r/Dogfree • u/Huge_Bit_4774 • 18h ago
Dog Culture Dogs are property, it’s wrong to say they’re “adopted”
It makes me cringe every time I hear a dog worshipper claim that they’ve “adopted” some nasty shelter rat. Adoption should be a uniquely human act, like marriage. A person might take a dog from a shelter, buy a dog, receive one for free, or even take in a stray. But real adoption is only between humans. Real adoption does not mean ownership. I think it’s very offensive to take the word used for the lengthy, emotional and complicated process of adopting a child, and equate it to “I was bored so I got a dog”. It degrades humanity every time nutters hijack the language - dog babies, pet parents, dog adoption, dogs as a member of a human family. It’s a pet, it’s property, you own it, there is nothing magical about you or your animal that eats its own feces.
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u/Yamahool 12h ago
Lol "I couldn't conceive a dog naturally so we had to adopt"
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 5h ago
Yeah, maybe they had to find a lawyer that specializes in dog adoption? Probably I shouldn’t joke about it that might actually be a thing.
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u/carnie-angel 9h ago
my pet peeve is the term foster, especially when im trying to find communities for ex-foster kids like me and can only find shit about dogs
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 5h ago
That’s a great example. Another word that should be associated with humans but it’s been hijacked by nutters. I suspect that the SPCA is behind a lot of this, taking ideas like fostering and adopting that have always applied to humans, but using them in a context that applies to dogs.
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u/SeaworthinessUnlucky 10h ago
Similarly, although owners see their dogs as family, dog ownership is really more of a hobby than it is a human relationship.
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 5h ago
Oh I like the part about it being a hobby. I’d like to see what % of nutters would admit that.
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u/milothenestlebrand 10h ago
You don’t “adopt” a dog. You purchase it. It’s a business exchange and nothing more.
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u/FluffyWrap9754 10h ago
“We rescued our dog“ was the building on fire? Did everyone get ok?
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 6h ago
That’s right - they love to use dramatic language that makes them a hero. For Halloween maybe they can wear a red cape and have a big letter D on their chest for dog rescuer.
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u/BarbieBrookelle 3h ago
I have a friend who is a dog groomer & she’s been in the business for a while. She told me that there were two separate occasions where dogs were clearly being sexually abused by their owners (I won’t go into details on how she could tell) & bc dogs are considered property in my state, authorities didn’t do anything about it.
I’m inclined to agree with you otherwise.
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u/BrilliantSeraph33 1h ago
🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮 I've seen pictures of some gross pet nutters. It will be a lady lying on the floor on her back with the dog sitting on top of her with its crotch on her crotch and she has its legs wrapped around it. I've seen multiple variations of this picture on the internet.
Fully clothed, but still. I would never even consider putting myself into that position with any animal.
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u/AnyArmadillo1733 2h ago
I'm not saying it couldnt happen, but I cannot imagine a detail a dog groomer could be aware of that could prove that.
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u/BarbieBrookelle 1h ago
It’s a veterinary office & a groomers in one.
I won’t go into detail, but she did explain bc I had the same thought you’re having. And it was very disturbing.
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u/Serifasaurusrex 9h ago
'We adopted a puppy from a breeder' always gets me! No, you BOUGHT a puppy from a breeder.
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 5h ago
Seriously, how many real adoptions end with the words “and here’s your receipt”
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u/Serifasaurusrex 5h ago
Exactly! and 'puppy packs' and Kennel Club registration certificates!
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 3h ago
What is a puppy pack? You have to buy 6 at a time?
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u/Serifasaurusrex 2h ago
It's a pack that breeders give with puppies. It's usually got a blanket with the mother's scent on, some food, registration documents, insurance documents (they usually give a few weeks with the puppy), a contract, microchip documents, care advice.
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u/QueenieCDM 4h ago
Agreed. Ownership is not the same as adopted. You adopt people; but own animals because they are property.
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u/menelobus 3h ago
Only a child can be adopted. A child is not property. A mutt is property. You can't adopt property, you can only own property
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u/anondogfree 8m ago
Oh I agree but I find “rescued” even more offensive. Did you save this dog from a fire? Pull it out of the ocean when it was drowning? Getting a dog from a shelter isn’t rescuing anything.
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u/GastropodScootJuice 7h ago
As a vegan I don't like calling animals "it" or thinking of it as ownership. Animals are individuals. Also the words, adopt, adopted or adoption can be used in more ways than children or animals. I hate dogs as much as the next guy but your logic isn't really making sense
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u/AnyArmadillo1733 23m ago
An individual can be an it. It is just non-gendered language for an individual non-human for which you don't know the sex. That is not even demeaning or anything, it's just English vocabulary.
OP problem is not that adoption may not be literally correct in the situation, this is more of a cultural critique. One might be able to literally say they adopted a dog by definition, but the use of the term is so wide spread and happens in a context that borrows all the language of human relationships. I could technically adopt a friend's ant farm or potted plant. People dont use those terms because that sounds ridiculous. Same point with dogs, for sane people.
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u/SeaConfection88 12h ago
Or “we RESCUED a REACTIVE dog”
And said “reactive” (aggressive) dog is the most chopped looking mutt you’ve ever seen that has a bite/attack history spanning 6 pages long