@matigo It could still be done, but if it’s not been a problem so far, there’s not much point. The breeders we got Bembo from have their breeding bitches neutered when they “retire” at six or so, before they go off to their new homes — so that they limit the number of pregnancies each one has in her life.
// @phoneboy
@matigo It’s not something I think about most of the time, and it’s just not done over here, so I’m always a bit shocked when I’m reminded how widespread the practice is.
// @phoneboy
@matigo We did get Bembo neutered — because we live in an area with very high dog density, and a lot of dogs run off-lead in the park and such places. It would be awfully hard to keep things under control if they were all fertile.
// @phoneboy
@matigo I wonder how it became a tradition — since it isn’t one in the UK, presumably some other group of early US & Canadian settlers brought it over.
// @phoneboy
@matigo When we were planning to get a dog we read a few books & one had a chapter contributed by an American who said you should get their tails docked because otherwise they’ll injure themselves by hitting things when they wag them. It’s weird how these things become culturally normal. Over here tail docking is illegal except for certain working dogs, and even then, many vets are reluctant to do it. I don’t know of any dog who’s injured its tail by wagging it too hard. It’s certainly rare enough that chopping all their tails off seems an extreme way to deal with it.
@phoneboy
@matigo It’s not something that’s ever considered over here, except for people for whom it’s part of their religion, and occasionally for medical reasons. Why would you go chopping bits off your nice healthy new baby?
// @phoneboy
@hazardwarning I didn’t take to Unread either. I waned to try Feedly, but they wouldn’t let you in without a Google account. I don’t really want to pay for another sync service just now. I might look at it if I’m still feeling restless when it’s time to renew.
// @matigo @larand
@larand I think I just need to get used to a different interface. I know @hazardwarning is a Mr Reader user too, but I don’t know which service she uses.
// @matigo
