Should there be an age limit

[Lori Jordan]

It just seems everytime i post in here someone has something negative to say so i will no longer post here when someone has there opinion i dont disagree i just go on no need to prove someone wrong it is a OPINION..im not defended at all jost dont care too post here anymore...and the ganging up does not have to be planned

[Catty1]

But others have opinions TOO . And I suppose some get energetic about expressing them. If my opinion happens to be totally different from yours, does that mean I am negative???

Lots of people disagree with opinions I have - and if I really believe in my own view, then I am secure in it, and what others say doesn't upset me.

JMO

Catty1

[Lori Jordan]

Well in my opinion in the other board i got my head ripped off for it ,and im the same if i have an opinion ill say it but not too be rude..That is why these boards dont clash Never had any problem anywhere else then in here! Not mad at anybody or dislike just thinks it is a tough board nobodya seems to agree and some fights do break out and it is silly,and im not talking about this Thread but have seen in others

[Karen]

We try very hard to keep things civil, even in The Dog House on Pet Talk. Here is just where more opinion-related topics like politics and religion, among others, are discussed. We are a wide-ranging group of people on Pet Talk, covering every branch of the political spectrum, for example. But what keep us together, what we all have in common, is our love for our pets.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Well in my opinion in the other board i got my head ripped off for it ,and im the same if i have an opinion ill say it but not too be rude..That is why these boards dont clash Never had any problem anywhere else then in here! Not mad at anybody or dislike just thinks it is a tough board nobodya seems to agree and some fights do break out and it is silly,and im not talking about this Thread but have seen in others

That's the thing Lori, not everyone is going to agree with someone else. Everyone has their own opinions on things and they can be quite different than our own. It doesn't make them wrong or negative, it actually is great to read a bunch of different opinions - it give's us more knowledge and I am grateful that we all don't think alike. I felt the same as you in some of the threads I posted, but then I realized that without all of the opinions, some of the choices I made could've been the wrong ones.

Sometimes I would get way to defensive in my posts and it made me feel like crap. I now have to go over my posts before I hit submit, and I think about how others will read it. I word somethings wrong, and that can make someone read my posts completely differently than how I read it.

Tasha

[BOBS DAD]

Hi Lori,

I think you are right. there is most definitely a greater chance of a fight breaking out in the "Dog House". I think that s just the nature of the forum. When you are talking about controversial subjects, you are going to get a broad range of opinions and some will be particularly strong. It's like the old Religion and Politics adage. People used to say never discuss Religion or Politics in a family gathering. I always thought that was silly... people were mature and adults could handle differing points of views. Boy, was I wrong!!! As I gotten older, I have seen so many fights break out at family events - Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving - it doesn't matter. Bring up Politics, President Bush or the war in Iraq - comments start out innocent enough, then get sharper and before you know it - somebody's really mad. Sometimes refusing to talk anymore! Ka-Razy!!!

Same with the "Don't sell a car to a family member". We sold my wife's used VW Rabbit to my brother shortly after my wife and I got married. It was older and had lots of mileage and so we sold it for something like $500.00. A few weeks later, he burned the clutch out (I don't think he really knew how to drive the manual). $7-800.00 for a new one. I still think to this day that he thinks we duped him and he got shafted!!!

Oh yeah, and don't lend money to a relative. If they need it (I mean really need it), don't lend it - just "give" it to them. That way you won't feel bad when they don't pay you back. And one day when you are down and out, I'm pretty sure they will come to your aid!!!

But anywho... I think that this forum is different than the strictly pet issue posts. Feelings are less strong and folks are more inclined to feel "whatever" - although I have seen a few fights break out tere too!!!

[BOBS DAD]

Here is just where more opinion-related topics like politics and religion, among others, are discussed.

I was hunting and pecking away at my keyboard with an idea/thought that came to my mind. Finally, I was finished and posted, and you had already made the same point!!!

They say "great minds think alike"... I gues your mind is just a tad bit greater!!!!

[Lori Jordan]

Its not that i dont want to not hear everybodys opinion it just seems that when i say something i feel strongly about,i just feel like im stupid when im replied back too.

[lizbud]

You are not stupid at all. You have your own opinion & you stated
it. You have every right to decide what your children are exposed too.

Maybe others are just trying to press their opinion because they think
it's better to expose kids to discussions of sex, drugs, etc, while the
parents are there for all the kids questions about these subjects.

[Kfamr]

So, your opinions differ from the majority in this or other threads - it happens everywhere! You've just got to learn to deal with it... not dwell on it and take it as a personal attack. No one's ganging up here! So far I haven't seen anyone say one belittling remark towards you, Lori.

[Lori Jordan]

So, your opinions differ from the majority in this or other threads - it happens everywhere! You've just got to learn to deal with it... not dwell on it and take it as a personal attack. No one's ganging up here! So far I haven't seen anyone say one belittling remark towards you, Lori.

I do not dwell on things i have simply answerd the replies that have been routed towards me..I do not appreciate being talked to like that.End of story

[Cincy'sMom]

To get back to the original question of the thread, with Therapy Dogs International, there is a rule that any handler under 16 must be accompanied by an adult on a visit. Anyone under that age, who can pass the test with the dog, is able to be certified as the handler, they just can't go on visits alone.

While it might be too extreme, I don't see it as being a bad rule of thumb for most dogs walks. Of course, it depends on the dog and the child, but I think an adult should be in close proximity, for kids under 16, and on the walk with kids under 10 or 12. And is most cases, I don't think kids under 10 should be holding on to a dog's leash alone near roads or in other public places. Of course there are exceptions to everyone, but those seem like reasonable guidelines to me.

[Kfamr]

I was just trying to help you out, Lori.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Lori

As I started both this post and the alcohol related one I would just like to point out that without the support and advice I received from others on this site I would not have been able to turn my life around. This is the one place where I knew I could be open and honest, mainly with myself

I am all for protecting children from the "nasties" in life and as a parent myself I would rather my daughter learnt about such things from people who have been through these experiences and are willing to share in the hope of helping others. I am truly sorry that both my posts offended you

[moosmom]

We have all agreed to disagree here. Kids aren't as ignorant as they may seem. Protecting your child is one thing. Educating them is an entirely different issue. My whole family (both mother and father's side) are alcoholics. From the young age of 13, I educated my daughter about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. She knows that alcoholism is a problem in our family, and watched as her grandfather literally drank himself to death. I raised my daughter the same way my mother raised me, to never feel she can't come and talk to me about ANYTHING. It paid off. My daughter is now 30 years old and is every parent's dream. She beat cancer, and has grown up to be an upstanding citizen who neither drinks not does drugs. We have a very open and honest relationship and for that I am proud.

As Catty1 has posted,

Just because you don't hear about it doesn't mean it isn't there. I'll bet, like Karen, that your daughter has heard more than you think. It's all a matter of where you want her to learn about life's realities

It's also the parent's job to monitor their children's online activities.

Kids talk and learn alot from their friends.

I think the key here is to educate your child on the downfalls of drugs and alcohol. Our children will have to make their own mistakes and learn from them, as we will not be around forever to protect them.

I'm sorry you feel the way you do. While I believe alot of people on this board mean well, it's sometimes difficult to "interpret" the meanings of how they want to express their opinions.