dog rape

 Their body does not belong to them. They can be touched at any time, kissed, patted. Pick up or drag aside. Violence is committed daily, on a regular basis, but people call it love.  Few people think about the bodily integrity of animals and their personal boundaries. For some reason, it is quite acceptable to squeeze and stroke your (and not only your) animal at any time. Pay attention to the desires of the dog? What for? Will endure. Imagine that some other person has unlimited access to your body. You will be touched and stroked when you are not ready or do not want to, you will ask not to do this, but it will be useless – they will not hear you and continue to do what you want. Welcome to the world of pets! This abuse starts from childhood, because “oh what a good puppy!” and continues throughout life. Or “hooray, we now have an adult dog, she is so pretty!”. Everyone is unanimously horrified by petting zoos, but at the same time, many have the same petting zoo at home, personal, with their dog (or cat). And for some reason there are no manifestations, no petitions, no posts cursing this state of affairs and calling to fight it. How many times have I heard: if he doesn’t like it, he will leave! No, not at all. A lot of times your dog just wants to be with you. She came and lay down on the sofa to feel your warmth and heartbeat. What are most hosts doing at this point? They start touching and stroking. The dog is waiting for this to stop now and it will be possible to lie quietly. But some owners are especially stubborn, and then the dog leaves at some point, because they are unable to endure touching beyond their desire. also touch other people’s dogs. By the way, I have to literally fight off my dog, because everyone strives to touch his head and ears, but he doesn’t like it at all. Is it murderous to hold the dog’s face with both hands and start kissing on the nose? Only good manners and respect for the owners do not allow the dog to growl or bite in such a situation. But if you let go of the muzzle, then few dogs will want to continue contact – it will either turn away or leave. And if the dog begins to growl, then measures of influence begin – from a harsh voice to physical punishment. Although if I were in the place of the dog, I would growl too. Do not be surprised at the large number of bites of children by their own dogs. Because parents have not taught their children to respect the personal boundaries of the dog and believe that “the dog must endure.” Or another of the “favorites” – to pinch the dog’s neck with a bent arm and hang or crouch on the side. Men especially like to do this. “This is how real friends spend their time!” written on the person’s face. And what have dogs in this moment eyes! I always want to collapse in shame in front of a dog. And I also feel at the bodily level what is happening to her, and unpleasant goosebumps run through my body. Once, in a discussion, I read the following comment: I walk with her in any weather, I give her everything she needs when I don’t feel like it, so let the dog be patient when I want to pet her. The nuance is that the dog did not ask her to start. She had no intention of getting to this particular person. And if the dog does not want to be touched, then it does not have to endure them at all. And the owner has obligations in relation to his own animal. But people are persistent. They continue. They do not notice the signals when the dog has had enough touches and when the pleasure turns into torment. They misinterpret the signals, thinking that the dog likes it, but in fact it is already terrified. They just don’t let her go to the side by pinching or holding her. She is constantly picked up at home and on the street, although she is able to walk everywhere with her paws (this is just the curse of small dogs). What happens to dogs if they are regularly abused (yes, bodily harm is abuse)? They build up stress. The dog may begin to show aggression towards other dogs or people, it may become more harsh in its reactions or overexcited. Or vice versa, it will be apathetic and sleep all day, reviving only on the street. No matter how it manifests itself, the consequences are the same – chronic stress. And this always leads to behavioral problems or depression (depending on the individual characteristics of the animal). For the same reason, not every dog ​​can be a therapy dog ​​for people. And the selection should be carried out not only by the level of goodwill towards people, but also by the level of the dog’s resistance to touch. There are very tactile dogs, they really love to be touched.  

How to stop this widespread dog rape? 

Everything is simple. To begin with, recognize that the dog has a right to bodily integrity. Yes, and from a beloved owner as well. That she has the right not to want your touch. If you manage to carry out this coup in your head, then half the battle is done! The second step is to begin to control your own hands and the hands of other people who are close to your dog. Do not stretch your hands to her with or without reason, think – is it necessary? Does she really want this now or is she sleeping peacefully and does not even think that someone will disturb her now? The third stage is to wait for the moment when the dog itself comes to you for affection. If the violence against the dog was long enough, then for some period the dog will not come up at all and ask for affection. Do not try to speed up or improve anything here, even with the help of treats. Let your dog recover and rest. And at some point, she herself will come and bury her nose in your hand. Wait for the initiative from the dog. And the fourth stage is to learn to slowly bring your hands closer to the dog and notice his signals. Here’s a hand reaching for the dog’s head. What does the dog do in response? Pulling away? Turns away? Shifts body weight behind hind legs? Or maybe she’s starting to lick her lips and show the whites of her eyes? That’s a reason to stop and drop the idea of ​​touching a dog. Perhaps she will begin to show you these signals during touching? So you need to leave the dog alone. After each stroke, it is advisable to remove your hand to look at the reaction of the dog. Does she lie still and do nothing? She’ll probably have enough. Does she ask with her voice or with her paw to continue? Great, you know what he wants. One of the most misunderstood dog signals is when the dog lies on its side and raises its front paw. Sometimes the back. Both at the same time is unbelievable. People immediately think that the dog is enjoying. But in many cases this is not the case. This is a signal: do not touch me, have mercy! The muzzle at this moment is also tense, the lips are pulled back tensely, which again people mistakenly take for a smile. This is the strongest signal of reconciliation that the dog shows you and asks you to leave it alone. And if you get up and move away, then the dog will not ask you for affection. Love is when we give the object of our love what he needs, and not what we consider necessary to give. Give your dog respect and personal boundaries, protect him from the encroachment of other people and children, teach your children how to properly communicate with a dog. And your dog will be happy, and you – with him. 

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