What kind of a cretin abuses a dog?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

I hope there is a special place in Hell for them. I was in the elevator the other day and there was this woman with a Pekingese and I asked if I could pet him. I always ask first. She said it's not a good idea at this time because he was a rescue dog that she just got and he was abused.

[steve2470]

1. a person with sociopathic tendencies, that's who nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Like a Republican, just kidding, I'm sure some love their pets./NT

[F4lconF16]

3. Authoritarians with socio/psychopathic tendencies.

People get dogs with no idea how to take care of them. They can't handle it, the dog does something perfectly understandable given its idiot owners, and then they, being authoritarians, attempt to crush the dog into submission. The cycle of abuse starts, and rarely ends.

People who abuse animals are sociopathic to some extent. They have very little empathy, and usually cannot communicate with animals well because of that. I see it with even "good" pet owners: though they may love their dogs, they don't understand them. They have a very hard time seeing things from another point of view.

[Ryano42]

4. Ahem...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. Willard said he liked the fresh air./NT

[michaz]

6. The kind of idiot that goes on to abuse a human! n/t

[mythology]

7. I think there are several types

There are sociopaths who abuse because they enjoy it.

There are those who don't know any better because it's what they learned as a kid.

There are those who are doing to the dog what somebody does to them as a way to have some sort of control.

There are those who don't think of dogs as family members or as a life you've taken responsibility for.

I'm sure there are others that I can't think of at the moment.

But with the right circumstances, most abused dogs can learn to trust again, or at least learn to trust their family. My parents have a rescue who even after several years still will do most anything to avoid me and when she does let me pet her, she often trembles and runs away as soon as I stop.