# Do you think this is cruel?



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

One of the pages I subscribe to on FB is for a holistic vet, anyways, he posted this video criticizing the owners for being dumb and irresponsible. 
I personally see nothing wrong with it, it looks like the dog is having a blast. I commented saying that if the dog was in any discomfort, he would have let go. I also know that I lot of pitbulls love to swing from ropes that hang on trees and nobody forces them to do so. 

what do you think
Helicopter Dog Video


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Oh puhleeze! That dog is having the time of his life. That's just stupid to think otherwise. And he's a pit bull; they love to do that. I used to have a pit/chow mix and i twirled him at the end of a rope all the time.


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## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

I used to play with one of my dogs and she would bite do somthing similar, always letting go when she wanted. That's not cruel in opinion


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I really think that the dog would have let go if it wasn't having any fun. My dogs might do something past their limit if I was really really encouraging them (but I doubt it), but these owners weren't egging the dog on, they were just laughing. 

Then again, there are those people who say we shouldn't keep dogs as pets at all, and shouldn't use crates, and should feed them vegetarian dog food.....etc etc etc.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Sometimes you have to letting a dog be a dog and letting them do what that dog likes to do. And, that 'poor abused' pup certainly looked like he was having an absolute ball. Like you guys said, he would simply have let go if he wasn't.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

not only would he have let go, he wouldn't have been going crazy trying to get up to that ring in the first place. 

It would have been cruel NOT to put him up there!


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## bridget246 (Oct 26, 2011)

xellil said:


> not only would he have let go, he wouldn't have been going crazy trying to get up to that ring in the first place.
> 
> It would have been cruel NOT to put him up there!


Reminds me of the spring pole and how that is somehow bad as well.


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

I don't think it's cruel in the least, the dog wanted it and appeared to enjoy it. I do think it's potentially dangerous though, but it was over sand so not terribly so. More like he might pull something, hurt his back/neck a bit, or damage his teeth depending on what the rings were made of. But you have to weigh your risks and benefits I suppose.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

he was probably imagining he was swinging on the nose of a bull. 

I think there might have been some danger but shoot, life isn't guaranteed to be safe. Definitelly you have to weigh the risk/benefits.

When my dog goes running out into the pastures there is always a chance he'll get bitten by a snake but I let him do it anyway. i wonder if that vet would think I was being cruel.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Guess some people like to blow things out of proportion. This vet also put martingale collars in the same category as choke chains and prong collars. yikes. 
Heres the FB page if anyone is interested since most seem to side with him

https://www.facebook.com/drpeterdobias


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Unosmom said:


> This vet also put martingale collars in the same category as choke chains and prong collars. yikes.


Well that's just ridiculous! Obviously he's never owned a dog with a great big, hairy, thick neck. If I didn't use martingale collars on my chows, the regular collars would slip right over their heads every time. Either that or I'd have to have them so tight they would be throttled. 

Hopefully all his followers will be smart enough to listen to more then one opinion for their dogs.


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

I would consider it irresponsible seeing as it's a great way to bust teeth, I know several dogs who have done just that with huge vet bills as a result and have a buddy who lets his pit bull hang from a tire and his teeth are shot, nothing but cracks all over them. Also a famous pit dog died because they allowed her to hang from her springpole that way and she fell, many other dogs have fallen and gotten hurt as well. Not really a good idea to have the dog with all four feet off the ground like that. Having seen the results I wouldn't do it or recommend anyone else let their dogs do it, they can have just as much fun with the back legs on the ground.


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

I'd be a LITTLE concerned he might hurt himself.... Other Vets and Techs out here would know better than I...is this safe? Could he have gotten hurt?


But "CRUEL?" Has this guy seen what is going on in the world to other dogs?


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

The only thing I can think of as "harmful" is that those handles are usually metal and he could break some teeth.

Gunner has jumped and ripped off tree branches by hanging on them. Dogs are just silly sometimes


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

If they were plastic or metal, i wouldnt let the dog hang from them either. Usually those things are rubber for gripping.


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## bett (Mar 15, 2012)

it's how some train pities to have that hold and strength.
i wouldn't do it.
too high, twisting too fast.
and really, you think the dog knows how high he was and how fast he was swinging and that it could be a danger?
i think they're smart-but not that smart. especially if the dog views it as fun. they can view swimming out in the ocean, deep, as fun too. and i wouldn't allow that either.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Correct me if i'm wrong but those are metal rings, and it is irresponsible not to take your dogs teeth into consideration before you let them hang from something... Bull Breeds love to swing from things that are appropriate for them, Tobi has a spring pole in the back yard, I had an APBT that hung around from burlap all day if i let her, not metal rings.. c'mon.

I wanted to add, all my spring poles I've made for my dogs, the back 2 feet can touch the ground always...


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Unosmom said:


> Guess some people like to blow things out of proportion. This vet also put martingale collars in the same category as choke chains and prong collars. yikes.
> Heres the FB page if anyone is interested since most seem to side with him
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/drpeterdobias


I use a martingale on Tess because she can slip out of regular collars because of her skinny head. She is the biggest baby dog I've ever met and trust me- if anything hurt her at all- she would SCREAM. She is just fine with a martingale on.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

that is so funny.....dogs, unless they have been intimidated to the point of breaking, generally don't hang by their teeth for the hell of it, unless they are having a blast.

this dog is helping the twirl.....

no, i don't think it's cruel at all. and thank you for posting it.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Tobi said:


> Correct me if i'm wrong but those are metal rings, and it is irresponsible not to take your dogs teeth into consideration before you let them hang from something... Bull Breeds love to swing from things that are appropriate for them, Tobi has a spring pole in the back yard, I had an APBT that hung around from burlap all day if i let her, not metal rings.. c'mon.
> 
> I wanted to add, all my spring poles I've made for my dogs, the back 2 feet can touch the ground always...


damn. that's a good point.


