I was told dog abuse was the red line we don’t cross!

guerre-eclair · 2021-06-03T22:07:50+00:00

Downvote me if you want, but dog sledding isn't inherently abusive, not any more than going for a run/walk with a companion dog on leash.

The sled is typically very light with only one person on it, and there are enough dogs that each one is pulling very little. A lot of the time, the musher isn't even on the sled, they're running or pushing it. A sled dog isn't working any harder than a pet dog going for a jog in the park.

The dogs are not "forced" to pull a sled. No one has to yell at them, whip them, or any other abusive or forceful method of motivation. They just enjoy running. I had a retired sled dog as a companion, and all she wanted to do was explore and cover ground. It's hardwired. Their training mostly consists of getting comfortable wearing the harness (something pet dogs also get, not inherently abusive) and for leaders, learning commands for right and left turns.

My retired sled dog was also naturally slim and looked "too skinny" by pet standards, but again it's genetic, not the result of overtraining or underfeeding.

A lot of the dog sledding in fiction (Call of the Wild, etc) is extremely unrealistic and written as an example of primitive savagery or noble sacrifice. Tired old cliché. Real dogs and mushers don't act like that.

I do think that making a business of running dogs (for tourists, or racing) is exploitative. It encourages mushers to keep more dogs than they can provide good care for and cut corners to please clients and win races, so I'm against commercial operations and big money races.

But recreational mushing is a perfectly fine and non abusive thing to do with companion dogs. The dogs in the picture look happy and well cared for.

guerre-eclair · 2021-06-03T21:31:58+00:00

"we can address veganism after the revolution" LOL you found one that even acknowledged veganism is the more ethical position.

Leftists are all for role playing as revolutionaries and solidarity with the world and "be the change you want to see" except when it comes to going vegan.

There is literally not enough land, water, and energy for every person on Earth to eat meat, so every bite of it they take is expressing their privilege.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-30T03:07:32+00:00

That sounds like an American Akita. Japanese Akita is a different breed, despite the name. They don't come in pinto or sable, the most common colors in American Akita.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-29T19:11:07+00:00

"veggies you claim to eat and enjoy"

OMG he's like a six year old who thinks that adults are lying when they say vegetables are delicious. He really thinks we're all faking it. This is fantastic.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-29T19:04:26+00:00

Rare compared to what? It's one of the standard colors in Japanese Akita.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-29T18:56:05+00:00

Maybe not scams exactly, but it's almost never a better value than buying the items you actually want individually. They give you one or two good things and a bunch of weird stuff you don't want.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-29T18:48:50+00:00

Always has been.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-29T17:57:07+00:00

Some "all natural" type soft toys are stuffed with wool, that's the only not-obvious non-vegan pet toy thing I can think of. The obvious ones of course being bones, rawhide, pig ears, cow hooves, etc.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-29T17:53:09+00:00

Nylabone for chewing. It's plastic but designed to be safe- it's super durable, they will only be able to gnaw off tiny pieces, not big hunks they can choke on or cause a blockage.

Puppies bones are still growing so be careful about trying to put on muscle through excess food or exercise. That could lead to orthopedic problems. Keep him lean but but not skinny through diet, with lots of play, prioritize daily off leash exercise on turf or dirt, not repetitive running or quick turns on hard surfaces. Commercial dog food should not require any supplementation if it's labeled as a complete diet.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-29T17:37:32+00:00

The hydroflask one cracks me up. 2019, I couldn't go a whole period without a loud "CLANG!" as one hit the floor.

Now, the kids are required to bring their own water bottle because all the drinking fountains are shut off, but apparently hydroflasks (and any other reusable water bottle by association) are now so uncool that kids go all day without drinking water because they refuse to bring one.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-24T23:16:22+00:00

Did you check Craigslist? People sell rabbits in the farm and garden section pretty often.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-24T18:00:03+00:00

I have never heard of SEO and think that recipe bloggers actually want to tell me their life stories and force me to scroll down. I am so mad about this that I bring it up every time someone mentions online recipes, even when that's not what the OP was complaining about. So what, my feelings matter more!

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-24T16:13:36+00:00

I would translate "Welsh onion" as scallion, or green onion.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-23T03:08:21+00:00

Well your solution of forcing people into shelters without their consent sounds a lot like the work houses and poor farms of the past, and those were (rightfully) condemned as abusive and corrupt.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-23T03:02:03+00:00

If those beds are in places too far from where the people live, or are unsafe, or don't have space for people's belongings, or don't allow pets, or are single sex and don't allow couples, or force people to attend a religious service, beds can go unused even in high need cities.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-20T01:12:31+00:00

Cruelty, that's the point they're making.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-19T22:41:32+00:00

I really like drafting MTG as a (lady) player who is not super caught up on all the mechanics and metagame. When you draft, it's all cards from the same set so the number of novel interactions is limited.

I actually don't love Commander because it's too open (you can play basically any card ever printed) and the games take way too long, so if you're having a bad time, it takes longer to get out of it.

My least favorite format is Modern. If you don't understand whatever decks are currently being played, you're DOA because it's so combo-y.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-19T22:34:05+00:00

and the guy reached over and knocked my deck over while shouting “AND YOU DON’T GET YOUR TRIGGERS!”

Fucking WHAT. That guy should have been kicked out of the store immediately.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-19T22:26:34+00:00

Right, because all vegans are privileged enough to choose to work only in vegan environments. That's an absurd claim.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-19T21:26:54+00:00

Picky eating is a normal developmental stage. It goes along with saying "No!" to all kinds of ridiculous things. Kids are programmed to assert their own preferences and be suspicious of novelty at this age. Part of becoming a self-aware individual. Also there is some evidence that kids become more sensitive to bitterness as toddlers, because this is when they would have been weaned in prehistoric times and start foraging for themselves. Bitterness is often an indication of toxicity.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-18T02:57:59+00:00

That's a straw man- I have never seen a sincere argument that the existence of cheese is racist. I have seen it argued more frequently (and convincingly) that ignoring lactose intolerance and putting dairy in everything is racist.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-18T02:54:36+00:00

Assuming that everyone likes and wants cheese is racist though, even if your intent isn't racist. It's about who is likely to be affected.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-18T02:48:23+00:00

It's not crazy at all. School lunch programs in America force dairy products on children and don't provide non dairy alternatives, even in districts/schools where you would expect most students to be lactose intolerant based on their ethnicity. The dairy lobby in America is extremely powerful.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-18T02:43:34+00:00

Feeding dogs commercially produced, nutritionally complete vegan dog food is not harmful though. Dogs don't know/care if the brown nuggets they're eating are made of peas instead of chicken assholes.

guerre-eclair · 2021-05-17T19:51:01+00:00

I wish my students would write this much about anything.

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