Unbelievable amounts of PURE torture CONTINUE
The hilariousness continues with this TEMPTING, TAUNTING Japanese show about placing foods in front of Puppehs and a Chimp.
Ruby G., you have REALLY outdone yerselfs.
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Mar 12, 2008
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We need a bleen torture category.
Give that poor chimpanzee a banana already! So cruel!
Also, why is this not in the "Cute or Sad?" category?
He he he, I have to send this to Schwester. Not only is she allergic to bananas, but she hates monkies and chimps!(Don't ask--she's crazy :P)
It's like those chocolate clothes that designer made...
So unkind.
Yet hilarious.
Still, would never do that to mah pooch.
Prefer to snorgle mah pooch without letting him overeat.
Or be tortured.
Well, technically they WERE giving the chimp a banana... A LOT of bananas. I love the little hand snagging one at the end. I don't think s/he minded at that point. Got the banana.
Personally, I think this is cute. And it's not like they were denied treats for being so patient.
Although I think the Shibi Inu (I think it was, anyway) covered in bones eventually fell asleep. ^_^
Pure masochists. LOVE IT :d
OMG that first dog has talking eyebrows. And the arrow for the droool drop.....so cute.
only the Japanese would make a show out of this...too funny....!
This strikes me as pretty mean, & not at all funny. Worst of all, it's BORING. If you stop posting these, people will stop sending them, & then we can maybe see some actual cute stuff & not the same boring schtick day after day.
Ooooh, Roger got a bleen! Nice work :D
you guys are nuts! the poor dog is drooling seriously. Torture maybe not, but cruel, yes!
>Crazed
they're called "Shiba Ken" (^-^) you do not read it "inu" for dog here since it is a breed of dog
"shiba ken" is the typical Japanese dog )excuse my English)
The show is about the command you give to dogs called "mate" (= wait) which dogs usually learn like "sit", "give your hand" etc (sorry, I really do only know these in japanese, I don't know the commands in English) and it's often trained with patience concerning food
when the little chimp "tastes" the banana the man asks him "you just licked it, didn't you?" etc, until he asks "you did not lick it, right?" and the chimp nods. and at the end he says that he did so well
is there a command in English that equals to "wait"? I heard you usually use German or French commands, too, with your dogs. Is it true??
OMG, that is even torturous to WATCH!! Poor doggie!
I hope get munches up ALL 32 doggie snacks at once!
Kind of disturbing, like a pg version of [...]. Poor babies! Especially the first dog.
OMG! 800 bananas! I wouldn't last that long! Even at my current non-chimpy state. :P
See I feel bad for the doggy in the beginning because of the drooling and awwwwww, but I mean I think he knows that if he's patient he'll get more, so it's not really that mean.
Especially the Chimp! He's smart, he knows he'll get more bananas all to himself the longer he waits!
That was so horrible to watch!!
I don't know...the chimp seemed scared once the stack got high. For all he knew, he was being buried alive.
The dogs were fine, God. That this should be the WORST thing to happen to a dog.
A little anticipation makes the treat sweeter--and discipline and self-control is something a few humans could stand to learn. (Tom, the second dog, seems to have been asleep. Cruel? Psh.)
This is not cute. It is mean.
It's puppy torture Jenga!
@mari: Thanks for translating! No need to apologize for your English--it's great!!
In English (or maybe I should say, American), we say "Stay" as well as "wait". "Shake" is for "shake hands" or "give paw".
As for German commands, some people do what's called "Schutzhund" training with their German Shepherds. I don't know much more about it except that the commands are in German.
Where did they even find that many bananas at once? That must have taken forever!
I couldn't even watch all of that - it was ridiculously cruel and not at all funny. It's the kind of thing that puts me off these cute sites - no more please!
That chimp one was the craziest.
I doubt the animals thought it was cruel - they could have stopped it at any time with their safe words.
Wow, I am really not amused by all these "puppy torture" pics - I find them boring. Having a series can be a good idea, but come one now, this has really gone on long enough. And then to top it all off - this video is awful! Not cute in the least. Cute Overload has really gone down the tubes, sad to say. :(
I worry about people sometimes. Especially after watching things like this...
Terrible.
Animals trained like that is abuse.
I couldn't watch it.
I would never subject my pet to that treatment.
take it off. please.
HORRIBLE
I agree with miyo. This is just cruel. There is nothing cute in abusing innocent pets who are trained to obey.
I agree with miyo. This is just cruel. There is nothing cute in abusing innocent pets who are trained to obey.
I agree with miyo. This is just cruel. There is nothing cute in abusing innocent pets who are trained to obey.
oh come on people - it's not cruel, nor is it actual torture. The animal wouldn't do if there wasn't a "reward" in the doggie sense of the word. Temptation is just darn annoying, not torture.
just a lil concerned about the chimp tho, have a problem with them being in tv-shows... in clothes... :/
>Gail
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain it to me!! You're too kind!
I don't knwo why people say it's cruel? You can't force ananimal to do that, nobody would have minded if they ate it right away.
I think if there's anything cruel to showing trained animals, it would have to be circuses...
and not having an animal have a little patience for food, which they could go and eat right away and nobody would mind (it would have been cute and funny if they hadn't waited, too)
It's not about the animal having patience, it's about them sitting there doing something pointless that could cause them distress (I went back and watched the chimpanzee section - unbelievably harsh) for their owners' amusement.
Dogs are obedient, generally, but taunting them with food is never a good idea. We had a dog who had been mistreated when he was younger - his former owner would remove his food or keep him away from it. He turned into a dog that would snap at or bite anyone who came near him when he could smell food and we had to have him put down when he bit a neighbour's kid. So I'm really not laughing - animals aren't toys, they're not playthings and that video is just not funny.
For everyone thinking this kind of training is cruel, you people probably have dogs that are ill behaved and untrained ... but hey, at least you love them, right? Your dogs would probably bite and attack you for lack of training if you so much as did something they disliked... and they are probably a nuisance to society. Take a moment to re-evaluate your own issues because right now you're humanizing a DOG.
