In article ,
Sheree wrote:
Melinda, as a result of your incredible judgementalism, my friend didn't
even bother posting here, despite the fact that somebody might have had
experience that would have helped her pup.

Tell your friend to forget the net (there are at least as
many people here who post without knowing what they're
talking about as those who post from knowledge) and to
contact the clinic associated with a veterinary college.

To be honest I feel a little regret about this but not a
lot. Your friend is more concerned about being judged than
about finding help. I should probably be a little more
accommodating of those people but to be honest it's
something I really can't understand at all and it seems kind
of craven to me.

As for the rest, the notion that there's something okay
about sticking a dog in the yard unattended for several days
while the owner is out of town is just wrong. There are too
many other reasonable, accessible alternatives that provide
some protection for the dog.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

The Milton Friedman Choir:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...47019713273360

"Sheree" wrote in message
...
my friend didn't
even bother posting here, despite the fact that somebody might have had
experience that would have helped her pup. I know that is her
responsibility,

.........Yes, it is. Please encourage her to post anyway, as she certainly
has nothing to lose. She can also try alt.med.veterinary though the few
vets who hang out there haven't been very responsive lately. She can also
try searching the archives at Google. Nobody is going to diagnose her dog
for her, as I'm sure she knows, but sometimes it helps to put heads together
to look for a solution.

.......she can also check the files at Dr. Mike's to see if anything similar
pops up. www.vetinfo.com

buglady
take out the dog before replying

I have a friend here in Australia who is having a health problem with her
cavalier that three Vets haven't been overly helpful with, and suggested she
try the net. I saw her yesterday and asked how it went, and she mentioned
she came here...unfortunately right in the middle of the infamous "How cold
is too cold/Beagle" thread. I've always done cat rescue rather than dog,
but have been having a bit of a philosophical crisis lately about the whole
rescue world - particularly the fact that, at least in Australia, it seems
to be peopled by well-meaning but ultimately incredibley damaging animal
loving/human hating individuals.
When I started fostering cats, any time anyone mentioned having a pregnant
cat or intending to breed, I'd get on my soap-box, roll out facts, figures,
condemnation and judgement, and bacially try to make them feel like they
were as evil as possible, and I was exalted and knowledgable. One day, a
friend called me on it and mentioned:
1) No matter how logical your arguement, people will not take it on board
if they don't respect or like you, and you come across as a superior
pain-in-the-ass who gets off on putting other people down.
2) If you're TRULY in it for the animals, rather than to feel like a
matyr/world weary/like you have the weight of the universe on your
shoulders, then you'll develop some people skills, because you're far more
likely to have an impact FOR THE ANIMALS if you come across as a kind and
genuine person. It might mean letting go of some of your own ego, and
surrendering the right to feel so much holier than everyone else, but
attacking others NEVER makes them reconsider their position.
About eighteen months ago another school Mum mentioned wanting to breed
her moggy and I took a deep breath, beat down my urge to start moralising,
and said, "Oh, it sounds like we have similar interests. The shelter I
volunteer at has a litter of ginger kittens at the moment that need hand
raising. Would you be interested?" As it turned out, she was, and she now
has 3 DE-SEXED cats, and having seen the over-population problem first hand,
she wouldn't dream of breeding.
I think it's crucial that people who purport to love animals and want to
educate others get real. It's ANIMALS that are suffering, NOT YOU, and to
take on this big "Oh, I've seen so much, poor me, that's why I snap at
everyone else, and treat them badly" persona is ALL ABOUT YOU and does
nothing to help the animals you claim you care about.
Melinda, as a result of your incredible judgementalism, my friend didn't
even bother posting here, despite the fact that somebody might have had
experience that would have helped her pup. I know that is her
responsibility, but if you truly love animals, that should at least make you
stop and think. As you said, SELF-EXAMINATION IS DEAD. Please take your
own advice. I work as a Social Worker and I have seen unspeakable abuse of
children, but that doesn't give me the moral right to go around demanding
that everybody give their children the perfect, ideal home or else accuse
them of being neglectful. There is such a thing as 'good enough' parenting,
just as there is such a thing as 'good enough' animal ownership, and in the
beagle owner's case love, safety, loads of space to roam, time inside every
afternoon, an insulated kennel, and an owner who is concerned enough to get
on a newsgroup and ask questions might not meet your lofty ideals, but it
sounds pretty good to me.
Buglady, whoever you are, I'm glad this group has a voice of reason!!

buglady wrote:

........Yes, it is. Please encourage her to post anyway, as she certainly
has nothing to lose.

