Take an eye into the world

[lizblackdog]

*sigh*

where do you draw lines?

This morning, first dog walk of the day, I run into brindle pibble Kane's owner. They live in a house backing onto our building and I often look out of my kitchen window or Spike's lookout window and see her playing with Kane in her back garden. I like her. She has a good understanding of bully temperaments and is a keen observer of her own dog. Kane is loved and treated well, played with, trained and socialised. He's not being encouraged to be "hard and vicious", he's not being used to prop up someone's shaky masculinity, he's not being left in an outside run to bark his head off all day like the poor Rotties down Woodbury Avenue. There are so very many dogs that are so very much worse off than he is.

But they're breeding him. They have a new red and white bitch puppy that they're going to breed with him when she's old enough. What the hell do I say? I live next door to these people.

What I actually did was have my normal dog-oriented conversation with her. I couldn't help a little wince at the mention of puppies, and later on, when I was telling her about Cassie and her pregnancy, I let drop a comment about the number of pets being euthanised every year. I felt that saying that in reference to her own plans for her dog would have gone too far. I don't believe I could have achieved anything by ranting or lecturing, anyway - I'd just have pissed her off. Besides, Kane is a family dog and although she's the one spending the most time with him I doubt she's the one who's making the breeding decisions.

I do, honestly, believe I handled it the right way. I believe in picking my battles wisely, and what good would it do Kane or anyone to make enemies of my neighbours? I can't stop them breeding Kane now. I might - I pray that I might - have planted a seed of doubt that will make her think it over in the future. I really don't see what more I could have said or done.

...so why do I feel like such a dirty coward?

Comments

[beebarf.livejournal.com]

Drops of water will make a hole in the hardest stone. Softly softly catchee monkey, as they say. There's more than one way to win any battle, and by keeping the lines of communication open, you have more chance of influencing your neighbours than by getting into a stand up row and never speaking again...

A couple more conversations along the lines of "I hope Cassie has an easy birth, otherwise the vet's bill could reach £xxx" and "I hope I can find nice homes for the kitties, there's a lot of people out there who aren't good owners like us" etc etc will keep the doubts going ... more so if you can drop in that caring for kittens is easier/cheaper than puppies (regardless if this is the truth!)

If the bitch does need medical attention during pregancy, that's all the profit wiped out for the litter anyway, so it's not a good proposition from a business point of view - never mind the fact you can't predict how many offspring (and how much proft!) you'll make.

Grrrrr ... but keep campaigning, Liz!

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

thank you :)

I know you're right. And that's my preferred modus operandi anyway. I'm not a confrontational person unless you make me lose my temper. I just have this dirty guilty feeling like I ought to behaved like the righteous animal-advocate warrior, even though I know that would have been counter-productive.

this is what comes of listening to too many protest songs!