Unbelievable

[Jack's-Jane]

I assume that the owners thought it was okay because people dress up dogs and put collars on them. They probably have no idea that they are distressing the bunny, and if it didn't protest they'd think it didn't mind.

It's a failure to understand rabbits. To me it seems like a natural progression from the idea that rabbits are cuddly children's pets, like living breathing soft toys - of course I don't approve but it makes sense. Cuddly toys don't mind having clothes put on them, and if the rabbit didn't give out any "please stop this" signals that the owners understood (blaming owners here not rabbit) then they'd carry on and not realise. I'd think "clueless owner" rather than "malicious owner".

I don't like to see clothes on dogs either unless they are functional, useful clothes like the coat I got for my old arthritic Lab to wear in the winter, or a tshirt for a dog that needs to have its skin protected from the sun. If you want to dress something up, get a doll.

:thumb:

 

[youthnovels]

It baffles me too.

Animals are only ever dressed up to please the human, end of. It is of no benefit to the animal at all. I prefer seeing an animal in the fur, much cuter than ridiculous clothing.

It isn't only rabbits, people also dress up guinea pigs

Playing devils advocate, when Toby has his hair cut in the winter (which he needs to have done due to how long his fur grows/he doesn't shed) he gets really cold. Being a poodle cross he has no undercoat and will sometimes shiver. He has a jumper that we put on him because if not he spends his whole time trying to cuddle somewhere cold.

However, I realise this thread is about something slightly different ...

 

[Sarah1991]

Playing devils advocate, when Toby has his hair cut in the winter (which he needs to have done due to how long his fur grows/he doesn't shed) he gets really cold. Being a poodle cross he has no undercoat and will sometimes shiver. He has a jumper that we put on him because if not he spends his whole time trying to cuddle somewhere cold.

However, I realise this thread is about something slightly different ...

I agree with you here mind you, dog's often do benefit from wearing coats and things, we put a dog coat on Winstone in the winter but you can tell it doesn't bother him. But it is what it is, a dog coat with a purpose, we don't put him in frilly dresses or silly costumes...

I think to me I can totally tell that Winny doesn't mind his coat, in fact he looks forward to it as it means he is going out, to a rabbit it means nothing, its just a strange, scary thing that has no benefit to them..

Dog's can tell us if something is bothering them, a rabbit is much more subtle..

 

[William]

I feel like the only person that doesn't either love pet clothes or hate them. Seems they evoke strong emotions in people. You either get the type that dress their pets up with no regard for their feelings or you get people that refuse to consider that they have their uses (obviously they're necessary for some dogs, for instance, and also some medical problems, and some hairless animals). I just don't see the big deal with clothes, don't really have strong opinion on them either way, they are what they are. Obviously I don't agree with people that really do treat their animals like infants or dolls, but they're an extreme case.

I do think a lot of people are either too fussy with rabbits or too careless though (careless people being causal pet owners, not people on here). like they're not delicate china that might break at the slightest touch. Yes they can get easily stressed but they aren't all like that. I do wonder whether some people's rabbits are so stressy partly because they keep them in bubble wrap, afraid to do anything with them in case they go into stasis or something. Any animal can be stressy in those circumstances, any animal might be anxious of new things (like clothes).

I reckon my rabbit Jack is more outgoing about new places and situations than my 2 maltese. Heck, my maltese can't even stand a slight change (as in, something as small as the food bowl not being in the exact same spot when the food is poured in it) in routine shortly before they're fed or they refuse to eat for hours and start displaying OCD traits. My maltese are also terrified of being picked up or carried while my buns just dislike it but usually aren't too bothered. Yeah, I know that rabbits are prey, vastly different from dogs etc etc but my point is that not all rabbits act the same and not all dogs act the same.

Makes me think of several years ago when people on here thought rabbit show jumping was cruel (perception of that seems to have changed some) and their excuse was always that SOME rabbits are easily stressed. Yes, "some" is the key word there... You can't judge a whole species so broadly.

I don't know. I hate stressing animals out (like when giving them meds and such) but at the same time I don't think you should worry about it with every little thing. It's possible to consider their feelings without over analyzing them. I think people on the 'clothes are cruel' side sometimes anthropomorphize animals just as much as the clothes lovers do. They seem to project their feelings of pet clothes onto animals, imagining them becoming mentally scarred from it when at most they probably only experience slight discomfort/nervousness/annoyance from this strange new thing.

I agree with you here mind you, dog's often do benefit from wearing coats and things, we put a dog coat on Winstone in the winter but you can tell it doesn't bother him. But it is what it is, a dog coat with a purpose, we don't put him in frilly dresses or silly costumes...

To me it looks like the rabbit is wearing a random t shirt, nothing very "dressed up" looking (if that's referring to the picture)? We don't even know if perhaps the rabbit got a cut or bite and required a shirt so it didn't lick the medicine. Probably not, but you can't assume the worst with every picture you see.

