Not Animally - The Off Topic Thread

Discodog

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Ah come on. You can tell us. We are your friends .

Wonders if it would be too stalker like to pay a subscription & join SS just to see what you posted.

Cherry Blossom

Discodog wrote: »

Wonders if it would be too stalker like to pay a subscription & join SS just to see what you posted.

I thought you knew what I was talking about and were trying to be Mr. Smart ass :pac:. Yes you should definately pay the subscription

Men! :rolleyes:

Discodog

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

I thought you knew what I was talking about and were trying to be Mr. Smart ass :pac:. Yes you should definately pay the subscription

Men! :rolleyes:

You thought I knew & I thought that I knew but maybe I didn't. You could either post your meaning of SS or PM it to me. I apologise unreservedly if I have wrongly portrayed you

Btw what is "lovemongering" & is it legal ?. A fishmonger sells fish so are you selling..........Oh Gosh - I'll get my coat :eek:

Cherry Blossom

Discodog wrote: »

You thought I knew & I thought that I knew but maybe I didn't. You could either post your meaning of SS or PM it to me. I apologise unreservedly if I have wrongly portrayed you

I was refering to the threads that was on the go here for about 3 months :pac:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056079924

Discodog wrote: »

Btw what is "lovemongering" & is it legal ?. A fishmonger sells fish so are you selling..........Oh Gosh - I'll get my coat :eek:

Thanks-mongering transformed into the form of a little row of hearts :pac:

It's official, Discodog only reads thread with sensational titles

Discodog

Oh dear I owe you a big apology . How could I of thought such thoughts - I am off for a cold shower & a good lashing .

Cherry Blossom

Discodog wrote: »

Oh dear I owe you a big apology . How could I of thought such thoughts - I am off for a cold shower & a good lashing .

Wishful thinking perhaps?

Maybe you wern't the only one with their mind in the gutter, the "room" has gone awfully quiet! :P

Discodog

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Wishful thinking perhaps?

Errrrrr......................Yep

Whispered

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

the "room" has gone awfully quiet! :P

well I just didn't want to interrupt.

Discodog

Whispered wrote: »

well I just didn't want to interrupt.

You wouldn't be interrupting. AJ doesn't really love me (where's a crying smilie when ya need one !).

Cherry Blossom

Whispered wrote: »

well I just didn't want to interrupt.

Out of politeness or because you didn't want to ruin the entertainment value of DD digging a hole for himself?

Discodog

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Out of politeness or because you didn't want to ruin the entertainment value of DD digging a hole for himself?

A grave to bury unrequited love :P

Cherry Blossom

Somehow the off-topic thread has gone off-topic!! So back on topic now -

How come I have 3 stars under my name?? People with a few posts get 1 star, you post some more and get another star, when you have posted lots you get 3 stars, or is that wrong? When do we get more stars and what do I win when I collect them all?

Discodog

I believe that three stars are the maximum unless you become a mod. Or as a subscriber you can have more stars & they are in red !. You also get access to S&S - note the "&" to avoid any confusion with Secret Santa.

Don't you love the way that I managed to stay on topic

Now if we could combine SS & S&S - could make for an interesting Christmas

mymo

Oh the joys of hairy dogs.......Spring is truely on the way.
Came home from walkies and spent half hour picking slugs out of their coats:eek:
Think its time for me to give them a haircut, well thats my Sunday sorted.

Discodog

Oh the perils of keeping an open 3kg bag of dog food on a high shelf. Yep I tripped over a dog & dropped the bag !. That was over an hour ago & my Greyhound is still managing to get her thin snout into crevices, to find bits of food, that the other dogs can't reach. She has never forgotten her street roots of scavenging.

