Pet Abuse
 

I guess I really shouldn't be surprised or shocked but it's downright incredible how people can behave.
What is it with southerners and dragging things behind their trucks? Blacks, gays, and now dogs......unbelieveable. I suppose if we don't even care about other human beings, it should be no surprise that people would abuse animals too.

You have to watch the video.
http://www.cnn.com/video/partners/cl...g.dragged.kltv

The positive to come out of this story is that at least plenty of other people cared enough to come out and help. It's good to see that.

An awful occurence certainly, but I'm not sure how southerners as an entire group deserve blame. Abuse happens all over. It's not limited to the south.

You could have just as easily said what is it about white people? Or what is it about men? Or what is it about teenagers? Or what is it about truck drivers? Or what is it about people who drive?

Thinking about it, "what is it about men?" may have actually been a more appropriate question. I would be willing to bet that gender predicts more of the variance in pet abuse than North vs. South.

Fair enough, no intentional disrespect to the southerners. The awful deeds by the few southerners in these cases are outstripped by the numerous others who tried to help or condemn these acts.

I think in the past few years, there have been more media reporting of truck dragging incidents in the south (my original point in southern connection comment, not necessarily about pet abuse) such as the dragging of the black guy, the gay guy, and now the dog. I guess I was just wondering out loud about that.

I am kind of baffled about truck dragging. I just don't get it.

Your comment about man vs animal is a good discussion for another thread actually. Especially if you want to examine how some animals act more humanely than humans do (sometimes) EX: The dog heroes.... etc... or how man can be debased toward man and other living things etc....

Far too frequently I read of similar abuses of animals in our local paper. Without exception, there are multiple donations for the medical care of the animal. It angers me that anyone would harm the relatively helpless, whether animal or human, but the good folks greatly outnumber the creeps every time.

Whoever did this to her has one purpose.... target practice. They like that in the south...

sick, just sick. With rare exception dogs are so trusting and friendly to people, to abuse trust like that is disgusting

It amazes me that on a forum which claims to seek tolerance of all views, and in fact gets angry when intolerance is shown toward certain sexual views, that we still have remarks like this.

Thank the gods for the ignore feature here on TFP. :D

Any updates on our canine friend?

My cat has a freakout episode if she's out of treats and wakes me up with her screaming. I can't imagine any greater cruelty!

Although, I'm not really sure I understand your post, there are rednecks everywhere. For instance, on October 8th in Calgary, Alberta there was a very similar incident where a 17-year-old boy dragged a dog behind a truck for 100 meters.

I guess Calgary is in southern Canada though. :)

I know :) my parents are redneck born and bred. The south, however is the only place they have gun racks on their pick-ups(or so I have seen). Most dont understand my sense of humor but I still hope the guilty are dealt with harshly for their..... infraction.

I am shocked and angered at this kind of treatment towards animals. They are innocents. And sadly, it happens all over the country and is not limited to one region or another.

I have volunteered at Pasado's Safe Haven, one of the most well known animal advocacy groups in the nation.

shockingly, there are cases like the one in this post and many more that happen almost every week. If you would like to get involved in this issue or help out, it's easier than you think, most local communities have an animal shelter or sanctuary.

here is their website if you would like to learn more.

http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/

Keep in mind, for every cruel individual, there are a dozen who wish to do good. And i'm glad for that.

sweetpea

Wow. Pets aside, I guess I'm really learning a lot more this month about how many of you really feel about Southerners. Hmmm.

Hmmm.

Ever been to Minnesota?

I understand your sense of humor ... I realize you were only joking in your original post, sort of, but I detect a ring of truth in it.

I do agree that there should be stiffer penalties for outright animal abuse though. It sickens me to think that there are people in the world who think it is "OK" to torture an animal in any way.

The problem is the grey area called animal torture. Some people may begin to claim that keeping an animal in a pen or coral constitutes torture.

I understand what you are saying. However, dragging an animal and seeing to ones every need while keeping said domestic animal out of harms way because its natural instincts have been curbed for so long is different.

My feelings are that the offenders should be done the same way they did the poor dog. :D

pet care
 

I need to know if anyone can tell me if antibiotics shot goes into the skin or the muscle. My dog either has an infected ear or was snake bitten.
Thanx

most shots go into the skin. use the neck skin.. pull the skin up and administer the shot... however, if you aren't sure, get an oral antibiotic or call the vet and ask.

