Not a classical Virtue, but based on observing my young son with our aging family cat. Itâs how I hope weâll care for all the earthâs creatures.
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Sorry for the absence over the weekend. We lost our dear cat Isabel after several weeks of vet visits, a hospitalization last weekend, and a sudden turn for the worse on Thursday.
Watching my son comfort Isabel in her dying hours reminded me of this painting of Adrian and Pepper, the gentleness of spirit that connects boy and cat.
We adopted Isabel 14 years ago when she was just an oddball kitten. In those early days, she used to snarl like a dog as she tugged on toys. Back then both she and her sister Jasmine were small enough to fit in the palm of my hand at the same time, so as you can imagine her displays of fierceness and spunk were quite adorable.
Isabel was a constant presence in our house for so many years. It seems odd to lay down at night and not hear her greetings. As she approached from the foot of the bed, she was always anxious for permission to curl up beside me. She was the sweetest, gentlest cat Iâve ever known. We miss her terribly.
My philosophy is that squirting a dog is ok in certain situations. Things like barking should not be punishable by a squirt, as generally a squirt is supposed to spook/annoy a dog and barking is a natural response to stimuli. In that case a method like separating the dog from the stimulus is a better approach. To me a squirt should be used to deter a dog from a behavior that is dangerous or in a situation that needs to stop asap. If your dog is bullying another dog, getting into the garbage where you threw away a chocolate bar, etc, a squirt of water may be useful. Though, socializing and training your dog is a good way to avoid having to do that at all. But you canât prevent everything so sometimes measures like that should be taken. Also note that squirts should be aimed at the shoulder and not at the face/eyes.
However Iâm not a dog trainer or behaviorist so take what I say with a grain of salt and if youâre looking for a way to train your dog find someone qualified to help you. My current opinion may not be accurate.
From an ethical standpoint, you shouldnât punish an animal for a behavior when you can a) set the situation up so it doesnât occur or b) use positive techniques to train an alternate or incompatible behavior.
From a practical standpoint, things like a squirt of water are really ineffective punishers. For a punishing stimulus to work effectively (e.g. to actually achieve a change in behavior) the animal has to associate the punisher directly with the behavior that triggers it. When we talk about a punishing stimulus, that specifically means a stimulus that is added to a situation to discourage a behavior from reoccurring. If you get burned when you touch a hot burner the heat (a natural punishing stimulus in this case) will very effectively dissuade you from reaching out again. With a squirt bottle of any other common training punisher, because itâs something you add to the situation externally (instead of being something inherent, like with the stove example), animals generally associate you with the punisher instead of the behavior you want to stop. So you end up with them learning to avoid you when youâve got the squirt bottle, but not associating getting squirted with what youâre trying to discourage.
In general, using squirt bottles or similar punishing stimulus is lazy training. It shouldnât be a regular thing, ever – once youâve realized what behavior your pet is doing that you want to prevent, itâs much more appropriate to put in the time and effort to fix it with positive methods. You can change your management protocols and teach your dog what you actually want them to do, rather than using a squirt bottle to only communicate what you donât like.
(Punishing stimuli can be used to break up / disrupt very dire situations like dog fights, but that shouldnât be occurring frequently).
People who say âanimals know when youâre trying to helpâ have clearly never actually worked with animals in distress
Also, whenever youâre thinking that an animal wonât do something stupid because itâs not part of their described natural behavior, just remember:
Animals didnât read the textbooks. Be prepared for anything
Youâre sitting at a cafe with your friend when suddenly a woman walks in with a toy poodle in her purse. The manager at the counter informs her âIâm sorry, but we do not allow dogsâ. She replies with a heavy sigh and a âSheâs a service dog. She can come with meâ. Not knowing much about service dog law, and worrying about getting sued for asking further questions, he sits this woman down at a booth. There, she promptly unzips her purse and places the dog on the booth seat next to her. When the womanâs food comes out, the little dog begs and she feeds her bits off her plate. This dog is not public access trained, and proceeds to bark at those who walk by. This dog is a nuisance and causes many in the restaurant to complain. The manager cannot do anything but inform the unhappy customers that this is a service dog, so he canât ask her to leave. In the end, itâs the customers who end up leaving.
Now I walk in with my highly trained service dog pressed against my leg in a perfect heel position, and Iâm quickly bombarded by the manager telling me âNo dogs! No dogs! We ALL know what happened last timeâ. Confused, I tell him âThis is my medical alert and medical response service dog. Her right to accompany me is protected under federal law.â With a sigh, he seats me at a table far away from others where my dog promptly tucks under my feet, out of sight. When my food arrives my dog is still tucked tightly under the table because she knows sheâs not supposed to eat when sheâs on duty. She stays there ignoring those who walk past for the remainder of my meal. When we leave, a woman by the door exclaims âWoah, I didnât know there was a dog here!â
See the difference?
Scenario number two occurs at a local grocery store when a man decides to bring his certified emotional support animal into the store with him. Upon entering he flashes a fancy ID card and certification papers. This dog is not as unruly as the first, but he still forges ahead of his handler, sniffs the food on display, and may seek attention from those who walk past. You find this dog adorable, and when he and his owner walk past you ask to pet him. The owner says yes and explains how all he had to do was go online, register his dog, and a few weeks later they sent him a vest, ID card, and certification papers.
Now I pull into the same grocery store. Iâm in a rush to get an ingredient for a dish Iâm making so I hurry into the store with my service dog next to me. Iâm quickly stopped by a manager who demands to see my service dogâs certification card. Remember, this is NOT required by law, and most real service dog teams donât have them. After 15 minutes of trying to educate, pulling up the ADA website on my phone, back and forth bickering, and drawing more of a crowd than I want to describe⌠Iâm finally allowed in. I grab my ingredient, stand in line (where my service dog obediently moves between my legs to make space for those around me), and I get bombarded by people asking to pet my dog. I explain that sheâs working, she has a very important job to do, and sheâs not allowed to be pet while on duty. People walk away grumbling and complaining about how rude I was when other handlers like the man they met earlier allow their dog to be pet.
Moral of the story? Fake service dogs create real problems. The ones who are impacted the most are the true service dog handlers who rely on their dogs every day to help mitigate their disability. How would you feel if everywhere you went, you couldnât make it 10 feet in the door because people were asking you questions? Imagine how much time that would take out of your already hectic day. Businesses lose customers because word gets out that there are unruly dogs in their store, customers become misinformed and start thinking some of these behaviors are okay, some people even start to believe the lies that anyone can just register their dog online and make him a service dog. The result? MORE fake service dogs. MORE real problems.
I will reblob this until I die because itâs one of the few things that constantly genuinely infuriates me
PiraticOctopus 