Whispered

Had a 15kg bag under my stairs which had to be replaced by a proper bin. The cats figured out how to unroll the top of the bag. It was a common sight to walk out of the sitting room to be greeted by two kitty asses sticking out of the bag. Then they managed to slit the side of the bag one night. Between the two of them they must have eaten twice their body weight and were throwing up bits of kibble for 2 days. :mad:

Whispered

Hellrazer, if I can say so. As a mod of this forum, people are going to respect your opinions and see you as a knowledgeable authority on things. I think it very irresponsible of you to say in a thread you would never rescue and all of your experience with rescues have been trouble and "fooked up". (cavachon thread)
I see your frustration with these threads descending into "don't buy" etc. But I'm actually really disappointed that you said that (not that you will be bothered of course) I've had loads of lovely rescues come through here. It's so disheartening to see someone in "authority" say something that could do damage, and put even one person off.

Hellrazer

Whispered wrote: »

Hellrazer, if I can say so. As a mod of this forum, people are going to respect your opinions and see you as a knowledgeable authority on things. I think it very irresponsible of you to say in a thread you would never rescue and all of your experience with rescues have been trouble and "fooked up". (cavachon thread)

The mod hats off for this response.Im still allowed to voice an opinion in the forum.Ive rescued various dogs and had some serious issues with all of them--Not one rescue dog worked out for me and my family.
As I said in a previous thread--Ive had rescues being aggressive,full of fear--one of them jumped through a plate glass window to get to another dog.Another jumped out an open window of a second floor room to get at another dog.One died after picking up an infection in the rescue center two days after collecting it.

I see your frustration with these threads descending into "don't buy" etc.

Its not frustration--its letting users see that there is can be a bad side to rescuing a dog.I did everything I could for these dogs--the one that jumped out the window cost me thousands and Im talking upwards of 3k in vets bills.The one that jumped through a plate glass window died of its injuries.Ive had to rehome a couple due to agression with the children.

But I'm actually really disappointed that you said that (not that you will be bothered of course)

Sorry to disappoint but I say it like it is and that is Ive had nothing but trouble with rescues.

I've had loads of lovely rescues come through here. It's so disheartening to see someone in "authority" say something that could do damage, and put even one person off.

Wouldnt consider myself in authority--Im speaking from personal experience and nothing could be more truthful than someone with first hand experience.
Its all well and good going on about rescuing dogs but why wont one of the "get a rescue" brigade tell users the truth and that is that some of these dogs can arrive at a new home with lets just say "issues" and thats putting it mildly.
If users are going to preach about getting rescues then they need to give a more rounded opinion.

Also some people may want a dog that they know how big its going to grow,a rough idea of its temperament and other known things/issues about the dog that they want.In my case its like that.I want to know exactly what Im getting and dont want people telling me to get a dog I know nothing about.

star-pants

I completely see your POV whispered - that people might read it the wrong way, and be put off but even mods are entitled to give their personal experiences/opinions.

Part of me also agrees with Hellrazer. We've had mostly bad luck with rescue dogs, and we've had to give them back. We had one decent one that was rescued in the 80s and she lived a long life with us. The other two had to go back within a week/two weeks and it's very distressing for both the dog and the family in those situations.

Rescue dogs aren't *always* an option for people. For example we have two pure bred Lhasas, by choice, I sought them out specifically because it's the only breed my mother is ok with and thus the only dog we could really have in the house.
but even one of them (the older one) came from another family at the age of a year & half and we've had to deal with some of her 'issues' that she obviously got from her previous home.

I do think it should be case by case reasoning, if someone just wants a breed because it's ''in'' rather than they've investigated/researched and decided that's the best for their family and situation well then people can suggest they have another look around. It can be suggested to them in a nice way as an alternative option along with some helpful tips, so that they may consider it, rather than some peoples' style of posting which is along the lines of 'omg why on earth would you get that dog when you can get a million of other cute dogs who need homes?! *shocked* *mad*'

Whispered

I'm not getting into rescue or not discussion here with either of you, that wasn't my intention . And I certainly never said rescues are an option for all people. ( I do believe something that should be considered by all people - although I don't push this in threads)

Of course you're entitled to your opinion hellrazer but your post was half mod, half opinion and while you don't see yourself as an authority on dogs/rescues/buying etc some posters will. Do you know what I mean? It could be read as if you are saying "stop going on about rescues because they don't always work out" as opposed to saying "Stop because it's off topic, unfriendly and unnecessary".

