More animal cruelty.
About four million people sent me today, again confirming the very rightness of my decision not to take my dogs to England with me:
RSPCA says people who dress up their dogs could be prosecuted
The RSPCA is threatening legal action against people who dress up their dogs.
The animal welfare charity claims that forcing pets to wear clothing could be harmful, and in some cases there may even be grounds to prosecute.
…”You can buy anything fashion wise for your dog. I have an extreme love of the dog, but I don’t like to see them dressed up as little human beings. I don’t think they like it either. It’s unnatural.”
…Jo Barr, RSPCA spokeswoman, said: “Dog owners should be aware that under the Animal Welfare Act that came into force in April 2007 they have a duty of care to ensure that all of their pets’ needs are met.
“One of those needs is to express normal behaviour and it could mean that with restrictive clothing they are not able to do that properly.
“We’re concerned that any pet should be viewed as a fashion accessory. Taking on an animal is a long-term commitment. It’s quite humiliating and sends out the wrong message about pet care.”
Alas, none of this is really about the awful (yet totally artistic) things I do to my dogs, and frankly I would never put them in actual DOG CLOTHES except for the five minutes it takes to get the photo, and also I actually agree that a lot of dipshits get cute little dogs just for the purpose of putting cute little dipshit-marketed crap on them and carrying them around in handbags. That actually pisses me off because these people don’t really see the dog the way they should; rather, it’s a toy to them. Paris Hilton, I’m looking at you.
BUT. Where I diverge from their general stance is the bit about “humiliating”. Seriously people, let’s cut the crap. Dogs do not get “humiliated” when you put stuff on them. I truly get so tired of hearing that. They might not like it because it bothers them to have something on their head or to be restricted in their movements, or whatnot, but humiliation? That’s just silly. They don’t know how goofy they look.
They don’t know.
All my dogs “know” is that if they tolerate the head-based foreign object for approximately 45 seconds, they get a handful of delicious green beans. Win-win.
Well, I have an extreme dislike of the self-righteous.
Do these types just need to get laid or something?
January 15th, 2009 at 7:06 pmESTMaybe they are worried that Sunny will be mistaken for the Queen
Want to see even more RSPCA Ass-hattery?
January 15th, 2009 at 7:06 pmEST“Extremely loving” a dog is also unnatural. It’s also quite humiliating for them and advertises the wrong message about pet care.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:21 pmESTNot only are they not humiliated, in some instances they like it.
My critter comes running when I say “wanna get dressed?” (That means either putting on a seasonal bandanna or some sort of a holiday collar.) She sticks her head through the neck opening and then walks around like she thinks she’s pretty hot stuff. There are no green beans or other snacks required.
She’s less enthused about wearing a jacket, but will tolerate one. They make her wear one at daycare otherwise she comes in wet from the rain and shivers.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:24 pmESTUm, I find it hard to believe that an animal that proudly goes bathroom out in the wide open, in clear view of God and the whole of society, that also is fine with front yard lovin’, and will eat its own feces and look at you with that “what, did I do something?” look on its face, would have its self esteem hurt by having a human put a hat on its head.
I love dogs as much as the next guy, but really. Then again, aren’t these the same people who want to call fish “sea kittens”, and call pets “animal companions” because “pet” is demeaning and insults that animal’s self-esteem? Yoy.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:38 pmESTOh for pity’s sake. Dogs don’t FEEL the way we do. They don’t get humiliated.
If they did, my Trooper bear would be completely humiliated when he gets covered in saw dust and drool. lol
January 15th, 2009 at 7:57 pmESTMy Chihuahua gets cold easily, so if I know we are going to be outside at all and the temperature is below, oh, 80 degrees (kidding, but not by much), I put a sweater on him. They don’t cover his legs or head, and they keep him a lot more comfortable. I’d never do that to say, a Husky, but seriously, you’ve seen these little bastards shake. As if they need an excuse to shake any more…
January 15th, 2009 at 8:04 pmESTGreat. You are not even in country yet and you aready a felon. I hope Ms Barr doesn’t read your blog otherwise you could be hauled off to constable as soon as you land.
Sounds like she has her knickers in a twist.
January 15th, 2009 at 8:13 pmESTHmm, I wonder what they would do to the Asian’s who raise dogs for food.
January 15th, 2009 at 8:15 pmESTCruelty is criminal, ‘tomfoolery’ is just fun. Gad how I hate the nanny-state doofuses.
Everyone who proposes laws like this one needs to be run off the planet. I understand Mars may have some life. Send them there to protect those critters.
Now why would you inflict those idiots on the innocent Martians? Are you trying to start the first interplanetary war?
January 15th, 2009 at 8:36 pmESTThis sums it all up. That bitch doesn’t like it, so therefore it must be banned.
An animal that likes to vigorously sniff the butt of an another animal in public view doesn’t get humiliated.
January 15th, 2009 at 8:48 pmESTWhere did Maggie serve? Iraq, Afghanistan?
