Quote: Anne Jones

I personally think that you are WAY OFF base complaining about how people are being treated here.

As I have said at least twice, my sentiments are NOT an indictment of the forum (meaning group of people in its' entirety). I have said "some" repeatedly.
Anne; when I entered this forum, you were one of the key people who welcomed me and helped me with the issues that brought me here. Your opinion is one that I value most. For that I am grateful and once again I thank you.

 Quote: Duane Hull

 Quote: Anne Jones

I personally think that you are WAY OFF base complaining about how people are being treated here.

As I have said at least twice, my sentiments are NOT an indictment of the forum (meaning group of people in its' entirety). I have said "some" repeatedly.
Anne; when I entered this forum, you were one of the key people who welcomed me and helped me with the issues that brought me here. Your opinion is one that I value most. For that I am grateful and once again I thank you.

Maybe that is why YOUR posting this thread bother me as much as it did.

None of us are perfect. We try very hard to help folks that come here with questions. If is very frustrating at times & very disheartenting when you put forth so much effort & people choose to ignore all the good advice given...only to come back several months later with full-blown problems that in many cases may have been completely prevented had they listened & implemented the good advice given. This can often cause strong feelings from the people that tried so hard to help with the original posts.

As someone else stated....we do this of our own accord, our own time, no discounts on LB items, no praise expected, but out of the kindness of our hearts for the DOGS & their owners. When someone comes along & hits us with some of what you have said...it makes people not want to contribute anymore. You just can't make blanket statements & point fingers in all directions, like you did, without ruffling feathers.

People will get into 'spats' on occasions...yes, we are all different personalities....& maybe that's some of what helps have many diverse perspectives on questions that we answer.

For the most part,no one here gets nasty without just cause, with VERY rare exception. And those exceptions, you will find, for the most part,are no longer here posting.

So relax & enjoy all that LB has to offer along with a diverse community of people with years of experience & ready & willing to help work thru problems that owners have. But you WILL find that the 'passion' here, for dogs,& sometimes frustration, will sometimes bring out some strong feelings & posts.

Edited to add:

I have met some wonderful people, that will remain lifelong friends via LB & have enjoyed their friendship for a 6+ years. We have worked dogs together & just hung out together. There are many great people here.

I would like to apologize to all of you.
When I was invited to this site, it was on the premise of finding info. I guess I expected the tone to be more objective than subjective. I'm glad we went through this diatribe, as my expectations of the forum are changing to something more appropriate. I get it.
I still feel like people can disagree without getting personal, but I will turn the other cheek and try to gravitate toward those are most helpful.
Thanks again.

Duane, I think one thing that would be helpful to remember is that this forum is much like a big family. Most of us care about the others, we do our best to help, and generally we get along pretty well.

In ANY family, there will be disagreements, misunderstandings, feelings will be hurt, etc, etc. And, we're not ALL going to agree about EVERYTHING, ALL the time. It's just not possible with all of the different personalities involved.

I think, when we see that something we said didn't sit right with another, we are pretty quick to apologize, and clear the air. We explain both sides of the argument or misunderstanding, and we all walk away fine and dandy.

Have you ever been punished by a parent for something your brother did, or ever get into a fight with a sibling because he/she did something you didn't like? Ever been called a name by a sibling? Did you make up? We are a lot like that.... Sometimes Connie needs to spank us, but that's another story...

Occasionally, we will have a member that just keeps fighting or verbally bashing others- some leave the sandbox on their own, others are asked. There are plenty of other places for those kinds of people to go- we don't need them here.

I have never found another place on the internet that even remotely resembles this forum. The people care here. When I was trying to save that dog (Faith)from the shelter- everyone jumped on board and tried to help. When Faith was PTS everyone cried right along with me. Another example is when Jamie took in Gambit- the folks here donated money, they called her on the phone at all hours while she was driving to help her stay awake.

When you feel like we are being buttheads, remember these examples (I can send you links to the threads if you want) ... and remember that we are all human...

To Duane and everyone. I say this thread is another opportunity to understand each other better. At LB, we're lucky, people here are generally kind, they are knowledgeable, they care...etc. They also love to give advice even if they way its given ruffles a few feathers at times. And hey, if there's ever an issue, PM them about it....be prepared to look at it both ways and I'll bet it can be resolved.

I am a moderator of a support forum that is very similar in that way. But sometimes the disagreeing gets out of hand and I have to step in, members leave usually when they can't handle being wrong and admitting that. I also like to step in when I feel that a member is being harassed about something they don't yet get by the core group. You can't always fix everything at once, if that makes sense.

*gets off soap box*

Personally, I find alot of the experiences, opinions, and perspectives of the members of this board enlightening. Do some people get a bit hot under the collar about some issues, yep, only because they care. You can't be totally objective in a field where there are so many variables, and so much is based on opinion. When feelings come into the equation, there will always be conflict.

