt a mixed breed dog from an Animal Sanctuary or buy a pure breed? Do you practice dog racism?
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About the Author
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- From: Orlei@xanga
- Name: Orlei
- About Me: I'm currently studying music, my main instrument is voice and my second is piano. I don't sing musicals and I will shoot anyone who asks me to sing it. Most of the time I space in and out...sometimes I just stay spaced out...ADD. I tend to not make sense most of the time, but if you're smart, you'll be able to figure out what I'm trying to say.
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Comments (49)
Pure breed or mutt, I'd rather adopt from a shelter or breed specific rescue than a pet store or anything of that sort, any day.
I have some social anxiety too, and animals are so loving and they don't judge us for shallow things like we do them and other people. I totally resonate with you sweetie. I don't know what the equivalent would be to judging animals similarly as we do humans, but prejudice is definitely rampant in our shallow selection of animals. It blows my mind that anyone still buys animals outside of rescues/shelters when the very true facts are that over half of dogs and about 70% of cats in shelters are euthanized. I am moving in around a month and I cannot WAIT to get a dog. Though on that note, I do have a specific breed in mind ;) :P but I don't mind getting a mutt mixed with the breed I want, and I am definitely going to get it from some type of rescue.
Another prejudice I see besides breed/appearance people have towards pets is age. I am going to get an adult or senior dog. So many people will only adopt a puppy and the poor senior has to die in a shelter because people see it as used up. Truly breaks my heart.
You are a great person for what you're doing and I hope you enjoy yourself and make some new animal friends. :) Good luck and I wish you the best!!
@Real_Carebear@xanga - Agree: I also feel like at a rescue/shelter there's more honesty and less trying to sell you. They don't see animals as goods or "merchandise" to sell. They want them to go to good homes. Many breeders/pet stores just want to get rid of them and make a profit. At a shelter usually the profit from your donation only goes towards that animal's expenses, as well as others'.
I've always adopted specific breeds or from people whom I know the parent dogs. This isn't racism. When you adopt a baby, you don't walk into an orphanage and pick the first one that catches your eye, you research the parents, the background, and the health history. And to me, adopting a puppy is like a child; my pups are my babies and I like knowing where they came from and what they could be like in the future.
And before people assume I support breeders, I have a pure-bred cocker spaniel who I rescued off the streets and a Newfoundland pup that wandered onto our property. I kept both of these boys because I can know what their genetic temperament and health problems could be.
I do not really care whether my dog is a pure breed or not just as long as he can be loving and potty trained lol i was told my dog was a pure chiwawa but my mom's dog is a mix of terry's but they are both great dog and where both adapted from a local humane society :D
There is definitely breedism and agism with dogs. Philadelphia's PSPCA is full with pit bull mixes, and few people want to adopt because of (admittedly reasonable) worries, especially because you don't really know the dog's history. It's a shame, but the young, small, cute dogs are always gonna go first, especially if they are purebred. That's why most shelter's have high adoption fees for them, and greatly reduce the adoption fee if you adopt a senior dog.
Besides the usual reasons, I hope to adopt so I can get a dog that is already housebroken and done with the nipping stuff. Puppies are cute, but frustrating as hell. I also love mutts. My main prejudice is special needs dogs. I admire anyone who would adopt a dog with medical issues, but I just couldn't do it. Too much work, too much money, too much heart ache.
"Do you practice dog racism?" - This is ridiculous. Yes, there are people out there who really appreciate a staple look and personality in animals. It doesn't mean they hate or dislike animals that are mutts. It just means if they have the money, they would rather invest in a specific type of animal. There's nothing wrong with that. Without the maintenance of pure breed animals, the variety would disappear. Animals are not people! Stop worrying about silly things and let people like whatever kind of animals they please.
a lot of people pick specific breeds because they are known to have characteristics which match lifestyles - playful and energetic dogs are better for some families while mellow dogs are better for others. other dogs don't shed, great for people with allergies.
it is cruel and opens the doors for a lot of neglect to have the attitude that a dog is a dog is a dog. it hurts dogs to claim that breed-specific choosing is "racism". breeds and individuals have specific needs which someone must be prepared for. humans across the board are just that - humans. different dog breeds, though, require different care; taking care of a dalmation puppy vs a newfoundland puppy is not even vaguely comparable to taking care of an african v.s. chinese baby.
