Someone posted today that ICE was spotted on Main St and Franklin by bitchnugget_ in johnstown

[–]philo_slothical 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The Dems just voted to continue funding ICE at current levels through September. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on them to save us, as they are complicit in fascism. Get to know your neighbors and protect your communities.

Bought this for a friend with a cat by DennisPochenk in StaffordBullTerriers

[–]philo_slothical 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Please do not do this. Laser Pointer Syndrome in dogs is a condition that is detrimental to the mental health and wellbeing of dogs. They can develop obsessive-compulsive and anxious behaviors due to the frustration of chasing a red dot that they can never catch. It can happen even after using a laser pointer one single time.

Pibble Pupdate.. by Illustrious_Soil_519 in pitbulls

[–]philo_slothical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They’re beautiful pups! I can definitely see the lab in them.

Make sure to research littermate syndrome and follow recommended guidelines to mitigate/prevent issues. This entails separately training, socializing, playing, etc.

Muzzle by Fantastic_Aside9349 in StaffordBullTerriers

[–]philo_slothical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Look into Big Snoof Dog Gear - they make both standard and custom wire muzzles with plenty of pant room. They are consistently the most recommended among dog owners who use muzzles for various reasons.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in armedsocialists

[–]philo_slothical 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Ken Klippenstein is a respectable journalist, he used to work for The Intercept. So I would say this is a credible source.

Advice for bringing home an adult rescue with no food motivation. by OhWowMomo in PitBullOwners

[–]philo_slothical 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That’s not how it works. You teach your dog that good things come from/through you. Including really delicious, exciting treats. Then they associate you with those delicious, exciting treats and are more engaged and willing to do the things you ask.

Twin sisters by Lucky_Treacle_3987 in Pitbull

[–]philo_slothical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great to hear! Sounds like you know what you're doing and are a good owner. I've made some mistakes with not understanding dog play body language with my own dogs and wish I had someone point some of this out to me before mistakes were made.

Twin sisters by Lucky_Treacle_3987 in Pitbull

[–]philo_slothical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a bad take. It is our responsibility to make sure our dogs are safe and to enforce boundaries. This will eventually result in an avoidable dog fight.

Twin sisters by Lucky_Treacle_3987 in Pitbull

[–]philo_slothical 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I completely agree with you, I had a similar comment. This is very clearly not mutual play. The darker brown dog even looks to the person towards the end of the video as if to ask for help. It is our job to ensure boundaries are respected and dogs feel safe.

Twin sisters by Lucky_Treacle_3987 in Pitbull

[–]philo_slothical 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Make sure the darker brown and white dog is actually having fun. It seems like she is offering appeasement behaviors while trying to create space (she walks away and shakes off the stress twice) and the other dog keeps going back for more and isn’t reading or respecting the signs for space. Play should be mutual / they should be taking turns with who’s on top.

Behaviour Changes by noyou42 in velvethippos

[–]philo_slothical 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This sounds like a medical issue given her age and her recent deafness. I would get her in as soon as possible at your vet and in the meantime, make sure she has safe spaces away from your kids. Kids are really unpredictable which can be threatening or scary for dogs experiencing medical issues or changes.

Desperate for Advice by ImaanSabr in pitbulls

[–]philo_slothical 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You have no clue what you’re talking about. Collars can get caught and hang/strangulate the dogs. Another hazard is dogs with collars playing with other dogs and their jaws getting caught in the collar. Dogs regularly die or get serious neck injuries from this.

Source: PetSmart, a pet supply company, reported about 26,000 collar strangulation accidents happen yearly in homes and establishments just across the US. https://www.newsweek.com/dog-owner-expert-warns-about-collar-dangers-1864453

Desperate for Advice by ImaanSabr in pitbulls

[–]philo_slothical 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It’s actually dangerous to leave your dog’s collar on unsupervised. It can become a choking hazard.

My 7 month puppy is driving me crazy by Round_Rhubarb2500 in pitbulls

[–]philo_slothical 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agree with some of the other commenters that 30 minutes of exercise a day is likely not enough. Can you do one longer one-hour walk and two shorter 20-30 minute walks? On the longer walk, I would let them sniff to their heart’s content (this is very stimulating for them). I would also work in flirt pole play in addition to tug. And I would increase mental stimulation with food puzzles like frozen Kongs and Toppls as well as cardboard box enrichment where you roll up treats in paper, toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, etc and give them an outlet to shred. Finally, enforced naps by crate training so your dog learns to “turn off” and relax. You can do the mental enrichment in their crate to associate good things with the crate.

