The Good Old/Bad Old Days

[geonni banner]

Lots of things have changed about the way people see pet animals.

 

When I was a kid it was common to hear someone say, "Let's let the cat have kittens so the children can witness the miracle of birth." (But they didn't take the kids along to witness the "miracle of death" when they drove out to the country and dumped the kittens.)

 

Kids and dogs used to run around loose with each other until supper time, instead of being exercised by a high-priced dog-walker. The dogs weren't "fixed" and lots of the pups met the same fate as the “miraculous” kittens. Lots got hit and killed by cars.

 

Does anyone else remember a time when the old dog disappeared and it was assumed he "went off to die." That was, after all, “the natural thing.” Dogs wanted solitude for their final hours – or so it was supposed.

 

When you came home bloody because MacGregor’s dog bit you, the first question you were asked was, “What the hell were you doing on MacGregor’s place?”

 

Dogs sometimes had fights. Mostly they made a lot of racket and then went on with being dog pals.

 

If a dog ran livestock or killed chickens it was shot. Even if it was your own dog.

 

Now puppies have orchestrated play-dates. (So do kids.) Food and medical care costs as much as it does for one of the kids. (A lot more than was ever spent on me and kids I knew.) The wrong training techniques, feeding practices, sleeping arrangements or vaccination schedules for you dog can earn you ostracism from your peer group.

 

There is a great deal of high-minded indignation if someone has to give up a pet. Cries of “A dog is for LIFE,” can be heard in even the direst circumstances. Well, marriage is supposed to be for life too, and we see how that works out. Marriages fail for many reasons. So do pet adoptions. Of course, one should try very hard to work out the problems that can arise with both. But what if the problems are insurmountable? Life is lumpy. John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

 

There are a lot of things about the good old days that weren’t so good. And I don’t think of my dog as “just a dog.” I would be heartbroken to be parted from her. But I know that life can throw some pretty nasty tricks at you. Sometimes “forever homes” aren’t – for dogs or people.

 

One of the big reasons I got out of dog training and veterinary hospital work was the judgmental and hysterical behavior people routinely exhibited about their pets. They could become downright vicious if you didn’t share their judgments and hysteria.

 

I believe that a pet – or any domestic animal – should be given care to insure that it is healthy, happy and well-adjusted. But to demand that others share your definition of what constitutes the minutiae of said conditions is, to me, just absurd.

 

Does anyone else miss a more relaxed relationship with companion animals?

[Root Beer]

Does anyone else miss a more relaxed relationship with companion animals?

 

No, not really.

 

We had a dog when I was growing up. He lived in the garage because "dogs live outside". When he was "bad", my father whacked him on the head with a newspaper. If you held your hand just over his head, he would flinch. He spent practically his entire life on a chain so he wouldn't "run away".

 

Granted, he got to come into the house for an hour or two in the evening and he had plenty to eat and at least some degree of interaction with us, but he wasn't very much a part of our lives. He was outside where he "belonged".

 

He rarely went anywhere. If we took him in the car, there would be "dog hair" in the car, so he was only allowed in the car (with blankets all over the seats) to go to the vet. I could walk him around our yard on a leash - that was it.

 

No, I don't miss the "old days". I like seeing my dogs lounging on the furniture. I like sharing my food with them and having my feet snuggled up next to a dog when I am watching TV or on the computer. I like loading them up in the car and taking them around with me.

 

I enjoy setting aside time to do things with them. I actually like preparing their raw meals. Although I don't do many "puppy play dates", I have done such things and have appreciated the companionship of another dog person as much as the dogs appreciated the canine company. I love taking them on vacation and watching them have a blast in new places.

 

My parents vehemently objected at first to the way my husband and I chose to live with our dogs (having multiples, allowing them to live in the house), but it works for us. I can't even imagine putting one of our dogs outside for the night instead of shoving over a bit so he is more comfortable on the bed!

 

There are some things that I don't care for, of course - breed specific legislation, far too many places that don't allow well behaved dogs, knowing that one accident with a child (even if the dog is not at fault) can result in the dog having to be put down, etc. I wish vet costs were cheaper, but I also recognize how much more healthy and spry my own dogs are (compared to the dog we had when I was a kid) at their age and I am grateful for the vet care (including chiropractic for a couple of them) that they have.