i think those purebred dogs get adopted more quickly because it's easy to look at a dalmatian pup and know this is a dog which will grow up needing lots of exercise an space. it's harder for people to know that about, say, a dog which maybe has some dalmation. it's hard to tell, and people who are responsible to know they may not be equipped to deal with a dalmation-like pup will then stay away from it.
that being said, i wish people would look into adoption rather than buying puppies... it may take a little longer but you can almost always find a dog who fits your needs through adoption because, sadly, there are just that many which go through shelter doors. my family was able to adopt 2 nonshedding dogs, 1 who was a pure breed minipoodle and 1 who is... well, we'll be damned if we can even guess at what he is. both are so loving and have made our lives much happier.
In order to keep a lot of pure-breeds there tends to have to be in-breeding. So, people that only like pure-breeds may actually not be getting a "better" dog.
I would never entertain the thought of buying an animal when there are so many animals that need help. I also don't think I would entertain the idea of adopting anything other than a pit bull because they need it the most and they really are the sweetest dogs.
I have a rescue mutt. We found the mother and father as wandering around strays (neither even fixed), and two weeks after we took them in, we found out she was pregnant! She popped out mutt/puggles. 3/4 grew up to be chubby stocky beagle looking things with weird stubby tails. The other one is a mini version of the mutt mother. So I definitley know the appeal of taking care of those animals that have been written off or cast out.
But I also feel bad for the pure bred puppies at pet stores. I mean, they have it just as tough. Cooped up in a tiny cage until someone buys them. We bought our black pug from a pet store in a mall. We'd always just go to look, but we noticed we'd been seeing her for five months, when the average puppy is usually sold before they're two or three months old! She was way too big for those little tiny boxes. So as sad as it was to support the pet store, ultimatley you have to do what is necessary to take care of the potential pet. Those puppies could just as easily end up in the pound as any other. I don't think we should discriminate either way. And I also think we need to get past the whole negative prejudice on dogs like pitt bulls too. They are so freaking adorable (I think so anyway)! No dog is inherently violent. Some are just closer to hunting dogs than other (those that dig holes, take off after game animals like rabbits and birds, ect). They found a litter of pitt bulls left in a dumpster in my town last week. It was heartbreaking.
except for the past 5 years, my family has always had a lot of dogs. we've had mutts. we've also had pure breeds, not because we could afford them, but were given to us.
these dogs were actually castoffs because they weren't "perfect" for their breed. for example, we've had a dachshund whose head was smaller than the average dachshund. a dalmatian with one gray eye and one blue. and because of these ..."imperfections," they weren't suitable for dog shows, and it's exactly BECAUSE of these so-called imperfections that we love our dogs even more. :)
people chose animals like accesoires. I hate to say this, but even when adopting kids there is sometimes a little racism. Not just that parents want kids who resemble them ( I can understand this) but they think it's so cute to have a black one or an asian one.
Um. Animal racism? Really?
Okay, look. This animal will be my pet and my responsibility for maybe up to 20 years. I will be spending lots of money, time, and energy on this pet. It will be taken to the vet routinely, given monthly flea, tick and heartworm medications, dental care at home and in office, any emergency care necessary, and the very best pet food I can find. This dog will be my constant companion. Hell, I moved my dog overseas with me and have had her fly everywhere with me. A pet will be my possession, that I buy for my own happiness, so you can be damn sure that I will get exactly what I want.
My dog, Lady, is 8 years old. I bought her when I was 19. She's a mixed breed, a cockapoo, that I bought from a breeder- yes, as a puppy, because I wanted to train her myself. I chose a cockapoo because that is what would fit into my life. I chose a breeder- NOT a puppy mill- because I wanted to be sure of what I was getting. She goes everywhere with me and hopefully she will for the next decade. That's another thing- I wanted as much time as possible with her. Of course I'm not going to get an adult dog.
We're buying another puppy at the end of April, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, again, for specific qualities that RRs have that will fit into our lifestyle and that we want. And again, we want to train him ourselves- he will be only 8 weeks old when we get him.
Bottom line: When I get a dog, I do it because I think that they will bring joy into my life. I don't do it because I owe it to the dog community to give one of them a home. And I don't want to guess at how big the dog will be, what will be it's behavior problems, and so on- I want to know for sure. If you want to combat the problem of animals being put into shelters, campaign for owners to spay and neuter their animals. Maybe encourage education among would-be pet owners. It's not me putting strays back into shelters. If I couldn't get what I wanted, I wouldn't get a dog at all. It's people who let their dogs have babies that they can't afford, and it's people who get an animal without knowing or being realistic about what they can handle.
