Caving to society “norms”

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gnobody

New member
Do you guys cave to society norms when it comes to pet ownership? I always see on social media “ you’re a shitty owner for doing x,y, and z” do you personally believe in appeasing society or doing what makes you happy?

Especially when it comes to buying from a breeder or rescuing.

thanks to everyone who commented love the responses. I wrote this when I was drunk so I was super invested in the topic at the time
 
@gnobody I question:

Is it a norm/trend, or is it scientifically backed? Is it safe?

For instance, force-free training is scientifically backed, feeding your dog quail eggs, broccoli and beans with their kibble or home making food is not and evidence suggests it's potentially harmful to throw the nutrition off on your dog's food.

I don't do anything to appease society.

First: Is it harmful or against peer-reviewed evidence? If yes, I don't do it.

Second: Does it risk harm to myself, my dog or other people? If yes, I don't do it.

Finally: Are my dogs and I okay or happy with it? If yes, I consider doing it.

With breeding vs rescue: Adopt or shop responsibly and fuck everyone else.
 
@gnobody "Appeasing society" can mean so many things.

If your municipality limits households to three dogs and you keep four, you can expect a fine. If the reason you have four is because you inherited a tiny 18-year-old dog from your 101-year-old grandmother, most people will be sympathetic to that even if the law isn't.

But if you just think you're above the rules and have five loud dogs in multi-family housing, then you're not only breaking the law, you're genuinely a terrible neighbour.

And it's the same with "what makes you happy." If it's something that doesn't impact anyone else, like whether you let your dog on the sofa, or in your bed, then sure. But if it's something like allowing your non-friendly dogs to harass your neighbours and their dogs because it makes you happy to see your dog run, then again you're a terrible neighbour (and possibly breaking the law again).
 
@gnobody I don’t really understand what this question means? Practicing good dog ownership that doesn’t put the public in danger. Feed what is backed by science and your dog does best on. Buy ethically or adopt ethically.
 
@taradawn I think it's a case of, do you do what makes you happy or do you bend to social media trends.

Which, honestly doesn't make too much sense unless you frame OP as a bit on the younger side who may feel vulnerable by not agreeing with social media trends.

Edit: They're doing things most people find unethical and are okay with being unethical.
 
@taradawn I don't understand the question either. When I'm looking for a new dog I focus on what's a good fit for my family and our lifestyle. And every decision afterwards is about what is mutually beneficial to humans and dogs in the house.

I'm struggling to think of anything I'd feel pressure about. The closest I can come up with is making sure the dogs are properly socialized and leash trained, but even that is for my and the dog's benefit.
 
@taradawn I actually just reviewed OP's post history.

They leave their dog alone while they work 8-10 hour shifts and are laughing that other people think it's wrong.

It also looks like they got a puppy mill goldendoodle.
 
@eront You are right, there's a comment about them getting a bernedoodle for $500 and leaving it alone for 8-10 hours a day.

and it also looks like they have a pit and live in a car?

So I think both things are true
 
@eront Eh I usually leave my dogs alone for maybe 4-5 hours and then will go and check on them when I go on my breaks. It’s tough but I presume it works cause I get these guys ALOT of exercise.
 
@eront I use my car for my dogs and sleep outside for myself. I tried sleeping with my dogs in my car at the same time and it didn’t work. My pittie crawled on my face and it just wasn’t for me. I try to give them a good life but I’m thinking of rehoming.
 
@eront Lmao I actually do have a puppy mill golden at least that’s what I think. I found him abandoned. I’m also homeless and currently live under a semi truck docking station so I really don’t have many options with my dog. I would love to be able to afford a better life for my dog but gotta do what you gotta do.
 
@gnobody Yeah, that's fine but there's a difference between doing what you have to do (within reason) and dismissing people's concerns for being a trend on the humane treatment of animals.
 
@gnobody I consider society norms, but trust actual professionals a lot more.

When getting our dog, I looked at rescue options first, but did not find available dogs we could adopt which would be a good fit for our needs / home / lifestyle. We didn't have a space in our house for the dogs which local rescues / shelters struggle to find good homes for; we didn't want a senior dog or a 1-2 year old high prey drive mix. We didn't have space for 3 months of quiet decompression and then hoping that the dog we adopted worked well for us.

I'd actually found a trainer before I found a breeder, and talked with him about our options.

He agreed that a puppy from a good breeder would be a better fit for our household. So we bought a puppy from a breeder, and I've basically explained that to everyone who asked.
 
@gnobody I don’t fully understand the question. Some norms like “your dog should be vaccinated for rabies and not bite faces off” are norms for a reason? I think social media tends to be extremely passionate and also a bit about one-upmanship so it can be harsh and unforgiving. But also we really shouldn’t be, like, trying to be the domineering pack alpha who uses harsh physical punishment when a puppy yaps.

I think rescue vs a good breeder is up to the person. If you want something a little more predictable or are inexperienced, a responsibly bred healthy dog might be the better choice. My sibling chose a rescue puppy and it was fine for them to get a large dog when the shelter predicted a medium one, but going to a breeder was the right choice for me tbh. Going to a byb or puppy mill is very very bad and can support incredible cruelty, and I’d hope people would learn better. My family has since some of the dogs we got when I was a kid.
 
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