Thursday, June 2, 2016

Peak Fido

Fads come and go.  Some last a few months, some can last almost a century.   In a way, a fad is like an economic bubble.  Remember when dot.com stocks were all the rage?   Now, the survivors are a utility:  Only those sites with a legit business model survived.   Pursuant to that, how often to we hear Disco on the radio these days?   While all the rage in the 1970's, today you're lucky to hear anything from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on your local oldies station.

Good article on Anilak.com the other day.   Link is to the right.  The author, after having been ravaged by barking abuse and other dog related matters, is finding the situation much improved.

The author writes:

"Silent nights.
Yes, several nights in a row that you hear NO BARKING. Not a single bark. At all!
Seems that all mutts have vanished from the face of earth and normalcy came back, turning our times of sleep civilly again."

So, where did all the mutts go?   Were they vacuumed up by space aliens?  I've noted a bit of the same in my area recently.  I haven't had a nearby barker in over a year, and the larger neighborhood is quieter, too.   Recent RV (caravan) excursions have indicated less dog lunacy, as well.   Little to no barking, fewer dogs off leash, less dog poop everywhere. 

While I certainly can't complain, I find the turn of events interesting.  What is going on?

Consider that these anecdotes do not by themselves indicate a trend.  The most likely reason for my recent barking relief at home is probably due to the fact that I literally ran some nuisance barkers out of here.   I ramped up the counter-aggression until they couldn't take it anymore.   I estimate that the other dog fanatics don't want to put themselves through a grinding neighborhood trench war they are nearly sure to lose.   The big stick DOES work.

That said, everything I am reading about and experiencing first hand gives me a gut feeling that the "dog bubble" is deflating, and may be doing so at a rapid pace.   I am going "Bearish" on dog mania!

Consider this chart.  It illustrates the pathology of a bubble:



I could have a field day (or decade) comparing the above to the dog mania we've experienced the past 10 years or so.  I intend to write a series of articles on the evolution of the cult of the dog within the past 70 years.  In short, it appears that the modern dog cult started in the mid-20th century, increased in scope over succeeding decades, and became a mania in the early 2000's.

Fads (bubbles) fade and go away when the general population gets bored with the object of the fad.   The fad consumes more and more resources, and at some point a tipping point is reached and most people head for the door.   The social and political capital invested in Fido is not producing returns.   Many dog owners, disappointed that they did not get the cartoon dog they bargained for, drop out of the dog owning demographic.  This dynamic is exacerbated by the hatred, outrage, and disgust aimed dogs and their owners by a bitter, battered larger public.  Being a dog lover may no longer increase one's social status.

Based on the chart above, I would say society hit the "delusional" phase a few years ago.  Dog lawyers?  Give me a break.   The entire "Mickey" debacle was an attempt to superimpose a Disney-esque ethic over reality.  The result was a train wreck of epic proportions.

Looking forward to the "Fear" phase... that should be interesting.

Have a great evening!



40 comments:

  1. "I literally ran some nuisance barkers out of here."

    Congratulations!

    THAT is the major reason doggists get back to reason, at least for their pockets and a way to stay out of jail.

    Just like you, I'm bot seeing so many dogs everywhere, like loose or strays, BUT, I now see MANY more dogs DEAD on state and coutry roads. You can not travel more then let's say 30 miles without seeing a dog dead on the side of the road, or even in the MIDDLE of dirt roads. Ah, and the presence of vultures flying along roads increased as well.

    What happened? Easy answer: people are dumping their mutts (and all kinds of vehicles are finishing the job. And no, I've never run over a dog, dead or alive, I don't want to to damage my little old car).

    Let's our good luck, along with this trend, continues and get bigger, much bigger.

    Waiting for your next articles!












    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are they all run over, you think, or are there other causes? Shooting? Poisoning?

      Delete
  2. Forgot to say: about a year or so ago I overheard two neighbors on the other side of my district with one saying exactly that: "Don't you know having a dog is the new trend now?"

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a coincidence: I just got into this:

    "Fat Shaming? ‘Experts’ Now Claim Your ‘Healthy Food’ Blog Causes Eating Disorders
    Haven’t you heard the new trend? It’s time to shame the fat-shamers."
    http://www.infowars.com/fat-shaming-experts-now-claim-your-healthy-food-blog-causes-eating-disorders/

    Should we expect some backslash for talking about the end of god dog? Good! Let it come!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I expect the "DENIAL" phase to start at any time. "BUH BUH.... everybody LUVS FIDOOOOO!"

      Delete
  4. Not related to the article at all but I was thinking, do you think that many deaths from pitbulls and other dangerous dogs would have been prevented before they happened if they was euthanized after the first or second incident? It seems that a lot of dangerous dogs who ended up killing people already had a history of attacking or being aggressive to people or animals. Even after really serious attacks they are still given back to their owners.