That also probably means you are obsessed with food yourselves and probably overweight for the love of it.
Either that or you don't know the meaning of the word patience.
The stupidity of some people is astounding.
This treatment of animals is disgusting and makes me want to punch the perpetrators in the head.
Look up the words mean and cruel in the dictionary and you'll find videos and pictures like this.
Unnecessary and demeaning. Not cute.
Okay, Chris. Give us YOUR meaning of the word patience. Does the human in the video have patience? Are they attempting to teach an animal patience? Ummm....that would be attempting to HUMANIZE it. You make some pretty strong ASSumptions in your post. Got proof?
Animals share our planet with us and provide us with countless benefits, not the least of which are joy and companionship and beauty. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Anyone who cannot do that does not deserve to be in their presence.
What a wonderful thing to wake up to: people complaining, and while all the usual anti-nuffers are asleep. That really is unfair. I mean, this isn't commentroversyoverload, so stop trying to make it that. This is Meg's blog and she is free to post whatever she wants.
This reminds me of an Upright Citizens Brigade episode when Adair (Matt Besser's character) talked about collecting these types of videos with an almost pornographic fascination.
Personally, I don't think it's cute. It's not really cruel but just not cute.
Being walled up in a banana fort is kinda mean... but, I am going to build an oreo fort around myself and see if it helps my diet. Wish me luck.
I made it to 682 oreos!
But then I ate them all.
Ok people...let us all take a moment to truly evaulate the word cruel.
Burning animals? Cruel.
Beating animals? Cruel.
Animal testing? Cruel.
Cutting animals? Cruel.
Throwing animals? Cruel.
Anyone disagree with the above?
Now let's see...the dogs weren't whimpering, crying, or moaning in distress. They were waiting for the treat. It's a very literal use of patience getting what you want in the end. Why do you go to a job you hate? Attend awkward family functions? Events you would rather not be at? Because you will be rewarded with your endurance and patience with a paycheck, gratitude from your mom and etc.
There is no cruelty! If they did not let the animals devour those treats at the end and instead took them away, then it would be cruel. Honestly, get out of your little bubble and read the news about REAL animal cruelty.
Okay, I watched the first minute or two, and I really do think this was cruel, far crueler than the pics that have been posted. This dog is drooling buckets and BEGGING to have these treats. It's not nice to tempt them like that. The treats placed ON the dogs, though, were there very temporarily and none of those dogs were drooling uncontrollably.
The dog did get the treats. And probably all of them.
Do not want
How the hell can this be considered cruel? For a few minutes of drooling and waiting, they got ALL those treats, and I'm sure they considered the waiting well worth it!
Ummm...yeah. I am over this. Bring on the kittehs and the disapproving buns. Although...if these keep up and I no longer feel compelled to check CO 500 times a day, maybe I'd get more done. Hmm...something to think about...
>>Jordan
"Do not want"
Well, that's certainly not what the dogs or chimp were thinking.
LOL@fuzimom! Good girl, yes you are a good girl! Who wants a cookie?
Do they get to eat all the treats? Seems like that would make them sick? Can someone enlighten me?
I couldn't watch even the finish of the second one; sorry, don't think this is cute or funny or anything. I've a friend who puts down treats and his dogs won't go until he says "Go" - but he doesn't wait that long. This is just mean, sorry. The pix of pups with treats on their paws is cute, but this? uh-uhm.
Oh, for god's sake, people. My dog drools more than that when he's watching my family eat dinner. Is eating dinner in front of him cruel? No. This isn't either.
Thank you, Alex, for saying it better than I could.
This is not mean, it isn't abuse, this is not cruel, and this is NOT torture.
Have any of you calling foul actually seen abused animals? This isn't them. These animals are well cared for and extremely well trained. Not to mention that they got to eat treats!
IDK, but I think that if more people were as well trained as these dogs are, maybe we wouldn't have such an epidemic of obesity in America.
that's fucked up
This is called sadism. The woman's singsong voice having fun at the expense of the dog salivating was repulsive to the nth degree. I kept thinking that someone ought to subject her to some sort of hideous humiliating unmentionable frustration. Truly pathetic that this is what these ugly small-brained people find to do when animals all over the world need help.
lol, my hamsters wouldn't have the patience! I like how the chimp just burst through the bananas at the end. Like ok Iz bored I eats.
"I kept thinking that someone ought to subject her to some sort of hideous humiliating unmentionable frustration."
Like walking by a bakery when you don't have any money?
Hey folks, me again.
In my opinion, the way people treat their animals might just indicate how they will treat people. I don't like being teased, some people don't care if I like it or not. I notice that the people who value "training" also have the most colorful and vociferous vocabularies. I have, in my opinion, an idea that when people tease their animals and don't know it, they won't be coming to any of my birthday parties. Just ignore them, and watch out for any strange dogs, always. You never know if they have been "trained", they can always say whatever word they use for when the dog can act badly, after all it is 'their dog' and 'their right' in my humble opinion.
Awww, that's really unkind to the chimpanzee. Baby chimpanzees are often stolen from the wild and their mothers are killed to get to them. Chimps are often beaten in entertainment until they are too old. When they are old enough to be very strong, they are often shipped to dirty sanctuaries where they are neglected or abused. This chimp is clearly very unhappy and SCARED of the host. That grin is a fear grin.
(A dog, on the other hand, is fully domesticated, eager to please its human, and are usually trained without the use of punishment. Still... sure wouldn't do it to my dog!)
I think the pups and chimp could stop and eat the treats whenever they wanted. Maybe the pups wanted the fame? I know my hamster Smoothie is a real HAM for the camera : )
I was at petco where there are open bins of doggie treats within doggie reach in several aisles. A woman brought her mastiff in and he started drooling buckets, sniffing the delectable kibbles and chewables. But he sat obediently and didn't whine or seem at all put out that she didn't buy him a treat. I think what it boils down to is training and understanding that the dog will always be provided for, and that comes from a loving family.
