Shetlander Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 ^^^I agree. I think it is neat how some of you share the celebration with your dogs with toys (new, or like new), special treats, spiffy new collars, long walks, etc. While my dogs don't get gifts, they seem to have fun being part of the pack as humans open presents. I like to say Everyday is Christmas for my dogs. Not because of my qualities as their person, but because of their own happy attitudes and canine ability to treat any fun moment, however mundane as a fantastic gift. Happy Holidays, all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Well, my dogs are family; wet nosed, but still family. When we are in a good mood -- whatever reason -- they share the spirit with us and get a little bonus as well. A pig's ear; maybe half a boiled egg; or, like today, the dregs of the Fondue Neuchatel we had to celebrate our daughters birthday. They are still dogs, but they enjoy sharing a special occasion with us. I agree! When I had fewer dogs I used to do presents just because it was a blast to watch Twist open them. But at any rate, to me they're NOT just dogs, but beloved partners and family members. Though I don't really do Christmas gifts anymore, I still try to do something special for them on special days (holidays, their birthdays). They give me so much, especially as working partners, that I feel I can indulge them once in a while. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosikins Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Cal got a bunch of new goodies because she's family and we want to throw out a lot of her old toys because they're too chewed up (ever stepped on one of those Nylabone rings after they're chewed?! OUCH!!) and she needs the variety to keep from being bored. Her stuffies were looking a little too gross and dismembered to keep around. Now that we moved, she's starting to play with her stuff while we're gone for the first time ever! She got two new Zippy Paws stuffie hide toys (the squirrels in the tree trunk and sharks in a ship), a bag of dehydrated lamb lung treats to roll in...I mean eat...a new holee roller for indoors, a new rope ball (my carpet will be rainbow for weeks), a whole bag of tennis balls for when it's warm out again, and a handful of cheap stuffies to destroy. We also took advantage of holiday pricing and ordered a bunch of Zukes dental bones online because she looooves them. She loved Christmas morning because I wrapped lamb bits in each of the gifts to get her to tear into them. It worked, she loved opening them by herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway61 Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 My wife thought giving Sammy a lump of coal for Christmas would be funny but the joke is on her, he LOVES it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 I bought Hank some toys from Cabela's a few days before Christmas. I put them up on the bar in the kitchen. I decided to test out leaving him loose while I was gone for about an hour. I came home to find him waiting at the front door with something in his mouth. Of course I ask my sister, "What does he have?' And yep, he had gotten into the toys and was just having a BALL with them while I was gone. He was so proud. His favorite is a weird rubbery stick with a plush raccoon head and tail on it. So long story short... he got nothing at Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunnison Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 One of my crazies got a tennis ball and the other got a frisbee and a pig ear for each. They were just ecstatic that we got to play all day instead of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Well, my dogs are family; wet nosed, but still family. When we are in a good mood -- whatever reason -- they share the spirit with us and get a little bonus as well. They are still dogs, but they enjoy sharing a special occasion with us. Exactly how I feel. I agree! When I had fewer dogs I used to do presents just because it was a blast to watch Twist open them. But at any rate, to me they're NOT just dogs, but beloved partners and family members. Though I don't really do Christmas gifts anymore, I still try to do something special for them on special days (holidays, their birthdays). They give me so much, especially as working partners, that I feel I can indulge them once in a while. J. And this as well. My dogs are my family. I do not have human family around, and the dogs and cats are the pack with whom I live. They not only make my life better in more ways than I can count, they make my life possible. They give me more than I could ever return to them. I always feel a bit sorry for people who say that their dogs are just dogs and not people, as if people were obviously superior to dogs and having dogs for your family is something inferior. I think that is very narrow-minded. Dogs are dogs, people are people, and frankly I prefer dogs, but neither is essentially better than the other as a family. It's just what life gives you and what you make of it, and what you prefer. I would not have mine any other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 HIghway61- I saw the coal but it was more than I could afford. It looks like he's really enjoying it! The way I see this is that if spending money on presents for your dog makes you happy, and you do not need that money for something else, I ain't gonna judge you*. If it's on comics, fancy coffee, wine, books, sound systems, whatever, so long as you're not hurting anyone, I'm not sure I mind. Now, if you get mad at me for not appropriately oohing and ahhing, or make fun of my hobbies, then yours are fair game. *Sometimes, too, I have my sinful non-sensible non-objective 'lol how stupid is that' moments. This is more of an ideal than something I hold consistently to, but without ideals how can I hope to improve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway61 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 ....I always feel a bit sorry for people who say that their dogs are just dogs and not people, as if people were obviously superior to dogs and having dogs for your family is something inferior. I think that is very narrow-minded.... You might be misinterpreting that. I've been known to say "dogs are dogs and not people" but all I mean is don't dress your dogs up in outfits or kiss/hug them constantly like some do their children. And I don't expect people to willingly sniff awful, smelly stuff or hike their legs up on a bush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 I always feel a bit sorry for people who say that their dogs are just dogs and not people, as if people were obviously superior to dogs and having dogs for your family is something inferior. I think that is very narrow-minded. I definitely think this is a form of speciesism, believing that homo sapiens is somehow inherently superior to all other forms of life. But I don't believe dogs are "people" in the human sense. They're dogs, which is just fine and imo equal or parallel to humans. Like Native American Indians and many so-called "primitive" peoples throughout the world, I