Posts by agana

Man, Minneapolis must have awesome dog parks and owners.  I have seen scuffles and if a dog is being a particularly big a-hole the is quickly taken out of the park.

Original Post by lysistrata:

Original Post by kevinatthebrook:

Original Post by agana:

Original Post by kathygator:

I think it's her submissiveness I'd like to cure. She wiggles with new humans, submissive pees on the floor when one of the boys shows up, and on the leash gets really submissive near other dogs. In the yard, she's a territorial barking machine at anyone that walks by.

I guess my primary concern is that simply taking her to the local dog park is going to end up in a dog fight.

I was afraid of this too except my dog usually started the fight.  Any squabbles I saw at the dog park were quickly taken care of.  I never have seen a dog actually hurt.  I was terrified the first time I went but now we both enjoy it a lot.

When I was 12 we had a small dog with an aggression problem. Tiki constantly started fights. He was nearly killed by a Dalmatian one winter. The next Spring I heard him yelping in the back yard and ended up chasing a dog throwing rocks at him until he finally dropped my dog from his mouth and ran off.

Tiki died from his wounds.

He was my favorite dog ever.

Wally has had aggression issues.  I attribute some of them to early experiences at the dog park.  The problem is that once dogs learn to interact with each other in a certain way, it is hard to teach them new methods.  Wally got bullied a lot, and early, by the bigger dogs at the dog park.  He now does not trust bigger dogs, especially bigger male dogs, and so will sometimes attack one that he perceives as challenging him at all.

The fact that the dog park is a confined space and often involves a large pack doesn't help much either because they are not able to avoid confrontation.  Wally is much, much better out on the off-leash trails where he can just keep moving.  He's been getting lots of good reinforcement as he learns how to "leave the a**hole dog alone."  :)

that is all so sad for both of you.  The dog park I have is enormous more like a state park for dogs where there is a river and trails and bluffs to play on so that could be the difference.  I don't bother taking him to the smaller ones.

My Hot Dog wasn't a puppy but he did have a LOT of baggage.  Treats and praise didn't work on walks.  He was too terrified of waving flags, flapping awnings, garbage trucks and delivery men to pay any attention to me.  The only thing that worked was on walks I was not his buddy or friend but his master.  He had a training collar and I used it.  It forced him to pay attention to me instead of everything else.  He had fear based aggression which made him go after everything and everyone.

At dog parks he gets his E-collar which I call his buzzy.  He flips out when I get it because he is so excited to go to the dog park.  I have only ever had to buzz him twice or maybe three times.  Once for him taking off and not coming when called and maybe twice for picking a fight.  I have never had to use anything other than the beeper on it ever since.

I also tried it on myself...while unpleasant it doesn't "hurt".  My dog is spoiled but he also knows I am the boss.  He doesn't do things because they are fun or exciting.  He does things because I tell him too and that is it.  Explicit dominance over him is the only thing that ever worked.  I tried clickers, treats and praise and got no results.

Original Post by februarystars:

****.

eta: if i keep this up i'll be bff with Michele Bachmann by the end of the year... 

it gives me the biggest sad that she is from my state.  I assume to have the seen the Bad Lip Reading of her on youtube.  Holy crap...I could actually believes that she says some of that ****.

Original Post by catwalker:

Original Post by agana:

Original Post by theviewfromhere:

Original Post by februarystars:

Butbut but....  it's not because it's her mother.  It's because her mother has a serious mental illness that is closely linked to religious fanaticism and voices.  

Even if I disagreed with my mother's faith, if it meant maybe sending her into a serious psychotic tailspin I would absolutely sit down and shut up.  It has less to do with her disagreement and a lot more to do with her mental state.   

but before we knew that, it was about her mother. **** with someone's belief system is potentially dangerous even without mental illness.

and this is where we disagree...without the mental illness.  I would not and have not tip toed around people feelings because of their religion.

My step-sister asked me to go to this play at her church about the crucifiction. I know for a fact that this rendition is very graphic and violent and they encourage kid's participation.  I told her I am not inclined to watch a celebration of sick bloody murder that involves children.  Its ****' weird.  She never invited me again.

I would have told her no as well without being so directly hurtful.

I think forcing her children into that crap is hurtful

Original Post by iggs:

Original Post by agana:

Well that is presumptuous.  I would happily answer any questions they had about it, I know a fair amount about the bible but would need outside assistance in regards to many other religions.  I wouldn't be so hateful that they wouldn't talk to me.  I also tend to think that if given the facts they would  unlikely grow up believers, which is why I would want to find out what happened.  

Not so much presumptuous as experienced.

If it's not as black and white as their parents make it out to be, as the child becomes capable of critical reasoning, the parent loses credibility on the issue and the child seeks answers elsewhere usually from people who reject the parent's position entirely.

I'm guessing not unlike how you became an anti-theist growing up in a household where God was the only truth.

I suppose if that was the case with my family but it wasn't.  We were Jehovah's Witness until I was 8 or so then my mother and us 4 kids all left because they were crazy pants.  I hear some sects are not as strict as ours was.  My mother has always considered herself spiritual but not religious and even encourage me to research other faiths (even wicca) and find what was right for me.  It was later experience outside my family that led me to anti-theism.

We did lose our entire extended family for several years until one group of cousin's also quit the faith and we are very close.

Original Post by theviewfromhere:

Original Post by catwalker:

Original Post by nomoreexcuses:

Perhaps agana would simply like everyone to be as respectful of her atheism as she has been of others' beliefs.

Is that so much to ask?

Except Agana has never shown any respect for others spiritual or religious beliefs. She openly ridicules them and even insults their beliefs outright.

and in this thread, she hasn't shown much respect for those who share her beliefs, either.

I just disagree with you about shutting up and sitting down because it was her mother.  

And I don't always tip toe around people's feelings either.  So in fact, you are kinda calling me a socio-path. 

Original Post by kathygator:

What was funny is that the vehemence with which you insult adherents, here on this site, is rarely dished back in equal measure, Angry Girl.

Take it easy, will ya? We dig you here.

I guess that I disagree with the rarely part...I reckon what we see as insulting are not the same thing.

A lot of this sounds very "don't ask, don't tell"

Original Post by iggs:

Original Post by agana:

Original Post by kathygator:

Original Post by agana:

Original Post by kathygator:

If you ever have a child, and that child turns to religion, how likely do you think she will be to discuss her beliefs with you?

If I ever had a child I would hope she/he would discuss everything with me as I have always been able to do with my mother.  Even if we disagree strongly.

I find it doubtful that you'll call your kid delusional, ignorant or crazy, Ag. I seriously do.

Perhaps not but I would do my best to figure out why it happened.  I would not like to think I raised a person that would be deceived or indoctrinated in such a way.

Not once did Fade say she would call her mother any of those things.

Exactly the same way the mother of my children is driving my kids towards it.

She is so hostile to it that they don't like talking to her about it. They go elsewhere for those questions.

Thankfully they still ask me these questions, so I can guide them on the path to allow them to decide their own belief system.

Well that is presumptuous.  I would happily answer any questions they had about it, I know a fair amount about the bible but would need outside assistance in regards to many other religions.  I wouldn't be so hateful that they wouldn't talk to me.  I also tend to think that if given the facts they would  unlikely grow up believers, which is why I would want to find out what happened.