Am I the only one who feels this way...or has PT really changed recently?

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Originally posted by lizzielou742
For me, the only negative thing about PT are threads like this. :(

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I was thinking along the same lines. (This isn't against you at all PCB). I usually start to feel more negative when everyone keeps pointing out the negative things. Instead of talking about the negative, I think it may be more effective to display the positive.

I joined PT almost 4 years ago and it has changed a lot. I miss tons of people who left, but I also love the new people. I'm always very resistant to change, but sometimes change is a wonderful thing. I just keep hoping that the oldies will come back, but at the same time I really enjoy the company of the newbies. They bring fresh ideas and conversation... and more pictures! Of course, I DON'T enjoy all the new trolls and I complain about them a lot on AIM. I think complaining about them publicly fuels their fire in a way. But as PT grows, there will be more trolls no matter what. There will also be more differing opinions, arguments, etc etc etc. I just don't see any way around it because thats what comes with the growth of a public community.

As far as being judgemental, that won't stop. I know some people here who think I'm a goody-goody, Miss Perfect, judgemental person. It really couldn't be further from the truth. I'm very open-minded and nonjudgemental, BUT i am PASSIONATE about animals and when someone is not treating them how they should be treated, I will always say something. I have never said anything in a rude way though. Animals don't have a voice of their own and I care about them too much to just keep my mouth shut for the sake of keeping the peace. I never want to start arguments, but I will always say something nicely if I feel I can offer advice on the matter. I've felt the need to clarify that ever since I found out some people don't like me because I will say something when I feel an animal isn't being treated correctly.

Anyway, I'm tired and babbling so I guess I'll stop now. Just wanted to say to the new people that you are all liked and please don't get discouraged. Keep up the posting everyone!

Just discovered this thread... .

He he, everybody is talking about how so many oldies are gone, or don't post anymore. In case some haven't noticed it yet: I AM BACK!!! !! I was gone for almost a year, and I am so happy to be back!! Yes, some things have changed, but don't we all change?? PT is what we want it to be, as long as be ALL do our best. I chose to forget and put all the problems behind me; so I came back: I haven't regretted one minute :) :) !!
PETTALK is the first site I log into in the morning, and it is the last one I close before going to bed or watching tele!!

Come on, everybody, it is almost Christmas! Let's put all our grieves behind us, and inject tons of positive thoughts into our forum! I love you ALL http://users.pandora.be/bernardgabri...0940%20hug.gifhttp://users.pandora.be/bernardgabri...0big%20sun.gif

Lut, I love you! :) Hehehe!! I'm so glad to have you back!!!

You guys, I haven't gone anywhere on purpose. Please don't lump me in the lurkers or not interested group. It is time and nothing else that has taken me away in recent months. I still love it here and come as often as I can!!!! :D

Merry Christmas!!! :D

Logan

I haven't been around much lately, but it is more due to changes in my life rather than changes in this board. Personally, I joined about 2 years ago and the only real changes I have seen is that it has gotten bigger - which creates more. More fluff posts, more divergent opinions, more trolls, more controversy. I am on such time constraints right now with being so involved with our rescue organization, fostering, fundraising, volunteering, etc., that I just don't have the time to visit as often as I used to. It does not mean that I don't still enjoy the site and visit whenever I have the time. Since it is bigger, however, I have pretty much lost track of who everyone is and where their lives are now. Because of my time constraints, I tend to stay away from the general forums and visit the rescue and behavior forums more. The general forums are just too BIG!! Although I do try to view the threads of the people who I have know better. :)

I have never been a very prolific poster (as you can see from my post count) :o but this site has had a profound impact on my life. It was due to this site that I became more involved in animal rescue and animal welfare, as have other people. It may lead us to post less, and visit less, but it makes the world a better place for animals. JMHO

Hey, everyone. It's guster girl. I'm on the computer at work, and, it's not letting me log in as guster girl, so, i created this new name to post on this thread. I've not been on Pet Talk for awhile, but, I'm sure I'm not one of the people that's missed. I wasn't posting much before I got this new job because I honestly didn't feel like I was welcome. And, I've not posted at all lately because of my schedule and lack of personal computer. At least I'm loving my job for the first time ever. I'm living with a couple of roomies and they have a six month old yellow lab boy for Finn to play with, so, Ray and Finn keep me busy, too. Finn will be a year old tomorrow for y'all that loved my puppy! :) But, anyway, I digress. The main reason I left PT was because I made a friend and in turn lost that friend without ever knowing why, and, being here made me fantastically sad about that. :( But, as for Pet Talk itself, the face of it has changed even since I joined. I can see why a lot of people would be nervous about posting things on a lot of topics or being honest about their positions on things. It can be a very ugly place in here, but, I think this thread is actually a good idea, because at least the folks that feel that way can see that they're not the only ones.

