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What About Animals? 🌈 Nook 🐶 Her Monkeys 🐒 Their Car 🚗

@_whataboutanimals_

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🇩🇪 Follow us for Animal Ethics 🐕🐴🦈🦒, FF/R+ Awareness & Travel/Camping Stories of Mountains, Forests, Cities & Coast 🏔️🌳🏙️🏖️

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5 years ago

R+ Worldwide Trainer Database

I've published it recently but didn't get around talking about it.

If you go to my Wonderlink (click the link in my bio) you'll get to the link for the R+ Worldwide Trainer Database, which then should open an online sheet for everyone to access.

Feel free to contact me if you know of someone training with R+ methods who's not listed yet or share the link with your friends or people you think should know.

Tbh, I've mainly searched on IG (name refers to the name on IG as well), so I might miss many actually. They do not need to have an IG or any social media for that matter, but a website would help to get an insight to their methods/philosophy/ethics.

I've always thought some sort of database would be very helpful for people that need a trainer but do want to train R+. Most actually also offer some sort of online services.

Do you know R+ trainers that are not listed yet? Is your country represented in the list?

#rplus #rplustrainers #dogtraining #dogtrainers #sciencebasedtraining #needbasedtraining #bedürfnisorientiert #trainierenstattdominieren #trainhumane by @_whataboutanimals_

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4 years ago

What a pleasure to finally experience & meet @thejacksons @marlonjackson5 @jackiejackson5 ❤️ ~ I wish you many years of good health & us many years of Jackson's performances 🙏😄 Thank you & safe travels ❤️ #jackson5 #thejacksons by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 months ago

Now, having done a few trips with Nook and our VW Caddy, I'm still looking for an ideal option where Nook can sleep comfortably at night. She's easily startled, but does like to sleep as close as possible to us, she also gets cold suuuuuuper quickly but having the normal version of the Caddy (vs the maxi version) it gets pretty packed at night. If it's only me and Nook, it's like a villa in there 😂 But both of us plus Nook feels like too much... And I'm easily kept awake if something is amiss as well 😪 Just wondering if there's any smarty pants solutions out there that I'm not aware of, hehe.

#minicamper
#campingwithdogs
#vwcaddy

Where does your dog sleep in your (mini) campervan? taken in Copenhagen, Denmark by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago

"They behaved like animals"

I have a problem with that saying anyway, in any context. Because it indirectly gives some sort of justification to treat animals terrible (or the individuals that are named that way for that matter). It indicates that those individuals in some way showed terrible, brutal behavior.

Especially in the last two weeks, I heard plenty of times "They acted like animals", "They behaved like animals", "They're animals, not humans" in regards to the Hamas progrome, terrorist attack on Israel.

Truth is, not non-human animals behave like that, but humans. What happened that day is _very much_ human behavior. Animals don't do that (With some exceptions of our biological family of great apes - we're apes after all). In a lot of ways, non-human animals are much wiser than humans, more de-escalating than humans, and you could argue, therefore more humane than humans, even though de-escalation wouldn't be classically considered humane behavior.

Humans that act un-empathetic, brutal, kill, torture and murder act very much like a human, but not humane.

If we accept that it's on the spectrum of human behavior, and not a monster or animal, we actually can try to understand _why_ people act that way, also make people aware that the most normal looking human, can be dangerous. Otherwise, people look for a "monster" or an "animal". True crime teaches us, that the most brutal killers are very often very normal looking people.

They acted like humans, that are poisoned with ideology and got to power because of a suffering population. We've seen it time and time again in history. Human suffering creates human terror unfortunately, although it will never be an excuse for terror. by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago

Traveling with a dog

Before I was a dog guardian, I thought dogs would be the perfect travel companion. And in many ways they are: They're not territorial like cats, they connect to humans on another level than most other domesticated animals and they generally like to explore.