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

Cruel no
irresponsible - compared to some of the things we see everyday, - not really

The dog is having fun and at the end he goes to try and get back on. If those rings are anything like the ones here they have a thick rubber coating on them, but if it could hold up to a bully bitting full on is another question!

As for martingales, christ a rope slip lead is bad, a buckle collar is bad, but when used right they can all be good .


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I guess i see it could be bad if it's metal. They looked like little rubber tires to me, though.


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

Cruel? No. The dog is doing it of his own volition. He could grab onto any rope and swing around. 

Is it great for his teeth? No, but neither is chewing on a tennis ball all day. Not like our dogs should live in a giant hamster ball for fear something could get em.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

I agree with what most have said. Cruel? No, absolutely not. Smart? Not really. There are a lot of things my dogs would love to do but I won't let them because they could get injured. They look like metal rings to me but I can't say for sure, the guy would have to be really dumb to allow his dog to hang from metal rings. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that they're covered in rubber or something. I would never single him our for "abusing" or "being cruel" to his dog, but I wouldn't condone it either.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

catahoulamom said:


> I agree with what most have said. Cruel? No, absolutely not. Smart? Not really. There are a lot of things my dogs would love to do but I won't let them because they could get injured. They look like metal rings to me but I can't say for sure, the guy would have to be really dumb to allow his dog to hang from metal rings. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that they're covered in rubber or something. I would never single him our for "abusing" or "being cruel" to his dog, but I wouldn't condone it either.


This sort of reminds me of my last dog, a black lab. That part of his brain that is hard-wired to water retrieve was so turned on when we got to the water, it was hard to regulate. Luke would retrieve until he could barely stand. Literally. And he still wanted to go back in... after hours of being in the water, and staggering on the shore.

Eventually I had to save him from himself, and pull him away. Truly, I believe he would swim until total exhaustion. Not such a good idea... But he LOVED to swim and retrieve.

There might be a balance between what is "the best thing ever" to a dog in terms of him expressing his natural instincts... and using our responsibility in tempering that instinct if it leads to a dangerous level...


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## _unoriginal (Apr 8, 2012)

If the dog didn't want to do it, the dog would let go. Simple as that.

It seems many people have a hard time believing that their dogs are still animals with drives to do what they deem as fun. They're not all poor puppy-wuppies that are being abused by not lounging on the couch all day.


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## Itty bitty Kitty (Dec 26, 2011)

I can't see how this can be considered cruel. As many have pointed out and as it should be clearly obvious, the dog was enjoying himself. The only thing I'd be a little concerned about if the dog hurting itself by straining it's neck. However if it was really an issue the dog would have stopped and I'm sure after it let go, it wouldn't have been eagerly jumping at it again. Just a puppy being adventurous! I mean, we all did silly, potentially dangerous things when we were kids and had a blast!


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

i just love some of the comments they posted 
"i cant even watch..."

"i think people like this should be prosacuted their are too many bad owners its disgusting. i also get angry when people buy aggressive dogs and dont know how to train them and teach them to behave properly"

"so sad..."

i like how htat one person is trying to implie the dog is "Aggressive" and it should be trained not to do that waht a moron


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## Itty bitty Kitty (Dec 26, 2011)

Man, does anyone else think people are scary sometimes? Seriously, I think people need to lighten up and realize that there are bigger things out there to get passionate about. Especially whenever the person getting their feathers ruffled doesn't know jack on what they're talking about. What's worse, ignorance or arrogance? Answer: Both



xchairity_casex said:


> i just love some of the comments they posted
> "i cant even watch..."
> 
> "i think people like this should be prosacuted their are too many bad owners its disgusting. i also get angry when people buy aggressive dogs and dont know how to train them and teach them to behave properly"
> ...


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

On the whole collar thing... 

It would be cruel of me NOT to use a martingale or slip lead on Buck as he would very easily worm his way out of a normal collar and would then run wildly into traffic and likely get hit by a car. Keeping him safe with a collar he can't slip out of is FAR from cruel. 

It makes me nervous when people use normal collars on their dogs...


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> On the whole collar thing...
> 
> It would be cruel of me NOT to use a martingale or slip lead on Buck as he would very easily worm his way out of a normal collar and would then run wildly into traffic and likely get hit by a car. Keeping him safe with a collar he can't slip out of is FAR from cruel.
> 
> It makes me nervous when people use normal collars on their dogs...


Using a regular collar on my whippet would cause her trachea to become damaged. Anyone who ever think to suggest a martingale is cruel obviously is suffering from a lack of brain matter. The collar was designed for sight-hounds delicate necks. 



NewYorkDogue said:


> This sort of reminds me of my last dog, a black lab. That part of his brain that is hard-wired to water retrieve was so turned on when we got to the water, it was hard to regulate. Luke would retrieve until he could barely stand. Literally. And he still wanted to go back in... after hours of being in the water, and staggering on the shore.
> 
> Eventually I had to save him from himself, and pull him away. Truly, I believe he would swim until total exhaustion. Not such a good idea... But he LOVED to swim and retrieve.
> 
> There might be a balance between what is "the best thing ever" to a dog in terms of him expressing his natural instincts... and using our responsibility in tempering that instinct if it leads to a dangerous level...


Yeah Piper would run and run and run after anything, no stopping. It's up to us to decide when she's "done" for the day and take her on cool down walks and massage her legs after a day of racing. 
These dogs pull muscles and just keep running. It's what they love to do.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

Someone thinks that is cruel? That dog is having a blast!


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