What kind of pet/animal do you take care of?

[thebestofenergy]

Please neuter and spay your pets. It's not cruel to do so- it's irresponsible not to.

I actually made this 'mistake'.
To make it short, we took a female dog from a shelter, and we decided not to spay her (this was 3 years ago, when I was 15; I didn't think about the risk of her becoming pregnant easily). When she went into heat, she managed to escape, and became pregnant.
BUT, the reason why I said 'mistake' between quotation marks, it's because we coudn't have saved shelter dogs instead of having puppies.
She had 5 puppies, and I didn't want to give them away (I was, and I am, way too much attached to them, and I didn't want to divide them), so we found a way to keep them. We were planning to make a garden, so we bought a really big piece of land, where we could keep the dogs, and where all 5 of them could have enough space to run how much they wanted, and we used a part of it to make the garden we currently have.
Now, of course, my dogs are spayed.
We wouldn't have bought a piece of land to take dogs from a shelter, if this wasn't going to happen. What do you think about this scenario?

[brimstoneSalad]

I actually made this 'mistake'.
To make it short, we took a female dog from a shelter, and we decided not to spay her (this was 3 years ago, when I was 15; I didn't think about the risk of her becoming pregnant easily). When she went into heat, she managed to escape, and became pregnant.

Yep, that's what hormones do. They're driven to go out and mate.
And a female wandering around will cause a male to go crazy and escape.

People don't understand that concept. Broadly speaking, dogs are very capable of escaping from most of the enclosures we put them in- they are just usually not motivated enough to do so. Dogs can dig under, or chew through, almost anything.

BUT, the reason why I said 'mistake' between quotation marks, it's because we coudn't have saved shelter dogs instead of having puppies.

That's not so. You mean wouldn't have. Not couldn't have.

She had 5 puppies, and I didn't want to give them away (I was, and I am, way too much attached to them, and I didn't want to divide them), so we found a way to keep them. We were planning to make a garden, so we bought a really big piece of land, where we could keep the dogs, and where all 5 of them could have enough space to run how much they wanted, and we used a part of it to make the garden we currently have.

You could have done exactly the same thing after spontaneously adopting five shelter dogs.
The only difference being, you would have been less motivated to do it.
But this is a fault of motivation, not of the shelter dogs.

As it stands, having done it this way (the dog having puppies) instead of adopting five dogs, means those five shelter dogs you could have adopted instead were probably euthanized.

We wouldn't have bought a piece of land to take dogs from a shelter, if this wasn't going to happen. What do you think about this scenario?

Wouldn't have, maybe. But could have.

Good things can come out of bad things, but there was nothing stopping you from buying the land and adopting shelter dogs instead, was there? The bad thing didn't really need to happen. It was an issue of motivation.

Bad things can motivate us to do good things, but that doesn't excuse the bad things or make them in themselves good, unless you want to completely surrender your sense of self autonomy and will, negating the sum total of moral theory based on personal responsibility.
We are responsible for our actions, regardless of what caused us to decide to act.


I'm glad you're spaying/neutering now

[thebestofenergy]

The bad thing didn't really need to happen. It was an issue of motivation.

Bad things can motivate us to do good things, but that doesn't excuse the bad things or make them in themselves good, unless you want to completely surrender your sense of self autonomy and will, negating the sum total of moral theory based on personal responsibility.
We are responsible for our actions, regardless of what caused us to decide to act.

But does that also mean we should live an extremely poor life to, for example, help as many starving children in the thirld world countries? Or to save animals? I'm sorry that this is not related to this thread. But this is a question I've been asking myself for a lot of time. And the only reason I find for not doing so, it's that I'm being selfish. Shouldn't we put our ability to save lives with our money at a higher priority?
I currently have no justification to pay this internet connection while I could help someone survive with the same amount of money.

[brimstoneSalad]

But does that also mean we should live an extremely poor life to, for example, help as many starving children in the thirld world countries? Or to save animals?

There is a line of personal comfort and convenience beyond which we see diminishing returns (or even no returns), and below which we experience suffering.
As a point of memetic fitness, I can recommend only that you find that line, or work towards it.
Do not put yourself to great pain or inconvenience, but change a little bit for the better every year.

The point you may eventually reach is humble, but not deprived. Nobody would look at you and say "I would never want to live like that", but instead say "I want to live like that".

And the only reason I find for not doing so, it's that I'm being selfish. Shouldn't we put our ability to save lives with our money at a higher priority?

No. You are only one person. Your highest moral priority is to serve as a model that other people should want to emulate.

A hundred people, having been positively influenced, giving half of their incomes at a sustainable level means much more than one bizarre hermit giving away 100%.

An ideology which is not viable is not moral, because it is bound for extinction.

Once everybody in your society is giving away half of their paychecks, and that's the norm, then be the guy who gives away 75% and inspires people to do more. Although that may apply more to your children or grandchildren than to you.

I currently have no justification to pay this internet connection while I could help someone survive with the same amount of money.

Curling up in a ball in the corner and just giving away all of your resources doesn't help very many people, and it's a temporary fix at best.
Study. Learn. Do good works with what you have. Inspire others.

Keep your internet connection, because it will help you do all of that and more.

[Neptual]

@brimstoneSalad

Could your responses been any better? Thank you for showing me why it is necessary for me to spade my dog. I've already made an appointment at the local animal hospital to have her spaded before this week ends.