But...
After I got Nook and had little trips here and there, I realized, that traveling really is my primate human wish. I am the one who likes seeing places, long treks, new countries, new cities, big adventures and exploring. Nook will come with me and does whatever I do, but because she's made to follow me, her human... Not because it's her need. Really, she would be totally fine being all her life in our little town, going on the same walks every day, and having a strict and strong routine. Only being with her two favorite humans.

Sometimes, I wonder if I ask a little much when we travel. And she's such a cool cucumber really 🥒 I think many humans just drag their dogs to go places, do stuff, live in cities, small flats,... not realizing that the dog is really, really not into it or at least has no need for that. I guess, I'm doing that too when we travel.

Many dogs would live a totally happy life as free roaming yard dogs. No walkies. No travel. "Just" autonomous, free dogs that are fed and generally taken care of but don't need to be or function in a human world. That's dog keeping I can imagine for myself in the future. It's kind of how it was done for the majority of time in the human-dog relationship and history. But of course, not possible anymore in most places nowadays. taken in Allgäu, Bavaria by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago

Appreciating Nook

The last couple of days, I had a dog over to sit that I considered a perfect dog when I just got Nook. Compared to Nook, this dog seemed so quiet and easy going. Just generally chill and an easy dog to handle.

Now that I had them over for a couple of days, I wouldn't trade that dog with Nook 🙈

It was a dog that wakes you up in the morning, needs entertainment, and gets whiny when I started to work at the computer. Plus a very strong hunting drive and guarding the garden when people walk past etc.

I'm sure all of that would become better with time and some training and getting to know each other, but I just wouldn't have nerves for that anymore.

I really love with Nook that she lets me sleep as long as I want. That she curls up when I work at the desk. She talks to me about twice a day: Usually around midday when she needs out and/or a snack (we have a garden she goes pee in the morning) and then for bigger walkies in the afternoon. She doesn't hunt or cares for people walking past my garden. She can chill with me almost all day, if I need or want to.

The only thing that I'd change about Nook is her SA. If I'd had a magic wand 🪄 I'd wish for her being the same except that she can be home alone for 6 hours if needed.

What do you appreciate about your dog? And if you'd have a magic wand 🪄 what would you change? taken in Negev Desert by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago

How AI can teach us to be nice to animals

If animals are worthy of humane treatment is often linked to intelligence that is compared to human intelligence. If animals are deemed not intelligent, have, to our knowledge, no understanding of self and so forth, this serves often as a justification to use animals and treat them horribly.

(Paradoxically, animals that are close to us, like dogs and horses, are often considered intelligent, but often receive aversive behaviors by humans. The justification often appears to be BECAUSE they're intelligent and that they know exactly what they're doing. Humans are really something. I sometimes have to laugh about how much we resemble and behave like the primates that we are and how much we fight being associated with it)

In fact, factory farming received justification back in the day through the narrative that animals are nothing more than bags of flesh and bones with no feelings. It's totally OK to do this to them!

Today, we know this was an excuse and that especially pigs are incredibly intelligent. Yet, ethically, factory farming bugs for example is considered OK still today. For similar reasons that humans had before.

In my mind, it doesn't matter if animals are considered intelligent to humans or not. It doesn't matter if a being is able to recognize themselves in the mirror or not. Unethical and inhumane treatment remains just that.

How this relates to AI... is a concept or thoughts that are just forming. More in the next post.

#ai #kinship taken in Allgäu, Bavaria by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago

Time away from Nook

This week I'm away from Nook for a few days. As much as I do need time for myself, especially with a dog that has SA and especially when we just got her, I do miss her a lot when I'm away for a few days.

I don't even think I could do a week holiday without her 😅 I'd miss her terribly.

I'm already looking forward being greeted with her little grin 😁

I'm so happy she can stay with other hooman do easily now. It really is no issue anymore. (It was a BIG issue in the beginning tho)

A bigger problem is when we want to do things together... Sitting is still an issue and probably will remain so.

I think holidays, I'll only ever plan with Nook whenever possible 💕 Our next little trip will be Budapest in Juli, if everything works out.