 

But by and large I appreciate a lot about being a dog owner right now. I wouldn't want to go back.

[Smalahundur]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does anyone else miss a more relaxed relationship with companion animals?

Not really, but that is because the "good/bad old days" is pretty much present day here in the Ielandic country side.

Not in every detail of your vivid and amusing description but on the whole it has more in common with it than your present day.

I personally like the more down to earth attitude towards animals, but of course it has disadvantages too.

[Sue R]

There are a lot of things about the good old days that weren’t so good. And I don’t think of my dog as “just a dog.” I would be heartbroken to be parted from her. But I know that life can throw some pretty nasty tricks at you. Sometimes “forever homes” aren’t – for dogs or people.

 

One of the big reasons I got out of dog training and veterinary hospital work was the judgmental and hysterical behavior people routinely exhibited about their pets. They could become downright vicious if you didn’t share their judgments and hysteria.

 

I believe that a pet – or any domestic animal – should be given care to insure that it is healthy, happy and well-adjusted. But to demand that others share your definition of what constitutes the minutiae of said conditions is, to me, just absurd.

 

I miss some of the things about the old days (and I won't call them "good" because I think a large part of that is in looking back retrospectively, and not seeing things in a balanced manner, perhaps) and I'm also grateful to live in the new days when there are often much more enlightened approaches to many things, like dog training.

 

There is no "one way" to do things and every situation varies with its own set of circumstances. I think that people's behavior in large part is "evolving" with better communication, resources, and education - but many people either don't choose to evolve in their behavior or haven't had the chance to really see and understand what can provide great improvements in life.

 

Our dogs were not "furbabies" or "furkids" or surrogate children - they were *dogs* in all the infinite wonder that being a dog could be - loyal, devoted, companionable, accepting, protective, trusting. But they were never "just a dog" either, because they were loved and valued members of the family. Sounds a bit contradictory but I don't think it is.

 

I do miss one aspect of my childhood and youth - parents that had common sense, didn't overthink things (I struggle with this), and expected good of their children (obedience, effort, honesty, integrity, helpfulness, and other qualities that I struggle to make my own), and were prepared to take the blame when something was their fault, and expected others to accept the blame when it was theirs.

 

I have so many faults and shortcomings that I need to overcome - maybe, one of these days, I'll quit being judgemental of others and concentrate more effectively on making myself a better person.

[mum24dog]

I miss some of the things about the old days (and I won't call them "good" because I think a large part of that is in looking back retrospectively, and not seeing things in a balanced manner, perhaps) and I'm also grateful to live in the new days when there are often much more enlightened approaches to many things, like dog training.

 

There is no "one way" to do things and every situation varies with its own set of circumstances. I think that people's behavior in large part is "evolving" with better communication, resources, and education - but many people either don't choose to evolve in their behavior or haven't had the chance to really see and understand what can provide great improvements in life.

 

Our dogs were not "furbabies" or "furkids" or surrogate children - they were *dogs* in all the infinite wonder that being a dog could be - loyal, devoted, companionable, accepting, protective, trusting. But they were never "just a dog" either, because they were loved and valued members of the family. Sounds a bit contradictory but I don't think it is.

 

I do miss one aspect of my childhood and youth - parents that had common sense, didn't overthink things (I struggle with this), and expected good of their children (obedience, effort, honesty, integrity, helpfulness, and other qualities that I struggle to make my own), and were prepared to take the blame when something was their fault, and expected others to accept the blame when it was theirs.

 

I have so many faults and shortcomings that I need to overcome - maybe, one of these days, I'll quit being judgemental of others and concentrate more effectively on making myself a better person.

 

I was planning to try and express exactly those sentiments but you've saved me the job.

 

Most of the people I mix with are pretty down to earth and practical both in child and dog care. But my life revolves around agility shows which resemble a travelling version of the village such as I grew up in 50 years ago. Everyone knows everyone else and they look after each other. Kids have much more freedom than in real life and if one steps out of line it is dealt with. Of course there are exceptions but most people accept the notion of personal responsibility. We all come from different locations and backgrounds and I'm sure we don't change when we get home.