Good morning - soon to be afternoon - Duane,

So, to respond to a post or not, that is the question. Often I respond when a sentence or description catches my attention. And some times I respond because the spirit moves me.

If the message of the post is to urge civility, I'm for it. Its like motherhood and apple pie, what is to disagree with.

That noted, I've engaged in exchanges that got a bit heated. There is a comic that has a show titled 'you can't fix stupid.' In that vein, on occasion there is a post that fair boggles the mind, and just begs for a direct commentary.

Usually, responses to a post are civil. Occasionally, not so. My experience in this forum is that the moderators throw the flags and referee the comments very well.

That noted, my favorite poster is one who writes an epistle inviting commentary, and gets bent out of shape when the responses are not of the "you are so right" kinds.

Most responders have had mutts for some time, trained using different techniques, experienced dogs of varied personalities, and are willing to share their earned results in the spirit of 'been there - done that.' Yet, some posters - a minority - occasionally react as if a responder is a dullard or below contempt - that is unlikely to be accepted with an 'oh, golly gee.'

I absolutely agree with the goal of civility. Occasionally a terse, pointed reaction slips out. Mea culpa.

Personally, I often work with 'dog' people who demonstrate no inclination to be smarter than their dog, and have an appreciation of and aptitude for training more suited to cats. Now that was mean.

Duane, think 'tongue-in-cheek'... Mostly

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I was puzzled by the reference to Mara's thread too. I saw only differences of opinion.


Anyway, personal insults are one thing and disagreements are another,

Personal insults are best avoided, and mods will intervene if notified.

Disagreements -- they are part of the whole idea of a board like this. They're here to stay. If they were not, then the purpose of such a board is lost.

What isn't seen on the board are the CONSTANT pm's between members when we really get exasperated and can't seem to get any further ahead with a "newbie" ( i hate that term) because we aren't saying what they want to hear.
I recall one particular thread where it felt like everyone was just banging their heads against a wall because no matter how we said it (nicely, not so nicely, etc) the point just wasn't getting across. The pm's were flying for more than a week on a few of us trying to figure out just how to explain to the poster what needed to be done and what to try.
Why? Because we want the dog to be healthy. And if we have to step on toes and be a bit blustery while doing it, so be it.
The general population here is more concerned for the dog (who has no voice) than for the owner who isn't hearing what they want to hear.

I've been here awhile, and what i like about this forum is the fact that we have every single type of dog owner under the sun.
Pet, Protection, PPD, breeders, therapy, etc etc who have a wealth of knowledge and are generally ready to help.

Yes everyone seems to stick up for each other and if a member that i consider a friend is getting bashed...we will step in collectively to defend/help them. Because some (she knows who she is) are just too nice to stir the pot..others not so much.

So although everyone tries to keep it nice, sometimes it gets to a point to be not so nice.

But everyone here will start out trying to help in the nicest possible way. It might not always come across the right way in a post (you can't always type how you feel) but the little emoticons really help!!!



Edited by Wendy Lefebvre (02/14/2012 10:57 AM)
Edit reason: corrected spelling error before the "spell police" caught it and pointed it out!

 Quote: Wendy Lefebvre

... What isn't seen on the board are the CONSTANT pm's between members when we really get exasperated and can't seem to get any further ahead with a "newbie" ( i hate that term) because we aren't saying what they want to hear.
I recall one particular thread where it felt like everyone was just banging their heads against a wall because no matter how we said it (nicely, not so nicely, etc) the point just wasn't getting across. The pm's were flying for more than a week on a few of us trying to figure out just how to explain to the poster what needed to be done and what to try.
Why? Because we want the dog to be healthy. And if we have to step on toes and be a bit blustery while doing it, so be it.
The general population here is more concerned for the dog (who has no voice) than for the owner who isn't hearing what they want to hear.

Billboard with lights needed here!!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Wendy Lefebvre

... What isn't seen on the board are the CONSTANT pm's between members when we really get exasperated and can't seem to get any further ahead with a "newbie" ( i hate that term) because we aren't saying what they want to hear.
I recall one particular thread where it felt like everyone was just banging their heads against a wall because no matter how we said it (nicely, not so nicely, etc) the point just wasn't getting across. The pm's were flying for more than a week on a few of us trying to figure out just how to explain to the poster what needed to be done and what to try.
Why? Because we want the dog to be healthy. And if we have to step on toes and be a bit blustery while doing it, so be it.
The general population here is more concerned for the dog (who has no voice) than for the owner who isn't hearing what they want to hear.

Billboard with lights needed here!!

And dancing show girls with dogs doing tricks holding up signs saying please read!!

I have to say, I have better relationships with some people on here than i do with people I spend 8 hours of every weekday with!
I will NOT put anyone that I work with on my facebook, but im excited when i get a friend request from someone that i've seen posting here or when i send a friend request that is accepted by someone here!
I respect people on here because i listen to their advice and apply it. Not argue it.