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I think most Golden Retrievers love the water. In the article the owner is quoted as saying that the dog would have been upset if he saw him (the owner) swimming and he (the dog) couldn't swim.
Amberglow, the dog had a blast. Animals can be competitive and driven and enjoy hard work and athletics. Not all of them. But some. When my dog was younger she would enjoy a 40-60 mile run. It'd be cruel if I tried to drag some unwilling dog over that kind of distance. It's not cruel when she's out front with her tail up leading me the whole way. It would have been cruel if I didn't give her an outlet for her natural athleticism.
> Like those people who revel vicariously in their children's achievements.
Or those "coaches" and "trainers" who revel vicariously in the achievements of the teams and atheletes they help develop.
but dogs always want to please and will run or swim themselves to death for us. They'll do anything for us and to get love. That doesn't mean it's right.
the word in some native american language for horse is dog+something because horses will burst their heart trying to do as they are asked. so will dogs.
i find this admirable but this is also why i like cats. i've had very loyal cats who won't get themselves killed but steel for a latter sneak attack.
there is nothing like a kitten purposely peeing on someone i don't like as a token of affection for me
*sigh*
> dogs can't consent--at all, because they always consent
Nonsense. Dogs can say "No" and "I don't want to" emphatically. Have you ever worked with dogs?
it's incredibly subjective, no?
so much of it is training and breeding and raising--
my brother's cat was badly traumatize as a baby so she will never have proper "manners", of course neither will her surviving son, but that's because my brother is a bad pet parent. The son will never have that flinch she will never get rid of, though.
some horses will burst their heart trying to do as they are asked. so will some dogs.
So will some people(Tom Simpson? Stephen Roche?).
And some dogs and horses will say "I've had enough, piss off." And then they will dig in their heels, or turn around and head for home, or lie down, or howl and scream, or bite, or buck and kick...
>dogs always want to please
I'm still laughing about this.
Damned dog keeps flinging himself in the water and I have to keep dragging him out 'cause I don't know if he's consenting to go swimming or not. Fuck. Maybe he's not consenting to stay out of the water. Oh woe, how can I ever know what he wants?
it's that part they are legendary for
or at least in stories and cliches for
i think we all know those "--who, me? Fuck you, oh look, poop--" dogs as well
which is still better than the "hold still, i want to vomit on you" dogs
either we get super general or super specific
or everyone just get offended right off the bat to make sure
I strongly suspect you have no clue what i do or don't know about animals. And the dog my family had would have joyfully done anything, including jumping off a roof, had we told it to.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