Do you go on holidays without your dog? taken in Allgäu, Bavaria by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago

How to deal with aversive behaviors towards animals in your personal proximity?

I gotta tell you, that I don't have an answer and that I am asking YOU! 😆😆😆

It really gets to me sometimes and today it hit pretty hard. Thing is, it's everywhere and all over. I am guessing no one can really avoid it in real life.

I definitely avoid walking with people that treat their dogs aversive, not only is this mean for Nook (she receives the impulse just as much) but it's also not enjoyable for me. So, our walking buddies have changed quite a bit in recent years 😅 Especially, when I see on what behaviors animals get corrected and also understand how unnecessary that is. So often there are the simplest alternatives. I think most people just don't know.

Now, I also don't wanna run around telling people how to behave. I also don't tell people to leash their dog, when it really should, in most instances. But that also stems from the privilege I have with Nook's size and her being small.

Well, what I thought of and helped me so far is the thought of that animal abuse and unethical keeping, handling and training is out there and I guess (but don't hope so) will always be out there. I can't change every human monkey mind about that. But I can try to advocate for ethical training, backed up by behavior science. Advocate for happier animals and a normalisation of being kind to animals. That means, even when they "act up". Every freaking time it's such a relief when humans don't feel the need to correct an animal (or child for that matter), when they don't do something the human wants or finds unattractive behavior. Every single time it almost makes me cry it's so engrained into my brain that a correction is supposed to follow. Really, it is so easy to undo. Not only between a Human-Human relationship that changes so much, but also between a Human-Animal relationship. taken in Allgäu, Bavaria by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago

Pain

I've had shoulder pain for the last week. And I immediately recognized, really thanks to owning a dog and learning about dog training, how my behavior changed... Restlessness, snappy-ness, no tolerance for anything else bothersome. Like Nook barking.
It was quite remarkable to experience. I basically became like a stressed out, reactive dog. I'm not saying that every "problem dog" is in pain, but I'm selling to really give your dog a good vet check if they're "misbehaving" or have some other behavioral concerns. Same goes for your horse. Or probably any other being that you keep in captivity.

Picture: Barking Nook 😂

#paindrivesbehavior taken in Allgäu, Bavaria by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago

Did you know that April is widely regarded as Animal Ethical Awareness Month? #animalethics

And did you know that the first animal ethics movement, and I believe law that was put into place, was regarding carriage pulling horse wellness in New York? Horses were literally beaten to death to keep working and pulling.
As the car became more popular, the animal ethics movement put their focus on anti animal testing, that became more and more popular and on a scale that was never seen before. To this day, "laboratory animals" (often wild species btw but also many, many dogs) have one of the lowest amounts of rights to represent them in law, and are hardly enforced. Later, and to this day, most animal ethics are focused on agriculture. Next to "laboratory animals" and "military animals", factory farmed animals have no (enforced) rights and live life in misery and constant suffering.
Pets usually, in the context of "mainstream animal ethics", are hardly talked about, because "we love them, right?".
Unfortunately, even pets are not treated in an ethical way. From inbreeding to creating sick animals, to training methods, to keeping conditions... Usually, the "we love them, so all is cool" narrative is from the perspective of humans, but not from the animal's. Maybe dogs don't need only warm beds to be happy, maybe dogs don't need a life in the city to he happy, perhaps bunnies really would love to dig and hop a little further than 5 hops? Maybe cats need a bit more than walking on a leash to live species-appropriate lives? Maybe Guinea pigs don't want to be handled by humans, and especially not kids, maybe birds actually would like to... Um, fly instead of having their wings cut or sit in cages (no matter how big). This list can go on and on and on really. Maybe many pets actually would prefer not to be a human pet.
All of the above are relevant, animal testing is my personal nemesis, I hardly can learn or read about it, because it is so fu***** disturbing. Did you know that this is still booming? China builds laboratories of never before seen scale. All of these aspects are relevant, but we also should not forget about pets. Especially, because they are beloved. taken in Mitzpe Ramon by @_whataboutanimals_

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3 years ago