think of other animals species as my four legged and winged brothers and sisters, other kinds of people. I'm not automatically better than them by the mere fact of being homo sapiens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 I definitely think this is a form of speciesism, believing that homo sapiens is somehow inherently superior to all other forms of life. When humans and dogs form a social group, we naturally take the leadership. The relationship is asymmetric. That is not specieism, That is the natural order That is the covenant between dogs and us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Dogs are not human. There was that wonderful poster I had for a while, paraphrasing here: "They are not lesser beings, they are caught in the net of time just as we are." It goes on for several more sentences, but that's the jist of it for me. I don't think that having more responsibility for them than they have for me makes me a superior being. I think that thinking of dogs as my children is demeaning to them, they are there own creatures with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Different is not less than. None of the above makes my dogs my children. If I ever had to chose between a human's life and a dog's life, I hope I'd chose the human's life. If that's speciesism, so be it. For companionship and loyalty, though, I'd chose a dog over many if not most humans. It's not a conflict at all in my brain and heart. Ruth and Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Dogs are not human. There was that wonderful poster I had for a while, paraphrasing here: "They are not lesser beings, they are caught in the net of time just as we are." It goes on for several more sentences, but that's the jist of it for me. I don't think that having more responsibility for them than they have for me makes me a superior being. I think that thinking of dogs as my children is demeaning to them, they are there own creatures with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Different is not less than. None of the above makes my dogs my children. If I ever had to chose between a human's life and a dog's life, I hope I'd chose the human's life. If that's speciesism, so be it. For companionship and loyalty, though, I'd chose a dog over many if not most humans. It's not a conflict at all in my brain and heart. Ruth and Gibbs Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riika Posted January 2, 2016 Report Share Posted January 2, 2016 I usually don't engage in arguments but I will stand up for my Christian beliefs when it comes to that. Here is why my dogs are "just dogs" though not as most people say that phrase. "...God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." There are probably many more places in the Bible that show the inferiority of animals to people, but I'm not thinking of them off of the top of my head and don't feel think launching an extensive search so early in the morning. This isn't to say, as some people do, that Christians are to treat animals badly or abuse them, just because they are "higher on the ladder," so to speak. Here is a verse on that. "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." I love my dogs and quite often prefer being with them than with people, and go to extreme (to the rest of my family) measures to make sure they are taken care of. However they are dogs, not humans, nor are they equal to humans IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Dogs can still be dogs and get Christmas gifts. (And hugs and kisses) Maybe I missed something but when does giving the dog a christmas gift mean you're not treating the dog like a dog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 Meh. My dog is equal to people in my book. Better than many, in fact. (He didn't get any special gifts though. Just things on sale.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riika Posted January 3, 2016 Report Share Posted January 3, 2016 I'm not addressing the part about Christmas gifts. Just the part that dogs, and other animals, are not equal to humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 That's what I was addressing too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the "lower animals" (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me. Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in. -- Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Dogs are not human. There was that wonderful poster I had for a while, paraphrasing here: "They are not lesser beings, they are caught in the net of time just as we are." It goes on for several more sentences, but that's the jist of it for me. I don't think that having more responsibility for them than they have for me makes me a superior being. I think that thinking of dogs as my children is demeaning to them, they are there own creatures with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses. Different is not less than. None of the above makes my dogs my children. If I ever had to chose between a human's life and a dog's life, I hope I'd chose the human's life. If that's speciesism, so be it. For companionship and loyalty, though, I'd chose a dog over many if not most humans. It's not a conflict at all in my brain and heart. Ruth and Gibbs Exactly. I never said dogs were "just" dogs but the concept of Christmas and the giving of presents is human, not canine. That doesn't mean that I never give my dogs something they would appreciate, just that I don't do it because it's human Christmas. If they get something to chew or play with at Christmas it's more likely to be to keep them busy while the humans do the Christmas stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chene Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Eh. Christmas is what you make it. Some peoples' concept of Christmas involves giving their dogs gifts. Some peoples' concept of Christmas involves no gifts at all. My Christmas involved Aed getting to unwrap a bunch of other peoples' gifts. It worked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riika Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 That's what I was addressing too. Whoops, I didn't see your post. I was replying to the one above you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 It's a human thing to wear leads, not eliminate indoors, vaccinate, herd sheep with no intention of eating them, etc. too- none of these are things a dog would do naturally, or things that a dog has an understanding or concept of without being bred or taught for it. Heck, dogs are unnatural themselves, a creation of humans. Dogs getting gifts at Christmas is just another random thing many do because we are human, and we interact in human ways with our dogs- hence why they're so very good at reading our voices and facial expressions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher7151 Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 ^Very well said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 And then there are those of us who prefer partnership with rather than dominion over.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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