 

I do have some reservations about the availability of information nowadays. Of course education is good but this "overthinking" thing is not. A certain amount of knowledge is good, as is a willingness to learn new things and ways, but it shouldn't become an obsession that makes every little decision and action a major and worrisome task.

 

And it's always worth remembering that the view of life presented by self selected groups on the net isn't necessarily reflective of the experiences of the major part of any society.

[terrecar]

I have so many faults and shortcomings that I need to overcome - maybe, one of these days, I'll quit being judgemental of others and concentrate more effectively on making myself a better person.

 

 

...and a hearty amen to that. (I mean that in the most secular way).

[juliepoudrier]

Funny, for me the good/bad old days were pretty much the same thing. Although our dogs didn't travel with us, they certainly lived in the house with us, interacted with us on a daily basis (though of course things like agility, flyball, etc. didn't exist), and went everywhere with us when we were out on horseback. (As an adult I can remember my mom taking her dogs for long walks down the river and along the beach of the neighboring farm. Her little Siamese cross cat, Stink, would walk with them--it was a real sight--big sight hounds, perhaps a terrier, and later an Italian greyhouns, and a little tiny cat all walking along with my mom by the river.)

 

My mom dusted and vacuumed every day to keep up with the hair. Animals in the house were a fact of life, including Henny Penny the white leghorn (who used to belong to an Admiral in Alexandria, VA, until the police told him he couldn't keep livestock in the city) who came into the kitchen for her bread crust, baby goats, and once my sister's pony (on the screened porch) when my sister got a new saddle and we wanted to try it on him and it was raining out. Chicks were raised in a cardboard box in the house. If an animal needed veterinary care, it got it. Back then, premium feeds, supplements, etc., didn't really exist and our animals lived long, healthy lives, so in that I agree with the comments about the overthinking that seems to go on nowadays.

 

Kristine's experience may have been more typical. I'll readily admit that my mother was one of a kind and a big animal lover and so our lives were colored by her love of animals, which we all learned in turn.

 

I think many of the things that Geonni described in her original post still occur today. It just may be less obvious as we have moved from a more agrarian society to a more suburban/urban one. That said, I don't recall any of our animals going off somewhere to die. The two exceptions to that were both wild animals we had raised, one a wild turkey, the other a wood duck. The former flew off one night at the time we were "putting the chickens to bed" and never came back. A similar thing happened with the wood duck. But these were wild creatures who chose to go back to the wild as they reached maturity.

 

Yes, we were expected to treat animals with kindness and respect. It was instilled in us from a very early age that you take care of those who depend on you (the critters) before seeing to your own needs. Those early lessons in kindness, compassion, and putting the "least of us" first are so ingrained in me that I can't imagine ever being any other way.

 

I don't recall ever being bitten by a dog, but there was a property next to ours that was a summer camping area for people who lived elsewhere. The owner of the place used to have ponies and they were tied out all over the property. They'd occasionally get loose and come over to our place, usually seeking salt. We were told to leave those ponies alone. I got bit by one when we were ignoring the rules (we were on that property at the time). We told mom my own pony had bit me. Years later, she noted that she knew we had lied, but she also figured I had learned my lesson (yep).

 

So I really think one's memories of the good/bad old days will depend on one's own parents' attitudes toward animals. I was fortunate to have parents who were animal lovers, always did the best they could for our animals, and who saw the value in teaching us to be the same way. Perhaps my parents were in the minority, but for me (and all our animals) those days were most certainly good old days.

 

I do miss one aspect of my childhood and youth - parents that had common sense, didn't overthink things (I struggle with this), and expected good of their children (obedience, effort, honesty, integrity, helpfulness, and other qualities that I struggle to make my own), and were prepared to take the blame when something was their fault, and expected others to accept the blame when it was theirs.

 

I heartily agree with this.

 

J.

