These same people will eat their beef, pork, chicken, and lamb from the grocery store but pat themselves on the back for shaming people who actually raise and butcher their own meat - like they’re in any way superior.
Plus the rest of the list is a bit odd. Did they expect a guard dog that is literally there to herd animals and protect them from violent scenarios to... Never actually do their job?
Good point. I feel it’s similar to people who hear the certain breeds are ‘working dogs’ and are much more stimulated and happy when they have a ‘job’ - but then turn around a call a farmer cruel for using his Bernese to haul wood, or duck hunters sick for making labs carrying dead ducks for miles. It’s like they like the theory of working dogs - but not in reality.
Not trying to say no working dogs are abused, but there’s nothing in this post to suggest that’s the case.
Working dogs NEED a job. They will find a job if not assigned one. They thrive with a purpose! When I was a freshman in highschool, my family adopted a border collie/blue heeler/Aussie mix. We didn’t really know to do any research on what kind of dog he was so we weren’t aware of how brilliant or diligent he was. That dog assigned himself the job of protecting ME. To the point of being a bit annoying, and even a liability at times… but he definitely found himself a job otherwise he just would have been lost in life.
Perhaps that's just my semi rural upbringing privilege shining through or something but I'm kind of confused someone would make a list being like "hey we don't know if the owners take precautions sometimes these things can't be avoided" like no shit that's what the dog is for
Frankly, this doggie is too small to take on wolves. Australian shepherds, border collies, etc are a good size to move the sheep around, but no match for wolves, and they'd likely loose to coyotes too. She's qualified for maybe keeping foxes at bay.
If any farmer actually has a wolf problem, and relies on Aussies etc to keep their sheep safe, they're an idiot and should be getting dog breeds that were actually bred to be in the same weight class as wolves. As far as I know, plenty of Eastern European sheepdogs are like that.
Border collie: 12-20kg (26-44lbs)
Australian shepherd: 16-32kg (35-70lbs)
Average male wolf: 40kg (88lbs)
Herding dogs and livestock guardian dogs are two different groups of working dogs. Herding dogs are meant to move herds around, not protect them. LGD's have a completely different temperament and tend to be fairly large.
So, you're agreeing with me; this dog wasn't "doing its job" while fighting the wolves, she was doing something beyond the job she was meant to do. The person I'm replying to is referring to this dog as a "guard dog".
What is the breed? An aussie shepherd maybe? If so then yeah, those aren't guard dogs. Herding dogs are small so that they can be quick and duck the kicks of cattle and horses. I can't tell the scale of the dog from the picture. An LGD is something like an Anatolia shepherd or a great pyrenees.
Could easily be a livestock guardian dog of some kind. They're not all purebred Anatolian Shepherds. I have a friend who breeds Great Pyrenees / St. Bernard mixes as livestock guardians.
Hard to tell scale from the picture, but she looks bigger than a herding dog.
There are many vegans and vegetarians that live by their standards and rightfully point out the cruel conditions of slaughter houses and slaughter farms.
Hey, if that’s their lifestyle I think they have every right. They’re putting their money where their mouth is. I’m just not under the impression most people in this thread fit that bill.
Do you eat chicken? They are no more than 8 weeks old when slaughtered. Relatively speaking, pretty much all of the animals we eat are consumed slightly after they are born.
We talking veal and foie gras kind of stuff? I tend to agree and it’s not my taste either, but also won’t judge someone if that’s their indulgence because hey I eat fish roe on sushi.
I’m vegan and I actually morally support local farms when it’s up against the meat factories. At least the animals on private farms get to live a life of not being tortured, and then that meat can go to local restaurants who take pride in supporting their local farms. That’s how it should be.
I have only found this to be true on the internet. I lived at a campsite full of hippie vegans. But when I brought back wild meat I'd just killed they'd all eat some. They were against industrial farming practices, not me humanely killing invasive animals.
Well I disagree, but I assume we won't be able to convince each other otherwise. A working dog is a working dog and it may be harmed, though it would be nice if it weren't.
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u/thirteen_tentacles Aug 12 '21
I was a little confused with that list like...
Uh what does it matter if they eat their livestock?