If someone besides the owner tried that with these dogs, they probably wouldn't get farther than two snacks. I think the dogs understand that this is a sort of game and enjoy reaping the rewards at the end.
alright. go to peta.com. or something. watch videos on slaughterhouses.
now watch puppies being covered with treats, and the more they wait, the more they get.
hmmm. blood, gore and pain... or covered in treats?
get a life. this is not cruel. they actually get the treats in the end. it would be cruel if they were made to sit through it and then NOT have gotten the treats. but this is a DELICIOUS GAME to them. and to their humans!
now shut the eff up and stop ruining everyone else's stress relief time with complaints on meg's PRIVATE BLOG that we get to look at.
bottom line, you don't like it, go somewhere else. we don't want to hear your ridiculous complaints.
Wow, look at all these nuffs!
I think this video is funny AND cute. These dogs are very well-behaved and smart -- they know that the longer they hold out, the more treats they can have (although I hope they didn't eat all the treats afterwards).
The chimp is cute. I'm not a fan of chimps being used in the entertainment industry, but I wouldn't call this cruel. He seemed perfectly content to wait for a banana. Try doing this trick with a three year old and some cookies and see how long the kid lasts. ;)
Oh, and also -- a well-behaved dog needs to learn to wait in order to get a treat. You don't want a dog with food aggression issues. What if your dog gets a hold of something he shouldn't eat? You need to be able to take it away from him. Honestly, there's a million and one horrible things people do to animals every day. Try concentrating on stopping that instead of nuffing all over a video featuring stupid pet tricks.
Oh my, that black lab was so cute! And so well behaved, I can't get my Daisy to do that. Or my uncle's yellow lab to do that.
And for you who think this is torture, it's about as tortuous as being well-fed and having someone stack chocolates in front of your nose. You're not hungry, you're not being beaten and when temptation gets the best of you, you're not punished.
WHERE'S THE TORTURE? Go hug a honey locust tree.
aw... first doggie, i just want to give him a big hug & snorgle. something in his eyes, hes just a patient, kind, awesome doggie. i can tell. i don't care if i get doggie slobber on me, i'm going in!
*readies pudding
Yeah, seriously people, let's get a grip. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, the price our pets pay in return for getting free room and board and medical care is the occasional humiliating stupid pet trick. It's definitely not a bad price to pay. Dog and cats are domesticated animals and have definitely learned to put up with a lot of humanity's crap, including being put in stupid costumes, cat leashes, and being forced to do stupid pet tricks. I'm not sure about the chimpanzee though, while it didn't look like it was having a terrible time, chimps are still wild animals, and haven't signed the social bargain with us humans.
Now, what I'd like to see is a cat do what the puppies did. THAT'd be a good video to watch.
Thank you Ender! And yay! More people who realize there is no cruelty!
Trained dogs are safe dogs. You can trust them to not attack a child who may start playing with the dog's food.
An abused dog, as many have attacked to vid to contain, would be acting very differently.
BTW, these animals act better than most children I see at the mall and other places.
At worst I would say the video is a lil' mean spirited, but definitely not cruel.
The first doggie was so cute. I was really happy when he was finally able to eat up those treats.
This is not cruelty. It's not anymore cruel than giving a dog a treat after doing a trick. Some animals like to perform just like some people do.
eh, all these "horrifying" posts do is weed out all the "i'm never coming back to CO again!" people. fine with me; we don't want them here anyway :P although I doubt they'll actually be able to resist the cute for too long.
You people make this site unbearable, not the videos and pics that are posted. Get a life.
um..my case in point (see a couple comments above mine)
Wow. Food or not, I can't imagine many dogs just sitting still like that while you pile stuff on their head and muzzle.
Additionally, I hope they didn't let him eat all of those at once :/ Poor puppeh.
Well, you know, I'm a little tired of the "PUPPY TORTURE" thread, because the joke's pretty old now... except then, seriously, it is a HOOT and a HALF to read some of these comments and reactions that people have. It's like we've found a litmus test for modern mental coping skills. And I tell ya, the one or two folks here that are so stinkin' proud of their seemingly-limitless capacity for failure, who make such a point of flaunting it before everybody else? ...they just make my day.
Schadenfreude, I know. But dude, it works for me. (Well, that, and a really good mocha.)
I came to comment because this video made me LOL and I thought it was awesome, and I am SHOCKED that so many people objected to it so strongly. Cruel? Torture? You have got to be kidding me. Our troops overseas should be so lucky to have to WAIT FOR TREATS rather than being waterboarded or god knows what else. Get some perspective people.
Also, I LOVE when the chimp is all "I didn't eat it, I was just touching". So cute when being sneaky. Say what you will about chimps in captivity, I agree, but at least it was obvious that his owner loved him.
Oh! this is like the game my dwarf hammie and I play! "Carmen Miranda"
One time I got 5 apples, 3 grapefruits, 4 bunches of grapes, 10 kumquats, and 9 oranges all balanced on her head.
She's really good at it! :D
Hey, Teho, I hope I pass the test. >>;; X3
But srsly, there are so many more important things to get worked up about than well-fed, patient doggies.
"You tower like colossi above the bullies, lackwits, and simpering cutesie-wootsies who defile this site with their blather."
Hmm...I wonder what I am then?
Honestly though, I must admit to being a little jealous of those who are so enflamed with the vid. If the worst act of cruelty I ever saw was this, animals waiting for treats, my life would probably be much happier because of the lack of knowledge of what cruelty is. Instead I have two dogs who were rescued from homes where they were BEATEN! One has recovered physically and mentally. The other one still has a long way to go mentally. They would not have needed to be saved if all they did were silly pet tricks because they would have been HEALTHY dogs.
And the lady, "torture voice" as some say, is telling her dog good job and other positive things. A desperate dog would not allow one treat a moment on its face before it ate it.
