Some of those people are very annoying haha there's a lot of people who think that no animal should have a job and we use/abuse them or they're "slaves" and it's cruel, etc. It's so annoying. Like I'm sorry, but I personally think it's cruel to NOT give some of these working animals a job. Like the herding breeds of dogs and like Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds etc. Maybe some training methods are a little excessive or "mean" depending on the handler but these dogs LOVE to work. And Malinois in particular seem to have no off switch. They love to GO GO GO lol and I know for sure that if you had one just sit on the couch all day every day, they would not only be VERY VERY unhappy but I'm also not even sure that is possible for them to do lol they would become very destructive too and likely constantly bother you. And maybe even develop aggression or behavior problems. They are NOT pets or couch potatoes. And even breeds designed to have an off switch like GSDs still need to work or play/exercise to burn off that energy before they can settle in for the night. And also huskies. People say dog sledding is cruel but those dogs LOVE to run. Like if you have ever visited a dog sledding kennel, you can see just how excited they get when you get their harnesses and start hooking them up. And how loud and hyped up they are to just GO already, they are SO excited. And then they start running and they settle in and shut up lol if you've ever actually seen it, there is no denying it. And that's why I hate when people complain and ***** without ever having SEEN the dog (or horse, etc.) Working and not working. You can see how happy they are to get to work, to have a job, a purpose, and please you, and how sad and depressed, stressed, whatever, they are when you deny them that. And often work is just a big game for them anyway. Not to mention some dogs (and horses and other animals) have very important purposes. Like police dogs, service dogs or horses, etc. Etc. Like if you think them working is cruel or we're making them slaves or whatever, then okay, we'll make you a special section of the country where there are no police dogs to help apprehend subjects, detect bombs or drugs/narcotics, etc., maybe give you a disability too but you're not allowed to have a service animal for it cause all of that is "cruel" and see how long you last LOL i seriously think that these people should be required to live like that for a certain period of time or at least required to visit these facilities and see it for themselves before commenting.
Sorry, got off on a rant there and sorry to go so crazy on dogs hahaha
Amish people also rely on horses
But anyway, I'm conflicted on the carriages part too. I think there need to be better regulations. I personally think the carriages are a classic, historical part of the city and should not be banned. BUT. Like I said, I think there should be better regulations and maybe only organizations, even small ones, allowed to run them, rather than individuals. Because a lot of the horses DO work crazy long hours or stand in the sun for hours with no water. So I think there should be ethical laws for the treatment or at least ones that are actually enforced. Maybe they can only work so many hours before having to rest for a certain period of time or being swapped out for another set of horses. I think as long as we change the focus to be about the history and the horses rather than about the money and making it a tourist trap then it should be fine. And there should be info on how the horses are treated with different people or companies so that the people can decide for themselves which to ride and then maybe there would be more incentive to treat them better. That said, I do also think it is a little bit weird having them in the city with no grass. They should take them into the parks or outside the city sometimes and let them eat some grass. But that might be too expensive or time consuming.
Sorry, got off on a rant there and sorry to go so crazy on dogs hahaha
Amish people also rely on horses
But anyway, I'm conflicted on the carriages part too. I think there need to be better regulations. I personally think the carriages are a classic, historical part of the city and should not be banned. BUT. Like I said, I think there should be better regulations and maybe only organizations, even small ones, allowed to run them, rather than individuals. Because a lot of the horses DO work crazy long hours or stand in the sun for hours with no water. So I think there should be ethical laws for the treatment or at least ones that are actually enforced. Maybe they can only work so many hours before having to rest for a certain period of time or being swapped out for another set of horses. I think as long as we change the focus to be about the history and the horses rather than about the money and making it a tourist trap then it should be fine. And there should be info on how the horses are treated with different people or companies so that the people can decide for themselves which to ride and then maybe there would be more incentive to treat them better. That said, I do also think it is a little bit weird having them in the city with no grass. They should take them into the parks or outside the city sometimes and let them eat some grass. But that might be too expensive or time consuming.
