"They (dogs) are other nations."

Dog nations?

Really?

What else goes on on her world?

This is the funniest thing I have read all day!

A more pretentious, self-satisfied bunch of intolerant knowitalls you'll ever find.

Carol, this is what Broadsheet is, though you may be so close to it you cannot see it.

But this is what you should strive to avoid.

Bring in more diverse women's opinions. Free speech feminists. Libertarian feminists. Equity feminists.

Start linking to men that discuss women's and men's issues.

Step out of the ghetto.

Except discussing the relative impacts of sole custody or shared parenting on the lives of children and the lives of fathers.

Except discussing the significance of false allegations of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or rape during custody trials.

Except discussing the "equity" of child support formulas that leave a divorced father driving a used car and renting in a small apartment while the ex wife has a new car, a new home, and a new vacation home.

Every issue is a feminist issue.

We must talk about how feminism impacts dogs.

But we must not talk about how feminism impacts fathers.

Every issue is a feminist issue.

We think men are less than dogs.

If they're like that towards their friends, we can only speculate over how they must act towards those they regard as their enemies.

Speaking of which, I wonder where the "man-hater" stereotype comes from? Hmm.

Well, I'm sure it's just a right-wing smear with no basis in reality whatsoever.

" My assumption: animals are not the property of humans to be bought and sold like slaves for our pleasure. They are other nations, to be respected and treated with dignity. Humans are responsible for cat and dog overpopulation, therefor we are responsible for caring for those animals that need care, the ones in shelters. There is absolutely no need to breed animals for profit, be them for pets or meat. It’s slavery and it’s wrong."

I like Elaine’s writing, and I have a lot of respect for her as a feminist and as a writer. But these kinds of statements, which are too often made by attention-hungry animal-rights groups like PETA (and, notably, by attention-hungry anti-choice groups, only about abortion being a new Holocaust), are offensive on so many levels that I don’t know where to start. Except it only gets worse:

Does anyone not see the parallel between attention-hungry animal-rights groups like PETA and attention-hungry women's rights groups like NOW?

Please stop the identity politics. We are all here and we are all human.

"We think men are less than dogs."

No one said that, "Anonymous." You are a (cowardly) blowhard with such a (repetitive) ax to grind! How is your conflating their argument to be anti men any different than their anti breeder argument conflated to be anti slavery?

Lumping all feminists together as man haters is like lumping all men together as (fill in the blank).

And, if you feel so strongly that you simply *must* comment multiple times for every Broadsheet, how about signing your name?

Look, those of us who want purebred dogs, for a VARIETY of reasons, shouldn't have to defend ourselves against the self-righteous types who actively want domestic animals to disappear from the earth.

Actually I'm no defender of breeders -- I would never buy a dog from a breeder, and the fervent animal-rights folks have done a great job in educating a good portion of the public that breeding specialty cats and dogs is rarely the right choice ethically speaking.

Ummm... why not? I got two of my dogs from a breeder. I compete in dog sports, and I wanted the particular traits that my breed has--plus I wanted dogs from parents that had been tested for various genetic problems (if you think by getting a mutt you're avoiding those genetic problems, you'd be wrong). Dog sports people are some of the most responsible and knowledgeable dog owners (ooh, I used "owners") in the world, and most work to help rescue and rehabilitate dogs as well.

That's not to say that there aren't irresponsible breeders out there--but if you think your average hobby breeder makes tons of money, you would ABSOLUTELY be wrong. They do it because they love their breed and hope to produce healthy, beautiful animals who can DO A JOB.

This whole flap is ridiculous, and part of the reason I have trouble READING lefty blogs (and I am deeply liberal).

My dog did not come from a breeder. He was given to me by a woman who was about to send him to the pound because he had gotten her female dog pregnant. I got him because I did not want a puppy. He was 10 months old at the time and he is no doubt mostly German Shepherd with maybe a dash of Husky.

The dog before, a Cockapoo, came from the pound and was a pet for my daughter.

That said, the PC-ness of all of this gets on my nerves. Last I checked, it is still a free country. Where people choose to get their pets is their own business. One of the advantages of getting a purebred is that you know pretty much how it will behave. You can even control this more if you research and go to a breeder who pays attention to temperament. For people who have patience and are willing to do their homework, breed rescues are the saintly was to go.

What is most important is not to end up taking a dog to the pound, or, in the case of behavior problems, BACK to the pound. Choosing a dog that is compatible with you and your family and your life style is actually likely to result in a better outcome for everyone. Dogs end up at the pound in the first place because of bad matches.

If I ever get another dog, I may buy from a breeder one of the non-shedding breeds, maybe even a designer dog like a Labradoodle. This is because my daughter is allergic to dog dander and the Shepherd sheds ALL THE TIME. Labradoodles don't shed and some are guaranteed hypoallergenic.

To each his/her own.