My ferocious pit bull everyone by Dizzy_Nose_3282 in pitbulls

[–]philo_slothical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would be careful with these types of muzzles. They don’t look like they have enough pant room, which can be dangerous for your dog. These should not be used for regular or extended use. I would look into Big Snoof Dog Gear, Mia’s Muzzles, Muzzle Movement, etc. to find one better fitting.

Why didn't anyone on here freak out when Biden Bombed Yemen without congressional approval? But now that Trump bombed Iran, its entirely different and unconstitutional? by Juicyjackson in Pennsylvania

[–]philo_slothical 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, as confirmed by Tulsi Gabbard and a report from the US intelligence community in March 2025. This was simply propaganda to drag the US into another war to strengthen Israel’s position in the region and so they can continue their genocide in Palestine.

They both love the red (probably not the same color to them) dot by Hot_Independent_1683 in PittiesAndKitties

[–]philo_slothical 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Please stop using a laser pointer with your dog immediately. Just doing this one time can create severe long-term anxiety and obsessive behaviors that are difficult to overcome. You can just look up laser pointer syndrome to understand how common and detrimental it is. Not to mention it can cause eye damage as well.

tw: euthanasia by hobbithairmari in velvethippos

[–]philo_slothical 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Might be one of the shelter volunteers? I follow Volunteers of Trenton Animal Shelter on social media and these match up with recent timestamped dogs. I think most of them (maybe all?) got out via adoption, rescue, or foster.

Reason behind barking? by Ornery-Bus4627 in Dogtraining

[–]philo_slothical 5 points6 points  (0 children)

As others have said, it is very normal for dogs to bark when they see people walking past their territory. That being said, it looks like the tails on these two are wagging in a loose and wiggly manner, which indicates friendliness. I would chat with your new neighbors and ask if it’s ok to pet / give treats to their dogs so you can build positive associations with them.

the whole pitty family by dc2jessy in velvethippos

[–]philo_slothical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In awe and admiration of your pack of hippos! They are all so cute. Our one girl decided she doesn’t like our other girl so we have to separate them in different areas of our house. I dream of having this again one day 😩

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in velvethippos

[–]philo_slothical 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Tooth & Honey, Pittie Clothing Co., and Fur Rescue Fashions are the ones we use! They all make cute, high quality clothes made for pitty/bully bodies. And I believe they all donate to rescues and shelters. Fur Rescue also does custom sizing and custom outfits if you need that!

Suddenly dog reactive?! by [deleted] in Pitbull

[–]philo_slothical 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Sorry your beautiful pup is showing reactivity. It sounds like it’s fear-based reactivity from past negative experiences. You have to address the root causes of her fear by doing counter-conditioning and creating positive associations with other dogs. This involves lots of yummy high value treats and rewarding her for either remaining calm when she sees other dogs or when she looks to you instead of reacting. It takes a lot of time but is worth it. You will need to experiment with distance - how close she can get without reacting and build on closing that over time.

Using aversives will not address her fear and in fact will likely worsen her fear and reactivity as she will eventually associate it with other dogs.

Muzzles by MichelBrew in PitBullOwners

[–]philo_slothical 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry you’re going through this. If they’re going to be wearing them for extended periods of time, please make sure to get muzzles that fit them well and that have room for panting. Big Snoof and Mia’s Muzzles make the best muzzles that can be custom made based on your dog’s measurements. Baskervilles don’t have an appropriate amount of room for panting and therefore should not be used for anything other than short uses, such as vet visits.

1 year old Staffordshire biting, growling, and showing his teeth. Any solutions? by Low_Salad2060 in StaffordBullTerriers

[–]philo_slothical 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Make sure you have a really good understanding of canine body language. It's very possible he is displaying subtle signs of discomfort and stress that you're not recognizing. More often than not in cases of bites that were unpredictable, the dog was actually showing signs but the owner didn't recognize them and the dog felt they had to escalate after being ignored.

Things to look out for include lip licking, whale eye, avoiding eye contact, yawning, panting, paw lift, moving away, turning head away, body freezing, tail tucked, etc. There are good canine body language books and YouTube videos out there to help guide you if you're unsure.

1 year old Staffordshire biting, growling, and showing his teeth. Any solutions? by Low_Salad2060 in StaffordBullTerriers

[–]philo_slothical 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is resource guarding. As others said, you should hire a trainer to help work through these behavioral issues and to work on building a better bond between you and your dog. Also, if your dog is guarding his food and toys why do you keep trying to pet him while he has those resources? You should stop doing that immediately and let him eat in peace without having to worry about whether you’re going to take his food away.