I agree with many many statements made by various people, some of the statements might even be conflicting but that doesn't make both not be true in some ways. I agree PT has felt different the past few months, though I've been here a bit over a year and may not really be considered an "old-timer."

I agree that threads like this can be discouraging, but I agree they can be enlightening too.

I agree that it's sad some people's posts, especially the newer people's, tend to go unanswered, but I agree it can get hard when this is such a big community, and you want to answer both your friend's posts and newer folks' posts but have limited time. Gosh I don't want the wonderful friends I've made here to feel neglected or ignored, and I WANT to catch all their posts and reply, but just as much hate seeing people feel left out and ignored because they are new or feel unliked.

I agree that people can be judgmental or say hurtful things when others do something they don't understand, but also that everyone is different, has different opinions, and judging those people, getting angry and turning to bash them, doesn't help anything but makes the problem worse. The thing that speaks loudest to me is never someone yelling at me that they are disgusted by what I said or did, but by watching someone else respond in the way I should have, with love and compassion and without judgment. Leading by example. A n example of support and compassion is spoiled when the person turns around and bashes somebody else for not reacting the same way, and perpetuates the arguing and bad feelings, this is just my opinion.

That said, I'm going to turn around and make a statement that is not aimed at anyone in particular but just something that bothers me. I wish people would not utilize the rolleyes emoticon at all towards other posters on this board. It makes my heart sick whenever I see it used towards someone. If I saw it used towards me or something I said, I'd feel stupid. When I was in school, I wasn't one of the popular kids. When I tried to join in and make a joke or conversation, some of the girls would roll their eyes at what I said and then laugh together. I wanted to crawl under a rock I felt so humiliated, and to this day I struggle with having the courage to join in and express myself when I'm with people I don't know. I get that same feeling when I see the emoticon here when it's aimed at another person. It hurts even though it's not directed at me. I have used it towards a poster once since I've been here, I remember exactly which post (I believed the person was a troll), and still regret it. It was rude and unnecessary, and I felt so bad I eventually went back and deleted the post with it.

I agree it's up to each of us to make PT a better place, to put some effort into it. What if every person made some commitment in their own mind to make sure one post a day was to welcome a newer person to the board, or to dog/cat/pet of the day, or to give advice on a behavior or health thread, or to give solace in a memorial thread? If every one here decided to do just one of those things even every other day or so, think of the love and support that would put out. I'm just as guilty as the next for thinking "I just don't have time." "I've got too much going on in my own life." etc. etc. For me, I think the worst excuse is that if I post to one the rest will feel left out because I don't have time to post to all of them, so what do I do? I don't post to any! That's not helping anything.

Now honestly though, I have had so much going on. I had problems with my arm, my husband was unemployed for months, I have had extreme pressure from my job, and so on and so forth. I've let all that take over though and left PT behind for weeks now. I didn't even really post when my husband finally got hired again. I thought about it but for some reason I just felt like it wasn't something really of interest to the majority here. I think I had gone so long without really sharing that I just got used to not sharing so much.

This is certainly longer than I intended and I'm now half an hour late getting started on work, but I want to also say: Starting today, because of this post, I'm going to make more of an effort to at least post once, maybe just a couple lines, to one of the pets of the day, or to someone needing comfort, or to someone new to the board, or to someone who posted pics and isn't getting responses. I may not get to everyone, but I will make at least some small difference, and that is the only way to start.

The changes reflect time itself.

I love PT and it's the only site I visit regularly.

I don't have the time or desire to go surfing anyplace else.

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Some people do not see that change is the natural progression of life.

Some people want things to stay the same forever.

Other people see the change, accept it or get left behind.

Some people complain, complain and complain.


I have to laugh when I see people who complain about things that they refuse to change in their personal lives because they do not want to impact their little sphere of comfort.

