On My SoapBox

This may come as a shocker to the general public, but dogs and cats have some bad habits. Before one decides to adopt a dog or cat, one must first educate themselves on some of those "bad habits". Take cats, for example; some cats meow incessantly, some are counter walkers, most are early risers and, in so doing, will wake their respective person. By nature, cats are hunters. Unless a person has an indoor cat, be prepared for gifts of mice, birds, and various other creatures. Its in their nature and should not be punished for such acts. If you, as a human, do not approve of some of these habits, please do not bring a cat into your household.

Dogs: Loveable, Loyal, Excitable, Cuddly....just to name a few of the positives. Along with the good, come the "bad". Poop, Dependency and Barking. Dogs, being dogs, bark. That is what they do. Any human with an ounce of brain matter know that dogs bark. Two year olds learn that.

"What does a doggie say?"
"Woof Woof".

When dogs bark continually, it can be rather annoying and should be handled in a very effective and humane manner. If disciplined appropriately, dogs can learn not to bark, or at least respond to a command to stop. They should not be shocked, hit, kicked or have an object thrown at them for barking! Dogs bark, people!

Not to be mistaken for a hyprocrite, I admit that I have given my naughty dogs and naughty cats spankings. Much the same as a parent might tap their child on the fingers or swat their child on a diapered tushie, I have given spankings. Alternatively, I have also used a squirt bottle and, in fact, sleep with one at my bedside for early morning shenanigans from any one of my 4 felines.

The past few days, I have spoken my mind on two separate occassions to strangers who have, in my opinion, mistreated their furry family member.

The other day, I was outside with my 2 dogs, and the neighbor dog was outside as well. Of course, the neighbor dog saw us and began to bark at us. He just wanted to play too. Then his owner came out the door, yelled at the dog, and then proceeded to hit the dog forcefully. I spoke out and told that guy he didn't need to hit his dog. He looked at me surprised and brought his dog back inside the house. Hopefully he didn't hit him anymore.

Then today, I took my dogs for a walk on the street. We passed a house that had dogs in the yard and the owner was outside doing yardwork. Naturally, his dog began to bark at us trespassers and the guy picks up what I thought was a rock and threw it very hard at the dog.

I spoke up. "Dogs bark. You don't need to throw things at him!"
He responds, "Oh, it was his tennis ball". As if that made it alright. He threw that ball at that dog so loudly that I could hear it hit the dog from where I was standing; across the street.

It feels good to stand up for what I think is right and I am going to continue doing so. Whether it be animals, kids, or the elderly, I'm going to tell it like it is, and report anything I think needs to be reported.

Be kind!