News & Politics - Off-Topic #3: Congress goes on vacation in August and so do we! - Page 3

Jacob1983 · 08-13-2007, 10:02 PM

How can I put things away in a house in which I have no room? All I have is the top of the piano and a small 3 drawer plastic dresser to store stuff in. I can put my crap in the garage but you know that causes your stuff to deteriorate. I don't care if dogs are lower beings or have lower intelligence than humans, they shouldn't tear people's stuff. That ain't cool at all. If a dog does something bad then that dog should be punished. I'm not saying that the dog should be beaten or abused but I see nothing wrong with slapping the dog on the back or the face and telling it that it's a bad dog.

The dog tearing up my retainer just really made me mad and frustrated. I mean, my teeth were like the only good physical feature that I had. And since that stupid dog tore up my retainer, my teeth have gotten somewhat worse.

Indian Summer · 08-14-2007, 04:37 AM

You realize it's the owner's job to train the dog, right? It just seems silly to me that you're complaining that the dog ruined your property when it's all on you- you could've trained the dog, you could've put the retainers in their case, you could've put them on top of the piano or in a drawer, or even on a kitchen counter... anywhere out of easy reach for the dog.

It's your job to take care of your property. If you're leaving it out for the dog to get into (and I'm not talking about tearing it apart- it's kind of gross that the dog could get to it at all, and I don't want to think about how many times you probably put that thing in your mouth not knowing the dog had licked it or whatever), it's your own fault. My youngest dog scratched up my brother's phone pretty bad because he left it on his bed, which the dog's allowed to be up on. And he's only 17, but he was able to acknowledge, "Yeah, I should've had it up on my desk. That was dumb of me." Passing the blame isn't going to get you far in life, and it definitely isn't going to solve your problems... especially if you're blaming animals, lol.

elisheva · 08-14-2007, 06:26 AM

Yeah, it's true that it's not really fair to blame the dog - if he hasn't been trained not to chew on stuff, you can't expect him not to. I lost a pair of sandals to a chewy beagle this summer (left my shoes on the floor as usual, and my boyfriend's roommate's puppy made short work of them - I didn't know he was a shoe-eating puppy) and while it was frustrating and I had to taxi home since I couldn't exactly take the bus in my dogged-up sandals, I wasn't mad at Shiloh for it. Still, it's understandable to want to vent after something expensive/necessary is destroyed, as long as you don't start actually taking it out on the dog.

Summer, labs are so beautiful

I used to be mostly a cat person but I have to say, I've had much more contact with some adorable and rambunctious dogs this past year and they're converting me to love them as well. I don't think I'd be able to handle a really big dog, though - I don't think I'm physically strong enough. The annoying thing is that as much as I love animals, and as glad as I am to see them when I visit my boyfriend (he has two cats and his roommate's dog right now, but one cat is only being temporarily babysat) ...they reduce to me a human sneeze

Stupid allergies.

Jacob1983 · 08-14-2007, 11:50 AM

Not every dog owner can afford to have their dog trained to be a good nice god. I will not accept the blame or responsibility for a dog chewing up my retainer. The dog is at fault, not me. Besides, it's not like I told the dog "hey, I want you to destroy my retainer".

ceilirose · 08-14-2007, 12:32 PM

Oh boy...sore subject for me. You don't need an expensive trainer. Your vet, the local humane society, animal shelter, the internet can teach you how to train a dog. It works unless your dog has some sort of really difficult behavior problem then you go for special help. Sit, stay, drop and down aren't difficult concepts to teach.

It's ongoing too. My dog is 3 and still waits by me when I empty the washer and put clothes into the dryer. If I drop something, then she can get it, run happily away to a corner and try to chew it.

it'a is a big responsibility to own a pet.

Arghh...I'll stop now or else I'll go into a rant about Michael Vick.

Jacob1983 · 08-14-2007, 12:38 PM

I think dogs should be punished or disciplined when they do something wrong but I'm not going to go all Michael Vick on a dog if they're bad.

I want to go on a vacation like right now as soon as I finish typing this sentence. LOL

I need to get away from here.

elisheva · 08-14-2007, 12:45 PM

Jacob, you can train your dog yourself. Just little basic things like sit, stay. My friend taught her dog (an enormous ball of fluff and muscle

) all sorts of little tricks like roll over, shake hands, etc. Then she gives him a dog biscuit or whatever afterwards. It's super cute.

Plus, at first I thought I wouldn't be able to get dogs to listen to me cause I'm small and totally not intimidating

but last week I had to get Shiloh home by myself while my boyfriend got a kitten out of a tree and I found that I could do it, I just had to be firm and lower the pitch of my voice a little (even when he was really intent on chasing the kitten).

I can't wait for vacation either, actually. Just one more week!!

Jacob, if you know how to drive, why don't you take a day trip out somewhere fun? All it costs is the gas

**sunnykerr** · 08-14-2007, 12:49 PM

Oh, man... things I've had destroyed by dogs:

my glasses (and I don't mean sunglasses)
a book
a beautiful scarf imported from India
the door on one of those squat TV stands (German shephard's tail: TV stand had no chance)
a Christmas tree (alright, it wasn't completely destroyed, but it never looked the same again)

Things I've had destroyed by cats:

a sweater
a sandwich (wrapped in foil, on the kitchen counter, I looked away for maybe ten seconds)
earbud wires
phone wire
computer wires
a shoe

Things I've had destroyed by humans:

my blender
my glasses (again, not sunglasses; and twice: my father killed them with his elbow once, as I was wearing them, and my brother stepped on them once, coming out of a pool)
a stainless steal pot
a watch
a kyte
two glasses (as in, that we drink out of)
various sweaters (never let someone else do your laundry for you)
two books (never loan a book to people who break the spines)
my sandals (that, I did to myself)
my computer (once, anyway, the computer cable guy hooked the wires the wrong way and actually friend my modem)
two table (never loan furniture and never trust roommates to respect your stuff)
several DVDs and CDs (always swear in people who borrow your stuff)

Yeah, I say dogs aren't so bad.

elisheva · 08-14-2007, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Yeah, I say dogs aren't so bad.