Vick -- heh, so far so good, except *maybe* for the reference you're making with your screen name, intentionally or not...
Theo, erm, I'm tired and I forgot the last "i". I would never EVER dream of being a "Vick".
Damn. That was a mistake.
Two things: 1) The "Lisa" that posted how uncute this is was NOT ME, and 2) do I a smell a "comments closed"?
/blush
haha, sneeky monkey! :)he's like "can't tolerate it any longer! too tempting"
@ Gail - just a quick little bit of random info following up on your mention of Schutzhund training (in case you're curious): Schutzhund training is generally for German Shepherds and trains them specifically for protection. There are some other components (tracking and obedience) to it as well. Other high-endurance breeds (Rottweilers, pit bulls, Dobermans) often excel at Schutzhund as well. It's pretty amazing to watch, although some people don't like it because sometimes the training can be seen as cruel (although many elements of Schutzhund have evolved over the years to respond to these concerns).
Here ends my random post of trivia for the day.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schutzhund - Ed.]
Lisa -- re: #2 -- not yet.
Vicki -- heh! OK.
Most controversial post ever! Except maybe the pomeranian puppy vid. Now that was a flame war.
Typical. We Americans take something cute and crank it up to level 4 or 5.
Then the Japanese come along and take it to level 100!
We are no match for their cute.
I don't think that there is anything cruel about having a well trained pet, unless they weren't able to eat all the things put on them in the end. As for the chimp, he didn't look to be in any distress.
Just to make it clear.. my only concern above when I said "poor puppeh" is about how sick they'll get if they were allowed to eat all of those treats. Certainly, they should get a couple for being so patient and well-behaved, but I hope they scooped up the rest to save for later!
Alex -- oh ho ho ho ho, if that's #1 on your personal Commentroversy Top Ten, then you ain't seen NUTHIN' yet.
@Pauline
TYRANNY of their owners?? Don't make me laugh, that's ridiculous. The only thing going on here is an extremely well-trained dog. Which I say kudos to the owners that they have spent so much time and work earning the love and obedience of their dog. I don't see any of these dogs cowering in fear, as if they had been abused and coerced into it. If that were the case, I would agree with you. However, all I see is happy dogs.
By your reasoning, ANY training of a dog would be cruel. Training always starts with trying to encourage a dog to do something they (in the beginning) might not want to do (like sit still, or not chase the cat). With enough treats, rewards, praise and leadership you can EARN the obedience of your dog. However, you seem to suppose that any such treatment is cruel. We should just let them run wild then?? Only let them do what they WANT to do, and not what they NEED to do. Yes, NEED! Training and obedience can save the life of your dog (telling them to "Leave" something that maybe be poisonous or harmful to chew/eat... telling them to come to you when there's traffic coming, etc.)
By your standards and such training would be deemed inhumane, and, quite frankly, I would NEVER want to be around your dogs. They are likely spoiled, ill-tempered, and a danger to themselves and people around them.
I see dogs like that at the dog park all the time... running wild and nipping at other dogs/my dog/children while the owners have no control whatsoever. I'll take a little "tyranny" over that any day.
ok, the singsong voice of her's is cruel with the first dog? When you are giving your dog encouragment dont you get a higher pitched voice? Yes, atleast i do. When i am telling them they are good i get all singsong sounding. And also this is a Japanese show. Some people said that they should make these ppl be humilated in front of people, well who knows at the end of this program they owners may have had to do the same thing. Japanese games shows are crazy and humiliating. mostely to ppl. All of their shows involve humans doing redicoulous things for money or other rewards. People in Japan are humiliated for the publics enjoyment way more than these puppies. This is not torture. Some people teach their pets special tricks and this is just one. The dogs are happy to please their owners and get lots of yummy treats. Get off your high horse and stop being ignorant. Go watch a realy animal cruetly video if that makes you feel better since you seem to like throw the word animal cruelty around like dog treats. haha
It's certainly no flying hamster or surfing rat commentroversy. Those were crazy.
Hehehe oops, sorry Theo. I seldom read the comments. I just remembering reading the ones about the pom and thought, "no matter what I post...I feel like someone will show up to my door and stab me." It was so angry!
And I propose a compromise to everyone on both sides of the debate...
GO HUG AND LOVE YOUR PET RIGHT NOW! Unless you're at work. Then you have to wait. Or you could go out for a lunch break... :)
I hated this video. What's funny in exploiting animals' natural instincts? I love your site and I hope you don't post stuff like that any more. Thanks!
this got less and less cute as it went on, and was not at all funny. just cruel, especially the chimp.
I thought that there was nothing wrong with the owners balancing the one treat on their dog's head, but this is too far. That poor black dog was salivating so much, it was painful to watch. And the look on the poor chimp's face was heart-breaking! Not to mention the fact that when someone builds a tiny fort all around you until you can no longer see out of it, that's scary. And I mean, COME ON, 800 BANANAS?!?!? Too far... Waaay too far.
Oh, how I love the way they just keep taking the bait...
Emotionally tortured? Hahahahaha!
Sorry, had to laugh at that.
To all the nay sayers and "I'm done with this" people, I urge you and everyone else to volunteer at your local humane society. Those are the animals that need your time, concern, and help. Stop complaining and start doing!
@Alex
"To all the nay sayers and "I'm done with this" people, I urge you and everyone else to volunteer at your local humane society. Those are the animals that need your time, concern, and help. Stop complaining and start doing!"
I second that!!!!
Why don't the animals just start eating the stuff as soon as they begin wanting it? What do these people do to train the pets to go through this?
That poor black pup looked like he was going to cry. But I don't understand what makes him just lie there and endure it.
As far as George W. Bush and the bananas go, why would he wait? He was going to sneak a banana.
Those orange sherbet colored dog biscuits were starting to look very yummy... to me! I'll pass on the kiwi green ones, though.
What's next? Showing Bill Clinton a Playboy till it "gets a rise out of him?"
