- Joined
- Jul 12, 2011
- Messages
- 1,177
I was hiking around in Alaska a couple of days ago, and I came across a sorry sight, an abandoned dog drinking from a muddy stream.
His teeth were yellow and rotting, probably hadn't been brushed in years. Here's a close-cropped photo:
He was obese, probably from eating food trash, human food waste, which is too salty and not in a good macronutrient balance for a canine's needs, very unhealthy for them, not to mention the packaging materials they might swallow as well.
His fur was filthy and matted: no bathing, brushing, or grooming for this poor guy. He smelled quite foul too.
For comparison, here is my own well-groomed and well-loved dog of the house.
Notice his bright eyes, his inquisitive and playful nature, just how a well-raised dog should be.
But back to the stray I found: I tried to be kind to him. I made treats out of all of the dog-safe food I had with me, but he was so hungry that he nearly bit my hand off.
I've heard that dogs are supposed to develop a liking for you if you feed them, but this crazy pooch only growled at me menacingly.
I'm not a dog expert. Maybe @cold blood or some other real authority could help tell me what I was doing wrong.
So then I tried rubbing his chest between the front legs. Dogs like that, and it calms them down, right?
Wrong. He literally tried to smack me in the face with a front paw! I've never seen a dog do that before. And you should have seen his nails, inches long; sadly, I didn't have my doggy nail nippers with me.
I've read that there is no "bad" dog breed. Pit bulls, Staffordshires, Rottweilers, etc.... these will all make gentle and loving pets if raised kindly. However, this stray was so bad-tempered that I gave up.
I don't blame him for his nasty personality. I blame the humans that abandoned him. I do wonder what breed he might be though. Anyone know? He was huge, 600+ lbs. I know some Mastiffs can get pretty big, maybe a Tibetan Mastiff?
Having failed to help this poor creature, I guess this post should be turned into a public service announcement. If you ever find yourself unable to continue caring for a dog or other pet properly, please do not release it into the wild. There are shelters and communities of keepers that can work to help rehome your animal. We have a responsibility to the creatures under our care. Whatever childlike fantasies we might still harbor about the magic of nature, the real-world nature is usually very raw and cruel, not at all nurturing for animals accustomed to the soft life among humans.
His teeth were yellow and rotting, probably hadn't been brushed in years. Here's a close-cropped photo:
He was obese, probably from eating food trash, human food waste, which is too salty and not in a good macronutrient balance for a canine's needs, very unhealthy for them, not to mention the packaging materials they might swallow as well.
His fur was filthy and matted: no bathing, brushing, or grooming for this poor guy. He smelled quite foul too.
For comparison, here is my own well-groomed and well-loved dog of the house.
Notice his bright eyes, his inquisitive and playful nature, just how a well-raised dog should be.
But back to the stray I found: I tried to be kind to him. I made treats out of all of the dog-safe food I had with me, but he was so hungry that he nearly bit my hand off.
I've heard that dogs are supposed to develop a liking for you if you feed them, but this crazy pooch only growled at me menacingly.
I'm not a dog expert. Maybe @cold blood or some other real authority could help tell me what I was doing wrong.
So then I tried rubbing his chest between the front legs. Dogs like that, and it calms them down, right?
Wrong. He literally tried to smack me in the face with a front paw! I've never seen a dog do that before. And you should have seen his nails, inches long; sadly, I didn't have my doggy nail nippers with me.
I've read that there is no "bad" dog breed. Pit bulls, Staffordshires, Rottweilers, etc.... these will all make gentle and loving pets if raised kindly. However, this stray was so bad-tempered that I gave up.
I don't blame him for his nasty personality. I blame the humans that abandoned him. I do wonder what breed he might be though. Anyone know? He was huge, 600+ lbs. I know some Mastiffs can get pretty big, maybe a Tibetan Mastiff?
Having failed to help this poor creature, I guess this post should be turned into a public service announcement. If you ever find yourself unable to continue caring for a dog or other pet properly, please do not release it into the wild. There are shelters and communities of keepers that can work to help rehome your animal. We have a responsibility to the creatures under our care. Whatever childlike fantasies we might still harbor about the magic of nature, the real-world nature is usually very raw and cruel, not at all nurturing for animals accustomed to the soft life among humans.
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