Animal Abuse?

[Linds]

So, someone posted this on their facebook saying how this guy should never be allowed to own a dog again for the rest of his life. But I'm curious what you all think.

Worthy of being charged for animal abuse?

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/04/a...g-fights-back/

[sassafras]

Yeeeaaa... I don't think I agree with pretty much any of the description of the video. If that's "tormenting", "kicking", "punching", and "staggering", then... I need a vocabulary refresher.

Honestly it looks like the guy is roughhousing with the dog and the dog doesn't really look all that distressed to me. Maybe a little rough/over the top, but I've fake punched my dogs before, and that's kinda what it looks like he's doing - there doesn't seem to be any impact behind the "blows".

[Fran101]

I dunno..
the dog really doesn't seem all that scared or hurt by the "torment", it seems like the dog is just playing rather than being hurt...
I play with my dogs with my hands and feet a lot, and I guess from far away it would look like that because you wouldn't be able to tell I wasn't actually kicking or hitting with force, just kind of messing with them as part of the game.

Especially with larger dogs, people play roughly with them.. It's lots of wrestling and hitting and teasing and tug of war and nobody gets hurt but what happens if you lose control of the game is A LOT like what happened in this video. The human is like, ok i'm done, and the dog chases like WE ARE STILL PLAYING MY TURN MY TURN and people freak out and run and usually the dog gets more excited and chases

I see this at the park ALL THE TIME. People have no control over their dogs, play rough with them/wrestle and then get all offended when the dog turns to continue the game or get too rough with them in return, even if there is no aggression.

Should the guy have been messing with the dog? No. Do I think he is an idiot for "playing"/messing with a dog that way when he had no control over the dog? Yup
but I honestly don't think from the video he is a vindictive cold hearted animal abuser.. maybe just a dude who doesn't know squat about dogs.

[sassafras]

Seriously, I can't stop laughing at the description of the guy "staggering" out from behind the trailer. He's like... jogging. LOL.

[Fran101]

Originally Posted by sassafras

Seriously, I can't stop laughing at the description of the guy "staggering" out from behind the trailer. He's like... jogging. LOL.

Ya lol
and if the dog were truly being abused.. why would the dog keep coming to him? he is even playing tug-a-war with the dog at one point.. the dog is free to move around, so why would this abused dog come play with him?

I think it was just that the game got out of hand and the dog got over-excited which scared him.

and if I was fined for every time I sprayed a hose or blew at Romeo's face.. I would be totally broke lol

[Psyfalcon]

Well....

The "punching" and leaning over the dog didn't look so hot. The kicking wasn't exactly forceful, and we're all going to jail* for playing tug or squirting a hose at our dogs.

*fined actually.

[Red.Apricot]

I'm pretty sure that when I play with Elsie, that's what it looks like. I don't think the words meshed with the video. How is playing tug tormenting the dog?

Was the dog injured? Because it really doesn't look like it.

[Linds]

Personally I like it being called tormenting the dog when he's playing tug with it.

Honestly, I felt like I was watching a completely different video. The person who posted it on FB seemed outraged, the 4 pages of comments were outraged. And all I saw was a guy messing around with a dog how I would with Kaylee or Traveler.

Dont' think he should have been doing it if it wasn't his dog and he didn't know it's temperament, especially if he doesn't know how to read body language really well. But come ON! Why would you turn away and push your foot backwards if you were "kicking" a dog. And why does the dogs head pretty much not move at all when it's "punched"

I hope no one every records me with my dogs or I'll be jailed, because I'm pretty sure I look way worse when I play with them

[Kat09Tails]

-.o from the way I see it this is a lesson of : don't screw around, you kids screw around too much.

Is it animal abuse? Hardly. Would I be upset if I were the property owner or contractor and this jackass was roughhousing with mine or a client's dog... Oh YEAH! I just don't think anything more than a stern talking to or kicking him off the jobsite would be warranted.

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by Linds

Honestly, I felt like I was watching a completely different video.

Yea, I read the text before I watched the video, and as I was watching it I was thinking... whut?