But they sure will make a huge mountain out of a molehill to get their little agendas heard on the role call----

It's quite entertaining to see people who have absolutely no desire or guts to change a social issue that impacts their safety, health or standard of living, get the cojones to make a huge stink about things that have little or no impact on them.

Watch them go to pot over a thread on a website....
And heaven forbid you reply to them, they automatically start to whimper about people piling on and being rude or inappropriate.

They are more offended by people on a website than they are by people they see everyday- friends, coworker and classmates.

Go figure.


My goodness,

When it comes to taking the bull by the horns they's rather sit behind the fence and cry about how the bull is being mistreated because he lives in a pen, gets fed every days and is treated better than most of us in our everyday lives.

Let the bull run free, as long as it's under THEIR TERMS.

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I like to think that we all have lives that revolve around our pets. but we also have the lives that revolve around other aspects in our lives.

I appreciate the job that Karen and Paul do to keep PT running. I also appreciate the latitude of the topics that they have allowed us to explore.

It's just too bad that immature people, people who cannot handle some jokes or topics outside the realm of animal issues,
cannot skip a thread that they may think might not be their cup of tea.


I think that squeaky wheels are important in life.

They remind you how nice it is when you walk instead of jumping into a topic and putting yourself under an 'auditory' assault.;)

Thanks to everyone for their comments, and to everyone who is going to try to post more (yay!) and more positively! :)

Quote:

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Originally posted by Karen
Thanks to everyone for their comments, and to everyone who is going to try to post more (yay!) and more positively! :)

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We do have to get that millionth post in.....:D

I know quite a few posts have been specifically pointed towards me in here. I know this, because they're coming from people who dislike me.

I know a lot of people on here with i'm some immature, heartless little child.
These are the same people who have NEVER taken the chance to actually get to know *ME* These are the same people whom call me judgemental yet have never taken the oppurtunity to see where i'm coming from. SO many things are said to me via-PM, Livejournal, AIM -- No one sees them, except me and a few others. Yet the people who say things to me act like they've NEVER said a mean word to me in their life on here, thus since I treat them the same way they treat me, PT seems to think that i'm the wrong-doer. I treat people the same way, no matter where. Going from one website to another isn't going to make my opinion of a person change, the way I treat them change, or the way they treated me change.

Yes, I'll admit i've said some wrong things in the past. Yes, I admit that at times, I can be judgemental... when it comes to animals, especially.
I do think i've grown a lot mentally and matured. I do think i'm a lot better than I used to be. People do like to dwell in the past, though.
But must we dwell in the past? Are we incapable of moving on?

I guess that may sound a bit hypocritical since i've been saying how PT has changed and i'd love for it to be the way it used to be. But, who could blame me? I've grown so attached to this place over the years i've been here. I've made so many wonderful friends, grown so attached to their animals, a lot of the time I think of them as my actually family. And many of them have moved on, many of them have left. I've found mysefl not wanting to be here anymore. I've found myself looking for new forums to share my dogs with. Yes, this makes me sad, and this makes me wish things were back to how they used to be.


I and many others think a lot of PT's problems have to do with the lack of moderators. Karen does an alright job for one person. I understand she is only one person and can only be here for a certain amount of time. But that's the problem, she is only ONE person. If I were her, I'd take some well-respected PT members and appoint them moderators. In example- Aly, Sandra, Jessica, etc. All three are great examples of whom always see *both* sides of the story.


Another suggestion possibly, is to make seperate picture sections.
Dog Pictures, Cat Pictures, Pet Pictures, General Pictures.
This way picture threads won't get burried so easily, like has been commented on.


I really do want PT to be a better place. Recently i've patched up things with quite a few people i've had "tiffs" with in the past. I'm only capable of doing this is others are capable of forgiving and forgetting, and understanding.

Quote:

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Originally posted by RICHARD



I think that squeaky wheels are important in life.

They remind you how nice it is when you walk instead of jumping into a topic and putting yourself under an 'auditory' assault.;)

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http://www.wd40.com/Brands/wd40.cfm

Quote:

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Originally posted by Kfamr
Recently i've patched up things with quite a few people i've had "tiffs" with in the past. I'm only capable of doing this is others are capable of forgiving and forgetting, and understanding.