Don't villainize me for giving my two (purposely bred) dogs a wonderful home and getting just exactly what I wanted in a pet.
Okay first of all it's not racism. It's being prejudice. Racism is strictly set to skin color aka your race. Second of all you're not anti social. Anti Social people are also known as psychopaths and if you care this much about dogs I doubt your chopping up small animals or plotting ways to kill people.
On a much more pertinent note I completely believe in adoption through rescues 100%. It is inappropriate in all aspects to buy from backyard breeders, non backyard breeders or pet stores especially ( who are sourced by puppy mills). This whole "some people want a certain breed" is bullshit. Then go find one in a rescue and work your ass off making sure it knows it's safe with you. When I went and adopted a dog I looked around at the most available breed. Beagles and Hounds. And I went for one. I ended up with a doberman/hound. I RESCUED the dog. I didn't use an animal as a floor ornament. It took a long time for her to trust me, but I worked through it with her. If you're not willing to do that, then don't get an animal at all.
I don't think people realize that 50% of animals are killed in shelters that come in. 50%. That's sick. And you're buying animals from breeders when you could rescue one. I hope we don't start killing older adoptable children, because fresh babies are more wanted. You know because then you can "know they're problem free".
@WaitingToShrug@xanga - A pet will be my possession, that I buy for my own happiness, so you can be damn sure that I will get exactly what I want. When I get a dog, I do it because I think
that they will bring joy into my life. I don't do it because I owe it to
the dog community to give one of them a home.
Are you reading how selfish this is? You own a dog you love and you're still treating it like an object. This is a sick and sadistic way of using a dog. My dog makes me very, very happy, but if her old owners walked up and told me their dog she couldn't get along with died, I would offer her in a heartbeat. Because she was happy with them, more happy then she is with me, but the constant fights were getting gruesome between the two dogs. DOGS ARE NOT OBJECTS. THEY ARE NOT PUT ON THIS EARTH FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE TO MAKE US HAPPY.
I've never been picky about whether an animal is a pure breed or not. And I can understand the liking animals more than humans. I've had the same sentiments since I was in middle school and they have yet to change. Seeing strays, abused animals, and animals in pounds breaks my heart. I wish I could take them all in but I've already got quite a few pets :/
@FallenSafely@xanga - So are you suggesting that I get a dog for some reason other than that I want one? Let me get this straight- you took in a dog because someone asked you to. I decided, with no prompting from anyone else, that I would like to raise a dog, and I went out and bought one, after much research and preparation, to get the dog that matches what I could give and do the best job possible. Which scenario is more proactive at improving animal life?
And excuse me? Sick and sadistic? "Using" a dog? My dog is like my child; that is VERY offensive to me. Am I not allowed to get joy out of my human/pet relationship? It is only okay if I don't like taking care of her, and I do it anyway? I do not treat her like an "object". I treat her as a living being that I am responsible for and that I love. Even so, she is still my pet. I own her. Just like you own your dog; otherwise, how would you and your buddy be able to pass her back and forth when it's convenient?
Did you know that the very first domestic dogs most likely joined human packs of their own volition? They get something out of the human/dog partnership also. Were dogs put on the earth to make us happy? Maybe not. But in MY HOME, I will only have a dog or other animal if I want one.
That is so incredibly stupid of you to presume that I am sadistic towards my dog, since you know nothing about our life. I give her an excellent home; I train, exercise, play with, feed, provide medical care and grooming for her. I take her everywhere with me and I didn't get rid of her when I married a soldier and had to travel- lots of people do though. The ones who didn't really want a dog in the first place; didn't actively choose to get a dog, just got one out of a momentary whim or convenience. She's pretty attached to her Mommy, and very happy. We give her plenty of affection and attention, and would never give her up, unless we were unable to care for her.
Making her happy and taking care of her is what I wanted. That is what makes me happy. So you can keep your silly assumptions, you're completely wrong about us and our life.
Owning a dog is a big fucking deal to me. How dare you suggest that I treat her badly. How dare you suggest that I shouldn't do it because I want to. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Don't get a dog because it will make you happy. Don't take responsibility for a living thing and have it around for 10+ years because you want to and you'll get something out of it. Definitely don't take into consideration what kind of dog you want or what age will be best for you- it's not your prerogative to choose what's in your home and what you'll be spending money and time on.