Alex -- re: "I seldom read the comments"
...can't imagine why not...
[single sarcastically-arched eyebrow]
black lab to owner: "this degrades us both..." ;)
To echo someone above me, is every form of training torture?
Is it torture when I have my dog sit and stay until I tell him he can before he's allowed to eat? He's even been well trained enough that if I tell him to sit in the middle of his meal, he'll do it. Good thing, too, cause once I noticed something foreign in his food. Was it torture for me to stop him from eating?
Is it torture when I'm eating and I don't give my dog any, despite the fact he's gazing at me sadly and sitting oh-so-politely next to me? Sad and pathetic, perhaps, but better that than having him eat unhealthy human things or jumping all over me and my guests. But of course, it must be torture.
Or training him not to jump on people? To not howl at everything that passes by the apartment? Or eat anything that smells? I've got a beagle mix, and believe me when I say that if you don't train them NOT to eat something they so desperately want to eat, they'll eat anything and everything, and often get sick in the process.
Please, people, grow up. This is an example of good (possibly an unneeded, though amusing, extreme) training. Nothing more.
@Theo
"It's like we've found a litmus test for modern mental coping skills."
aaahahahahaha! roflmao! it's funny cuz it's true!
SnoopySnake... LOL... egad, where to begin?...
I volunteer at my local shelter and I have a well trained dog. i don't think this video is cruel, I just think it isn't very appealing to see people doing annoying crap to animals for no reason.
Pauline -- the difference is, you may live in a free *country*... but this is a private *blog*. You are a guest here. It might help you to think of this site like it was a dinner party at Meg's house. There is a bouncer at the door (hello!) and little basic courtesy is expected.
Please pass the Purina Troll Chow...
OHMYGOD, when did they lower the bar for cruelty without telling me? I NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS. I mean, I never would have known that training an animal was evil if I hadn't come here to be enlightened. It's a good thing they don't train service dogs like thi...uh-oh.
Pauline, if you can create a blog that shows no animal suffering, I promise I will visit it. I'm not being sarcastic or cruel. If you believe that you can do a better job and remain P.C. (Petlitically Correct) then kudos to you.
'amember this poem, graciously composed and posted by A Thinker? i think it's time to read it again. (A Thinker, hope you don't mind!):
THE BALLAD OF THE NUFFINGHAMS
(This was inspired by recent commentroversies...)
There is a website called CO
And to its pages thousands go
To get their sure-fire daily fix
Of kits and puppies, hams and chicks
The place is frequented by Peeps
Who often lose much-needed sleep
With pudding fights and awful puns
And pirate talk and snorgling buns.
The Peeps are known by "Aww" and "Squee"
And some excel at poetry
They all engage in happy banter
They're quick to slap the off-track ranter
But there's another, darker crowd
Their voices ring out long and loud
Not on every posting, mind
But only ones in which they find
Some hint of hidden danger there
Of which we all were unaware
Until they kindly pointed out
What we should all be freaked about.
No picture's ever simply cute
Its testimony speaks, though mute
Of untold suffering and pain
Occurring just outside the frame--
The Dark and Awful consequence
Of our lighthearted ignorance
Of all the dreadful things that happen
To Cats with Birds, and kittens nappin'--
The blood and mayhem, goo and gore
We didn't understand before
These solemn pundits let us know
Yes, we can't see it, but it's so!
There's tragedy in every pic
Oh no, watch out, the dog and chick!
The baby's play is cat abuse
The cat and bird--well, it's no use--
They chorus all in tones of gloom
About each picture's certain doom
And those of us who think it's cute?
Naive, uncaring, harsh to boot.
The kittens now are surely dead
That baby's got a squashed head
The bird is suffering bad infection
We know thanks to their skilled detection.
It's up in arms! We must react!
And everyone should form a pact
Avoid CO from past today
And call the good SPCA
They'll surely stop this awful stuff
If we all storm off in a huff
CO will lurch on in control
Of Nuffinghams and Cute Patrol
No pics with kids, or double species
No cats 'n' racks, rude words or feces
Be careful 'cause we'll analyze
And cut your picture down to size
Those silly folks who think it's cute?
We'll harsh their mellow, down we'll shoot
Lightheartedness or hint of glee
And anyone who dares to "squee";
The world will be a better place
For kittens and the human race
We'll sit back and enjoy the fruit
Of our do-gooding: safer Cute.
Beware lest you should give a squee
You're just not thinking carefully
Watch out, examine, look again:
For danger lurks, beyond your ken...
anner, if only A Thinker were here. I'd commend her/him? in person. 'Cause that was brilliant!
[She's here, Vicki... http://plousia.org/ - Ed.]
Oh my poor animals... very funny though...
Pauline... you say "Look at the pretty pics & avoid the comments, if you can only dish it out but can't take it."
Apparently YOU can't even take the pretty pics, so why don't you avoid CO since YOU can't take it?
That seems logical to me, don't you think?
I think a lot of people are right on this one - I am tired of these. Doing one treat is a testament to the training and trust of the dog and owners, but that video wasn't even training - the dog could eat them when they fell off. It's not cool to humiliate these animals by teasing them with food just for our enjoyment.
all you "this is animal torture" responders are the reason that I absolutely adore animals but could never be interested in something like PETA... if they were *hurting* the dog it might be one thing, if they were *starving* the dog it might be another... but neither of those were the case. It was a stupid Japanese game show and I think some of us need to learn to laugh a little. *hands out chill pills*
"You tower like colossi above the bullies, lackwits, and simpering cutesie-wootsies who defile this site with their blather."
-Pauline
oh, DO get off your self righteous horse, for goodness sake. "...tower like colossi..."????? REALLY???
