u/Durkriswen

I was triggered by someone in another forum trying to rehome a mix-breed dog because it grew up into an 80lb animal that isn't suited for apartment/city life and has severe agoraphobia--and their owner predictably being shamed over their decision to rehome their dog.

Telling people "I hope you never get another pet" and sh*t like that is so self-righteous, so tone-deaf, and can be outright harmful to both people and animals. Yet I see it ALL THE TIME. These people would (apparently) rather see an animal suffer than be rehomed. But.. do they ever offer to take the pet in themselves? No. Do they ever offer to pay for professional training, or supplies, or whatever else might be needed to help keep a pet and their owner together? Lol, of course not!

No one should be shamed into keeping a pet, when doing so would mean a worse life for the animal (or the owner!).

The same people who shame others for rehoming pets will then be all "shocked Pikachu face" the next time they see a story about a hoarder who kept a bunch of animals that they couldn't actually take care of. "Why did they let their animals suffer instead of asking for help or taking them to a shelter?" they will whine... I don't know, maybe because owners don't like being treated like Satan for rehoming a pet? Maybe that has something to do with it. Just spitballing here.. You can't have it both ways though. If you don't want animals to suffer in homes that can't meet their needs, then STOP SHAMING PEOPLE for trying to help their pets via rehoming! I work in animal rescue, I've worked in animal rescue for two decades now. The last thing I want is for someone to try keeping a pet that they can't take care of. Our adoption contracts specifically require people to return their pet to us if they cant take care of it anymore, for any reason, no questions asked.

Don't accuse an owner of not caring about their pet because they want to rehome it. People who reach out looking for a better home for their pet typically DO care, which is exactly WHY they are trying to rehome it in the first place! Do you know what people who DON'T care do when they don't want an animal anymore? They take it out back and shoot it, or they dump it in the woods, or they throw it over a bridge or out of a moving car or into a lake. I grew up in a rural area. We found dead dogs with bullet holes in them, dead dogs in trash bags, elderly dogs tossed into dry creek beds barely clinging to life, skeletons of dogs that were abandoned in the woods in the middle of winter and left to slowly starve and freeze to death. THAT is what people who "don't care" do.

Part of ethical pet ownership also means being able to recognize when a pet would be better off NOT being your pet. You aren't "failing" your pet if you rehome it to someone who can take better care of it than you. You ARE failing your pet if you insist on keeping it when you can't provide for it. That includes psychological needs. That includes having to rehome your pet because you can't spend enough time with it, or it needs more space, or more exercise. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people being demonized over this. "No, you can't rehome Mr Pickles (even though you don't have any time to play with him or take him on walks or anything), because Mr Pickles LOVES you! All he needs is your love!!! He will be traumatized forever without you" Yeah, no.. Mr Pickles probably does love you, he probably adores and worships you. But you know what he would probably love even more? Being in a home where he has someone to play with, or who has a big yard for him to run in. Pet ownership isn't a romance novel where love magically fixes everything.

The other day I saw someone getting shamed for rehoming some god-d*amned axolotls.. Madness. And don't even get me started on people who shame others for remoming a pet because of behavioral issues that the owner is not equipped to handle.

Today we bought some cough drops at the store. We are millennials, but I guess we don't look it. A young gen-Z-ish-age cashier asked if we "remembered passing around cough drops back in school", and laughed. We laughed as well, and pretended to know what he was talking about. We did not. We are confused. Help.

Fred Meyer has stopped carrying my favorite weight loss shake. In fact, they have stopped carrying all weight loss shakes. All they have on the shelves now are %^$#% MF'ing protein shakes.
MAX PROTEIN
ULTRA PROTEIN
100% PROTEEEIIINNNNNN
I found a tiny patch of meal replacement shakes (high calorie, not for weight loss) on the aisle over, but I still had to dig through the ENHANCED PROTEIN versions to find the regular kind.
I checked Safeway in the nearest town over. They have weight loss shakes but only the PROTEIN PLUS+++++ variety.
Society, can we please stop with the protein obsession?

