Furbabies?

[justme]

my izzy died unexpectedly on feb 20. it's been much more difficult than i ever thought it would be. if i had known that friday evening was going to be our last evening, she would have gotten all my sweet potato fries, instead of telling her that we had to save some for mom, bc mom wanted the rest of them.

i never wanted a big black dog, but she is what i ended up with. mom never was fond of big black dogs either. but for 8 years, almost, she was our dog. she was a mostly outside dog, had her own little room with a doggie door, inside the garage. she was tied overnight and when i was at work, but she could be in her room, or outside.

when i was home, she'd be loose, and was inside, outside, with us. we had many rituals. it's been hard not having that. i miss her when i'm out in the tupperware room. i miss our saturday morning breakfasts. mom said, there will never be another izzy. she came to us house broke and crate trained. the best thing that could have happened. she never made a mess in the house. never. she only made 2 messes that were my fault, and one mess where she was making a point. the messes that were my fault were right after she had her puppies, and i didn't give her a way to get out and do her business. she hung her head on both of them. the other mess was when someone came to choose their puppy. they got there just as i was getting home from work, so i got the puppies out, and paid no attention to izzy. she looked straight at me, and pooped on her concrete run. i called it a revenge poop.

several of my recent fb posts:
i've got a smart dog. this evening, she was laying on the floor waiting on us to finish supper. and she was whining. i looked at her, and said to her, "you're just waiting on someone to say the word out, aren't you?" and she promptly jumped up and went over to mom, started prancing and dancing and whining twice as loud. mom and i both laughed. and mom say's "it's not fair, both izzy and i are ganging up on her. now she has to get up and go give izzy her supper out on the porch."

izzy knows everything i say to her. 2 stories.
1. today, she came running over from her room, ready to go in to the house. i said to her, why don't you go pee first. and she jumped off the porch, over to the grass, peed, and back up on the porch ready to go inside.
2. needs a back story first. izzy has a bubble on her tail, that bleeds every time her happy tail hits anything. her appt to have it taken can't come soon enough. it's sched for thur, 7th. but that bleeding creates a problem, so mom and i have been wrapping it when she is in the house. her tail seems to be getting more sore, the longer it goes. (i've called twice to see if they can't move the appt up, but there are no openings.) anyways, so the other day, she was dancing around, not wanting mom to wrap her tail. i couldn't get her to stand still. i finally said to her, look izzy, if you want to come inside the house, you have to let us put your tail on. you can't come inside, if you don't have your tail on. and she promptly settled down. instantly. it's as if she knew exactly what i told her.

i miss my izzy. and kc died 2 years ago. so now i don't have either of my animals. i got kc shortly after i bought my place, so this is the first since i've owned my own home, that i've not had an animal. some of the old timers on here remember kc, i'm sure.

all that to say, there was a point in time when i couldn't understand the bond btw animals and people.

[Wade]

I've heard that 26,000 children die each day of starvation. I have also heard that 200 billion dollars a year is spent on Christmas by North American Christians and 10% or tithe amount of 20 billion (on average that would $100 per Christian of 200 million) would be capable of feeding all the undernourished people in the world for a whole year...

Meanwhile people are spending thousands of dollars just to buy a dog... Not including vet bills and etc... The amount of money and time invested is absolutely sickening.

I believe Duetoronomy 23:18 has it right that the price of a dog is an abomination to the Lord.

[Neto]

I've heard that 26,000 children die each day of starvation. I have also heard that 200 billion dollars a year is spent on Christmas by North American Christians and 10% or tithe amount of 20 billion (on average that would $100 per Christian of 200 million) would be capable of feeding all the undernourished people in the world for a whole year...

Meanwhile people are spending thousands of dollars just to buy a dog... Not including vet bills and etc... The amount of money and time invested is absolutely sickening.

I believe Duetoronomy 23:18 has it right that the price of a dog is an abomination to the Lord.

