this made me FURIOUS...

Badrap - just because of things like that & some of the pics on the front cover , my boss stop delivery of that rag here or to his home - he decided that getting nothing was better than seeing garbage they publish

I'll admit - having kids did *temporarily* move the dog down the priority list the first year or two when they were infants/toddlers. I never thought Blackhawk was a pest or resented him, it was more like when you get a new puppy and have to watch them constantly. There's little time/energy left for others.

That being said, I am MORE devoted to my dog now that the kids are older. Maybe now that the kids don't need me so much I'm transferring all the attention I'm used to constantly doling out to two-legged infants to a four-legged substitute. At least, that's the conclusion I came to when I got this serious desire for another dog. It's like when people send their youngest off to kindergarten and want another baby to fill the void. I'm sending my youngest off to kindergarten this fall and want another pup to fill the void!

ORIGINAL: Amitiel

Badrap - just because of things like that & some of the pics on the front cover , my boss stop delivery of that rag here or to his home - he decided that getting nothing was better than seeing garbage they publish

my thoughts too.... although... it does teach people. when you see these things its a shocker, and to a young or inexperienced person they might stop and think and NOT do those things.. it does serve a purpose, but not to people who already know better..

That poor dog deserves better... and what a message to send to all of Time's readers! [sm=sad.gif]

...

From the article:
"A dog's love comes with a lengthy prenup: vet bills when it gets diarrhea; peroxide baths when it gets skunked; low-carb kibble when it gets old and fat. Through rich and poor, sickness and health, waning affection and growing annoyance, he is my dog, and I am his person."
 
Is a child much different?  don't they also have wants and needs?
 
 

I had a friend (who's becoming less and less of a friend in the past several months) who had a baby this year and she wound up rehoming the cat she's lived with and doted upon for nearly a DECADE. They wanted to get a nicer apartment (admitedly, the one they were in did suck) and they found one but oh, it was no pets. Sorry cat, you gots to go. Her justification was that now that she has a baby, nothing is as important as him. And of course, I as someone who doesn't have kids (yet) wouldn't understand, and I just *hate* that argument because it totally belittles anyone without children and their opinions.

The only way I'd rehome one of our FOUR pets after having a child would be for the safety of the child. If one of them was posing a serious safety risk, yes, I'd rehome and yes, it would tear my up inside. But I'd do it. I understand that much about how important your child is. But to just do it for convenience sake, because it might take you an extra month of apartment hunting (they were on a month-to-month at their old place so it's not like they even had a deadline) and to use the fact that you have a child as an excuse and some kind of shield to crticism of your choice? Yuck. That really turned me off.

It's really hard to understand non-dog people. My sisters come to mind. Tell me how 4 girls can grow up in the same family, with similar experiences, similar rinciples, and be sooo different when it comes to things like dogs?
 
Two of my sisters have dogs. The one was verrrrry similar to that article for the first year her kid was alive, and still isn't too far from it. She went to the SPCA, got Cowboy, loved him, took him everywhere, doted on him like crazy..got married, had a baby, and Cowboy was suddenly gunk on the bottom of her shoe. Never got walked, never got pet, never got bathed, never got his nails trimmed. It's better now that the baby's older (he's almost two), but still not anything like it was pre-baby, or what it should be. She says she had no business getting a dog. And I say..but you DID get him. Tough cookies if you wish you hadn't.
 
The other sister thinks that because she didn't purposely go get her dog (her ex-boyfriend abandoned him with her), she doesn't have to ever take him to the vet. Even when he's got broken teeth that have to be painful, weird growths, and itches like crazy. He also never gets exercised, and I'm sure she's never clipped his nails (I do it). And I say...but you KEPT him. Now you have to take care of him.
 
My third sister? Well, that's who I got Cherokee from. She gets animals and then pawns them off on other people. I have her dog, my Mom has her cat. But at least she had the sense to know that Cherokee would be better off with someone else.
 
If only Cherokee got along with the boys. I'd steal them both and run away. [&o]

in my heart, my daughter and my dog are not equals.

 
The above is from the article in question. I don't disagree with it, standing there alone outside the context of the entire article...but really nothing else in the article is something I can understand or relate to. I do feel it is a satirical piece and intended to be extreme and perhaps spur the kind of emotion it has.

I am seething right now.
 
I wish I hadn't read it. I am completely disgusted by the author, whether it was meant to be satirical or not.

The dog may not have been dumped at a shelter, but it has still been abandoned.

 
This is so true. If this women thinks that this dog has become a pest (because of her lack of training). She should find a new home for the dog where it will be loved. With her attitude I feel not only sorry for the dog but her child and any children that she may have in the future.

Absolutely understandable ashland.
I've read satire on "dog people" before that's truly made my blood pressure reach dangerous levels. It's not one of my favorite genres! [&:]

ORIGINAL: rwbeagles

I do feel it is a satirical piece and intended to be extreme and perhaps spur the kind of emotion it has.

 
wonder how many ppl will respond to them in writing regarding the piece?

Hopefully lots!
I've seen stuff like this come across various lists, and it always does result in lots of people writing in...from nice to not so nice.
 
It's a double edged sword tho...and I always think nice is better. If you write in and it's a rant, like as not they'll skewer it on the next issue and poke fun at the writer. It's really annoying how the spin thing can be used against people who are legitimately upset, and for good reason!