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And I'm so glad that you and I were able to do this. :D I consider you a good friend, Kay. It took us awhile, but once we put all that crap behind us look at us now. :)

There was even a subject recently where you and I disagreed, but we were still able to be civil to each other on PT and off. I'm very grateful for that, and for your friendship.

Ew. That was smarmy wasn't it? :p :p :p

Maybe the first step we should take to make PT a better place again is to forgive everyone we've had issues with, forget their mistakes of the past, and start a new page in life. I didn't make this thread for people to complain about the past. What has happened last year, two years ago, three years ago, etc. is long gone and over with. People do change with time, especially younger people, as they have lots to learn in life. I know I wasn't the best of members in the past either, but I know that I have positively changed in several ways. I know others have changed too. I made this thread so it gives us some thoughts about things we did wrong in the past....things we can learn lessons from and change for the good. I made it so we can focus on the future, and make the FUTURE of PT the best it has ever been. We can't make PT great alone. We need to get together to do it. ;)

I must be very stupid.......
I've been on for two years and the only change I've seen are more members and tolls coming and going. I'm not bored with Pet Talk and as far as those "pointless" and "I'm bored" threads are concerned...I just don't read. Simple as that.

The only change I would like to see is a separate section for games and puzzles. They really do clog up the General Section.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Kfamr
I know quite a few posts have been specifically pointed towards me in here. I know this, because they're coming from people who dislike me.

I know a lot of people on here with i'm some immature, heartless little child.
These are the same people who have NEVER taken the chance to actually get to know *ME* These are the same people whom call me judgemental yet have never taken the oppurtunity to see where i'm coming from. SO many things are said to me via-PM, Livejournal, AIM -- No one sees them, except me and a few others. Yet the people who say things to me act like they've NEVER said a mean word to me in their life on here, thus since I treat them the same way they treat me, PT seems to think that i'm the wrong-doer. I treat people the same way, no matter where. Going from one website to another isn't going to make my opinion of a person change, the way I treat them change, or the way they treated me change.

Yes, I'll admit i've said some wrong things in the past. Yes, I admit that at times, I can be judgemental... when it comes to animals, especially.
I do think i've grown a lot mentally and matured. I do think i'm a lot better than I used to be. People do like to dwell in the past, though.
But must we dwell in the past? Are we incapable of moving on?

I guess that may sound a bit hypocritical since i've been saying how PT has changed and i'd love for it to be the way it used to be. But, who could blame me? I've grown so attached to this place over the years i've been here. I've made so many wonderful friends, grown so attached to their animals, a lot of the time I think of them as my actually family. And many of them have moved on, many of them have left. I've found mysefl not wanting to be here anymore. I've found myself looking for new forums to share my dogs with. Yes, this makes me sad, and this makes me wish things were back to how they used to be.


I and many others think a lot of PT's problems have to do with the lack of moderators. Karen does an alright job for one person. I understand she is only one person and can only be here for a certain amount of time. But that's the problem, she is only ONE person. If I were her, I'd take some well-respected PT members and appoint them moderators. In example- Aly, Sandra, Jessica, etc. All three are great examples of whom always see *both* sides of the story.


Another suggestion possibly, is to make seperate picture sections.
Dog Pictures, Cat Pictures, Pet Pictures, General Pictures.
This way picture threads won't get burried so easily, like has been commented on.


I really do want PT to be a better place. Recently i've patched up things with quite a few people i've had "tiffs" with in the past. I'm only capable of doing this is others are capable of forgiving and forgetting, and understanding.

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I got to know you for over a year before I even said anything. I've given you more then enough opportunity to prove how sweet and compassionate you are. You have done and said alot of very cruel things to alot of people on PT. I'll admit, you have cleaned up alot. But my heart still hurts for all those people that you've damaged in the past.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Tonya
I got to know you for over a year before I even said anything. I've given you more then enough opportunity to prove how sweet and compassionate you are. You have done and said alot of very cruel things to alot of people on PT. I'll admit, you have cleaned up alot. But my heart still hurts for all those people that you've damaged in the past.

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I do not believe you've given me a chance like the many friends I have here. Not at all.

You, and others, really have no clue whatsoever of who I am.
We've exchanged maybe 5 PM's at the most. That's really no way for you to know me, or for me to know you.

And like I said, why dwell in the past? Are we incapable of moving on? Lets be "adults".