I agree with your comments about the comparative value of a human child, even those whom we will never see or know about, against the value of a pet. But while you may well know this, it's important to clarify that the reference in the Law about "the income of a 'dog"' is not referring to an actual canine; it is a reference to a male prostitute.
Some years back, when raising puppies for sale became big business here in Holmes County there was a controversy among the Amish based on a misinterpretation of that verse, as to whether the tithe from such income was to be acceptable in the church - "hunt gelt".

[Wade]

I've heard that 26,000 children die each day of starvation. I have also heard that 200 billion dollars a year is spent on Christmas by North American Christians and 10% or tithe amount of 20 billion (on average that would $100 per Christian of 200 million) would be capable of feeding all the undernourished people in the world for a whole year...

Meanwhile people are spending thousands of dollars just to buy a dog... Not including vet bills and etc... The amount of money and time invested is absolutely sickening.

I believe Duetoronomy 23:18 has it right that the price of a dog is an abomination to the Lord.

I agree with your comments about the comparative value of a human child, even those whom we will never see or know about, against the value of a pet. But while you may well know this, it's important to clarify that the reference in the Law about "the income of a 'dog"' is not referring to an actual canine; it is a reference to a male prostitute.
Some years back, when raising puppies for sale became big business here in Holmes County there was a controversy among the Amish based on a misinterpretation of that verse, as to whether the tithe from such income was to be acceptable in the church - "hunt gelt".

I did read that. Is it just a mistranslation or unrelated slang that the word dog is used for a male prostitute or is it using the word dog because of a similarity in value as well?

[temporal1]

my izzy died unexpectedly on feb 20. it's been much more difficult than i ever thought it would be. if i had known that friday evening was going to be our last evening, she would have gotten all my sweet potato fries, instead of telling her that we had to save some for mom, bc mom wanted the rest of them.

i never wanted a big black dog, but she is what i ended up with. mom never was fond of big black dogs either. but for 8 years, almost, she was our dog. she was a mostly outside dog, had her own little room with a doggie door, inside the garage. she was tied overnight and when i was at work, but she could be in her room, or outside.

when i was home, she'd be loose, and was inside, outside, with us. we had many rituals. it's been hard not having that. i miss her when i'm out in the tupperware room. i miss our saturday morning breakfasts. mom said, there will never be another izzy. she came to us house broke and crate trained. the best thing that could have happened. she never made a mess in the house. never. she only made 2 messes that were my fault, and one mess where she was making a point. the messes that were my fault were right after she had her puppies, and i didn't give her a way to get out and do her business. she hung her head on both of them. the other mess was when someone came to choose their puppy. they got there just as i was getting home from work, so i got the puppies out, and paid no attention to izzy. she looked straight at me, and pooped on her concrete run. i called it a revenge poop.

several of my recent fb posts:
i've got a smart dog. this evening, she was laying on the floor waiting on us to finish supper. and she was whining. i looked at her, and said to her, "you're just waiting on someone to say the word out, aren't you?" and she promptly jumped up and went over to mom, started prancing and dancing and whining twice as loud. mom and i both laughed. and mom say's "it's not fair, both izzy and i are ganging up on her. now she has to get up and go give izzy her supper out on the porch."

izzy knows everything i say to her. 2 stories.
1. today, she came running over from her room, ready to go in to the house. i said to her, why don't you go pee first. and she jumped off the porch, over to the grass, peed, and back up on the porch ready to go inside.
2. needs a back story first. izzy has a bubble on her tail, that bleeds every time her happy tail hits anything. her appt to have it taken can't come soon enough. it's sched for thur, 7th. but that bleeding creates a problem, so mom and i have been wrapping it when she is in the house. her tail seems to be getting more sore, the longer it goes. (i've called twice to see if they can't move the appt up, but there are no openings.) anyways, so the other day, she was dancing around, not wanting mom to wrap her tail. i couldn't get her to stand still. i finally said to her, look izzy, if you want to come inside the house, you have to let us put your tail on. you can't come inside, if you don't have your tail on. and she promptly settled down. instantly. it's as if she knew exactly what i told her.