    Also did you see in the news lately about the guy who took a picture with his pitbull smiling really wide and now the pitbull is at risk for being taken away from him because it's banned in his township? Now there's a lot of public outcry against

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/pit-bull-bans-ethical-221554747.html

    https://twitter.com/dodo/status/741827630048153600/photo/1

    That made me think about your BSL collapse series. I remember reading a comment that said even if BSL is implemented, it doesn't mean that the owners of fighting dogs will even get their dogs taken away because it would be evil to "take away their best friend". This is a really difficult situation.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not related to the article at all but I was thinking, do you think that many deaths from pitbulls and other dangerous dogs would have been prevented before they happened if they was euthanized after the first or second incident?

    Absolutely. Many fatal and mauling attacks are preceded by months or even years of slightly lesser attacks. Attacks that draw no attention from authorities or activists.

    While intervening after an attack or nuisance behavior will not undo the harm, it will prevent future harm from the actors in question. Consider this: How many people has Ted Bundy murdered after his execution? How many people have been exterminated in the Holocaust after the Nazi's were defeated? Its not difficult to connect those dots.

    The Roy McSweeney Debacle is a good example. The dogs in question had sent two people to the hospital on 2 separate occasions... and these were not minor injuries, either. Clearly, if the dogs had been euthanized and the owner jailed after the FIRST attack, McSweeney would still be alive.

    Klonda Richey is another good example. The neighbor had terrorized her with his dogs for months. She went to authorities multiple times, even filed for a protection order.... ALL DENIED! Clearly, if the behavior were arrested at the outset, Richey would still be alive.

    And, little 4 year old Jordyn Arnt is another: She was killed by her babysitter's dogs who were a noted threat to her community: Many in the neighborhood were carrying bats and guns due to the at large dogs behaving dangerously. Indeed, the dogs in question tried to attack THE COUNTY SHERIFF and absolutely nothing was done.

    The problem exists, and persists, because we are all conditioned to consider all dogs as sacred animals, and all dog owners as a master race of people. Until that changes, nothing will get better.

    Thanks for writing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Another data point that supports your argument: The backlash against dog-friendly businesses. Link:

    http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/danehy/Content?oid=6713163

    Quoting from the Tucson Weekly article: "What bothers me the most is that the gutless store managers just let people get away with it for fear of perhaps offending somebody. Personally, I think they need to be offended, early and often. What's going to happen is that some innocent shopper is going to get bitten and then we'll see what happens. I'm kinda hoping that I get bitten. If a dog were to bite me inside a Fry's or Bashas' or Costco (three of the places that have allowed dogs in), I'm gonna own me a grocery store."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a good example of "when they win, they lose". Doggers want dogs injected into everything. However, the more of that there is, the more problems erupt. The more problems erupt, the more people turn against them. Enough people turn against them, and they lose everything.

      Delete
  7. Somewhere in this bubble there has to be a factor where the authorities like law enforcement and Animal Control are no longer willing or able to sustain the false dialog about man's not so good best friend. How much longer can any of them look the other way when the evidence is slapping them in the face daily. I see a change in the comments on pit kill stories. Sure the usually players are out here with the nonsense but more people are starting to go WTF is going on here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a good observation. A collapse of the (false) Narrative is one of the countervailing forces.

      Promoting an obvious false narrative consumes a lot of resources: Time, money, effort, social and political capital, etc... At some point, those doing so are either 1) Completely exhaust themselves and / or 2) Modify their behavior after doing a cost/benefit analysis.

      I am abstracting up to the macro, but I have seen it play out in the micro: My dog crazy ex-neighbors finally moved out as their continued harassment of me was not only not paying dividends, it was wearing them out. Everyone has limited capacity, and when that capacity is reached, they are forced to change their behavior.

      In regards to the government, indeed they will change their tune after they have exhausted their political capital, money and other resources. We don't have to say a word or lift a finger to prove them incompetent.... they do a great job of that on their own!

      Thanks for writing.

      Delete
  8. This is not about love and respect for animals. This is about a corruption of love and respect for animals, a moral deformity that puts pets above people.

    Look deep into that phenomenon. Look without blinking. Do not turn away. What you will see at the very core of it is not love for animals but hatred for human beings. This mentality is not benign. It is actively malignant and morally wrong. That is what I meant to say then and what I still mean to say now. http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/no-i-meant-exactly-what-i-said-about-shooting-and-poisoning-vicious-dogs-8427202

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hatred of fellow humans certainly does come up a lot. Even if it's not stated outright. It ties directly into the need to own and defend pit bulls. After all pits are misunderstood. The nutters circle the wagon around a pit that has maimed, mauled or killed.

