mattjack wrote: » Ordinarily I would argue with Christmas, just out of boredom etc... but how in the name of Jayzus would a dog know its to be put down ?
GarIT wrote: » I have no idea, the dog could fear loosing its food source because it know it can't feed itself, being put down was possibly a bad example but maybe dogs can communicate with each other and they know.
Shenshen wrote: » *lol The people at our local pet shop know us by name, we're the ones buying 2 60kg bags of Royal Canin for cats every month
war_child wrote: » I just had to comment on the original comment ...Firstly having an animal is not holding the animal against its will especially dogs ..as dogs are reliant animals unlike cats who can hunt for their food dogs rely on us (as responsible pet owners) to supply them with their food.
Secondly FORCING (as you so ignorantly put it) an animal to sit, lie down fetch and whatever other commands he can make the dog do in my book something to be praised for, as hes obviously taken a lot of time out to teach his dog those commands.better to have a dog that can be controlled when around strange people indicates qualities of a good and responsible owner...
Thirdly any animal that has any kind of freedom be it a back garden one or 2 walks a week is still a hell of alot better than most rescue dogs which are either tied up or forced to live in wrecks of cars or even worse cramped cage conditions without food or water.
I say all this as i am a dog owner and every point you made about your friend run along the lines of my situation. My dog is in the field everyday from10 am till 2 pm and let back out at 6 till 10 ....he is only brought in for food ...i also spent many hours training my dog to sit, lie down , roll over and beg ..as he is a boxer he is a working dog and loves showing off infront of people what he can do ...he knows if he does it he gets a treat ...he was also a rescue dog and wen he was found was tied to a caravan and left for dead ...the dog he was wen brought to the shelter is a far cry from the dog he is now. Altho i am not a vegetarian i do watch the animal programmes on tele and i am disgusted by the way most of the people on those shows treat there animals ...and for you to even consider comparing those people who genuinly go out of their way to harm their pets to your friends situation is both ignorant and disrespectful ..I wonder what he would do if he ever found out what you were saying Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
mattjack wrote: » A 60kg bag ? I buy 15 kg bags and can just carry them.
xxxJennyxxx wrote: » No such thing as a 60kg bag, Royal Canin's limit it 15kgs in retails outlets.
xxxJennyxxx wrote: » The shop I work in has no animals. We do not sell them on principal. I went through an intensive 40 hour training course just to work in a retail shop, and am going for my pet nutrition status soon enough. We never sell anything to someone who does not know how to use it/how it works/etc. I do have the moral high ground
xxxJennyxxx wrote: » 60Kg bags? Sure it's not 15kg? :P
mattjack wrote: » I know, a 60kg bag is huge.15kg is the size of a large bag of potatoes..
Shenshen wrote: » Which ones are the really large ones they always keep on the bottom shelf? Could be 40kg, I can't remember now (and can't be bothered to get down to the kitchen to check;)), usually it takes two of us to lift one.
xxxJennyxxx wrote: » defo 15kg
wonderfulname wrote: » Hmm... Agreeing with the concept of raising animals for food when meat is not necessary in the human diet and uses considerably more resources than the alternative yet disagreeing with keeping a domesticated, dependant animal as a companion, what shining logic.
Shenshen wrote: » Apologies for exaggerating, then. I honestly haven't checked in ages, we usually just dive for the huge bags on the bottom shelf.
xxxJennyxxx wrote: » Nah you're grand haha, they start to feel like 60kgs after a few days moving them from place to place - new offers coming in and the likes so a lot of moving, have to go in on my day off just to put out prices :rolleyes:
LordSmeg wrote: » ] .....dogs have evolved to hunt and run not sit in back gardens.......
GarIT wrote: » wonderfulname wrote: » Hmm... Agreeing with the concept of raising animals for food when meat is not necessary in the human diet and uses considerably more resources than the alternative yet disagreeing with keeping a domesticated, dependant animal as a companion, what shining logic. I doubt that we would have enough food in Ireland if we had no meat, no milk and nothing that is made from milk.
Dean09 wrote: » Dogs have not evolved to hunt. Quite the opposite. If you look at the history of the domestic dog, about 80% of the breeds that are around today didn't exist 100 years ago. Dogs have been basically engineered by humans, for humans. Dogs are reliant on us and most wouldn't survive in the wild without us. Just wanted to clear that up.
Shenshen wrote: » Any offers on cat food?
grey_so_what wrote: » Get a hugh amount of help and respect from the lovely people who work in pet shops, fair play to them....:)
wonderfulname wrote: » Hint: you put the land to alternate uses, meat and dairy require more land and water than tillage, we'd have more food, not less, if everybody went veggie, although given that we already export the vast majority of what we produce that's not an issue. Stop digging, your position is completely nonsensical.
LordSmeg wrote: » Easy as that is it ? Stop farming animals and start growing something ? I'd like to hear a more informed view of it as I'm not clued in enough to know the full scale of what it would take or if it would be possible. Clearly neither are you. The role that livestock plays in farming isnt limited to meat going into the market. And it wouldnt be possible to simply replace it by growing something else.
Darkginger wrote: » Many areas of Ireland wouldn't be suitable for arable farming - try growing wheat halfway up a mountain where sheep happily roam....