#dog thoughts

I used to work at a no-kill shelter with a couple of dogs who were essentially just being warehoused there, because they were incredibly dangerous animals who nobody wanted to adopt, but it was a no-kill shelter so they wouldn't euthanize for behavioral reasons. Those dogs were... a lot of things. Happy was not one one them, most of the time. Dogs don't understand why they are the way they are. They don't understand why they're in the shelter. They just know they're miserable and stressed. Even the nicest shelter with the most dedicated staff is still dog prison. Warehousing unadoptable animals for their entire lives is not about the welfare of the dog. It's about human comfort.

There are few mentions of Irish terriers before the nineteenth century, and when these do occur, they usually suggest a type of dog rather than a distinct breed. The ultimate roots of the Wheaten may lie in ancient Ireland, but its early owners paid little if any attention to a precise breed standard. Images of Wheaten Terriers that date from the late nineteenth century do not reveal a consistent appearance, and the reason they are variable is because the Wheaten Terrier was still in the process of being bred into uniformity. It is also unrealistic to assume that the standards set for a dog that was originally intended to be a working animal on a farm should continue to be followed when that role has ended and the dog has become a family pet in an urban environment.

Fun and Stupid Canine Therian Things to do: