Urban pet dogs ... ?

Journamalist.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 01:46:40 AM EST
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America.

by Lupin on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 05:49:42 AM EST
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Freedom?

(So he can leash it?)

by Nomad (Bjinse) on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 06:44:32 AM EST
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Tony

Eats cheroots and leaves.

by NeutralObserver on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 07:18:31 AM EST
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Re: Here we go (4.00 / 2)

That's his lap dog. His attack dog is Karl.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 07:22:08 AM EST
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Re: Here we go (4.00 / 2)

I will leave it to your imagination what that makes Condi.

Eats cheroots and leaves.

by NeutralObserver on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 07:32:13 AM EST
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Well, sorry you ran out of steam... Waiting anxiously for part 2!

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 06:32:14 AM EST

Updated diary with a quick part 2.

by Alex in Toulouse on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 08:02:00 AM EST
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All urban dogs I met, without exception, were mental cases. In a way so were their owners. So I'd vote for dogs only at houses with non-miniature garden and open spaces nearby.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 08:16:18 AM EST

I know this person, a woman, who has a "recycled" circus dog. The dog is very good at doing tricks and in general at getting people's attention. But the relation she has with her dog (the dog is tiny and lives in a spacious flat with her) borders on the psychotic. When you meet her, the first thing she generally says to you as her dog scratches at your legs, is "look he's giving you a party". If you fail to properly greet the dog (it's kind of annoying if the dog scratches hard), she gets upset.

One day my mom had asked me to stay at her place for the day (to open the door for someone she was expecting), while she and that woman went off to do some important shopping. The woman's dog had to stay with me. Now my mom has a large enough garden, which I ushered the dog into. But all the dog did was go towards the front gate, sit there, and look in every direction, for hours, searching/waiting for her master.

by Alex in Toulouse on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 08:59:00 AM EST
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Re: Dogs say woufen in German (4.00 / 3)

Nonsense. It is important that the right type of dog be chosen of course. More than one is always good as well. A lot of the small dogs are really designed as active dogs (ratters). Farm dogs in urban environments are a nightmare: there's little worse you can do to a collie type than lock them up all alone in a house for ten hours a day.

On the other hand, hunting dogs were bred to put up with long periods of low activity so they don't get as worked up. For urban dogs, take a pair small hunting dog - say a dachshund - socialise them carefully, and you'll be fine. So long as you stick to dogs that still have a reasonable amount of sensible breeding in them. Excessively bred show lines can be a nightmare. Having two makes sure that they're never left completely isolated from their pack.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 01:22:15 PM EST
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Well, most of the mental cases mentioned were dachshunds, but admittedly, I can't remember two kept together, and the non-dachshunds were the worse.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 05:01:43 PM EST
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Dachshunds aren't mental cases, they're just too smart for their own good (or ours).

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Apr 27th, 2006 at 02:29:40 AM EST
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Certainly true of the dachhund a neighbor had in his garden - very clever, and very strong relationship with the man. But are pet dogs too fat to move and dying early of heart failure, infantile, and with sick sniffing or licking habits, really too clever?

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Apr 27th, 2006 at 05:14:32 AM EST
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Well no. That would what we call "negligent care". Infantile? Sick sniffing or licking?

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Apr 27th, 2006 at 05:19:33 AM EST
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Re: Dogs say woufen in German (4.00 / 2)

It's often not negligent but over-care, spoiled-brat-style. Often older women with an apparent mother complex (but men and children too).

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Apr 27th, 2006 at 05:35:32 AM EST
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Re: Dogs say woufen in German (4.00 / 2)

That is negligent. Dogs are not humans: if you can't understand that, you shouldn't have a dog. They need moderate exercise and they need sensible feeding. If you take on a pet you take on a responsibility to educate yourself about their care.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Apr 27th, 2006 at 05:44:21 AM EST
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Re: Dogs say woufen in German (4.00 / 3)

Dogs do need sufficient exercise, or else. So I do think there are too many dogs kept as pets in towns by people who can't or won't exercise them. Certainly in France, that's the case.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Apr 27th, 2006 at 05:55:07 AM EST
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Re: Dogs say woufen in German (4.00 / 2)

Oh Thanks for the laughts!!

by Alexandra in WMass (alexandra_wmass[a|t]yahoo[d|o|t]fr) on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 11:48:40 AM EST

Re: Dogs say woufen in German (4.00 / 4)

"Should we humans have so many pet dogs, or should we not?... Dogs have been domesticated for at least 17,000 years..."

To sdhed some light on the real relationship between dogs and people the question must be asked the other way around:

Should dogs have so many pet human beings? Dogs have domesticated people for at least 17.000 years...

The historic truth is that dogs have sought the company of human beings for opportunistic reasons and have, over time, trained people to accept their constant company.

They didn't succeed equally well at all places. Go to the Balkans, South and Central America, the Caribbean and you will find that dogs there are still stuck in the initial phase. They are still at the outskirts of human dwellings trying to find their way into the houses of people.

In Italy and and Spain they made half way. A few are in but many more dogs are still out. (No dogs allowed in shops, restaurants and on inner city public transport.)

"The USA appears destined by fate to plague America with misery in the name of liberty." Simon Bolivar, Caracas, 1819

by Ritter on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 12:54:23 PM EST

That might be... (none / 0)

...one of your best comments, ever. I've heard about this somewhere else as well, but can't recall where.

by Nomad (Bjinse) on Thu Apr 27th, 2006 at 06:27:57 AM EST
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Did Hitler's dogs bark "seig Heil"? (none / 0)

I read somehwere that it is commonly known that Hitler was a German Shepherd breeder.

Go figgah!

alohapolitics.com

by Keone Michaels on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 06:26:30 PM EST

Nicht hundezuchten, sondern hundeflohzuchten :) (none / 0)

Not dog-breeding, rather (dog) flea-breeding. :)

Have Keyboard. Will Travel. :)

by cskendrick (cs ke nd ri c k @h ot m ail dot c om) on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 09:15:38 PM EST
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They may say "wouf" in French, but they say "woof" in English.

Dogs are great.

by Rick in TX on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 06:47:56 PM EST

I hatte gedacht das es "wau-wau" war.

Noch ein dummer Amerikaner. :)

Have Keyboard. Will Travel. :)

by cskendrick (cs ke nd ri c k @h ot m ail dot c om) on Wed Apr 26th, 2006 at 09:10:42 PM EST