Take your dog to the vet. If you can't tell which, definitely take your dog to the vet.

Antibiotics in animals are as bad as they are in us. In this case, giving antibiotics for the wrong thing will only help create stronger strains of potentially harmful bacteria. After taking microbiology and food tox, I'm a super freak about antibiotics only when you or your pet are in dire need.

If your dog was bit by a snake, the wrong antibiotics might make things worse. If that's not enough, it also won't help your dog recover, and your dog will suffer needlessly because you think you have the answers, when you don't.

So do your dog a favor and take him or her to the vet.

I'm pretty sure that the forum does not speak for each member specifically.

Pretty sick. Animal abuse usually gets me more often than human abuse that I've become somewhat desensitized by the media about.

I dont want to bring up old stuff... but these people are facing felony charges for harming a dog.

Chris Brown battered a human being and didnt a single day's time inside.

The standards of our society are sometimes very hard to believe.

I dont approve of people hurting any animal needlessly, but that it can be treated more seriously than violently beating up a human being is very strange to me

These are two different cases.

I assure you if Brown had dragged Rhianna like that--to within "inches of her life"--and then left her on the side of the road to die, I'm sure the case would have been far different.

It would also have been far different if he wasn't famous and had expensive lawyers. What did he get for battery? 180 hours of community service and some years of probation? Right.

I'm from the country woods of the South. There are always a few nuts, and now that I live in a larger city I find about the same proportion of nuts who think it's okay to hurt animals. Hurting animals is a powerful indicator of deep, profound, dangerous mental illness. I've had to put pets down, and where I grew up "you shoot your own dog." That's horrifying to some of the people I now know, but there are times when it's the only mercy you can do. It is one of the most psychologically traumatic things that can happen, to have to kill your own animal. I don't think dogs are people - they're not, they're dogs. But the way a person treats a trusting animal is a powerful indicator of their character.

As for savages who think it's funny to drag an animal to death, or burn a cat alive, or whatever else - they are deeply sick and dangerous, and possibly actually evil. In my opinion, a pattern of abuse such as this should end up with the person being removed from society - either incarcerated for life, or put down for the protection of everyone else.

It doesn't really matter where a person is from. Even people that work with animals can be pretty unbelievable. Over the winter I was taking our puppy to obedience classes and the instructor often brought one of her dogs to class to help demonstrate whatever that nite's lesson was. Well, whenever she brought this one yellow lab it always seemed to be too interested in another dog in the class (I think it was a coonhound/lab mix) and when the lab didn't listen to commands the instructor would slap the heck out of that dog. She would open-handed slap it right on the snout. I remember the first time it happened and I was just shocked. As people were gathering with their dogs before the class the next week that was all that we were talking about.

I think animal abuse is horrible. I understand if an dangerous animal is trying to harm you or someone you love you have a right to defend yourself. But just hurting a defenseless animal for whatever reason is disgraceful, its like hurting a baby, a helpless creature.

Now I have a question. My parents had a dog that recently died. He was at the age where it was time but he has been in pain for the past 2-3 years. He had a hard time getting up, going to the bathroom, pretty much anything hurt him. I wanted my parents to put him down when he started getting really bad. But they just couldn't do it. Is this considered animal abuse?

I wouldn't think so, any more than not "putting down" your own family member. There is a time when it's right, and if you do it too early, the guilt may fall on you because you wanted more time. You do what you can, and when you can do no more, or they tell you that they are done, then you help them to end the suffering.

We have a cat in this situation now. She is old, can't walk well, hyperthyroid etc. She still enjoys food though, so what can you do? When she is done, she will tell us. At that point we'll have to make that hard decision, as we have done before. It's sad, and you always want to try to rationalize keeping them longer, but in your heart you know what has to be done.

I didn't read the article, as I have no interest in reading about animals being mistreated and/or tortured, but I've always considered abused animals in a worse state than an abused human.

If you try to imagine being locked in a house with the only person you have to rely on for food and drink, and that same person beating you for no explanable reason, and leaving you with literally no means of escape, a very distressing and sad situation is created.

Luckily for us, it's only imagined, but for many animals it's a very real, and horrible, existence.

That's not to say abusing humans isn't despicable, but I feel animals having less understanding and means for change are in a worse situation, and thus am likely to be most sympathetic towards them, even if that is unfair to fellow humans.