I just think it's funny that people think these dogs are humiliated. Embarrassment, I suppose, can arise in dogs when they misbehave and are caught by their owners. But these dogs are far from misbehaving.
http://www.physorg.com/news75357071.html
This article says that dogs can feel jealousy and anger, but not embarrassment. If any of you can show me a study that says dogs can be humiliated, then I will recant my argument.
the pictures of the doggies with treats on their noses are really quite cute. they make you think "awwww what a good doggie!" that is basic training, including potty training and "sit" commands and that sort of stuff.
but i think this video and some of the other pictures where the doggies' bodies are covered with treats is venturing in to the crazy territory. it's one thing to teach your pet how to swim (life-saving!), and another to train your pet to swim across a river with a ball balanced on his nose.
This was a disgusting display of human indifference, selfishness and cruelty. These animals want nothing more than to please us. And this is the thanks they get? Disgusting.
oh but to all of the people attacking meg or theo personally, SHAME ON YOU!
have you forgotten all the wonderful things posted on this site?? how ungrateful. people may have differing opinions on these past few pictures (remember the commentrovery over having humans in the pictures? i thought that was the stupidest thing) but we cannot forget how this site has buoyed us through tough times at work and life in general!
ok that is all for now.
It is really about giving everyone and in your household dignity. I too rescued an abused dog, a Corgi, and she is now a much healthier, happier pooch. We all have different dogs and different styles, but we can all be careful not to tred on anybody's dignity. When I understood how important that was to every creature, our corgi came along beautifully.
Pauline, I'm actually quite happy with CO. I can't recall a single time when I've "nuffed" (except, perhaps when I said that adult possums aren't cute and they're actually kind of scary, but then, I was agreeing with Meg in that case). Now, if every other post made me hot with rage, then, yeah, I'd go ahead with petliticallycorrect.com. However, as it stands, I think Meg is doing brilliantly and I wouldn't want to give her any competition.
The only thing I could think while watching the chimpanzee portion was to wonder what kind of punishment they had shown that chimp to make him not want the bananas. There have been plenty of scientific tests that show chimps are smart but have a hard time understanding things like this. (Get none now get many later). It leads me to believe the poor thing was somehow scared of them. I hope thats not the case. Either way though, chimps are not made to wear clothes and amuse humans. :(
@ Pauline,
You said, in your first post: "this carries the teasing & control way too far. It speaks volumes about the petty tyranny of the owners & handlers."
Yet, you just admitted you laughed the first time you saw this trick AND tried it on your own dog. Are you then, by your own standards, cruel and tyrannical as well?
Yes, this video is over the top, and they could have stopped at 10 treats, but the point is the treat on the nose trick is simply evidence of how well trained the dog is. When you trained your dog, did you entice and "tease" him with treats to encourage him to do what you wanted? By your standard, such a thing is cruel. Anytime you are eating and your dog looks up at you pleading for a tasty bit of your human food, and you give him nothing, are you just "teasing" him then? Is that cruel as well? You imply that. You need to pick a standard and stick to it.
And as for "amusement of the owner" lots of people teach their dogs to do all sorts of stupid tricks. Is every roll-over, beg, speak, or play possum distressing or wrong? No, like the treat trick, it's only a testament of the obedience and respect between dog and owner that comes from training. It's not such a big deal. It's not absurd to want your dog to obey you.
To everyone freaking out about the drooling lab:
As the owner of a beautiful four year old black lab I can tell you with absolute certainty that labs are the master of what I term the "starving dog" look. They look at you with their big, soulful, sad brown eyes, they furrow their brows, tilt their heads and beg their little hearts out. My dog will do this immediately after he's eaten his own dinner, it doesn't matter, a lab will eat till it barfs and then it'll eat some more, it's just their nature. Relax!
They also drool when they are begging, it goes with the whole "starving dog" package. I tell my boy that the look would be far more effective if I didn't know that he weighs 110 pounds and that our vet would like him to loose about 3 of those pounds.
This isn't abuse, and I'm not sure I'd even go as far as cruel. The animals get the food in the end, and lord knows they have the patience of Job, so someone has loved them enough to teach them to be well-behaved critters.
That said, it's not particularly cute either. Bring on the belleh chub and the disapproving buns!
i am willing to bet money that many of you people who are complaining about how "cruel" this video is, are also omnivorous [or at least, not vegan].
thus, you believe training dogs to wait for food is cruel and "torture", but drinking a delicious milkshake or having a chicken sandwich is okay.
for the record, i found this video adorable and funny.
it's not as though the animals weren't rewarded for their patience, and it's not as though they'd have been punished if they didn't wait.
While the discipline exhibited by these animals is impressive, I don't like the lack of respect this shows for them. There's a definite line between doing a trick and just being humiliated (whether they can actually experience embarrassment or not).
I also have issues with the chimp...should not be wearing a shirt, or performing for people's entertainment...but that's a whole other issue.
Pauline,
You obviously only can insult when you don't have an argument on your side.
I also don't think this is funny or cute(not to mention it's getting old, can we move onl please?). I especially felt sorry for the chimp. At one point he made a sound like wailing, especially when the bananas were piling up.
I'm vegan. I think it's unintentionally cruel. Satisfied El?
totally cruel. that poor dog was drooling!
I don't think this is funny at all, it's cruel and I would never do something similar to my dog or my cat. Sorry, but I believe this doesn't belong here, it's not cute.
Even though I don't think this video shows any sort of cruelty at all, and I totally laughed when the chimp came bursting out of the banana dome, I am kinda getting tired of the stuff on my pet series. Just my two cents.
Pauline, http://www.pleasurablekingdom.com/ this book gives a very good argument that animals feel emotion. That wasn't my argument. I agree, yes, animals feel emotion. But there are two levels of emotion, personal and social. Humility is a social emotion, and that IS debatable as to whether or not animals can feel at that level. I'm not uneducated on the subject, but I am always willing to learn more.
Hey, at least we're discussing intelligently instead of lambasting one another for not agreeing.
See people, we CAN be adult about this. =D!
Since when did salivating indicate cruelty? It is a natural biological response to the presence of food. Think back to a time when you smelled cookies baking in the oven, and I guarantee your mouth started watering too.
maybe it's that i'm a cat person... but these post are not cute, fun, or interesting. at all. normally i wouldn't make a point of saying it, but there've been so many of them!