      Delete
  9. Once upon a time here you seen working dogs riding in the back of trucks. They were for the most part well behaved and the owners didn't see them as something that had to be forced on anyone else.
    In the cold winter and the heat of summer you might find the herding dog calmly wrapped around it's owners feet in the cafes. There it stayed and was expected to remain. No one fussed over Fido. Then came the mania. Dogs everywhere with everyone thinking the dog had to ride in the truck just to go to the grocery store. No place was sacred. There were dogs in every truck. Often there were dogs bouncing out of trucks. Non working mutts that only knew how to bark , growl and generally be an issue. Then they were no longer allowed in the backs of trucks and moved into the cabs. And then the owners who had non working mutts who can not be left unattended for 5 minutes were stuffed in cars. And since it's just nasty to leave your puppy to bake in a hot car and you can't leave it at home where it tears the walls down and eats the furniture or the neighbors won't tolerate the racket someone caught on to the loopholes in the ADA and invented the fake service dog. Store owners cowered at the thought of questioning the 250 lb. body builder with 3 pit bulls who said SD. And then as if a gift from above came the ESA mutt. Who legally is impossible to discern from a fake SD and the gates opened up and dogs were everywhere. And to speak ill was to directly attack anyone with an invisible disability.
    And now I see signs that no longer say Service Dogs Welcome but signs being more and more specific as to what a SD is and what dogs are allowed. And there has been a massive decrease in mutts in stores in the last 6 months here.
    Even my dumb as stumps neighbors have kept their mutts, they got a replacement for the white bark machine after it went missing, under wraps and quiet as church mice.
    In fact you don't hear dogs carrying on around here anymore , at least for not more than one or two nights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just moved in February and the new place has a lot fewer dogs but proportionately more pits and the like. Seen many in the back of trucks unsecured so they could just jump out and maul someone.

      Delete
  10. This is one of your best articles. It shows how predictable human behavior is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is one of your best articles.

      And, that was one of your best comments!

      Delete
  11. Another great reason to avoid dog ownership: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084835/Mans-worst-friend-Average-dog-causes-2-000-family-arguments-lifetime.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds about right Ka D. I wonder if the vitriol goes up with the number of mutts in a household or is there a tipping point for total apathy.

      Delete
  12. And then there's this: http://freedomoutpost.com/islamist-campaign-to-ban-dogs-begins-in-u-k/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am no fan of 'Mo, but he got a couple of things right.

      Delete
  13. As we know, most dog owners are assholes: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120522084326.htm

    ReplyDelete
  14. And more proof: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11687756

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dogs don't love you, they love FOOD: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/11/dogs-are-not-a-mans-best-friend---they-are-too-selfish-to-help-y/

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sounds to me like alot of dog owners finding out it's not the dream boat they were led to believe it would be: https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/pet-behaviour-reason-for-98-of-euthanasia-requests/

    ReplyDelete
  17. Maybe dogs make people stupid. https://www.lifehack.org/377243/science-says-silence-much-more-important-our-brains-than-thought?ref=facebook

    ReplyDelete
  18. Maybe we are reaching peak mutt. I was surprised most of the comments on this were people sick of other people dragging their damn dogs everywhere with them. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/wetherspoons-ban-dogs-pubs-across-15062999

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow it is really wonderful and awesome thus it is very much useful for me to understand many concepts and helped me a lot. it is really explainable very well and i got more information from your blog. Kindly i submit my blog which is related to Google Play Gift Card

    ReplyDelete
  20. Awesome article! It is in detail and well-formatted that I enjoyed reading. which in turn helped me to get new information from your blog. I am sharing related topic which is most important for How to get free Robux

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is actually good to read the content of this blog. here is very general and the huge knowledgeable platform has been known by this blog. I have some information regarding How to get Free Music on Google Home.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Very useful post. This is my first time i visit here. I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially its discussion. Really its great article. Keep it up click here. Auto clicker

    ReplyDelete
  23. I like this blog very much. It contains much information which is very helpful for everyone. Thanks for this great article.I am a gamer and I also have something for you. you can check here

    ReplyDelete
  24. Such a amazing post with a positive approach. Really glad to read it. Its easy to understand. And you can also check a software to Lock or Split files named Winrar.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Keep up the excellent work , I read few posts on this web site and I believe that your blog is real interesting and holds circles of wonderful information. I also have something for you to Compress and archive files and data. Winrar
    visit here

    ReplyDelete
  26. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This all over information in very informative for me. Such a amazing post with a positive approach. Thank you for giving us such kind of information.

    ReplyDelete