[Liz P]

My Dad grew up on a farm. His dog ran loose and eventually met his fate with a vehicle, but he slept on my Dad's bed and lived in the house. My Mom also grew up with dogs in the house, her father's hunting setters.

 

When I was a little kid, packs of dogs ran loose in our neighborhood. We knew which ones bit and which ones liked to play with kids. We gave the mean dogs a wide berth and sought out the nice ones. Dogs got hit by cars, so some families did fence theirs in.

 

My first childhood dog died of an infectious disease. The second got hit by a car. She survived, but Mom gave her away because that dog liked to bolt and she didn't feel we could keep her safe. When I was old enough for my own dog (as opposed to just a family dog), mine slept on my bed at the encouragement of my Dad.

 

I think there have always been dog people and people who just don't appreciate them very much. My parents weren't as responsible as I became, but they loved their dogs.

[tastybeets]

We had a dog when I was growing up. He lived in the garage because "dogs live outside".

 

My parents were the same way. Both my dogs lived outside and had a doghouse or the awning for shelter. The few times they were allowed in were for freezing, heavy storms, or fireworks, and they had to stay in the laundry room.

 

We fed them Gravy Train or Kibbles N' Bits cuz it was cheap, and we filled the bowl to the top with food rather than measuring it out for weight control.

 

My dogs were deathly afraid of the car because it meant only one thing... vet day.

 

I loved my doggies growing up, but I think Jack is so much better off now and probably happier than either of my wonderful pups from my childhood.

 

True some dog owners are annoyingly over-protective of their pets, but that can be said about kids or birds or cats or cars or computers. Unfortunately with pet/tech/scientific/etc. advancements comes the loud-mouthed obnoxious know-it-alls who are determined to make everyone around them miserable. I don't blame OP for escaping them. My mother did the same thing. Being a school principal had become ridiculously difficult because of those very same people.

[alligande]

I also grew up in a house and a family where dogs were included in daily life. When we lived in Yorkshire the dogs slept out in a stable but during the day and evening were in the house, always came for car rides, went riding, picnicking and walking. The only reason they slept in the stable was the fox terriers howling and bed hogging habits, and having outbuildings made for an easy solution. When we moved to Guernsey the dogs became regular family house dogs, they were older and the howling had stopped. I think the main difference was the freedom they had, we always lived in the country and the dogs could come and go at will. My mother being a country girl never thought about curtailing them, although I am sure what they got up to in Guernsey what cause some issues today!!!!!!

 

My family's dogs in Yorkshire still have this, they roam the farm at leisure and for the big dogs that is their job. The farm is located very near a town and heavy industrial area and thieving is a common problem so the big dogs live out side, basically guardian dogs for equipment and the small dogs live inside, but all are pets.

 

My grandparents dogs also lived inside as nothing more than pets, the sheepdog had some pretense of being a farm dog but it was really an act.

 

One big difference between the country dogs I grew up with and my suburban dogs is the level of training and expectations. The country dogs just were... My dogs are expected to have house manners, outdoor manners and of course do tricks, but as a consequence I feel my relationship with them is very different.

 

Today my dogs get the best food I can afford, I spend a fortune on training in agility ( not much difference though from spending money on horses which my mother did when I was a kid) but I have retained a pragmatic approach to healthcare, part of it budgetary, part I just can't bring myself to do major invasive surgery on an animal who I can't explain that a few weeks of suffering will mean things are better for the long haul. I have taken my dog to a chiropractor, but asking your dog to bend and twist doing agility I feel requires some extra effort on my part, there is nothing natural about tight wraps around a jump.

 

My dogs are child substitutes but they are dogs, and I do own them we do not call our selves pet parents we are their owners.

 

So for me many things have changed but it is more my lifestyle that has changed from my upbringing rather than the family way of having dogs.

[G. Festerling]

I am not sure it is as simple as the good old days or even the "real" life theory.

Truth is, animals in the old days where for the most part a commodity. They had a purpose and they had to full fill it. Some people worked along side them every day and treated them well, others did just the opposite. Personality based I am sure.