*sigh*

I did NOT make this thread for people to start bashing others. Like I said...people do change as they grow, in one way or the other. Kay and I have had our fair share of fights in the past...but I do hope we can get over it someday. I don't want to fight with anyone anymore. I want to learn to be more forgiving. Obviously forgiveness goes both ways though. I know Kay has made mistakes in the past, but she's not alone. None of us are completely innocent. PT's never going to get better unless we realize the problems within ourselves too.

Yes I know you're all going to faint after seeing this post of mine, but I'm hoping to be over with my 'hateful fights'. I'm older now, and should know better. If someone's arguing, that doesn't mean I have to argue back. :p Really though...I do wish to forgive and forget. It just might help make the atmosphere on PT a little better. I wish we could all forgive, forget, and change ourselves for the good. We all make mistakes. We're human beings. If we can realize our mistakes and change ourselves, I think that should erase the problems of the past. That is something I feel we ALL (myself included) need to do.

I really believe PT is what YOU make it, I have been here almost 2 years now, and yes there have been some changes, but not enough to make me leave, I still look forward to my daily fix of PT.

I try to answer as many threads as I can, I don't answer them because I feel I know the person, or for any judgemental reasons, age does not come into it, I think you will find me in all sorts of threads, whether written by newbie's, young or old, controversial, funny, sad, although I tend to try and keep away from the animal cruelty ones, because I can't handle it.

Emotions run high sometimes, and we let them get in the way, and we end up with those argumentative threads, even though no-one really enjoys them, I guess it is a part of human nature.

I appauld Karen and Paul for their job, it is a toughie, and IMO they are doing the best they possibly can.

I think what YOU put into it, YOU will get back, one has to take some things with a grain of salt, and not take it too much to heart,having said that I have had my own feelings hurt once or twice, but I feel I have moved on,and put it all behind me., and even have a healthy respect for that person now, I guess its call forgiveness.

P.S one thing I learn't was to put it all into perspective, getting myself upset for days over someones comments, was just silly, I had much more important issues in real life to deal with,and just had to put these feelings on the back-burner and get over it. It wasn't easy, but better for my own well-being.:)

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Originally posted by popcornbird
If we can realize our mistakes and change ourselves, I think that should erase the problems of the past. That is something I feel we ALL (myself included) need to do.

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Count me in.


http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Brows...e=1&Sku=271031

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Originally posted by carole
I really believe PT is what YOU make it, I have been here almost 2 years now, and yes there have been some changes, but not enough to make me leave, I still look forward to my daily fix of PT.

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Works for me.:D :D

Richard - lol:rolleyes:

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Originally posted by micki76
Oh, and don’t even get me started on some of the subjects in the Dog House (on a supposedly family friendly site). I will say this, regardless of whether a child encounters these things in the real world or not, many parents would kick their kids (that’s ANYONE under 18) right off PT and forbid them to participate here anymore if they were to catch them viewing a thread about ILLEGAL drugs, drinking and such. I can imagine as a parent that I would expect PET TALK to be a fun, happy (read: relatively safe) place for my child to surf. I would go so far as to say that for many older teens the Dog House should be safe and certainly not encourage them to break the law. It’s bad enough to have other kids their age encouraging ILLEGAL activity, but to have adults doing it on a FAMILY friendly website just makes me realize that PT is in deep trouble. I thought the DH was for controversial subjects, but apparently it's a lot more than the normal "debate" forum that I thought it was intended for. :confused: Other forums I frequent have "debate" sections, but they still don't take it to the level that the DH sometimes reaches. :(

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I couldn't agree more Micki! Some of the stuff that I have read in the DH shocked me. I couldn't beleive it was on a family forum, and even though I am 16 and am getting closer to an adult, some of that stuff I just plain don't want to know about or read, and sometimes its just down right discusting.

When I was lurking for those two years, yes people had their fights and tiffs and those are one of the many reasons I kept away from becoming a member. One thing I don't like though, is how some people can start saying a bunch of things about a situation that someone is in without even BEING in that situation, or saying things about people when they don't even know if they are true or not. I have learned to expect some harsh responses, and I've tried to put on my little armor (which is hard cause I'm sensative), but that doesn't mean that I hate PT. I love PT because its different than other forums because its like a little family. I have learned to treat everyone on here as humans with feelings, because they are, even though we are just communicating through the computer, they still have feelings.

