#animal abuse cw ?????

[tallymali]

yuki is scared of hairbrushes:(

[thehmn]

My post about not hitting children got some responses from people who said “I agree and also some young children who get hit by their parents have no respect for adults who doesn’t hit them and become unruly”

As it turns out, the same goes for animals.

I adopted this girl, Ellie, a year ago. Her previous owners were devastated that they had to give her up but their situation was less than ideal and they lived in their landlord’s house and he was apparently very rough with Ellie and blamed her for everything his own dogs did.

When Ellie first moved in she responded strongly to us talking sternly to her. Even saying her name in a deep voice made her tug her tail between her legs and hide. But eventually she realized we were never going to hurt her no matter how sternly we talked and now, a year later, we have a very sweet but cheeky dog who loves us very much but has zero respect. She will jump on tables and when we shout “Ellie! No!” she just looks at us like “What?”

Positive reinforcement works pretty well but her early experiences with “discipline” means she clearly doesn’t understand when we are displeased with her. So thanks previous assholes in her life for making this unnecessarily difficult. You’re lucky she’s such a sweet dog who doesn’t let life get her down.

[caoimhe-from-hoenn]

Do NOT declaw your Skitties and Liepards, the fuck's wrong with you?

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Sh*t has hit the fan in equestrian sport and I genuinely wonder if this is the beginning of the end of it's social license to operate.

I used to respect Charlotte Dujardin as "one of the kinder riders out there". Sadly it seems like this was all just marketing. She just happened to have a horse like Valegro that tolerated her harsh handling (she described him as "hard mouthed" which is a pretty good indication that he had poor training to start with).

But she was the golden girl of dressage and the UK's darling of the sport. Now the curtain is peeled back to reveal casual whipping of a horse's legs over 24 times, commenting how the whip "doesn't whip hard enough."

Methodical and not at all seeming angry or disregulated while the 15 year old on the panicked horse's back cries out. This is not a one off. It's a technique. I've seen it before. Instuctors that chase after "lazy" horses in riding schools with a whip so that the horse "doesn't get away with it."

What about horses getting chased around a round yard with a whip until rearing in panic and lathered up in sweat? I've seen that too, during an equine science program where we were supposed to be learning how to break in weanlings.

It just happens to be a Olympic gold medalist doing it and getting caught.

In the article it says "you can't force a 400-500kg animal to do something." You absolutely can and horses are regularly forced into things they don't want to do. They're flighty prey animals. They say "no" pretty clearly in competition rings but then the whip comes out, the spurs go on and the horse shuts down. Despite the blue tongues from lack of oxygen, mouths strapped shut with tight nosebands, bits that they can't escape from, froth and blood in their mouths, they continue. Because they have no choice.

When your training principle relies on negative reinforcement and positive punishment, escalation like this inevitably occurs. When your training principle is based in domiance, on "not letting them get away with it" and on "making them do it", this is where it goes. The horse's autonomy and feelings diminished into "naughty" or "just trying to be lazy" ... not fear or pain or just a simple struggle to do something they're not physically able to do.

And it becomes normalised, laughed off and accepted, especially when a gold medalist Olympian does it.

The only reason this is a scandal is because an elite rider got caught doing it. But this is not a one off or a "bad apple" this is what the entire traditional horse training model is based on.

The FEI is making a big show of this because they want to look tough on horse welfare so the Olympics doesn't throw out Equestrian sport. But just wait until the dressage kicks off. We will see the same tense, stressed out horses, toe flicking and hollow with hop-step piaffes that are an insult to the Classic masters of old.

The sport of dressage will crash and burn if it continues on its current trajectory. Equestrian sport will follow as a whole when the public realises these are not animals "enjoying their jobs". Unless the FEI allows for a huge paradigm shift where people can compete tackless and use positive reinforcement (actual +R and not the pathetic pat on the neck they pass off as +R), the sport will fall to ruin and the elites will have only themselves to blame.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for making my ex taking medication as a bargain chip for us to get back together?

This happened a while ago but I saw some posts about the right of someone to go unmedicated and now I feel bad and wonder if I was shitty 💊🧘‍♀️ mentions of death, pet endangering, pet death, untreated mental illness and if you call them a narcissist I will steal your left socks. Also not disclosing their diagnosis because you guys can't be normal about mentally ill people.