i miss my izzy. and kc died 2 years ago. so now i don't have either of my animals. i got kc shortly after i bought my place, so this is the first since i've owned my own home, that i've not had an animal.

some of the old timers on here remember kc, i'm sure.

all that to say, there was a point in time when i couldn't understand the bond btw animals and people.

i/we have had some similar wonderful pets we loved and so appreciated.
my friend, a vet, when i shared with her about our dog distinctly recognizing individual family names (not taught! the dog learned on her own) - my friend said, yes, some dogs have a pretty good vocabulary. it’s fascinating. and their ability to “read” what’s going on in the household, too. great memories. we had a couple of cats that seemed highly sensitive to illness/pain. one example was having back pain, the cat snuggled right “into” the pain, and it was an appreciated comfort!

farmers are long known to acquire special appreciation/affection for their animals.
when i had to have a loved family dog put to sleep, i held her and thanked her sincerely for all she did for our family growing up. “you did a great job, krissy.”

possibly the most surprising animal appreciation story (for me) was in a book (i can’t find, don’t recall the title)
about some pioneers crossing to the PNW, across unforgiving mountains. how did they do it?! not all survived.
it described how the pioneers would become very attached to their OXEN!
i’d never heard or thought about it before. i saw oxen as beasts that pulled covered wagons. that was it.

i “had” to read more.
sure enough, oxen are described as reliable and hard working, hardy. people who work hard appreciate the animals working alongside them. sheep dogs/herding dogs, etc., seem to exist to work+serve. to delight in it.

“The Magnificent Oxen” ..
https://ocfair.com/wp-content/uploads/2 ... t-Oxen.pdf

it’s complex and real. scriptures guide us on how God wants us to respond. abuse is out. of animals or earth, or other humans. abuse is not of God’s will. humans enjoy many gifts, and many responsibilities. animals+earth are of God. for use and enjoyment, not for abuse. esp not for creating false gods.

i believe what steve+others are bothered by is the false god aspect. blind worship+self indulgence.
how it’s been normalized+promoted on a grand scale, to the point of serious neglect of other responsibilities.

even language is affected.
humanizing animals in every way. referring to egg hatchlings as “babies,” etc.

children, especially, NEED to learn correct labels for animals: puppies, foals, goslings, chicks, etc.

labels like “mother” and “father” are in question for humans in courts of law!
but widely appropriated for use with animals, where male+female are still widely recognized.

children need+deserve correct basic language.

[Joy]

Since my dog died a few months ago, I am in need of a puppy that I can train to be a security guard for the house and property, and also for hiking. I am asking the Lord to give me a puppy *, since there are lots of give-away puppies, and I'm not about to pay the usual price of hundreds or thousands of dollars for a dog. Never have bought a dog yet.

It is right to be kind to our animals, and when a dog has served well, she should be treated well when she is old and feeble, and can't do for herself.

* He owns the dogs on a thousand hills.

[temporal1]

Since my dog died a few months ago, I am in need of a puppy that I can train to be a security guard for the house and property, and also for hiking. I am asking the Lord to give me a puppy *, since there are lots of give-away puppies, and I'm not about to pay the usual price of hundreds or thousands of dollars for a dog. Never have bought a dog yet.

It is right to be kind to our animals, and when a dog has served well, she should be treated well when she is old and feeble, and can't do for herself.

* He owns the dogs on a thousand hills.

Like justme’s izzie, older dogs can work out beautifully.
i learned early, i’m TERRIBLE with puppies, i suspect too indulgent.

But we have wonderful strays, and sometimes went to shelters. i love sweet puppies. not good with them.
i’m good with older dogs.
i.e., i seem to be able to sense good nature, willingness to learn, etc.

dogs have traits. i try not to “push square pegs into round holes.”
some dogs are born “people pleasers,” they want to serve+please.

we had one dog that was able to “learn new tricks” all her life.
i believe it’s possible to teach old dogs new tricks. at least for some.

Best wishes! i agree with you: there is a puppy/dog out there for you!
i hope for a good match.