@WaitingToShrug@xanga - Before you go passing judgments on how I got my dog you should probably know I got my dog at a rescue. It was planned. I wasn't just passed a dog. She came with a lifetime license and I was able to contact the former owners over facebook to learn a little of her history to be able to help her more. I didn't know these people. They aren't my "buddy". They're a family with two kids and two other dogs. One of which would get in dangerous fights with my dog. They went through trainers galore and nothing worked out. I adopted her because I love animals and if I could make one small dent in a population that's suffering, then I will. But our relationship is about her, she depends on me. I didn't get her thinking "O I want a dog for my own amusement or because I'm lonely". I did it for her. I was willing to take in the worst of the worst. I ended up with somewhat worse who had abandonment issues.
And a pet is not a possession. We can agree to disagree on that one. A possession? What the heck.
@FallenSafely@xanga - No, you did it because you wanted to feel good about yourself. You enjoy being a person who has a rescue dog. You like the feeling of having helped a dog. That would be doing it for your own happiness. Which is fine. Doing something that makes you happy is perfectly alright, and that is what I'm trying to demonstrate.
You shouldn't mistake me saying that I got a dog for my own happiness as "I had a fleeting moment where I wanted an animal and acted on a whim". I wanted a companion relationship. I wanted a dog that I could make happy, which it sounds like you can't with yours. That's not what I wanted, and you know what? That is okay for me not to have wanted the same thing that you did. It's okay for me to have gotten a puppy and raised it so that it never knew suffering. Everyone who wants a dog doesn't have to wait until one's been abused or neglected or given away. I don't owe it to the people who fucked up their dogs to clean up their messes. And yeah, she did help me out when I was lonely- which was about 3 years after I got her and was by myself in a foreign country- family on a different continent, husband deployed. You shouldn't discount loneliness as a superficial reason to get a dog. That wasn't my reason at the time, but it turned out to be a huge deal.
So, if you don't own your dog, then she is a free agent- y'all are just cohabiting? I mean, you did say the words "former owners"... so that would make you her present owner, yes? I am interested in how she makes decisions for herself.
BTW, don't worry about making assumptions about me- I am cold hearted, an obvious sadist, my dog is just a thing, much like, say, an ipod, so it's cool.
lol
My family has adopted mutts, but I see nothing wrong with someone wanting a pure bred dog if they are looking for certain traits that a mutt might not have.
And, according to the law, dogs ARE possessions and if someone hurts, steals or kills your dog you can take them to court depending on the situation because they are seen as property.
@WaitingToShrug@xanga - Where exactly did I say my dog wasn't happy or that I wasn't happy with her? Can you please point that out. She is very happy here with me. It's not to say she wouldn't be more happy with her original owners. I know this. I love my dog to death, but I love her enough to know that she remembers them and cries after every visit with them. It was a tragic thing for them to have to give her away to a rescue. It was tragic for her. They sobbed when they saw her again a year later.
Rescuing a dog doesn't make me proud. Do I deserve some kind of praise for rescuing a dog instead of getting it from a puppy mill? Yes I do, anyone does. But I'm not proud of it. It's sad enough that rescues exist at all. I did it for completely unselfish reasoning. Just like when I adopt children, it will be for completely unselfish reasoning. Not because I just want a child to raise and dress up cute. It would be because a child needs a home. I can't possibly produce more babies knowing that others exist in a shitty world. It's hard to grasp the concept of being unselfish when 99 percent of the world is completely selfish.
@FallenSafely@xanga - Oh, okay, you're one of those. You see yourself as a slave to the needy in the world. You think that you can't go out and live a happy life of your own, have your own babies, do anything unless it is somehow serving society, who you owe your life to.
Well, that explains that. Peace out dude, I'm glad I don't think that way anymore.
PS Why aren't you praising me instead of calling me sick and sadistic? I didn't get my dog from a puppy mill either. Matter of fact, I made sure to choose breeders who were also rescuers and actively challenge puppy mills. I guess though, that my consideration of my own happiness negates those things.
I'm always happy to get a mutt, it just has to be cute :P
But should that say "animal hound" and "pet hound" up there? I may be very confused, but I thought it was "pound." No?