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I know this is not the topic of submission here either, but I can't help but feel that picture in the wikipedia of the guide horse is horrible abuse. All those
by Charuru 16y ago
I know this is not the topic of submission here either, but I can't help but feel that picture in the wikipedia of the guide horse is horrible abuse. All those straps and chains, UGH. /shudders
- ptomato 16y agoDoesn't appear to be significantly different then a normal horse harness. How do you consider it abusive in any way that, say, leashing a dog isn't? Or do you consider that abuse as well?
- what 16y agoAt least they gave it running shoes, though it seems to have lost one somewhere.
- qq66 16y agoBlind people generally tend to be so doting on their guide animals that I'm sure the straps and chains are more than compensated by the shower of love he gets from his owner.
- Mz 16y agoMy understanding is that guide animals (and drug-sniffing dogs) are intentionally starved for affection and only showered with loving attention for doing what is needed of them. That is how they are kept useful. Showering them with affection and positive attention at other times actually destroys their usefulness as a guide animal. Or so I have heard.
- ajdecon 16y agoAs I understand it: guide animals are generally trained to know when they're "at work" and when it isn't. When "at work", the guide animal is not given affection because it needs to be focused on its task. This is why seeing eye dogs have "don't pet me" signs on them: any kind of affection is a distraction from the necessary task of helping the owner. When not "at work" (usually there is some signal), it obviously depends on the owner; but most of the disabled people I know pamper and love these animals to death, and they are extremely well treated. They are simply only showered with affection in private, when not expected to be focused.
- Mz 16y agoThat's good to hear. :-)
- Charuru 16y agoStraps and chains are never compensated, never. Give me liberty or give me death.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- kyro 16y agoI'd say the abuse is in the fact that Apple hasn't tailored their products to the horse market, leaving horses everywhere feeling unimportant and neglected.
- Terretta 16y agoOn the contrary, it was there checking out the Magic Trackpad, perfectly accomodated to a hoof.
- philk 16y agoI'm not sure how being fitted with two entirely standard pieces of tack (a breastplate and a bridle) counts as horrible abuse.
- pyre 16y agoWell, now we're talking in terms of relativity. You're saying that it's not 'horrible abuse' because it is standard treatment, but this says nothing of whether or not standard treatment is 'horrible abuse.' For example, The Jews that weren't killed in the concentration camps "didn't have it so bad" compared to the ones were. But this says nothing of whether or not overall treatment of Jews in concentration camps was good or bad.
- philk 16y agoI'm saying that it's not "horrible abuse" because: a) I've spent a reasonable amount of time around horses; b) Can see nothing in that photo to suggest the horse has been mistreated or is distressed; and c) Find this kind of trivialization of animal abuse by someone who has little experience with horses to be offensive nonsense. There's real "horrible abuse" out there, and this is most emphatically not an example of it.
- samstokes 16y agoWhoa, I never expected Godwin to show up in a discussion thread about a horse.
- pyre 16y agoGodwin's law only applies when calling someone a Nazi or comparing someone to a Nazi(s). Godwin doesn't cover the word 'Nazi' or 'Jew' turning up in a discussion.
- Charuru 16y agoHow would you like it if I put a bridle on your face.