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I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

theguardian.com

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Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#31

Post by carom »

rootusrootus wrote: post #12
INTPenis wrote: post #5

I like the author's positive outlook on life. Because when I see a dog act like that, especially in a family where a child has taken focus, I mostly see a prisoner longing for freedom. Me and my dog have been exclusive for almost a decade now. We have traveled across europe, always by my side. Off leash even, I have always wanted to give my dog the most freedom possible. To heck with human rules. I've mostly worked r…

> Off leash even, I have always wanted to give my dog the most freedom possible. To heck with human rules. I regularly meet people like that when I'm camping. I find it pretty frustrating. So many rules like that have basis in reality, they are not just meant to annoy.

I go to campsites and wilderness areas where dogs are allowed off leash. It is pretty much the best thing I can do for my dog. She mostly sleeps in the dirt all day after a morning hike when we are camping. I have a radio collar and a directional antenna so I can find her if she runs off, but she never has. Even on long backpacking trips she has always been within a few hundred feet. Obviously, make sure your dog's temperament is correct for the situation, but camping and hiking with a dog off leash is a joy.

Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#32

Post by dyauspitr »

INTPenis wrote: post #5

I like the author's positive outlook on life. Because when I see a dog act like that, especially in a family where a child has taken focus, I mostly see a prisoner longing for freedom. Me and my dog have been exclusive for almost a decade now. We have traveled across europe, always by my side. Off leash even, I have always wanted to give my dog the most freedom possible. To heck with human rules. I've mostly worked r…

>I mostly see a prisoner longing for freedom.

Honestly, I think the dog would rather have a pack in a family (wife, kids etc.) than a single person to essentially spend the rest of their life with. My dog has so much more energy when the whole family is in the same room.

Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#33

Post by nirmel »

I would just like to comment that if you love animals, you should hate pets. The amount of animal factory farming (killing of animals often more intelligent than your canine) required to nourish a domesticated animal over the course of their lives is gross in all senses of the word gross.

Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#34

Post by kleiba »

nirmel wrote: post #33

I would just like to comment that if you love animals, you should hate pets. The amount of animal factory farming (killing of animals often more intelligent than your canine) required to nourish a domesticated animal over the course of their lives is gross in all senses of the word gross.

Alternatively, if you love animals, you should also love pets but not necessarily have one or support the concept.

Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#36

Post by chucksta »

ecshafer wrote: post #21
INTPenis wrote: post #5

I like the author's positive outlook on life. Because when I see a dog act like that, especially in a family where a child has taken focus, I mostly see a prisoner longing for freedom. Me and my dog have been exclusive for almost a decade now. We have traveled across europe, always by my side. Off leash even, I have always wanted to give my dog the most freedom possible. To heck with human rules. I've mostly worked r…

> Off leash even, I have always wanted to give my dog the most freedom possible. To heck with human rules. Having dogs off of leashes is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible. The amount of children killed or injured by poorly restrained dogs is very high. A dog should be fenced in or on a leash if they are outside, full stop. Dog ownership should really have a license requirement.

What would a license solve?

Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#37

Post by pdonis »

sorokod wrote: post #30
pdonis wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "I acted in a way that displeased my owner, next time I will not act that way" This kind of conditioning can take place without any mental reflection--we know this because humans can be conditioned this way without even being consciously aware of it. This is not to say that the dog is unaware of having displeased their owner (which, as another poster pointed out, is in itself a form of mental reflection, although,…

Yes, could. Doesn't mean it must. Your use of the word rudimentary implies some sort of spectrum, that makes sense to me.

> Your use of the word rudimentary implies some sort of spectrum

Yes, it does. See my reply to abainbridge downthread.

Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#38

Post by snozolli »

jholman wrote: post #26
ecshafer wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Off leash even, I have always wanted to give my dog the most freedom possible. To heck with human rules. Having dogs off of leashes is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible. The amount of children killed or injured by poorly restrained dogs is very high. A dog should be fenced in or on a leash if they are outside, full stop. Dog ownership should really have a license requirement.

> The amount of children killed or injured by poorly restrained dogs is very high. This claim is interesting, if true. Can you back it up? I spent 15 minutes on research, and my preliminary findings, using US statistics (I'm not American but it's just easier to google American stuff) suggest that: a) about 42 Americans die to dog attacks per year (about 0.13 per 100k population) (very high confidence) b) it looks lik…

I'm not the other guy, and I don't have data, but the risk might be far higher outside the US.

These days, Americans mostly treat their dog like a family member. If you travel to developing nations, you're far more likely to run into packs of dogs roaming around. Packs of dogs will do things that a solo dog might never consider.

It still happens in developed countries, but it's far more common these days to see it in poor, developing countries. They probably don't have the infrastructure to collect relevant statistics, either.

Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#39

Post by fyt2024 »

carom wrote: post #31
rootusrootus wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Off leash even, I have always wanted to give my dog the most freedom possible. To heck with human rules. I regularly meet people like that when I'm camping. I find it pretty frustrating. So many rules like that have basis in reality, they are not just meant to annoy.

I go to campsites and wilderness areas where dogs are allowed off leash. It is pretty much the best thing I can do for my dog. She mostly sleeps in the dirt all day after a morning hike when we are camping. I have a radio collar and a directional antenna so I can find her if she runs off, but she never has. Even on long backpacking trips she has always been within a few hundred feet. Obviously, make sure your dog's t…

"I go to campsites and wilderness areas where dogs are allowed off leash." In the US?

I move with my golden retriever back to the states. Should someone have a dog friendly place to rent in NJ close to NYC, Hoboken....

Re: I wag, therefore I am: the philosophy of dogs

#40

Post by dbg31415 »

nirmel wrote: post #33

I would just like to comment that if you love animals, you should hate pets. The amount of animal factory farming (killing of animals often more intelligent than your canine) required to nourish a domesticated animal over the course of their lives is gross in all senses of the word gross.

Mate, if ever there was someone who needed to spend an hour rolling around with a bunch of puppies, it's you. (=

I hope you can at least understand that pets bring joy into the lives of their owners. It doesn't all have to make perfect sense.

In the grand scheme of things, we're all just temporary cosmic dust, right? And dogs are a great daily reminder to focus on the small moments of happiness whenever you can find one.

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