The whole troll thing may have made everyone suspicious about "newbies", and yes I will admit it has made me suspicious sometimes too, but I try to look at them as genuine people until its proven otherwise. There are only a few people that I have corresponded with, and two of those are people that I trust, and I would LOVE to meet them some day. :)

All in all, PT has changed, it does seem slower, but I think it *might* be because people are second guessing about posting, like Kay said. I sometimes do that too, because I am afraid that people will think the thread is stupid or dumb, and so sometimes I just go, "Forget it" but I try to go, well if its important to me, then I'm going to post it. :)

As for people posting threads that are considered boring, or ones like I am bored, they don't really bother me, I figure if stopping by in these threads can help that person in anyway, even if it is just plain bordem, then hey why not, and besides what one person may consider boring another does not.

We should all feel free to post about things in our life that we feel are important or simply things we wish to share without having to worry if we are boring someone, as long as they are not offensive or unkind, then surely its ok to do so.

Gosh I am sure I have bored the pants off some of you, just with my threads re my mother's birthday or whatever, but because I consider PT an important part of my daily life, I just cannot help myself and share almost everything.:)

I joined PT to talk with people who loved animals as much as I do. It's been a dreadful pet year for me and at times I needed and received support from you all, for which I am eternally grateful. Everything and everyone changes and evolves. I am glad that there is a place where pet chats can take place. I'd like to be so bold as to suggest we all contemplate what has been said in this thread and come back with a new zest for talking about our pets in the New Year. 2004 has been a bad year. 2005 WILL BE MUCH BETTER!!!:)

By the way, Sebastian recovered from his adrenal surgery and is back to his old ferret self!!!

What happy news, QSA!!! I try to follow up on all the sick ones, dog, cats, critters, birdies...:) So glad to hear that Sebastian is doing so well:)

YAY for Sebastian! I'm so glad that is all over with :D

this is the most I've read on Pet Talk in a while! This thread is a great idea, I think. :) It's nice to see people's compassionate sides!

Quote:

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Originally posted by Queen of Poop
I'd like to be so bold as to suggest we all contemplate what has been said in this thread and come back with a new zest for talking about our pets in the New Year

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http://www.drugstore.com/qxp46675_33..._aqua_pure.htm

Are you saying we don't bathe??? ;)

Quote:

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Originally posted by micki76
I would go so far as to say that for many older teens the Dog House should be safe and certainly not encourage them to break the law. It’s bad enough to have other kids their age encouraging ILLEGAL activity, but to have adults doing it on a FAMILY friendly website just makes me realize that PT is in deep trouble.

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I do not remember seeing anyone advocate, condone or telling anyone to go out and break the law. Now if some kid decides to do something that they read about on the Internet, I'd cuff the parents upside the head for raising a follower, not a leader.


Most/some of us were merely relating our past experiences in a humorous manner.

Having people relate those stories sure took some batonga-wongas.....
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I find it's more irritating to physically be in the vicinity of someone infringing on my space.

When someone trashes my visual space, I blink or close my eyes.

And should we forget about how many kids are going on the internet this Xmas, with computers bought by their parents-
They are then left to surf and look for porn, search for instructions to make fireworks, explosives, get directions to rave parties and post hate message on their journals....

Did I mention hacking into school computers to change their grades????
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I apologize if you were offended by any of the stories I posted or
if it sounded like I endorsed the use of an illegal substances.

But then again, When I found out that an old Mexcian remedy for arthritis was to soak marijuana in alcohol and apply it to your aching joints- it raised my RB grandmother to a saintly level in my eyes.

I knew right then that she didn't inhale.:D

Very well said Richard

Quote:

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Having people relate those stories sure took some batonga-wongas.....

