Ranting about stupid dog ownership

[PamNY]

- my response was consistent with this thread topic:Ranting about stupid dog ownership
- was agreeing that the issue is with the owner of the animal as well as adding my own voice in agreement with Mimi's request that people control their dogs.
- there was a response to Mimi's post that somehow morphed into a charge of anti-dog bias - whew! It seems to be something that happens here occasionally, when we're all contributing to an online discussion about stupid dog ownership...go figure!
- Is there disagreement with the opinion I expressed that I should be able to ride without encountering unattended, unknown dogs, who may/may not be friendly, territorial, attacking or otherwise?
- I'm still firm on the same: dog owners should take care of and keep control of their pets.
Peace!
Mary

Chances are everyone posting in this thread is, or intends to be, a responsible dog owner. Several of them are involved in rescue and could tell "bad human" stories that would make everyone turn pale and faint.

So it's really not necessary, and really not conducive to productive discussion, to presume that people reading the thread are idiots in desperate need of advice.

Making an imperative statement (which technically Mimi did, not you) tends to turn the discussion in an argumentative direction. The polite thing to do is assume that the bad guys are "them", and the good guys are "us." Trust me -- it works. If "them" are reading, they will still get the point.

ETA: Just ran across a perfect case in point. I have a bulldog, and I moderate a bulldog internet group. So you bet I'm going to post about the bulldog I saw tonight tied up outside a store. No dog should be left unsupervised, especially not in Manhattan and especially not a bulldog (because they are well-known to be expensive). Partly I'll post to let off steam (this kind of thing makes me so mad I could spit) and partly in the hope that someone, somewhere might be educated (it's a huge group).

However, I wouldn't dream of posting in a lecturing fashion, e.g., "Don't leave your dog tied up outside a store." I shall write with the assumption that of course none of US would do such a thing (most of the people who post probably wouldn't; the lurkers I have no idea). We'll have a productive discussion (I have great anecdotes about the lengths I go to to avoid leaving my dog alone in a car) and possibly do some good.