Helicopter pet owners

February 21, 2013 9:55 AM

Forget helicopter parents: Here’s why helicopter pet owners are the ones overdoing it Skenazy outlines how various forces, including an earnest push toward greater animal welfare, have made us lose our way.
posted by KokuRyu (13 comments total)

No one is watching your dog through binoculars, clocking his movements and peppering a T-bone with knockout drugs.

No comment.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:00 AM on February 21, 2013

After filling out a 50-question form and listing all the vets she’d employed over the past 15 years, the woman’s application was rejected.

I've heard a good bit of this and am torn between anger at the specific rescue agencies that are obviously doing it wrong and the confusion at why people wanting to adopt just don't go to the county shelter/humane society and rescue a pet that's going to be put down otherwise.

I mean, I have 2 pups (one rescued from a shelter and one a stray from the wild) that I care for in ways that I'm sure would earn me disproving looks from some of these people. I worm them myself with medicines I'm used to using in previous experience with beagle packs, I cut their nails myself, I don't go to the vet unless they're sick or have reason for concern, the lump that doggy number one developed hasn't been removed because the vet quoted a pretty high price and said her that honestly her concern was low that it was cancer, we don't get their teeth cleaned, and our backyard is probably too small/normal for their liking.

That said, our dogs are happy, healthy, well loved, and cared for. I don't understand how that's so hard for some people to comprehend....
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:01 AM on February 21, 2013

I don't understand how that's so hard for some people to comprehend...

I think it's perfectly easy for people to comprehend. But, see, newspapers have this readership problem and trolling is a great way to go viral...
posted by DU at 10:03 AM on February 21, 2013 [3 favorites]

But, see, newspapers have this readership problem and trolling is a great way to go viral...

Bingo.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:05 AM on February 21, 2013 [2 favorites]

I turn my head for 14 seconds and this happens. Or an innocent stuffy loses its face. CONSTANT VIGILANCE. IT'S THE ONLY WAY.

And obviously this lady has never read Ginger Pye.

Also, is this the appropriate place to mention that my dog's favorite foods are salmon, cheese, and basil pesto?
posted by phunniemee at 10:07 AM on February 21, 2013

Previously
posted by zabuni at 10:07 AM on February 21, 2013

But, see, newspapers have this readership problem and trolling is a great way to go viral...

Well, I mean my aunt did, for a while, act as a managing/high-level volunteer for a rescue organization in a big city and she knew of other groups who did just what these articles are doing. To the point where the people in those groups who fostered dogs never got rid of them and it became a perpetual case of using the Org's funding to feed the dogs that never get out of foster care because the convergence of a no-kill policy and crazy standards means you can't really turnover any critters once your foster homes are full...

It's a thing, no idea how big, but a Thing.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:08 AM on February 21, 2013

But, see, newspapers have this readership problem and trolling is a great way to go viral...

Bingo.

So you linked weak-ass link bait and then an article about that link bait on purpose? Why?
posted by invitapriore at 10:08 AM on February 21, 2013 [1 favorite]

I really dig Lenore Skenazy and Free Range Kids, and I generally feel that most shelters and rescues err way too far on the side of caution, but she's presenting a pretty un-nuanced view here, and it doesn't suit her.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:10 AM on February 21, 2013

'“Excuse me – no dog can be outside in a fenced-in yard these days without a human being standing guard? Didn’t guarding used to be the dog’s job?”'

That's great, until your dog gets out of the yard through a hole it dug and runs into the busy road, causing an accident and dying. Modern car-centric areas are not particularly friendly for dogs.

Also, cats and dogs should be monitored because they kill other animals.
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 10:10 AM on February 21, 2013

So I guess, as the first link says, this is mostly a complaint about pet-shelter requirements. From the article in the last link:

If you’re considering getting a pet at this time of year, as many folks do, you may find the rescue shelters a little pickier than you’d expect. Perhaps a little pickier than the royal family choosing a governess. Here are the requirements on one pet-rescue website...

Kristen Stelzer, a civil engineer who lives near Washington, D.C., recently told me about going with her husband to adopt a dog. During the application process, she happened to mention that they looked forward to the fun of taking the pooch to a dog park. The agency interviewer was appalled... Then, even though she listed all the vets she’d used for the past 15 years—yes, another requirement—the application was rejected. She suspects that it was because she didn’t promise to cheerfully go bankrupt if the pet needed extensive medical care.

Three months later, the dog that the Stelzers wanted to adopt was still awaiting rescue by a more perfect owner...

If you think adopting a cat is easier, it is—but only slightly. The cat-adoption application was three pages when a friend of mine decided that she wanted a kitten. It required her to list the name of her employer; indicate whether she owns houseplants; supply two references; and, oddly, reveal whether or not she owns a washer/dryer. (That one stumped us both.)

I agree that this stuff seems extreme; I just wonder how regional it is. None of the shelters I've ever been to have ever been this way, and I've had a lot of pets. I picked up a dog at Albuquerque East Side Shelter about two months ago. I was actually worried, because their closing time was at 6 and I got there at 5:50; but five minutes of meeting the puppy I wanted, five minutes of paperwork, and and $20 later, I was in my car on my way home with an awesome new dog.

Maybe this is an east-coast thing? Or a bigger-city thing? Or maybe people are insisting on going to some super-duper fancy-pants kennel club shelters or something? I'm not really sure, but it's baffling to me the stories people tell about how hard it is to get a pet. I guess maybe they should come to New Mexico; our shelters really want responsible pet owners, and will take just about anybody if they'll fill out the forms and they seem to not be a felon or a homeless person.

On preview, I guess now I don't know why KokuRyu posted this if he thinks it's a troll.
posted by koeselitz at 10:10 AM on February 21, 2013

"All dogs must be constantly supervised in their yards for their safety. Dogs of any size can scale fences within minutes of an owner’s inattention. Physical fencing is not a guarantee of safety, because . . . animals such as bats, bees and snakes can gain access to yards."

This is bad news if you're wanting to adopt a dog, but great news if you're looking to take in a few stray bats, bees, and snakes.
posted by Atom Eyes at 10:11 AM on February 21, 2013 [2 favorites]

If you delay having kids for years and years for financial reasons, you have to fret over something. That's what pets are for.

I do know someone whose dog was actually stolen out of their backyard, and I've seen dogs get seriously injured at the dog park. So it's not like the fretting is completely unwarranted.
posted by miyabo at 10:11 AM on February 21, 2013