I've seen this before and thought it was hilarious then and still do now.
Some of you people saying this is cruel need to lighten the hell up. It's not like the dogs and chimp were totally denied eating the treats afterwards. It's not like these people were yelling at the animals scaring them into not eating the treats.
These animals were trained to be patient and they showed just how far they were willing to go before finally breaking down and getting some of those tastey treats (although the 2nd dog just fell asleep :P)
Anywho.. it's a very cute clip. And people would see that if they took that big holier-than-thou stick out of their butts.
I'm tired of all these "there's no blood or screaming, it can't be torture! justifications. No, the dog isn't being TORTURED, but what's going on is still mean and unnecessary. Clearly, the dogs in this video are not being "trained"; they're being exploited by people who think it's cute or funny to tempt them beyond reason. And for those who argue that "they're not being forced; they can eat the treats whenever they want"...well, no, they can't. They've been trained to wait and that's what they're going to do.
There's a lot of complaints here about "nuffers"...frankly, I'm tired of the "anti-nuffers"...exaggerating what we "nuffers" mean or blowing us off immediately just because we disagree and that makes us automatically "obnoxious."
We're here because we care about animals and want to see them treated well.
I still think it's a bit cruel, or at least it makes me uncomfortable to watch, but that's an OPINION & I'm not going to insult those who have differing opinions because decent people DON'T DO THAT...
Anyway. My main problem is, it's really old. I really like this site, but I'm totally over these "lolz dogs being tortured by balancing puppy treats!" features. Really? We need one EVERY DAY? It was barely funny the first time. Variety is what keeps this site fresh & interesting. Plus, it's obviously offending some people so why not just MAKE IT STOP. It's sooooooooo painfully dull.
"Theo's thought police"? THEO! Stop policing people's thoughts by simply sniping at them and not actually doing anything to inhibit or control them...
[I'll consider it... - Ed.]
;)
Since when is drooling a sign of cruelty perpetrated upon a dog? I guess anytime people fix dinner in front of their big drooly dogs and don't give it all to them, they are guilty of such cruelty. I guess everytime a big dog comes up and drools on me, I'm being cruel to him somehow? (I say big because the larger breeds seem to be more prone to spontaneous drooling)
"i am willing to bet money that many of you people who are complaining about how "cruel" this video is, are also omnivorous [or at least, not vegan].
thus, you believe training dogs to wait for food is cruel and "torture", but drinking a delicious milkshake or having a chicken sandwich is okay."
"That also probably means you are obsessed with food yourselves and probably overweight for the love of it."
So, apparently I am a fat meat-love because I disagree with this video? Wow...the blind defensiveness on this thread is disturbing.
I think it's hilarious that people are really worried about the dogs being "humiliated."
They lick their own butts, for crying out loud!
I don't think self-image is a big concern for dogs...
I don't think I should ship Kitty Wigs to Japan anymore. heh. Dooce and Chuck did this a long time ago - remember? http://www.dooce.com/archives/daily/08_16_2006.html
Thought police...
Theo, stop policing my thoughts, RIGHT NOW!
[Fine, fine... putting the badge away... - Ed.]
But really, my opinions are my own and do not in any way represent those of the owner or moderator of CO.
p.s. Hopefully this clip is the Grand Finale of the "Putting treats on doggies" series.
I don't find it cruel, per se. The animals got the treat in the end and commands are an important part of dog training. However, enough is enough and I'm getting a tad bored with the, "torture" theme.
Wow, I cant believe I saw something at CO that disgusted me.....
i was actually wondering...
do people train their cats too? or is it just the poor loyal dogs that get into this sort of predicament?
Pauline, I guess we must just agree to disagree. I don't think it's domineering, just an owner with an obedient dog. I also don't think you can apply human emotions and reasoning on a dog. And actually, I don't teach my dog amusing "tricks." The only one she does is "spin" and that's only because I picked up on her natural inclination to spin when she gets excited. Otherwise, I focus my efforts on useful skills.
And I agree that the sheer number of treats in the video is ridiculous, but I would never attack those people and say it was cruel, because it's not. It's just silly, like like any other trick. And I would never attack Meg, because I don't have to come here if I don't like it.
I rather suspect that there have been so many of these posts because so many people are being so obnoxious about them.
After all, what's the fun of having a blog if you can't exact amusing revenge upon all the whiners? ;)
"I think it's hilarious that people are really worried about the dogs being "humiliated."
They lick their own butts, for crying out loud!
I don't think self-image is a big concern for dogs...
"
Hahahaha... so true so true.
It is funny how people think this is some how humiliating to dogs...
NM that they poop and pee in front of anyone and everyone.
NM that their way of getting to know another animal is to sniff their butts.
So I guess training a dog to beg for a treat is humiliating them as well. Or maybe making a dog eat on the ground is humiliating! YEAH!
Theo's got thought police? Dang! Nobody tells me anything.
Tonight I'll have to ask him why isn't he using it to make our teenagers do their chores, or stop the Evil Siamese from shredding the toilet paper.
The man simply must start using his powers for GOOD!
[must!... CONCENTRATE!... ommm... nommm... - Ed.]
"I think it's hilarious that people are really worried about the dogs being "humiliated."
They lick their own butts, for crying out loud!"
LOL, I agree! Uh-Oh! We insulted the dog's "dignity." Uhmm... yeahh... if that's the case my dog must have no shame, because she does enough on her own, without my help, to "humiliate" herself!
THOUGHT POLICE!!! Wow Pauline, I had no idea that anyone other than YOU was trying to tell everyone what to think. Seemed to me that Theo politely asked you to behave yourself since this is, after all, NOT YOUR WEBSITE. Gawd. You nuffs are driving me nuts today. Meg, can you please repost that pic of the baby chewing on the kitten so that the nuffs really do leave for good?