These people need to get a frickin life. Hollowpoint is right, “That bitch doesn’t like it, so therefore it must be banned.”
January 15th, 2009 at 9:11 pmESTSo, where do they stand on neutering/spaying?
January 15th, 2009 at 9:58 pmESTYES! Hollowpoint! Thank you for saying what I was going to say!!
January 15th, 2009 at 10:09 pmESTI’m with evvybuns. There are a lot of people in this world who just need to get laid.
You know what bugs me the most about these people is the fact that this somehow is considered “news”. We have “news” coming out our ears these days; television news with the scrolling thing at the bottom so you get double the news, on the hour updates on the radio, and of course there is the nonstop web pages.
They don’t have enough real stuff to spout off about so they pick on people enjoying their pets. What a stupid world we live in these days.
Now I’m all riled up and going to specifically go out of my way to dress my 1 eyed cat up as a pirate with an eye patch. I may even figure out a way to attach a parrot to her nonexistant shoulder.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:49 pmESTNow, that’s what Maggie should be wearing when the backyard kitteh comes calling! (I hope the cat has moved on, and I don’t mean to the great beyond!)
As for the RSPCA woman, her energy should be directed toward animal cruelty, not “tomfoolery” as Haverwilde put it.
I agree, Rachel, animals are not “toys.” They should not be treated as accessories, but if they wear an occasional accessory for performance artistry and a green bean reward, well, the blog world is a little better for it. Thanks for that!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:17 amESTIf you’re going to live in Britain, you have to understand that the RSPCA was founded nearly a century before the RSPCC (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children).
January 16th, 2009 at 12:18 amESTYou’re right; they sure don’t! So, on the one hand, you have stupid people anthropomorphizing their critters physically by making them dress up for extended periods of time (as you say, Rachel, a far cry from Sunny and Maggie’s HBDPAP gig!). But on the other, you have a bumptious do-gooder anthropomorphizing the dogs’ psyches — sheesh!
Humiliation? A little humiliation is actually good for a dog — they need to be humbled by their alpha now and then. So really, for a dog, humiliation is an expression of natural behavior!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:32 amESTThis is very true:
And this made me laugh until I snorted:
That one is still making me chuckle!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:47 amESTLast year I had to do a story with a woman who made clothes for her many many bichon frises and then took great pleasure in taking them out in said clothes.
We’re talking bright red patent freaking leather, people.
It just seemed wrong on so many levels.
However I applaud how you dress Sunny and Maggie. Now that’s cool.
January 16th, 2009 at 1:41 amESTRachl, I think you’re just setting up the alibi so you won’t be handcuffed as you get off the plane.
heh
January 16th, 2009 at 6:27 amESTWe have a french bulldog and a beagle…and i hated when we lived out in California and my wife would put a sweater on the dog, or her coworkers would actually spend money to buy the dog a coat with a fur collar…
but now that we live in Buffalo where the snow drifts are taller than the dogs, I find myself putting the sweaters on myself (i still hold the line on the fun collard coat). Both dogs are short haired dogs, and i don’t care who you are….when it’s below zero and the snow is higher than you are..it’s cold.
January 16th, 2009 at 8:27 amESTAbout one billionth of a percent of Herbie’s life has been spent wearing a sombrero or a flag cape or a tin foil hat. I don’t think he cares much about it except he feels uncomfortable when he’s the focus of everyone’s attention, like maybe he did something wrong.
Getting to live at our house is like winning the doggy lottery. We have a nice yard, a doggy door so they came come and go as they please, a damn fine vet, all the food they can eat, treats, rawhide chewbones by the bag, tons of dog toys, free run of the house, daily walks in the predawn. It just doesn’t get any better than this for your normal dog.
If I want to put a reindeer outfit on my dog once a year for a laugh or slip a bandanna around Herb’s neck on occasion and this lady doesn’t like it she can bite me.
Actually I kind of agree with her about people that dress their tiny toy dogs up in fluffy crap and booties and everything. But come on man. We got enough stupid laws as it is. Last I heard they had riots and crap going on in Britain. Once the police get that all straightened out then talk to us about how we need them policing doggy outfits.
January 16th, 2009 at 8:35 amESTI think Hollowpoint is spot-on with his comment.
I think what we’re suffering from here is an extremely common modern problem: most of the Big Bad Problems have been solved - so people who need something to do try to solve problems that don’t actually exist. Or, what problems remain that are Actual Problems are too hard or too uncomfortable to tackle, so instead people go for zero-tolerance stupid nannying things - for example, they can’t figure out a way to keep teenagers from binge-drinking on the weekends and sometimes dying as a result, or they can’t stop some kids from becoming meth-heads, so instead they ban kids prone to headaches from carrying aspirin, and pat themselves on the back for having “fixed” the drug problem in the schools.
I don’t deny animal cruelty exists but dressing up dogs is not it.