[Neto]

I've heard that 26,000 children die each day of starvation. I have also heard that 200 billion dollars a year is spent on Christmas by North American Christians and 10% or tithe amount of 20 billion (on average that would $100 per Christian of 200 million) would be capable of feeding all the undernourished people in the world for a whole year...

Meanwhile people are spending thousands of dollars just to buy a dog... Not including vet bills and etc... The amount of money and time invested is absolutely sickening.

I believe Duetoronomy 23:18 has it right that the price of a dog is an abomination to the Lord.

I agree with your comments about the comparative value of a human child, even those whom we will never see or know about, against the value of a pet. But while you may well know this, it's important to clarify that the reference in the Law about "the income of a 'dog"' is not referring to an actual canine; it is a reference to a male prostitute.
Some years back, when raising puppies for sale became big business here in Holmes County there was a controversy among the Amish based on a misinterpretation of that verse, as to whether the tithe from such income was to be acceptable in the church - "hunt gelt".

I did read that. Is it just a mistranslation or unrelated slang that the word dog is used for a male prostitute or is it using the word dog because of a similarity in value as well?

It is an accurate literal translation. The Jews had a low view of dogs (canines), and there are probably also some characteristics of dogs that are in common with male prostitutes. There is nothing wrong with the translation - this is what gives 'flavor' to language. It is meant to produce an emotive response in the hearer/reader. (But maybe that doesn't work so well in this case anymore, given the fondness with which dogs are regarded in our culture. And I am no exception. Now if it was 'cat', I could identify a lot more with that choice of words. But we had dogs back home from the time I was 4 or so until I moved away for Bible institute, and after. And they weren't just guard dogs, or there to eat food scraps, etc. They weren't ever allowed inside, but we were very fond of them.)

[Neto]

when i had to have a loved family dog put to sleep, i held her and thanked her sincerely for all she did for our family growing up. “you did a great job, krissy.”

This reminds me of the old country song (by Tex Ritter?) "Old Shep". Fortunately I was never given the terrible task of "putting down" a family dog. I was told to do it for a litter of kitten's whose mother had died on the road, and that was one of the most difficult things I've ever been forced to do.

[temporal1]

when i had to have a loved family dog put to sleep, i held her and thanked her sincerely for all she did for our family growing up. “you did a great job, krissy.”

This reminds me of the old country song (by Tex Ritter?) "Old Shep".
Fortunately I was never given the terrible task of "putting down" a family dog.

I was told to do it for a litter of kitten's whose mother had died on the road, and that was one of the most difficult things I've ever been forced to do.

i was kind of an awful child being so sensitive to things as my father tried to teach (we six children) basics of simple butchering, fishing, hunting, etc. he felt is was important for us to “know where food came from,” as he witnessed the big move from farms to urban culture. he took the boys hunting+fishing, we all witnessed cleaning+dressing, birds, fish, small animals, some farm animals. his grandfather was a small town butcher, late 1800’s. it was important to him.

i wanted to make pets out of everything. seriously.
i couldn’t dissect a worm in science class. the frog was out of the question. i have no idea how i passed and graduated.

10 years after my father died, in her last weeks, my mother told me my father struggled with his decision to “expose,” or force me to witness some of these things. esp the slaughter of a Christmas goose. i was very young, maybe 4. i honestly do not remember. i feel badly, because, they tell me, i caused such a fuss over it.

i’m sorry to think i caused my father to fret over me that way. i was just a little girl. he wasn’t wrong. i wasn’t right. it was just how things are on earth. my father was afraid he hurt me over it. he didn’t want to hurt me, he wanted to help me.

i’m not completely away from that little girl. but i accept things i can’t understand.
i eat meat and enjoy it. but the killing.

i cringe to kill a spider or ant. but i do it. i think i ask God to forgive me, it’s fast, i try to forget.
God created life. God’s creation.

(my friend, the vet, put our family dog to sleep. i held the dog as she was injected. she trusted us. i thanked her and said good bye. it’s a privilege to be with a loved one at passing. to have that moment to say good bye.)