I agree with you Dogz on this...and I think everyone else agrees too!! Being hurtful or cruel or argumentative for argument's sake causes bad feelings all around and gets us nowhere and all of us, on occasion, need to think a little longer before we speak; myself included.

Not that we can't have lively discussions! But why I came to Pet Talk, and what keeps me here, are the animals, first and foremost and the people who love them, many of whom have become some of my closest friends in "real life!." I enjoy the diversion of the Dog House on occasion, but it is the happy face of a newly homed puppy, the story of a rescued kitten, a
found "lost pet," acknowledging the love that a family feels for their Dog, Cat or Pet of the Day that keeps me plugging along! It's called Pet Talk for a reason!

I've been with Pet Talk for over 3 years now. Do I sometimes lament the "good old days??" Sure! A lot of old friends are gone and the smaller, more intimate nature of the site is no longer. Geez, back then there was no html coding, "color," "quoting," any only the rare picture posting! It was pages and pages of dialogue in black and white!

But change can also be good. There are now lots more animals and people to love and tons of heartmelting photos; we have become a larger more diverse family. And like all families, we sometimes squabble. The bigger the family, the more varied the opinions and perhaps, the more "heated" the discussion. I won't lie. I hate to "hear" Pet Talk people I KNOW care for each other, speak harshly to the other. It's important that we make our feelings known when we feel the need to speak up. But if we do so with a little less harshness, our points perhaps, will be heard more clearly and advice heeded more acceptingly