 

I will admit, I do miss the idea of still having had a glimpse of what an animal is bred for in person. What about breeding certain types of Appaloosas with the distinct possibility of night blindness says "Indian Warhorse" to you? What about looking at an American Showline Shepherd says "this dog can tend to a flock of sheep all day long"? The list goes on. The further we get away from the original intend of the animals, the more distorted some peoples views get. And I don't think it is always their fault. Many don't get the chance to see real life. On the other hand, real life is not always pretty either.

 

Today we go on youtube and lean how to train. Or we sign up to a "school" that charges out the rear and teaches one way. And we choose the way. Back when I apprenticed, I did what I was told. I was exposed to the good, the bad and the ugly. Some things I knew right of the bat would not work. Others got booted from the program later. Some got modified. And it keeps going that way. New things are added and adapted. Great fun. But even the bad things have added tools that I can use or not if needed. I see a lot of folks that repeat programs without getting it. I am tired of having to justify every little bit I do. Or having to fight clients (they come because they need help yet are trying to impress me and trust me, I have seen a lot more than what you can probably show me....so no, I am not impressed!) because so and so did it different. Or said their mothers best friends sister in laws brother read on the internet......THAT to me is the bad new days. On the flipside, sure, I have learned a good many things from the access that we now have thanks to the internet. The ability to access so many more new ways and stuff.

 

So to me, I think what bothers me the most is that in todays world we are almost not allowed to learn, but are supposed to know it all. Need to prove to every Tom, Dick and Harry that we are not stupid and fail to use the not so common, common sense that everyone still talks about.

[Jumpin Boots]

My parents have lived on the same 10 acres for about 35 years, they are surrounded mainly by small dairy farms, now many heifer farms instead and small farmettes like theirs. Growing up we knew what neighbor dogs were friendly and which weren't. We also knew which farmers were friendly, who didn't mind you riding in their corn fields or playing in their part of the creek that is in the area and who would yell at you. Everyone seemed to have dogs that would 'make the rounds' and as long as they didn't bother livestock no one seemed to mind. The biggest nrglrct you saw of most dogs was that as they aged they would become obese since most were given milk and free range of eggs and manure. Most of yge nrighbors would have a fat old farm dog who stayed in the farm yard, a young one who was the patrol dog and many of the dairy wives had small house dogs. One had two mini poodles who would get out and run for her husbands cows barking and rolling in manure, it was always funny watching her try to chase them down in her floral dress as the husband watched on. His big holsteins never seemed phased. It seemed common knowledge that people, kids, dogs should be respectful of others. That unfortunately has disappeared.

 

There are town/city ppl that have moved in. Gotten farm dogs but done teach them about livestock, chasing, are allowed to guard the road and are hostile if you try to talk to them about their dogs harrassing stock. We have resorted to calling animal control on neighbors for their dogs chasing horses and stalking our sheep. People used to take these offenses seriously, now they act like its your respnsibilty. After all the dogs are just playing, right. I think this lack of training is far more unfair to the dog and dangerous then how farm dogs around here use to be treated.

[DeltaBluez Tess]

Our local neighbothood drug dealer kid moved out and left his pit bull mix with his father. I saw him walking the dog a couple of weeks ago and he is looking for a home for the dog....gets out, kills chickens, chases everything, not housetrained but leash trained and friendly.

 

Apparently he got out the other day. (Wed) and was roaming near our barn when I was home. My chickens were behind the fence and he was checking them out. My LGD came out of the stall and scared him off. I told the father that he just got his warning. He told me that his son used to let the dog run loose all night. That would explain why my LGDs would go nusto in the middle of the night. Also the neighbors pet cats had disappeared at that time, dog or coyote or sasquatch...we don't know.

 

The father told me that his son thought is was his right to let his dog run loose in the country, no matter how much the father told him otherwise. The kid moved and left the dog behind with no regard for trying to place him.

 

He is actively looking for a home for the dog.

 

We do get people that move out here from the city who think it is ok to let their dog run loose all the time. Chasing the livestock is fun for the dog and they don't see any issue with that. The cattle guy next door shot one as it killed his poultry and going after his calves. I have no idea why these people think it is ok to let their dog run at large and chase stock?