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LMAO :D

Hi PCB, I am here, does that count? :o

I actually don't know what to say, but I thought I would show you that I was reading....) :)

I must be out of the "norm" here....
I didn't go through what everyone on here had to say about Pet Talk changing over the year/s. I haven't been on here extremely long (and probably not considered "an old timer") but still come on when I'm not busy or have something to say. I guess I'm not quite sure what you're talking about CHANGE? Doesn't everyone in life go through changes? I'm sure not everyone here has something to say all the time or something great to say all the time either. I thought this was a place to share thoughts, feelings, opinions, advice, etc. (and I mean anything anyone has to say should be accepted whether other's think it's right or wrong, it's how a person feels & people should respect that in itself....life is just too short)
I feel that I have tried my BEST to learn to get to know other's on here & don't always get a response back at times. I've signed up for the gift swap, given to someone that didn't receive anything, & sent out Christmas cards as well "to get to know people". I don't want to be "rewarded" for my actions, I'm just saying that I feel I've done my part in trying to get to know people here.
I've tried to come up with different threads, polls, etc. to get people to talk about different subjects. I've also asked advice & tried to give at times.
I guess I'm not quite sure what people are looking for. Is it that so many individuals are joining & no one knows them well? How do you "get to know" people if not for asking questions & chatting.
I love all the varieties of threads posted daily.....not too many seem to be the same. I really enjoy getting a laugh but can be serious as well.
Here I go blah, blah, blah......my favorite pastime, talking.
Seriously, this is all I have to say & is my opinion alone!
:confused:
TiNa

I agree with ALOT of this stuff!

A *huge* part of it for me, is about the dog side, and also pictures.

75% of the pictures I take, I take for PT, to share them, and when I first joined, I would be *really* excited to post pictures and to read replies.

Now, I just don't know if it's worth it or not, and NOW I don't keep checking every 10 minutes for replies, because 5-12 is the most I usually get(on the dog side), even though I try to reply to everyones :(

Now when I visit PT, I usually go right to the cat side, as there, if you posted 20 pictures everyday, you'd get just as many replies, and also they even reply to stories that you share, as the dog side don't usually.

I don't *think* that it's different BECAUSE of the cat/dog thing, I just think there's different people on the cat side than on the dog side.

On the dog side, if you bring up something like tail docking, ear cropping..etc, it will turn into something REALLY bad, with alot of ":rolleyes:" faces and other things like that, as on the cat side, if something like de-clawing is brought up, it's discussed without any of those things, and I like that.

Another thing that brings PT down is when people gang up on people, or bash people without even being in their shoes and without even knowing the entire situation, and it hurts alot of members, and most members have left because of arguments and hurtful things that were said.

I also used to spend HOURS on PT, and it would be my home-page and the first place I'd visit when I got up and the last place I'd visit before bed, but not now.

I still browse everyday, but I go to post and sometimes wonder what the use is, I was also planning to take a break from PT a couple weeks ago.

I really hope we can fix this, and become *way* more like a family than we are now, like we used to be :(

Quote:

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Originally posted by DogLover9501
On the dog side, if you bring up something like tail docking, ear cropping..etc, it will turn into something REALLY bad, with alot of ":rolleyes:" faces and other things like that, as on the cat side, if something like de-clawing is brought up, it's discussed without any of those things, and I like that.

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I agree, but I also disagree. The dog side CAN get pretty heated when some of those "hot topics" are brought up, but I've seen the "cat side" get into many arguments/debates as well (such as declawing, and leaving cats outdoors), and some of them have ended badly. There's always going to be hot subjects on either side.. dog or cat. I'm starting to get really sick with all of this cat side versus dog side drama.

Anyway, I meant no offense to you with this post, Robyn. I'd love to see more pictures of your pups when you get the chance. I never get tired of them. :)

Personally, I think the board has sped up a little bit, and will probably (or should I say *hopefully*?) speed up more when the holidays pass.

Oh how I agree Robyn!

Their are times when I want to tell funny stories of Elvis, but I always second think and always decide not to post, because I dont want to seem like a "loser" or something and not get any replies. It hurts, really. Even though your thread is veiwed alot, its the replies that count too.

Same goes as pictures. Their is a HUGE difference when I post pictures of my dogs. When I'm begged to death for Katie pictures I end up with 5-6 or so replies. But when I post pictures of Elvis I get a ton more replies.



Now, I know this thread isn't directed to this topic, but I just wanted to say it out.

Robyn, sorry, but I have to disagree with your post.


I guess it's different for everyone, but it seems as if the cat side has always been like this to me, and a few of the cat-frequenters have always been bitter towards non cat-frequenters.

I had a lot more typed out about my negative experiences with the cat-side, but I deleted it once I typed it out, just to get it off my mind.

Maybe this shouldn't still shouldn't be said, but I felt I needed to say something.

