(no subject)

[podling]

It bugs me somewhat that puppies don't have names for the first several weeks of their lives...

Comments

[d2leddy.livejournal.com]

All of this makes me wonder why we domesticate dogs and cats and birds or whatever. Here, domesticate is a euphemism for "emotionally hobble."

David, ducking

[astrophysicat.livejournal.com]

duh, because we like being adored. we crave unconditional affection and love, even if from beings who are not our equals (part of that whole hobbling thing, if nothing else)

[lonesomenumber1]

Dogs and cats have been domesticated for thousands of years. If by "domesticate," you mean "train," we do the same thing to our kids -- that is, modify their behavior so that they'll be able live in the adult human world.

Let's not forget the original reasons these animals were domesticated, either: dogs for herding, protection and hunting; cats for getting rid of vermin. Treating them like our children is a relatively recent phenomena.

But I do love my dog. :-)

[d2leddy.livejournal.com]

Well, yes--we do socialize kids. Some pet owners seem to lavish the kind of love and affection on pets that, I think, ought to be normally reserved for our species. I think domesticate does mean train in certain contexts, and that definition was probably the norm in the past. But now, I'm not sure what we are doing with pets. I mean we freakin' scoop cat shit out of boxes for them. What is THAT?

[lonesomenumber1]

Jeez, I don't know. That's my wife's job! I reckon it's better than scooping cat shit of the living room rug. :-)