Personal experience is so valuable to people when they are looking at their options and it's important that people hear both sides of opinions. I'm not suggesting you don't give that opinion, at all.

Of course they don't always work out, and I'm not defending people who jump into threads and give out about buying dogs (in fact I did the opposite in the lab/poodle thread) but it did kind of read you were telling posters, as a mod, to stop going on about rescues, because in your experience they don't work out.

Equally people banging on about getting a rescue when they're not asked could put people off, but you're there to put a cap on that.

There was talk about having FAQ's and buying mongrels was a topic which was raised. Are we any closer to having them?

Hellrazer wrote: »

The mod hats off for this response.Im still allowed to voice an opinion in the forum.Ive rescued various dogs and had some serious issues with all of them--Not one rescue dog worked out for me and my family.
As I said in a previous thread--Ive had rescues being aggressive,full of fear--one of them jumped through a plate glass window to get to another dog.Another jumped out an open window of a second floor room to get at another dog.One died after picking up an infection in the rescue center two days after collecting it.


Its not frustration--its letting users see that there is can be a bad side to rescuing a dog.I did everything I could for these dogs--the one that jumped out the window cost me thousands and Im talking upwards of 3k in vets bills.The one that jumped through a plate glass window died of its injuries.Ive had to rehome a couple due to agression with the children.



Sorry to disappoint but I say it like it is and that is Ive had nothing but trouble with rescues.



Wouldnt consider myself in authority--Im speaking from personal experience and nothing could be more truthful than someone with first hand experience.
Its all well and good going on about rescuing dogs but why wont one of the "get a rescue" brigade tell users the truth and that is that some of these dogs can arrive at a new home with lets just say "issues" and thats putting it mildly.
If users are going to preach about getting rescues then they need to give a more rounded opinion.

Also some people may want a dog that they know how big its going to grow,a rough idea of its temperament and other known things/issues about the dog that they want.In my case its like that.I want to know exactly what Im getting and dont want people telling me to get a dog I know nothing about.

star-pants wrote: »

I completely see your POV whispered - that people might read it the wrong way, and be put off but even mods are entitled to give their personal experiences/opinions.

Part of me also agrees with Hellrazer. We've had mostly bad luck with rescue dogs, and we've had to give them back. We had one decent one that was rescued in the 80s and she lived a long life with us. The other two had to go back within a week/two weeks and it's very distressing for both the dog and the family in those situations.

Rescue dogs aren't *always* an option for people. For example we have two pure bred Lhasas, by choice, I sought them out specifically because it's the only breed my mother is ok with and thus the only dog we could really have in the house.
but even one of them (the older one) came from another family at the age of a year & half and we've had to deal with some of her 'issues' that she obviously got from her previous home.

I do think it should be case by case reasoning, if someone just wants a breed because it's ''in'' rather than they've investigated/researched and decided that's the best for their family and situation well then people can suggest they have another look around. It can be suggested to them in a nice way as an alternative option along with some helpful tips, so that they may consider it, rather than some peoples' style of posting which is along the lines of 'omg why on earth would you get that dog when you can get a million of other cute dogs who need homes?! *shocked* *mad*'

Hellrazer

Whispered wrote: »

I'm not getting into rescue or not discussion here with either of you, that wasn't my intention

For what its worth Im all for every single dog being a rescue but its never going to happen.

And I certainly never said rescues are an option for all people. ( I do believe something that should be considered by all people

And Im of the same opinion.As you can see from my previous post I have tried it but it didnt work for us.

- although I don't push this in threads)

Unlike some members who constantly do.

Of course you're entitled to your opinion hellrazer but your post was half mod, half opinion and while you don't see yourself as an authority on dogs/rescues/buying etc some posters will.

Ok Ill be straight here--The labradoodle thread was reported for preaching to the OP about getting a rescue dog.I let it run to see how far it would go and then the chavcon thread started and the same thing happened in that thread.So my post was half mod and half opinion.

Do you know what I mean?

I understand completely but I had to respond to that thread in the way I did.