I second that. Your friend knows already how some of the personalities
here are likely to respond. Maybe she can steel herself and ignore
the ones who are not helpful. It is hard, when criticisms seem so
personal, to remember that we are not responsible for making all of
the critics happy, but we aren't.

On the other hand, it's perfectly possible no one here will be able to
help. Buglady will probably find some useful references, though.

Amy Dahl

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 02:10:33 GMT, Amy Dahl
wrote:

buglady wrote:

........Yes, it is. Please encourage her to post anyway, as she certainly
has nothing to lose.

I second that. Your friend knows already how some of the personalities
here are likely to respond. Maybe she can steel herself and ignore
the ones who are not helpful. It is hard, when criticisms seem so
personal, to remember that we are not responsible for making all of
the critics happy, but we aren't.

It seems to me that if you already know the people you are afraid who
will be judgmental, it's actually easier to ask. You can killfile
Melinda or anyone else whose response you are afraid will be more
judgmental than helpful before you even ask the question. If you are
thinking everyone will be judgmental so there is no point in asking
even with killfiles at the ready, it's probably not the right place
for that person to ask the question. In my mind, though, it would be
better to ask and maybe get some information than not to ask at all.
I'd put up with some abuse on a computer screen if it might help my
dog. If you get some help, fine. If you don't, even if you have to
ignore the entire thread you started and never log onto usenet again
to get away from the pain of the experience, at least you took
advantage of every avenue you could to help your dog. It's not like
the people here can show up in your real life and harass you.

I do think that Melinda's advice to go to a vet school clinic is an
even better idea, though. I'm not sure I would know who to trust if I
were a newbie here. Sometimes nice people who sound like they know
what they are talking about don't so just filtering out the mean ones
isn't going to take care of all the problems inherent in getting your
advice from usenet. It takes time to figure out who generally knows
their stuff and who doesn't in what areas.

--
Paula
"Anyway, other people are weird, but sometimes they have candy,
so it's best to try to get along with them." Joe Bay

and to contact the clinic associated with a veterinary college.

Sometimes the veterinary professionals make mistakes on
accHOWENTA they got AGENDAS and need RESEARCH grants?

Do you ACTUALLY think a damn retard like you knows more that
proffessional vets?!?! You HAVE to be kidding me, AssHowe! You are a
psychotic! You have very, very little intelligence!

Oh my GOD I can't believe how stupid you are...

wrote:
Oh my GOD I can't believe how stupid you are...

STUPID is as STUPID does.
And JERRY HOWE sure does STUPID WELL !

Mirelle
and to contact the clinic associated with a veterinary college.

Sometimes the veterinary professionals make mistakes on
accHOWENTA they got AGENDAS and need RESEARCH grants?

Do you ACTUALLY think a damn retard like you knows more that
proffessional vets?!?! You HAVE to be kidding me, AssHowe! You are a
psychotic! You have very, very little intelligence!

Oh my GOD I can't believe how stupid you are...

You are nothing more than the sincerely amazing lying idiot. It's
kinda funny you are too ignorant to see that, AssHowe.

Good luck with your shitty manual, AssHowe.



When it comes to behavior The Sincerely Incredibly Freakin Insanely
Simply
Amazing Grand Puppy, Child, Pussy, Birdy And Horsey Wizard AIN'T GOT
NO COMPETITION, mikey, otherWIZE HE WOULDN'T BE The Sincerely
Incredibly Freakin Insanely Simply Amazing Grand Puppy, Child, Pussy,
Birdy And Horsey Wizard {}: ~ )

wrote:
You are nothing more than the sincerely amazing lying idiot. It's
kinda funny you are too ignorant to see that, AssHowe.

STUPID is as STUPID does.
And JERRY HOWE sure does STUPID WELL !

Mirelle