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Originally Posted by sylvan Kim, you seem to have flip flopped yet again, since you were touting the benefits of raising dogs in a large pack environment before and now you are questioning the ability of Pat to properly care for her dogs. How many does Wallace Haven have sitting on his lap each night? |
I don't know what "flip flopping" is (I heard the republicans accuse Kerry of this over and over during the Presidential campaign when in reality it was Bush who was not conssitent in his opinions and arguments) but I have no problem
with someone changing their opinion on an issue when they are convinced that their original opinion is no longer the correct one for them. I am open minded and quite often am influenced into changing my opinion when the evidence is strong enough to persuade me. I am not so prideful that I cannot change.
THAT SAID,
I have NOT CHANGED MY OPINION in this area. I still am convinced, as are all the experts and dog behaviorists, that
dogs are pack animals and they prefer dogs to people. A "pack" can be as little as two dogs.
Nowhere did I ever say "large pack environments" as you insinuated I did.....I do believe that having more than one dog is in the best interests of the dog but I stand by my assetion that
no one should own more dogs than they can properly care for. That number will depend on the individual and the other demands in their life but I do not believe in caging animals, and by "caging" I mean
small enclosures which are only just big enough for the dog to lay down and have food and water. I think this is what you refer to as "kenneling". I do not agree with "crate training" for this reason. I do not want to get into that debate however!!
I think if you have 6 people in your family tht every one of them can have a dog and even two and the dogs will get the attention they deserve probably. That could be as many as 12 dogs in one house. If you have a breeding operation and you hire people to work for you then this is also manageable but a one person operation needs to seriously look at the time constraints and their ability to do right by the dogs.
I believe that only going outside once a month is cruel. I am not sure that not taking them for walks means they never go outside (it might for some breeders) but that would be very sad in my opinion.
Do the dogs receive training as in the kind necessary to make them happy and feel valuable which all dogs need? Are they taught obedience? I know that Caesar Milan would feel that is not healthy to have a dog that never gets "walked". That is such an important part of their development and training to be able to be happy as dogs in a human world and to know their boundaries and have guidelines set. What about the dog park? I cannot imagine a 4 year old dog that had never been to the dog park to play.
As for Wallace Haven, he may not have any more sitting on his lap than the average yorkie breeder, but his dogs live in packs, they are in large enclosures, large outside areas for exercise and play, they have circulating fresh water, quality food, vet care on site and are very well cared for. Would I want that for my own dogs, no, but I also wouldn't want my dogs to be kenneled, to never live a particular room in a house for the majority of their lives and to only go for a walk once a month.
My only point about Wallace Haven was that I felt he treated his dogs better than 90% of the dog owners in this country and he was a dirty, filthy breeding mil that needed to be closed down. I think he treats his dogs better than most kennels do from what I am learning.