I See a Different Mentality Between Cat and Dog Owners
By Elisa Black-Taylor
I see a different mentality between cat and dog owners in this country. Well, around the world as some of my friends live in other countries. I want to explain what I’m seeing and I’d like for the readers here to give me their own opinion. I apologize for being a bit long on this article.
I first noticed this in the past few weeks, as I’ve covered a lot of family dogs shot by police articles for my writing on dogs for Examiner.com. I’m currently #4 Dog Examiner in the U.S. and I’m doing well because there are so many cases to cover. I never run out of writing ideas. I’m even studying landmark cases and forcing myself to study a lot of legal court records. Michael, I don’t know how you did it! I need a book titled “Dogs Wrongly Killed for Dummies.” There are “dummy” manuals for everything else these days. I’ll either gain a bit of legal intelligence or drive myself a bit more insane. My focus is on past cases where dog owners sued the police (or city) and won a cash settlement.
Dog owners here are tired of police either busting into their homes or being at the wrong address and their family dogs pay the price. My most recent article was about a police officer killed when he pointed a stun gun at a dog owned by a horrible individual. The officer had been ordered by the chief to “kill the dogs” at which time the owner killed him. This article has received a lot of comments about how he was a good man and left behind a wife and two small kids.
Collage by Elisa
The comments on these dog articles can be upsetting. I see a lot of people who think the officer “got what was coming to him.” On the dogs killed articles I see comments saying they hope the officer “burns in hell” or “spends the rest of his life in jail”. The officer shot had several comments praising his death.
I even admit myself if someone pointed a gun at my dog, I’d take a dive toward my dog or the officer. I consider it a “mothering” instinct more than a dislike of police officers. My article about the slain officer was to warn people there are a lot of crazy people out there. I’m surprised I’ve only found one case leading to death.
I don’t see this type of hatred on the cat sites. I see major disagreements sometimes. There are a few extremist groups who have commented in the past on PoC that fit the mentality of these dog owners who leave negative comments. I received a lot of feedback on my PoC abuse articles, where cat lovers state they want maximum punishment for the abuser. But I don’t see the raw hatred that’s in the comments on my cat articles that I do on the dog articles I write.
Just about everyone who comments on the dog sites is like our notorious cat hater who calls himself “the Woodsman” who Michael has such a cat and mouse game going with. Only it’s towards the police instead of the animal. Which may be justified since almost all of the dogs shot were innocent and not a big threat. Certainly not enough for the dog to be killed.
I almost titled this article I’m writing now “Could You Kill A Cop Who Threatened Your Cat?” That would be a bit insane because I can’t picture a police officer being afraid enough of a cat to kill it. A cat-hating officer may kill a cat then hide that fact. The cat would disappear and no one would be the wiser. I just can’t picture a cat as being the same threat and openly shot in front of its horrified owner. A few cats have even been known to scare off burglars (Gwen Cooper’s little Homer of Homer’s Odyssey fame is one).
I picture most cats as lazy laid-back. That may be the difference. Affectionate dogs are often misjudged as aggressive. I recently did a story of an officer who killed an 18-pound dog. I have CATS almost that size! I have a problem with an officer killing a dog that couldn’t reach high enough to even bite him on the knee.
We have a big problem in this country with police shooting and killing any family dog who walks toward them. People became upset months ago, then angry. Now they’re infuriated and fighting back. They’re also condemning police without judge or jury. Some officers deserve this. In fact, most of them do. I handle the stories I believe I can make a difference in. Anything to get laws made to protect dogs and punish those responsible for senseless killings.
Michael recently did an article about the women who killed or injured a spouse when the spouse threatened to kill a cat. It’s at https://pictures-of-cats.org/Killing-Would-be-Cat-Killers.html. I did a similar one for my dog column and the response was overwhelming. I’m giving you the link to that article so you can check it out. Feel free to check out some of my others while you’re at it. It’s at www.examiner.com/article/would-you-kill-your-spouse-to-protect-your-dog
Perhaps I’m too involved in this, as I love dogs and cats equally, although for different reasons. Are dog-only owners of a different mentality than cat owners? I see cat owners as more relaxed. Earth-friendly and nurturing. Sometimes. Unless you make them mad and they come out with their claws ready for a fight.
Do dog owners just have a different set of problems to worry about concerning ownership? Or is their general outlook on life totally different than cat-only people? What do the readers here see as the most important difference between cat people and dog people? Or do you see a difference at all?
Also, do any of you believe the Woodsman likes dogs, or does he hate animals in general? Hi Woody Woody! Care to comment?
Comments are much appreciated on this one. I’m going to pass this article around to my dog sites, so be prepared for some new faces on here. I hope someone appreciates this topic enough to take the time and comment. It’s often hard to judge the articles that will go over well and the ones that just take up internet space.
Did you find this article useful and interesting? Can it be improved? Please tell me in a comment. I am always keen to improve the site for animal welfare and reader enjoyment.