Nope, hadn't left the forum yet. Thanks to those of you who offered warm welcomes. I simply haven't had the time to check an internet forum every day.
I don't see any credible response in this thread to my queries. Quite a bit of insider gossip, passive-aggressive criticism about nothing in particular, and catty girlish comments long on personal remarks and short on fact and punctuated with sophomoric sarcasm, the rhetorical resort of those too ignorant to engage in intellectual irony.
I did note that on at least one thread where I offered some criticism of an OP, several other forum members offered the exact same criticism (regarding the fact that the OP seemed to be effectively starving an already undernourished animal by making it share a significantly less-than-recommended, per bag instructions, amount of food with 2 other dogs.)
I read with some slight amusement - tempered by sorrow at the thought of an unnecessary surgical procedure which, like an such procedure, carries some risk of complication no matter how often performed - the criticism of my use of the term "barbaric" to describe the practice of performing medically unnecessary cosmetic surgery on a dog's ears, such criticism having been offered by people who apparently have deliberately had the practice done to their dogs, and are thus completely unbiased in this matter.
At least one person criticized and somehow attributed to me the decision of a state-licensed animal shelter to have my dog spayed at 8 months prior to allowing me to adopt her. You be sure to write the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals about their horribly cruel program of promoting neutering of all shelter dogs as young as 8 weeks!
All in all, a pretty poor showing. As mentioned, I had thought that honest criticism, offered without profanity, would be received in light of the helpful spirit in which I offered it. I can see that I was wrong. While most of us don't especially like being told that someone else thinks we are doing something wrong, and may even temporarily react with some form of, "Who does this jack-o-lantern think he is?", those of us with a balanced emotional profile can generally accept that someone who is offering honest criticism is at least taking time out of their busy schedule to engage in an activity which they, at least, believe may be of some use to us. We can also sometimes even see past our immediate emotional response to how their method of address makes us feel, so as to analyze the informational content of their communication and, if we feel the urge, respond in kind with a logical or factual refutation of their initial statements. Of course we needn't respond or act on or even pay attention to their criticism, so if we wish we can simply thank them politely or impolitely for their efforts and ignore them in the future. If we do determine that we have been deliberately and wrongly insulted, I believe duels of honor are no longer legal nor are they as yet possible in an online format; however, we presumably have the means and opportunity of responding to the offending party and demanding that the cretinous cad retract his appallingly derogatory statement.
Or, of course, we can run to mommy and complain that someone said something that gave our feelings a boo boo.
It's not the critical responses herein which I find so unfortunate, but the fact that for the most part none of them offer any useful informational advice or alternatives. For the record: I don't have any control over how any of you feel in response to my comments. Telling me that I shouldn't say something because it makes people feel bad isn't helpful. It's the downside of the sewing-circle gossip culture: don't criticize anyone except behind their back, effusively praise the smallest utterance of the elder members, and make sure not to bring up any topics of conversation which might be offensive to the delicate sensibilities of the weaker members. This is an excellent format for getting the sewing done, but it offers little to attract someone who seeks a forthright exchange of ideas and expects to responsibly engage in the same. I didn't join this forum to sew.
I do realize that for those who understand how to engage in rationally critical adult conversation, the above may seem shockingly direct and confrontational but will, in private moments, be admitted to be self-evident and not exactly news. The rest of you will of course derive no benefit from my continued and no doubt elusive efforts to train you in how to behave appropriately. You will wonder what gives me the "right" to criticize you, and you will assuage your ego with the proviso that of course you would be open to criticism just so long as I wasn't so, you know, critical.
Again thanks to those of you who offered warm welcomes. I appreciate it, but the evidence of my explorations thus far suggests that the dross in these forums outweighs any probable benefit to me from sifting through them with any regular frequency. I am certain there is a wealth of helpful information and experienced advice available herein; I simply don't have the time or the interest to wade through the rest of it in order to find the useful nuggets. There are plenty of other, non-forum-based resources on caring for mastiff breeds, and I am finding that these in combination with the advice of our vet and my own experience provide me sufficient information and support - at least, enough so that I don't need to spend any more time here. I commend those of you who are trying to make these forums a useful resource and I am certain that your efforts do benefit many others. Good luck and God bless to all of you.