"Merle everything" is the newest fad, and what I have read is that all other issues aside, Merle should not be introduced into a breed because it carries inherent health risks. So.. why is Merle allowed at all, in ANY breed? Shouldn't the color be removed from all breed standards?

The comment I hate the most... The idea that there is no good reason for anyone to get a wolfdog when there are so many other types of dogs out there. I want to ask these people.. Ok, so what breed of pure dog can I get that looks and acts like a mid or high content wolfdog? I'll wait.

I don't have proper containment for a wolfdog right now, and my last one was such a challenge that for my next companion, I chose a pure dog. But I am still in love with wolfdogs, so when I set out to find a dog, I tried to find one with a more wolf-like personality. I chose a village dog from Korea. She has a bit of a dingo look, she doesn't bark, she has high prey drive, and she has extreme wariness around new things, new people, and new situations. She is definitely on the more primitive side of things. She is still a domestic dog though. She has similarities to a lower content wolfdog, but she is a far cry from a mid or high content wolfdog. That is fine for me, that is what I wanted this time around. But people just don't get that responsible wolfdog owners want a wolfdog because they are not a domestic dog. You can't replace a wolfdog with a domestic dog.

This has been driving me nuts lately. I need answers! I don't know much about horses, but it seems like crossbreeds are pretty common, and I assume intentional? Horse people also seem to love their horse colors. In the dog world, it is the ultimate sin to cross two different breeds, or try to get a novel color. Producing a dog that isn't "pure" or that has the wrong color will get you labeled a BYB instantly. The horse world just doesn't seem that strict. Why the big difference? Or am I just wrong in my understanding of horse breeding?

(I do not breed dogs, just trying to understand the cultural difference)

UPDATE: I have captured the mouse. Cat decided to go looking for it again after her nap. She was able to show me where it was hiding, although she was not interested in catching it herself. Thanks kitty. Running around on my hand and knees trying to grab a mouse is one of my most favorite things. I'm really glad we had that experience. Teamwork makes the dream work.

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My useless dumb cat caught a mouse in the basement and then released it upstairs, alive, outside our bedroom.

At midnight.

I tried to grab it, but it ran under the door. I had to wake my husband up to look for it.

We can't find the mouse. The cat lost interest and left. My husband has moved into his office for the night. It's 2 hrs later and the mouse is still not accounted for.

We don't want mice upstairs. Upstairs is where all the food is. It is where we, the humans, live. This is not the first time our useless dumb cat has released mice upstairs.

She also drools a lot. And bites. And bullies our puppy. She is grumpy and bad at jumping, and she never buries her litterbox business so it stinks up the whole house. One time I left a package of oreos open on the kitchen table, and she licked all of them. Overall I would rate this cat a 2/10.

EDIT: I can't believe I have to say this, but our cat does not understand human speech and she does not know how to use the internet. I can assure you that teasing her in an internet post is not hurting her feelings. She is loved and cared for. She has been to the vet and no, she does not have any dental problems. She just drools a lot when she is happy or thinking about food. She is usually happiest when she is thinking about food, and grumpiest when she cannot have infinite food.

https://preview.redd.it/srnuayxi1m8h1.jpg?width=766&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a5a6f6b577553cfcdf1aa7e1bd39b88c6bdaadd6

Sunday afternoon, lots of cars broken into in the parking garage next to Hyatt. They stole my laptop, furry shirts, and many other items including my realistic coyote tail and ears. I will try to find a picture of the tail and ears later. I know it wasn't a full suit, but I am very poor. These things were a gift from my partner years ago and it was all I had.

I have a 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV. I would love to get a canoe for day trips, but I am debating on how best to transport one. I have read that carrying cargo on a roof rack with a Bolt can decrease performance by 20-30%. How about a small trailer? How does the Bolt do with towing? My partner is very skeptical about the idea.