Dogs aren't fuzzy humans

I'm still thinking about that dog who was beaten with the chicken. It bothers me that the dog's owner was foolish enough to leave the dog with the chickens in the first place.

After all, dogs are canines - hunting is bred into them at the deepest levels of their being. Just because they now live in a household with humans who provide the food doesn't change their basic instincts.

How can people be so ignorant as to ignore that?

I know, many dogs have lived in harmony with chickens, but they had to be patiently taught that the chickens were not "prey."

It reminded me of a time when I was working in rescue and someone wanted to have a mama with new puppies put to sleep because she had killed a ferret.

First of all, the people shouldn't have let the ferret intrude into her space when she had new babies. But second, most dogs will kill a rodent - and what is a ferret except a rodent? If the dog had killed a rat they'd have been singing her praises. She's supposed to know the difference?

Fortunately, the veterinarian refused to kill the dog and she got a new home with a more sensible person.

I just wish that people would realize that dogs have instincts we don't understand - and that dogs are not just furry humans.

Yes, they understand us and are sometimes far more perceptive than humans. But they're still dogs. Why can't we just love them for all the wonderful things they are and not expect something different?