So me and J (about 25, I was 22 at the time. Name changed for privacy. Both of us is NB) had a extremely quick developing relationship where in 5 months we went from dating to living together. Don't judge me okay I was 20 when we met and I needed a place that wasn't my parents house. Sorry, this will need some context. J convinced me to drop college due to mental health and to move out of my roomies house for privacy reasons.

So three days before my 21th birthday, J lost her brother due to an accident, and we moved together anyway. One month after her brother passed her cat also passed away. That made the grief way worse and about 10 months into the relationship she tried to choke my cat because she peed in the wrong place. I told her I was going to leave her and in result she slitted open her arm with a box cutter.

Later she admitted to be hurting our two cats when I wasn't home by choking and almost drowning them.

By december of the same year I came out as aromantic and she was extremely shitty towards me from deceiving her because she thought I actually loved her but that was all a ruse. So we broke up for real this time but kept living together because well, it was unfortunately what we had and we couldn't move to our separate paths due to our income. That was january with until march/april more or less when she noticed i was pulling guys like no one and hooking up constantly (that was self harm but that doesn't justify it. In my defense I told her just because she would ask me repeatedly if I was hooking up with guys and always wanted to know where I was going). I also went back to college and started hanging out with other people that seemed to actually like me!

Keep in mind all this time she was unmedicated and when I tried to bring up she need therapy and medications she would shut me down, even before the break-up.

And then, by may she was crawling at my feet because she wanted me back. And I cared a lot about her. So I put in my conditions that unless she was medicated and on therapy by the end of july, I would never consider going back to her. And would you look at that, it actually worked because before june ended she was both medicated and on therapy and I said well you did your part, and went back to her, with her now.

Btw for all that matters I am 25 and broke up with her again from almost 2 years now but last time I talked, she was still on therapy and medicating herself, making a bitter remark on how "that's the only way people can stand her, that no one can stand her true self"

So, AITA for making my ex take care of her mental health before I considered going back to her?

What are these acronyms?

[bitchfitch]

i can not imagine being proud of a set up like this. and yet it is Depressingly common. You have three Incredibly expensive fish that also happen to be extraordinarily aggressive in a tank that's on the small side for one of them. with an additional aggressive predator that's half the size of them and so likely to get mauled. and at least one ray that will outgrow that tank quickly.

and then on top of it all you have no substrate layer, and thus no where for the microbiome to set up and keep the tank stable following water changes, no enrichment, no line of sight breaks nowhere for any one of your incredibly aggressive fish to hide from eachother.

This is a tank that only looks stable because all the fish inside it are too stressed to risk attacking each other. but the Moment one of them starts showing weakness from the cortisol poisoning happening here the others will turn on them and the tank will collapse.

these are animals. They're not just decorations. If you want that aesthetic ™ just spend the money this nightmare cost you on a resin mount.

[schnuffel-danny]

this video is fucking crazy oh my god me when my abused and neglected guinea pigs aren't perfect lawnmowers

[beemovieerotica]

Why does your dog have such blue eyes?

we're not sure, she's been to an optometrist and they said it could be from an injury before she was found, or somebody did it on purpose (threw something in her eyes). as far as we know, it's not reversible. she was found in a trash dump with her mom and brother who are both able to see fine :(

[moonlitcomet]

Griffons are very intelligent, easily-raised, and highly versatile animals. Due to their existence as one of the most popular animals on Aurus to keep as pets - third only to cats and hounds - they also go through their ups and downs of husbandry.

This image primarily details wing clipping and breeding practices.

Wing clipping is a highly controversial and increasingly illegal practice that is done on newborn griffons before their enlarged wing phalanges stiffen and are ready for flight. This process removes all bones past the first phalanx on their fourth digit, permanently crippling their ability to fly and forcing them to remain on the ground.

In the past, wing clipping was done as a functional cosmetic surgery to prevent captive griffons from escaping or flying into danger. Nowadays it is done primarily for ease of care, as winged griffons are notably more destructive than clipped griffons due to their increased mobility, or for aesthetic purposes to fit a supposed breed standard.

