Sapien

I just read someone's question on animal abuse, and it made me think:

Animal abuse??? Why don't "pet people" ever acknowledge CHILD abuse... Anyone who consciously harms animals is doing so to express anger. This doesn't come out of no where. This is is someone that has without a doubt, either been abused themselves growing up, or has watched abuse taking place regularly. Abuse of any sort is traumatizing, and the easiest coping mechanism for most children is to internalize it. This means that a child who continued to experience, for example, crude name calling in place of love and support, will consider THAT the norm, and end up subconsciously repeating the actions of their abusers onto other weaker people, kids or animals.

Animal abuse is not some isolated global issue.... It is merely proof that we as a species, are in fact psychologically ill. You are not going to wipe out a byproduct like animal abuse without fixing the root problem.

Agree or disagree... thoughts?

I just read someone's question on animal abuse, and it made me think:

Animal abuse??? Why don't "pet people" ever acknowledge CHILD abuse... Anyone who consciously harms animals is doing so to express anger. This doesn't come out of no where. This is is someone that has without a doubt, either been abused themselves growing up, or has watched abuse taking place regularly. Abuse of any sort is traumatizing, and the easiest coping mechanism for most children is to internalize it. This means that a child who continued to experience, for example, crude name calling in place of love and support, will consider THAT the norm, and end up subconsciously repeating the actions of their abusers onto other weaker people, kids or animals.

Animal abuse is not some isolated global issue.... It is merely proof that we as a species, are in fact psychologically ill. You are not going to wipe out a byproduct like animal abuse without fixing the root problem.

Agree or disagree... thoughts?

Say you had about 3-4 female rabbits living together in one enclosure. This enclosure is spacious enough to accommodate all of them, and there is a roomy nesting box per doe. Would you be able to keep them together in this set up while they had litters? Or would they become territorial and protective of their young? Will the male being housed near by make them behave differently?

Thanks for any help!

This is a very 'beginner' type of question, so bare with me. In the far future, I am interested in raising chickens, ducks, or geese (leaning towards chickens, but perhaps all three some day :). These would be mainly for egg-laying, but possibly for meat as well.

1. Does it make sense to invest in keeping a male for producing chicks that will be grown for meat? Or is it cheaper and easier to just buy chicks when I need them.

2. Would the rooster need to be kept separately from egg-laying hens (i.e. would the eggs produced all be fertilized if the male had access to them)?

3. If I were to keep a male with females, what ratio should it be in? I've been reading than chickens need a 1 male to 4-10 females, is that accurate?

4. If the male had to be kept separately, would be do okay alone, or would he need some other companions?

Thanks in advance for any help :)

Out of all the AKC accepted breeds we have circulating today, most were at one point produced by crossing other existing breeds way back when, right? Now we are burdened with "designer" mutts being bred left and right. If some of these seemingly passionate breeders continue to breed generation upon generation of same-mix mutts (for instance 'labradoodles' bred to 'labradoodles'), will these lines eventually stand a chance at being considered as their own breed? Or will that just never happen?

The cat is a 12 year old female. She does not have any discharge, does not sneeze, does not sound "wet" when breathing, doesn't have audible breathing at all, and has no symptoms of respiratory infection of any sort. The only thing I sometimes hear are little dry "snuffle" sounds which seem to come from her nose, especially when she is grooming or stretching. I've always heard this in many cats, but sometimes I hear them in her sleep at frequent intervals. In her sleep, she will also give these soft little moans, which are kind of new.. I haven't really heard her do that much until fairly recently. She is otherwise healthy and acting normal. Does anyone else hear this kind of stuff from their cats, is it relatively common? Could it just be from living in a dusty home or something along those lines? It's winter, so the windows are rarely open, and the air is much stuffier and dry.

I have a 12 year old female that has recently become a bit more vocal. She has never really meowed much, but I've noticed her vocalizing more in her sleep. Specifically those little moans cats will make while they stretch in the midst of a nap... I've been hearing her make those noises at 10 minute intervals lately (which is way more frequently than I'm used to), usually when she's next to me and I reach over to pet her every time I hear her stir. Seems like she is unconsciously doing it to get attention or some comforting petting. Is this an early symptom of senility, or am I tripping?

She doesn't appear to have changed in any other way, and shows no sign of discomfort or pain. Of course I would bring her to a vet if I thought something was wrong, but I'm not sure anything is at this point.

The cat in question is an 11 year old unspayed female that has never been pregnant or even around a male, so that can be ruled out. She is tortoiseshell in colour, but most of her nipples are light pink. All six seem to have darkened tips and actual hole (not sure of the medical term :p), but there is no scabbing, swelling, discharge or sensitivity. I've noticed it a few years ago but never thought much of it. Is this anything to worry about?

The cat in question is an 11 year old unspayed female that has never been pregnant or even around a male. She is tortoiseshell in colour, but most of her nipples are light pink. All six seem to have darkened tips, but there is no scabbing, discharge or sensitivity. Is this anything to worry about?

She loves nature, animals, doing various puzzles, drawing and painting.

In smaller groups of people, she is bold and assertive, jokes a lot and leads conversation.

In larger groups, she becomes quieter and disconnects/doesn't make eye contact.

She always has these far out ideas, but she isn't good at expressing them so other people understand.

What does she sound like from this description?

I had a puzzle book a while ago which had a page with phrases that were represented with nothing but simple text, arranged in a literal way. The only example I remember looked like this:

STOOD

MISS

The solution phrase you are supposed to get is "miss-under-stood". Can anyone tell me what these are called or where I can find some?