It could be read as if you are saying "stop going on about rescues because they don't always work out" as opposed to saying "Stop because it's off topic, unfriendly and unnecessary".

Well I meant it to come out like the former example.

Personal experience is so valuable to people when they are looking at their options and it's important that people hear both sides of opinions. I'm not suggesting you don't give that opinion, at all.

Of course they don't always work out, and I'm not defending people who jump into threads and give out about buying dogs (in fact I did the opposite in the lab/poodle thread) but it did kind of read you were telling posters, as a mod, to stop going on about rescues, because in your experience they don't work out.

Ok maybe it was read wrong.The issue is not recommending rescues but recommending them every single time someone asks "where can I get an X puppy"--Its ridiculous and would actually put me off if I was a new user to the forum.

Equally people banging on about getting a rescue when they're not asked could put people off, but you're there to put a cap on that.

Thats what Ive tried to do in both those threads and now Im suddenly anti-rescue and the big bad wolf.

There was talk about having FAQ's and buying mongrels was a topic which was raised. Are we any closer to having them?

I`ll get onto that tomorrow.

Whispered

Hellrazer wrote: »

Well I meant it to come out like the former example.

The former? Meaning you meant your post to come across as "I am telling you as a mod of the forum to stop going on about rescues, as in my opinion they don't always work out"?

It's like a mod warning about rescues, as opposed to posters who are going on about rescues.

You're as entitled to your opinion as anyone else, but putting it as a mod warning, is like adding weight to your personal opinion based on your position in the forum.

EDIT: was the whole thread reported?

Thats what Ive tried to do in both those threads and now Im suddenly anti-rescue and the big bad wolf.

I'm not involved in that thread at all so I hope you will take my posts here at face value and not think Im trying to have a go, just expressing a concern.

Zapperzy

Hellrazer wrote: »

Ok maybe it was read wrong.The issue is not recommending rescues but recommending them every single time someone asks "where can I get an X puppy"--Its ridiculous and would actually put me off if I was a new user to the forum.

Just responding to this point here, most of the posters who ask questions like this are relatively new members who probably haven't been reading past threads, and may not have considered a rescue before as it had never been suggested to them or may not have been something they had thought about until it was suggested to them.

Whispered

Zapperzy wrote: »

Just responding to this point here, most of the posters who ask questions like this are relatively new members who probably haven't been reading past threads, and may not have considered a rescue before as it had never been suggested to them or may not have been something they had thought about until it was suggested to them.

FAQ's would be a great help here I think. "THINKING OF GETTING A DOG" then info on rescues, breeders, what to look for and avoid etc. I know of loads of people who would never have thought of a rescue. It just wouldn't have crossed their mind.

Discodog

Zapperzy wrote: »

Just responding to this point here, most of the posters who ask questions like this are relatively new members who probably haven't been reading past threads, and may not have considered a rescue before as it had never been suggested to them or may not have been something they had thought about until it was suggested to them.

I agree & the sheer numbers show that an awful lot of people take on a rescue very successfully. I can't help but notice how "Soapboxing" has become the new Mod word. This Board & Boards.ie exists to allow people to express opinions without fear or favour. If a poster continually repeats the same points in a thread & not in reply to a quote, then that might constitute "Soapboxing". However if several individuals express that view then it clearly isn't.

There is a principle in everyday life that if one is judging, adjudicating, etc that you do not do so on any subject where you have a personal, vested or conflict of interest. It is easy to say that one will remain impartial but in reality it is very difficult to do.

It is perfectly understandable that some of the people here, who everyday see the effects of not rehoming & continuing to breed, try to persuade a person to try a rescue. Personally if I had a bad experience with a rescue dog I would not publicise it because I would know that it might put people off when, in reality, most rehomes work out well. Also I would accept that the problem was probably me & not the dog in that I was the wrong person for that particular dog.

It's no accident that the Dog's Trust, who a very high success rate, use the phrase "You can trust a dog from the Dog's Trust". Amongst the general rescue bashing that goes on here, from time to time, there are good rescues.