Poor Sunny. I guess if I started counting up all my sibling-destroyed stuff it would be kind of a long list too. (Starting with my bed when 3 of them decided to jump on it all at once..!)

Indian Summer · 08-14-2007, 01:35 PM

Oh, yeah, humans are definitely the worst of the lot, especially because you have no reason to believe they will break something.

Jacob, training has nothing to do with money. I took the time to train all of my dogs myself, and it really isn't even an issue of taking much time- it's the consistency of your commands and pitch.

Retainers come with (usually plastic) cases to put them in that clasp closed. You've said yourself you have the top of a piano and three drawers to store things in. Somehow I doubt all the things you have in those places are as valuable as a retainer, and a retainer's small enough that it would fit easily anymore (sometimes with a little rearranging, if something's really packed). I understand you're upset that the dog ruined it, but don't you realize it was your responsibility to put it in its case, and put it somewhere safe? I know my family would laugh in my face if I complained one of the dogs ruined something I'd left out in the open.

Dogs chew, and they misbehave sometimes, even after being trained. That's life, but it's your job as the owner to protect your property and to protect the dog from things it shouldn't be getting into.

If you don't have the money or the time to care for a dog, you shouldn't have a dog. Irresponsible pet owners are the worst.

Jacob1983 · 08-14-2007, 02:25 PM

I don't buy into the whole "you can train your dog and it's so easy". Not every dog is so willing and easy to assimilate to your commands. Some dogs are just rebellious and unwilling to obey you. The dog isn't my dog. It's the "family" dog.
You guys just don't understand how many times I have been screwed over by animals and human beings in my lifetime. That's probably why I feel paranoid about trusting people a lot of the time. Sometimes, I honestly believe that I may be cursed. I did have plastic case for my retainer but it was chewed on by a dog so the case would never close completely. It's my parents' fault in the matter. If they would just stop the whole neglecting me thing, then they would have replaced my retainer immediately.
Like I said before, my teeth were probably the only good physical feature that I had. I mean, having braces made me teeth look really nice and I was proud of having nice teeth.

My parents haven't really given a crap about me since I graduated from high school.
I am what you would call "the piece of ya know what" of the family. Each family has one of those and I'm it in my family.

Indian Summer · 08-14-2007, 02:51 PM

The human is the master. The dog is the pet. If no one in your family took the time to train your dog, it's your fault as well as that of the rest of the family's. Not the dog's.

One of my dogs was incredibly hard to train...he has doggy ADHD, lol.But for his own happiness and safety, I took the extra time and effort needed to train him. Pets want you to be in control, because it means they know they're safe.

It just amazes me how you're blaming everyone but yourself- the dog and now you're parents? Jacob, you're 24, and you have a job. Your parents are letting you live at home, letting you eat their food, etc. They don't have to replace possessions you leave around to get ruined- they're doing more than a lot of parents would. I have to pay rent to stay at my dad's house, and I buy my own food. It's laughable to even think about a world where my dad would pay to have something of mine replaced that I was responsible for ruining.

Jacob1983 · 08-14-2007, 04:03 PM

Summer, you don't live here and you don't know the situation like I do. If someone or something messes with my stuff and/or tears it up, it isn't my fault. Plain and simple. Besides, humans are not suppose to serve their dogs. Dogs are suppose to serve humans. I believe that's why dogs are pets and humans are the owners. And how dare you say I'm responsible for my retainer being destroyed. Btw, my retainer was put up very high away from the dog's reach. I have no idea how it wound up on the floor all chewed up and destroyed. And another thing, until you know what it's like to be poor you shouldn't really try to come off like you know what it's like. Being poor sucks balls. It always has and it always will.
And you don't know what it's like to be the "piece of crap" in your family. It's not a pleasant experience.

Indian Summer · 08-14-2007, 04:34 PM

I don't have to live there or "know the situation" like you do, Jacob. It was you who left the case somewhere the dog could chew it, and you who didn't bother replacing the case, or putting your retainer in something else (like a drawer) out of reach of the dog.

I'm not trying to say I know what being poor is like, but your socioeconomic background has nothing to do with how well-trained your dog is, or how well you take care of your belongings.

You took the risk, Jacob, no one else did it for you. You could've paid to replace the plastic case to house your retainers immediately, and this wouldn't have happened. You'd be out... what, $5 instead of the cost of the retainer?

I think what disturbs me is how little you appreciate your family. The situation may not be perfect, but it's certainly more than they need to be giving to you. I've been paying rent since I turned eighteen (through my senior year of high school) and paying for my own food, clothes, etc. I pay for my prescriptions and my doctor's visits as well. You're 24, not 14. Why do you expect your parents to pay to replace your retainer? That's what I don't get.

Jacob1983 · 08-15-2007, 11:31 AM

I'm not taking responsibility for what a dog did to my stuff. Ain't gonna happen. You don't know my parents like I do. They have neglected me somewhat since I graduated high school. They also did a poor job of preparing me for college and the real world. I expected my parents to replace the retainer because it was their fault. It was their neglect that caused the whole thing. And my parents don't pay for everything either. My parents don't like me because I'm not their little golden boy anymore and they want me to be this obedient robot who never argues or disagrees with them.