Finally someone who speaks sense and doesn't shoot someone down just because they see something on the internet...

Wow I didn't expect anyone to agree with me!

We'll simply have to agree to differ yet again

Yeah. Like I said above I didnt expect anyone to agree. Just wanted to voice my opinion on the matter as I don't think people are being very fair. But then I don't see most things as black and white, to me theres a lot to consider with it...while I wouldn't advocate clothes on rabbits I also wouldn't flame someone for it, depending...

 

[Sarah1991]

I feel like the only person that doesn't either love pet clothes or hate them. Seems they evoke strong emotions in people. You either get the type that dress their pets up with no regard for their feelings or you get people that refuse to consider that they have their uses (obviously they're necessary for some dogs, for instance, and also some medical problems, and some hairless animals). I just don't see the big deal with clothes, don't really have strong opinion on them either way, they are what they are. Obviously I don't agree with people that really do treat their animals like infants or dolls, but they're an extreme case.

I do think a lot of people are either too fussy with rabbits or too careless though (careless people being causal pet owners, not people on here). like they're not delicate china that might break at the slightest touch. Yes they can get easily stressed but they aren't all like that. I do wonder whether some people's rabbits are so stressy partly because they keep them in bubble wrap, afraid to do anything with them in case they go into stasis or something. Any animal can be stressy in those circumstances, any animal might be anxious of new things (like clothes).

I reckon my rabbit Jack is more outgoing about new places and situations than my 2 maltese. Heck, my maltese can't even stand a slight change (as in, something as small as the food bowl not being in the exact same spot when the food is poured in it) in routine shortly before they're fed or they refuse to eat for hours and start displaying OCD traits. My maltese are also terrified of being picked up or carried while my buns just dislike it but usually aren't too bothered. Yeah, I know that rabbits are prey, vastly different from dogs etc etc but my point is that not all rabbits act the same and not all dogs act the same.

Makes me think of several years ago when people on here thought rabbit show jumping was cruel (perception of that seems to have changed some) and their excuse was always that SOME rabbits are easily stressed. Yes, "some" is the key word there... You can't judge a whole species so broadly.

I don't know. I hate stressing animals out (like when giving them meds and such) but at the same time I don't think you should worry about it with every little thing. It's possible to consider their feelings without over analyzing them. I think people on the 'clothes are cruel' side sometimes anthropomorphize animals just as much as the clothes lovers do. They seem to project their feelings of pet clothes onto animals, imagining them becoming mentally scarred from it when at most they probably only experience slight discomfort/nervousness/annoyance from this strange new thing.



To me it looks like the rabbit is wearing a random t shirt, nothing very "dressed up" looking (if that's referring to the picture)? We don't even know if perhaps the rabbit got a cut or bite and required a shirt so it didn't lick the medicine. Probably not, but you can't assume the worst with every picture you see.



Wow I didn't expect anyone to agree with me!



Yeah. Like I said above I didnt expect anyone to agree. Just wanted to voice my opinion on the matter as I don't think people are being very fair. But then I don't see most things as black and white, to me theres a lot to consider with it...while I wouldn't advocate clothes on rabbits I also wouldn't flame someone for it, depending...

I don't believe that I was referring to what the rabbit in the picture was wearing? I was just talking about dressing animals up in general, of which we often see lots dressed up in costumes and fashion clothing?

 

[William]

I don't believe that I was referring to what the rabbit in the picture was wearing? I was just talking about dressing animals up in general, of which we often see lots dressed up in costumes and fashion clothing?

Yeah I wasn't sure if you meant the picture or in general. I saw somewhere else in the thread people referring to it as a dress or frilly etc but it just looks like a t shirt to me...not that a dress and a t shirt are much different really...sometimes you can't even tell the difference, but it seemed to imply that the owners were trying to dress him up like a doll.

 

[Sarah1991]

Yeah I wasn't sure if you meant the picture or in general. I saw somewhere else in the thread people referring to it as a dress or frilly etc but it just looks like a t shirt to me...not that a dress and a t shirt are much different really...sometimes you can't even tell the difference, but it seemed to imply that the owners were trying to dress him up like a doll.

I know that lots of people put baby grows on rabbits that have had spays and things, perhaps the owner of this rabbit simply took a picture of the rabbit and it happened to be a one like that? We will never know.

I just really hate the idea of dressing animals up so you can say ''ohh isn't that cute'' it just seems immensely selfish to me.

 

[ravenmoore36]

My guys have leads and harness. They are indoor buns. When the weather is nice we take them to the park near us where dogs are few. We couldnt let them hop around without leads or harness as it would not be safe. They love getting out and are used to the leads and harness. They also have coats and jumpers. They are not used to being outdoors in all weathers so trips to the vet when it is cold they need some protection. Our vet does not think it cruel. Our girl is seriously fragile and she would never survive outdoors, she regularly sees a vet who is bunny up on bunny care and advises us what care she needs.


ravenmoore36