January 16th, 2009 at 8:41 amESTIf you are going to dress your dog in Jolly Old England, it should be in this:
I bet this could be adapted to possums….
January 16th, 2009 at 9:03 amESTI don’t dress up our current hound, but when we had a black miniature schnauzer, he loved to wear bright red sweaters. He knew he looked spiff and would actually prance around looking all proud. He was a handsome devil and he knew it.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:30 amESTI always knew that you were trying to damage their self esteem by putting those embarrassing and humiliating clothes. I mean, who would wear clothes? Nobody does that!
Here is my latest humiliation of innocent animals:
January 16th, 2009 at 9:33 amESTIn a few places I have been, dogs were dressed as the main course. So I would not be too concerned with dressing them up in clothes.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:48 amESTHuh! Do they fit? I’m with you on that fur collar, Jacob — I wouldn’t wear it either!
January 16th, 2009 at 10:30 amESTTammy - That’s a great visual. (Actually put a smile on my face.) Have any photos to share?
January 16th, 2009 at 10:41 amESTO/T, but you know that BSG starts up again tonight, right? I’m way too excited about this.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:02 amESTAwesome, I’m sure I have pics of him somewhere, but no home movies. He WAS cute though. As far as his actions, you know that Pet Smart commercial where the wire-haired terrior keeps running to the mirror and looking at himself? Yeah, like that.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:09 amESTMer, I like the dog armor, but who in their right mind would make armor for a squirrel? Wouldn’t that make them too heavy to hide in the trees?
January 16th, 2009 at 11:12 amESTOne of my little buddies has a genetic problem that makes him bald on his back and sides. Buster will see to it that you need a new ankle if you try to take his camo shirt away. See the link below.
I know, I know, every one says the shirt makes him bald. I thought so too but he is a rescue dog with many health problems. He was bald from the shoulders to his haunches when I got him. No bugs on him. The vet says he has a genetic disorder that makes his hair fall out. The little guy is only 4 years old and he gets cold easy in my air-conditioned house. So I figured why not give him a shirt, heh?
Joe
January 16th, 2009 at 11:55 amESTYou will have to show your mother or your aunt or your brother how to do the clothes-on-dogs thing and make them send you pictures of the girls every now and then all dressed up for Mommy.
January 16th, 2009 at 12:01 pmESTIf PETA can’t get you for humiliating your dogs, aren’t you worried they will get you for not feeding them sea kittens?
PETA might get hinky about the fact that so few dogs in the wild cultivate and eat green beans.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:31 pmESTMen having sex with each other? No problem. Go for it.
Dressing up dogs? “Unnatural”. Put your hands on the car.
January 17th, 2009 at 11:30 amEST1. Don’t go to England — it’s too dangerous!
The passengers drive the cars over there — the government is nuts and requires it.
2. Dogs will not eat green beans.
January 17th, 2009 at 2:26 pmESTI’ve heard some of the smaller, short-haired breeds like the chihuahua mentioned above and Italian Grey Hounds get hypothermia very easily if you take them out in or let them out in the winter, so it’s actually recommended that you put them in dog sweaters. And heaven forebid that you have something like a Chinese Crested out in this kind of winter weather without something on. Wouldn’t that be tantamount to you going out shirtless?
January 19th, 2009 at 7:42 amESTPutting those funny little coats on them is okay but some go too far
January 19th, 2009 at 10:23 amESTIt’s true! It is humiliating.
All the other dogs bark, “Tell your owner that she dresses you funny, and all the other dogs are making fun of you!”
Actually, on a scale of 1 to 10 badness, it’s a 1. On a scale of 1 to 100, it’s still a 1. And on 1 to 1000…
January 19th, 2009 at 11:08 amESTYou feed your dogs beans? really?
January 19th, 2009 at 3:53 pmESTThere is no cruelty in dressing your pets unless what you dress them in is the feline/canine/other-nine equivalent of a human “Christmas sweater.”
Translation = the saddest bee is good, red doggie sweater is bad.
January 19th, 2009 at 3:56 pmEST> again confirming the very rightness of my decision not to take my dogs to England with me
One instead hopes you’re doubting the very rightness and rationale for taking yourself to England.
Yes, and Rupert, too, of course. I grasp that you are currently joined at the hip and wish you good luck in keeping it sufficiently that way.
January 19th, 2009 at 6:04 pmEST> BUT. Where I diverge from their general stance is the bit about “humiliating”. Seriously people, let’s cut the crap. Dogs do not get “humiliated” when you put stuff on them. I truly get so tired of hearing that. They might not like it because it bothers them to have something on their head or to be restricted in their movements, or whatnot, but humiliation? That’s just silly. They don’t know how goofy they look.
One of the key bonds between Man and Dog is simple:
A man will do something blatantly stupid, and look like a compete and utter fool.
The dog will look right at him at this point, and say, “OooooKAY!” and jump right in, looking just as stupid and foolish.
It takes a real friend to look foolish and stupid together.
January 19th, 2009 at 6:16 pmEST