You know, there are a lot of sites out there on the intertubes with content that I find disturbing and offensive (and for the record, this ain't one of 'em). You know what I do when I run across them?
I choose not to visit them.
As has been mentioned umpteen times, this is Meg's PERSONAL blog. She has been kind enough to allow public access to it, enabling - and I do mean ENABLING ;) - a WHOLE LOT of people to get daily joy from it. But as Theo has pointed out, we're guests here. If you find the content objectionable, no one is forcing you to come here.
(jingles car keys at doggeh, holds up leash, tennis ball, frisbee...c'mon! Gives ball to chimp who jumps up on shoulder to throw for doggeh.)
I like games where everybody has a real good time.
Sorry y'all, I'm an animal lover and the chimp vid. made me lol. I can't imagine why anyone thought it was cruel. I could see him thinking "My dreams have come true. They're building me a house out of bananas!". The black drooling lab looked a little forlorn but that's it. Tortured?! puh-leeze. The other dog just plain fell asleep, that's how racked with stress and pain he was.
As for training cats, sure you can. My cats were "trained" to come when I call them (by doing so they were rewarded with snorgling.. didn't even have to give them food) and to fetch (reward: ball gets thrown again! yay!). I never tried piling food on them but only because I don't think they would have cared.. unless I interrupted a nap, of course.
I think I'd only make it to 5 bananas...then I'm grabbing all of them.
and ONE piece of chocolate and I'm goin for it.
IMHO not so cruel, doggies, and Chimp get their treat after all. CHimpmeister looks like he won the lottery or something seeing all those bananas.
A less extreme version is a common pet trick around here.
Mari: in English "Matte" is "Stay" and also we'd say "come", "sit", "fetch" (bring something back), or "shake" for "give paw".
It kind of depends on the dog and the trainer. Police and military dogs often are commanded by signs or foreign language commands.
"I think it's hilarious that people are really worried about the dogs being "humiliated."
They lick their own butts, for crying out loud!"
LOL, I agree! Uh-Oh! We insulted the dog's "dignity." Uhmm... yeahh... if that's the case my dog must have no shame, because she does enough on her own, without my help, to "humiliate" herself!
How many of these pictures/videos of balancing biscuits on noses/floor/paws are we going to see?
Dear GOD, there are some unbelievably moronic nancies in this thread...
OTHER FORMS OF DOG TORTURE
Forcing dogs to wear collars
Forcing dogs to eat meat
Forcing dogs to eat out of a bowl
Forcing dogs to walk on a leash
Forcing dogs to stay off the dinner table
Forcing dogs to refrain from jumping up on people, attacking people, or humping people's legs
Won't someone PLEASE think of the puppies?!?
[/sarcasm]
It would be different if it were humans (who are on the whole much more able to speak for themselves than animals).
This is torture because it involves and jeopardizes - to the animals - the basic needs for their survival: food and protection.
I'm very surprised and disappointed that this has been allowed to go so far on this website.
And to those who feel I should "lighten up": have one of the animals tell me to do so, and I will. Not before.
Oh, the drool was so cute in such a sad way. Poor puppeh!
Re: the dog portion of the video- while I found it personally distasteful the longer it went on, I have no real complaints about it. Dogs love to please us, so I doubt they were hurt in any way at all. However, I have a dog rescued from euthanasia and I would never take advantage of her loyalty in that way, just to laugh at her. And yes, she is trained not to snap at or steal food.
But the chimp portion made my heart ache for the chimp. Chimps are not dogs, and they are not bred to want to please humans the ways dogs are. The chimp did NOT seem happy in that video, in my opinion. If there is a primate expert out there who feels otherwise feel free to correct me. I would like to be wrong.
This Web Site Has Grown Tiresome
http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/01/this-web-site-h.html
;)
What a disgusting way to treat the chimp!
Apart from those animals that have been domesticated for centuries, no wild animal should be kept as pet and no intelligent animal like a chimp should be treated like this - would people still laugh at the video if they had done this "experiment" with a mentally impaired child?
Also, dressed up pets are NOT cute! And what a waste of food!
Pauline,
Now you're just being rude. The name calling and the holier than thou attitude should stop. There are far better ways to make your point.
Your claim that "nuffers" are the only ones thinking of the animals is patently ridiculous. You have a different opinion, that's fine, but your OPINION is not gospel.
wow, someone is unable to read. i said "many of"... does that mean i was directly calling you a meat-lover? i'm sorry, i thought that meant "many"... not "all"...
Theo;
You have my deep, deep sympathies. For serious.
Pauline> To the few who despise this video & others like it...Carry on the fight!
Yeah, do! Seriously, do. Email your friends and tell them to pile on!
Mo' traffic, mo' revenue. Right Theo? Meg/Theo, honestly, you should stack the ads 100 to a side on threads like this. Thseriously!
Well, the dogs were cute. Balancing a treat on a dog's nose and teaching them to "wait" is common practice. It helps when you want to keep them off the dining room table. I'd have been really really angry about the chimp, but there was one point where I could see that the chimp's canine teeth were intact, so I will give them that. Lots of trainers pull their canines out. The chimp really should have been with mom, though. That was a really young animal.
BTW - re reading. Hey, Theo, if this is a *private* blog, why do you guys keep flogging it for the webby awards. This is not a private blog. It is public and has received millions of hits.
Just sayin'
[OK, to be more linguistically precise, this is a PRIVATELY OWNED blog. It's Meg's. Use the dinner-party metaphor, or if that doesn't work for you, think of it like a nightclub, only without a door charge. Um, so, maybe not Studio 54 circa 1979... - Ed.]
Sorry! This is mean and cruel and ugly. Shame.
I will always come back here... I love this site. I just won't read comments anymore :P
wow this is the most entertaining thing ive read all week.
in fact im gonna add fuel to the fire:
jeez Pauline you are so rude! jump off a bridge! (;D)
Geez Theo, way to tell me what to say. you are responsible for all