I guess we probably shouldn't have this Cat Gen. VS Others Discussion, as I'd like for it to change, but it'll never change unless everyone is willing to help the change.

I'd like to see all "Congrats", Birthday, Nephew/Niece/Family, ect posts made in general, instead of just in Cat General, or just in Dog General. Going in Cat General, and seeing those threads in there make it feel like it wasn't meant for the whole board to see, or it wasn't meant for us to congratulate someone.
It's also rather un-inviting if it's just cross-posted. Why can't it just be in general? Why can't the Cat/Dog people just come in general to see that stuff?

I think if everyone were able to spread out more it'd make Pet Talk a more family-like place. I understand they want their close friends to see it, but why can't everyone become friends, and then post where everyone else posts Congrats/Birthday threads - for everybody to see. I mean, afterall, no matter which type of pet we own, or owns us -- we're still all here for the same exact reason. We love our animals dearly.

I guess i'm just blabbing and no one even cares, but i'd just like to see this place become more friendly instead of everyone being bitter towards eachother.

Kay, i agree.

Maybe we just need to COMBINE, yes combine pet talk where cat and dog topics go in the same Pet general type of thing. That way, PT will become more closer, it will save people time who say. "I dont have time to go to every section of PT" plus both cat & dog people can comment on everyones pictures, and stories. Maybe that will keep things livley and everyone together?

Although it's a good idea, i'm not sure about combining as threads already do get burried quickly - and with two very active sections being combined, everything's bound to be burried.

I think we all just need to open up to other people, and become more as ONE forum rather than 3 seperate ones.

I mean, I understand not everyone has the time, but it doesn't take much longer to look at the different sections of PT.

Im glad someone knows how I feel!

Also my post has nothing to do with dog side vs. cat side, I phrased it that way, not because of the dog or cat side, but because of the people, some people(who are dog people/mostly post on the dog side) are very opinionated, or they flame people, and on the cat side things seem to get "worked out" really quickly, or avoided.

It's not BECAUSE they are "cat people" from the "cat side", it just seems that alot of the "cat people" listen to both sides or stories without trying to act like they know everything and also just give 100% opinions and no bashing, as on the dog side things turn into wars(the Arthur thing, the greyhound racing thing..etc).

Anyway my point is, it had nothing to do with cat side vs. dog side, I phrased it that way because there is a big difference, and if there wasn't, they wouldn't seem so different.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Kfamr
threads already do get burried quickly - and with two very active sections being combined, everything's bound to be burried.

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i forgot about that part. Your right, we just need to be more open to other threads.

Sorry to post right away again, but I wanted to reply to something.

Alot of birthdays, family members, pillar..etc posts ARE posted in CG, mostly because alot of "cat people" stay on the cat side and don't visit the other places, so the people who post them do not want their friends to miss them.

So that's where I agree that everyone should take a little bit of time to visit each area.

Quote:

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Originally posted by DogLover9501
Im glad someone knows how I feel!

Also my post has nothing to do with dog side vs. cat side, I phrased it that way, not because of the dog or cat side, but because of the people, some people(who are dog people/mostly post on the dog side) are very opinionated, or they flame people, and on the cat side things seem to get "worked out" really quickly, or avoided.

It's not BECAUSE they are "cat people" from the "cat side", it just seems that alot of the "cat people" listen to both sides or stories without trying to act like they know everything and also just give 100% opinions and no bashing, as on the dog side things turn into wars(the Arthur thing, the greyhound racing thing..etc).

Anyway my point is, it had nothing to do with cat side vs. dog side, I phrased it that way because there is a big difference, and if there wasn't, they wouldn't seem so different.

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Oh, I know Robyn!

It's just that my post leaded into that after I began typing.

And that's the part that I disagree with -- the dog side flaming people and the cat side getting worked out.
I think the "cat side/cat people" are just as bad (for lack of better term) as the "dog side/dog people".

I know that my dog was wrongly judged when I thought of getting a cat, and I was flamed for wanting to get a cat/it's living situation. Which BTW, I highly appreciate those who stood by me and SAW both sides, but a majority did not, and a most of those who did see both sides were those that were more frequent to the other sections of PT.

Something you've got to understand about the greyhound racing stuff as well, someone recruited a whole other forum for that, and that's where most of the controversy came from.


I just really think people need to be more open to other sections, as I've tried, but cannot do if no one bothers to reply.