Sorry for the multiple posts! It's the site's fault. It doesn't give me the options of deleting or even editing.

 

Sorry for the multiple posts! It's the site's fault. It doesn't give me the options of deleting or even editing.

 

yes, i realize that the dogs are their companions as well, and that is why i said "part".

as for them feeding the dog more, it really depends on the individual. if a dirty scrawny dog generates more "donations" then why would they get them clean and healthy??

as for the law you are proposing, it's really a controversial debate. sure, it'd be nice if each and every pet have owners that can properly take care of them, but at the same time, many of these pets, if they do not have owners (whether good or bad ones) will eventually be put to sleep.

lastly, humiliation is a state of mind, and i'm sure many if not all of the homeless individuals have gotten over that state of self awareness in order to actually live on the streets and beg for money. also, keep in mind that your spare change may not be much, but you are not the only person that give these homeless people money on any one given day. if their only desires are to have a dry place to sleep at night and to have food in their stomach, all the spare change they accumulate throughout the day will more or less satisfy those needs and thus eliminate any "hardship" for them. in fact, in major cities, some individuals make a career out of panhandling. i've read stories, where some of these individuals would after a day of panhandling, get into their nice cars and drive to their nice homes. urban myth?? maybe, but certainly not unbelievable. dont' get me wrong, many of the homeless people genuinely need assistance, but pretty much all cities have shelters and programs that can help these individuals get back on their feet if these homeless people choose to seek assistance, so if you really want to make a difference in these peoples' lives, you should donate your time and money to those organizations instead because as long as people give these homeless people the money they need to satisfy their "needs", they will not find the need to change their living situation.

 

I have seen local "beggers" who are drinking bottled water, and are smoking cigarettes while they are begging! Screw them. I am not paying for their cigarettes.

One guy had a "vietnam vet sign", walked with a cane when begging...but I saw him ride a bike and run across the road one day in traffic..... i guess the cane and sign were to help the cause.

I have also seen lots of small groups of homeless kids (about 17-20 year olds)...maybe 3-4 kids with 2-3 fairly big dogs.... the kids always have stupid looking piercings and tatoos, and a sign "homeless, please give"..... they can work the same as I can.

 

If you think people using dogs to beg for money is sad, wait until you hear this:

I was back in China about 5 years ago, I saw couple 3-4 year-old's going from store to store to beg for money. I watched for about 10 minutes as people from the stores simply dismissed them. I thought to myself, "wow, these people at the stores are pretty heartless." Then I thought that these 2 kids might have been used as tools by local thugs, so much so that the locals simply ignore them.

With that in mind, I went into one of the stores to buy them some food and drinks instead of giving them money that will eventually be surrendered to the thugs. The kids, as hungry as they look, would not eat the food; they stashed them away. I opened the beverage and handed it to them, they poured it into another container...not dared to use it for themselves.

 

[QUOTE=PsychoBen,Jul 9 2004, 12:52 PM] If you think people using dogs to beg for money is sad, wait until you hear this:

I was back in China about 5 years ago, I saw couple 3-4 year-old's going from store to store to beg for money.

 

I woulnd't say that pets are totally dependent on us. It depends on the circumstances.
It you have them on a leash then yes. If you don't, they usually find a way to get fed. Not pet store food but more than you would imagine.

 

a pooh on the street just kidding.

 

Actually, German Sheppards are know for their taste for poo. Can't remember the reason now but I have seen first hand one eating its own filth!

 

It's not so bad. Think about it the next time you go to work and leave your dog home all day. THe dogs of these homeless get almost 24 hour companionship which they prefer. The dogs can also eat a lot of things the homeless person might now. There's lots of leftovers people throw away in resturants that a dog could eat like a god on.