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

[myrystyr.livejournal.com]

This may sound weird, but looking back over the years it makes a certain kind of sense: I think you need to be exposed to kittens/puppies/unexpected-births as a youngster, in order to acquire a responsible attitude towards breeding in general (even within your own species*) as a adult.

Yes we had the proverbial one-litter-too-many when I was a teenager. Yes I was intrigued by the possibility of my friend's pedigree hound being 'accidentally-unofficially' bred with another hound, on the understanding that the bitch and litter would be mine... no I did not go through with it.

*: yes I am still being incredibly picky, to the point I haven't mated yet ;)

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

Mmm. I do see the point in that; and my family also bred a litter of puppies from my old GSP bitch that we had when I was about eight. And it was one of the experiences that made me love dogs as I do now.

That said, I still can't see it as a responsible or good thing to do when thousands of animals are being killed every year or languishing for months, sometimes years in shelters because they don't have homes.

[myrystyr.livejournal.com]

Of course it's not responsible or good if everybody does it - we need occasional reminders of What Not To Do in order to know not to do it ;)