Clipped griffons experience lifelong pain and discomfort if not properly exercised due to deteriorating tendons and muscles, and are highly prone to neurotic behavior and aggression due to being unable to escape stressful situations. Many griffons who have their wings clipped will end up in animal shelters later on in life, which has begun a movement to outlaw griffon wing clipping and stigmatize it.

Breeding practices for griffons are about as variable as they are for any domestic animal. Some breeds of the domestic griffon are prone to health issues, and brachycephaly[flattening of the face and beak, leading to difficulty breathing and self-grooming] is one of them. While not as universally controversial as wing clipping, unethical breeding practices are similarly frowned upon.

[tallymali]

nobody warned me that adopting a traumatised pet would have me wishing for her previous owners head on a plate every ten minutes

[aftonsparv-bugzz]

tw. cat/animal abuse. (petition to endd it)

everyone please singb this petition if youcould:

https://chng.it/j8gJP2KXqZ

itss to end cat torture. if youcould spread tihis that would be very helpful /not forcing

[orangerosebush]

There's a very specific type of user on social media who thrives in their pattern of behavior not being identified for what it is.

Social media is filled with sadism masquerading as something (anything) else. And this is sadism in the sense of deriving erotic pleasure from observing (and inflicting, if possible) the suffering of another.

Violent, graphic fantasies abound, unseen for what they are -- as these fantasies are always introduced or followed by the invocation of "deserving" targets.

Whether the targets "deserve" the violence wished upon them isn't my point here. Rather, that pattern is the point: the common thread of constantly seeking out opportunities to engage in titillating cruelty. The justification for this aggressive behavior never translates to other forms of action that might align with the ideological pretext for the violence.

Like, there is a perceptible sense of shame in this behavior about how deeply there's a desire to share the sexually-charged violent fantasy. Thus, a figure must always be summoned who would merit the brutality.

But: this behavior is primarily about having an outlet for violent appetites, rather than anything specific to do with the subject of those appetites.

For example, sometimes on here, you'll encounter viral posts about saccharine, generic sentiments of love for animals.

And these posts will always have a handful of people in the comments sharing detailed descriptions of what they'd do to punish people who abuse their pets.

You can click on the blogs associated with comments like that -- and you will often see reposts of 'cute' videos where animals (cats, dogs, snakes, etc) are exhibiting signs of extreme stress!

So: the ideological pretext of being against animal abuse does not translate to researching what animal abuse entails.

Arguably, these users contribute to the very problem against which they so rage (in the form of views and engagement, which is why harmful online content about animals is often made).

The point, thus, of replying to a post about love for animals with a non-sequitur about wanting to break the legs of anyone who hits their pets is... having an opportunity to share violent fantasies. A "sufficient" justification was simply required to share the fantasy in the first place.

[spurgie-cousin]

ok sorry for being weird but I deleted all my posts about that animal abuse case I was talking about bc 1. I was literally threatened by the cops and 2. a friend who was working with me figured out a vigilante yet technically legal loophole and it looks like we're going to be able to get the animals out of that situation

quick recap but I've been working on an animal neglect/abuse/hoarding situation for months that came to a head yesterday and I thought was it was going to end in the worst way so I posted on every social media I have seeking advice. It's a rural area with no animal services and I was threatened by the police for asking for help after months of them not acting.

I got a hail Mary about an hour ago though that a local rescue worker found a loop hole and a rescue of all 14 animals is in progress. Sorry for bringing it here but I was so desperate 😔 but for anyone who read those posts just want you to know it looks like it's going to be ok

[shinechermont]

It is kinda sad that things came out to be like that.

I never saw you before. You never saw me too.

Though it was ironic that I was the first to find you. Our meeting was short, but I can tell that you had a long life in front of you.

Nobody will remember you, but I will.

Say no to animal abuse.

[beetroot-merchant]

Elon Musk's company Neuralink has just been given FDA approval to start human trials (Washington Post) (The Guardian) (CNBC).

Yes, the same Neuralink that was put under investigation by the USDA for animal abuse (The Guardian) (Reuters), and that the PCRM believes killed 15 of the 23 monkeys it experimented on (Fortune).

[hopeclangen]

Moon 45

Uhhh meet Hatsune Miku! I laughed out loud when a cat named that joined haha