I've been seeing remarks like this in the dog section, and more often than not they are a little rude and heated. So what if a dog is a mutt/mixed breed? It still has purebred parents somewhere down the line. No a mixed breed is not one breed of dog, and no it probably won't have show-standard parents, but it certainly doesn't hurt to take a gander at what some of those breeds may be to help understand the dog a little better. At least it makes more sense than calling every single mixed breed a generic mutt. A lab/rottie is pretty damn different from a pug/chihuahua for instance...

So where does this angered mutt discrimination come from.. Why are some people so difficult about addressing multiple breeds in mutts??

My distant cousin in her early twenties, has just been admitted for mental health. She had a hysterical break down, and was not make any sense when she would try to explain what she was so upset about. Her thoughts seemed to be all over the place, and she was connecting unrelated things into one (for example, talk about how there is a lot of crime broadcasted on the news, but end with saying something that sounds like it was her fault for not doing enough to help). She seemed paranoid of figures of authority monitoring her as well. She was functioning as she normally would, surfing the computer, going out for a bite at a coffee shop, except if you would talk to her, her thoughts would be completely disorganized and unfocused. Needless to say, it was really distressing to see her like this.

I would say it came out of no where, but she had just finished a stressful college year and was beginning summer vacation. She has no job and went from high stress related to school (and poor sleeping and eating habits), to excessive free time at home (and over-sleeping, probably over-eating too). She would also smoke week, drink, and act promiscuously. At first, I figured she stood a good chance to recover to normality simply by changing her lifestyle, keeping busy, keeping stress low, not smoking, not engaging in as much casual sex, etc. We first thought it was low self esteem mixed with intense anxiety and stress, but now she is diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and is on meds for it.

I am wondering if it is hypothetically possible for someone who went through this to recover with no meds at all, by changing their lifestyle and getting friend and family support? Does this sound like something bi-polar would cause?

My distant cousin in her early twenties, has just been admitted for mental health. She had a hysterical break down, and was not make any sense when she would try to explain what she was so upset about. Her thoughts seemed to be all over the place, and she was connecting unrelated things into one (for example, talk about how there is a lot of crime broadcasted on the news, but end with saying something that sounds like it was her fault for not doing enough to help). She seemed paranoid of figures of authority monitoring her as well. She was functioning as she normally would, surfing the computer, going out for a bite at a coffee shop, except if you would talk to her, her thoughts would be completely disorganized and unfocused. Needless to say, it was really distressing to see her like this.

I would say it came out of no where, but she had just finished a stressful college year and was beginning summer vacation. She has no job and went from high stress related to school (and poor sleeping and eating habits), to excessive free time at home (and over-sleeping, probably over-eating too). She would also smoke week, drink, and act promiscuously. At first, I figured she stood a good chance to recover to normality simply by changing her lifestyle, keeping busy, keeping stress low, not smoking, not engaging in as much casual sex, etc. We first thought it was low self esteem mixed with intense anxiety and stress, but now she is diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and is on meds for it.

I am wondering if it is hypothetically possible for someone who went through this to recover with no meds at all, by changing their lifestyle and getting friend and family support? Does this sound like something bi-polar would cause?

...is it fair to say they feel strongly about that criticism because they have a personal issue with it themselves? Otherwise, why make the effort to put on a show (use vulgar language, appear really passionate if not obsessive, etc)?

I know a handful of such people in my life, and for whatever reason, I can't help but think their crude judgement shows nothing but their own personal weaknesses.

I will let it go outside, but I'm rather curious to know what kind it is first. Pale yellow in colour, black dot on bottom of abdomen, with a very bulbous sac. I live in Toronto.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/169...

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/457...

I will let it go outside, but I'm rather curious to know what kind it is first. Pale yellow in colour, black dot on bottom of abdomen, with a very bulbous sac. I live in Toronto.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/169...

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/457...

When can one begin using a prong collar safely with a puppy of a small yet hardy/muscular breed (such as pit bull)?

Dogwalkers usually exercise your pup for a standard of one hour. But in severe weather, they usually shorten, depending on the particular day and the dog. How much would you suggest they keep your dog out in rain, snow, sleet, etc?

My uncle's family has a two year old "miniature" aussie. The dog came from a pet store, is still not neutered, and is very nervous and hard to control, making him unpleasant to be around. He is usually shifty-eyed, breathing rapidly, and often unresponsive to commands. He also has a barking problem especially with strangers, and dog aggression with certain larger dogs. He can also be possessive of food. Basically, he is a mess. Although I should add that he does know a fair amount of tricks, and can respond well when being obedient and calmer.

The family has kids that don't help the matter (although they know not to touch him when he has a toy or food). The household is always loud and busy, and he gets no stable routine. He doesn't get nearly enough hours of walks each day, and they live in the city, so he never gets off-leash time either. They know he needs more exercise, but walking him is so difficult because he constantly pulls, it isn't something they can prioritize on. Same goes for training. Unfortunately they tend to raise their voices around him, and at him, and a lot of rough handling ends up taking place. I have seen them raise their arms around in a threatening manner, which makes him flinch or cower away. Nothing good for his nervousness I can imagine.

Anyway, from what I can see, the problem is simply that they are not cut out for this type of dog. He needs a lot more exercise and firm, calm handling. He also needs to be neutered. If it were me, I would probably find him a new family living in a rural home. So far, anything I have been suggesting has been overlooked, maybe because I'm no expert on the matter. But maybe someone else can help. From reading this, am I right to assume everything? Am I missing anything? What can be done? Any links, tools, books, experiences? Anything will help, I really just feel bad for the little guy. His family loves him too, they really just don't know any better.

Also what kind of tools can be used to help making walks easier on him and the walker?