Discodog

Hellrazer wrote: »

I understand completely but I had to respond to that thread in the way I did.

I disagree. Before you posted, what was clearly interpreted as a Mod cool it warning, the OP said:

"i am very open to all suggestions have been looking in dog shelters for such a dog, if anyone knows of something similar in a pound or shelter please let me know, to all the posters of replies thanks for your help, my neighbour adopted a bischon but the red tape and inspections were worse than if you were adopting a child !"

They clearly did not consider that they were being soapboxed or bullied. The posters that you criticise all offered constructive advice. It is reasonable that you post, as a poster & not a mod, but not in a tone that clearly implies Moderation.

Cherry Blossom

From the labradoodle thread:

Hellrazer wrote: »

Can the regulars please stop preaching to users asking genuine questions about these mixed breeds/mongrels or whatever you want to refer to them as.


Im sick to my teeth of these "get a rescue" responses everytime someone mentions a labradoodle/rothrussel or whatever.

It is putting users off the forum.

Im going to discuss this with the other mods and see what their view is on it.

Two threads in two days ruined by the whole " get a rescue" brigade.

Enough is enough.

Of what I would consider the most 'agressive' posters on that thread to be fair Hellrazer one of them has a total of 76 post on the whole of boards, one has 11 and the other has 3. I'm not sure if these are the ones you are refering to as 'regular posters' but they would definately seem to be to have been the ones most likely reported, can you please clarify this?

Discodog

There were no aggressive posts. Hellrazer's comment was totally uncalled for & comes across as a Mod trying to enforce their personal opinion on a forum - some might call it Mod Soapboxing.

There is a continuing serious problem in that Hellrazer's personal views are at odds with the majority of posters. Maybe a Mod has to decide, that if they regularly want to post as a poster, that they should forgo being a Mod. If not then they must make it clear that it is a personal opinion & not moderation. In any event they must not use their Mod status to enforce their opinion & the direction of the forum, to the detriment of others.

I would hate to think that invaluable poster's like Suzi would be put off posting. Too few rescue's post here without us driving the rest away.

Hellrazer

Discodog wrote: »

There were no aggressive posts. Hellrazer's comment was totally uncalled for & comes across as a Mod trying to enforce their personal opinion on a forum - some might call it Mod Soapboxing.

You have a serious problem with me since the day you started posting here DD.Im starting to find it personal now.

There is a continuing serious problem in that Hellrazer's personal views are at odds with the majority of posters.

Well then take it up with a cmod or admin.

Maybe a Mod has to decide, that if they regularly want to post as a poster, that they should forgo being a Mod. If not then they must make it clear that it is a personal opinion & not moderation.

My views are ALWAYS a personal opinion and I posted about first hand experience.

In any event they must not use their Mod status to enforce their opinion & the direction of the forum, to the detriment of others.

Where did I do that--I put my opinion across and in all fairness I was proven right.The chavcon thread--the user bought a Chavcon which I disagree with but its THEIR decision--totally proves that opinion ramming doesnt work.And the labradoodle thread I was also thanked for putting across an alternative view--read the last post by the OP.She even felt pushed around a bit and said so in her last post.

seamus

Discodog wrote: »

There is a continuing serious problem in that Hellrazer's personal views are at odds with the majority of posters.

TBH, I don't see that as a problem, I see it as a bonus. You could equally say that the fact that my personal views are in line with the majority of posters is a serious problem because it means there's an instant biase against anyone who posts a differing opinion.

A moderator isn't there to lead the forum. They're there to moderate the discussion. I do understand that to a certain extent a mod's view may be taken as gospel by new people, and it's up to the mod on a post-by-post basis to decide if they should add a disclaimer to the top of the post.

In general a mod should avoid putting mod directions and personal opinion in the same post. I'd usually put the mod direction in one post, then personal opinion in the next.

Maybe a Mod has to decide, that if they regularly want to post as a poster, that they should forgo being a Mod. If not then they must make it clear that it is a personal opinion & not moderation.

I post more regularly in a personal capacity than any of the other mods. Presumably you think I should forgoe my mod status too?