Blimey Spot, I'm surprised if you've found yourself alone in questioning these things. I've always felt that these are among the topics on which dogseyers are most united. I guess you might get that feeling because there may be a minority of members who disagree with you, but I think the strength of the website is in our ability to have differing opinions but still be supportive and civil to each other (mostly! )

Hi Spot I can't comment on rescue sites, I have read very few, though there have been occasions a long time ago when someone from a rescue site joined here and was less than pleasant.

We try to be non judgemental on Dogsey and yes it is hard to bite ones tongue in some instances. I upset a couple of people in the past by speaking out when a persons described behaving badly while walking their dogs, I did so because I thought what they did could reflect badly on all dog owners.

Many things about the way people have treated dogs or even why they got a dog in the first place can't be changed What we can do is try to help and advise where possible so some people won't make the same mistakes twice and some people learn from reading about the mistakes made by others. By trying to help and advise, we can hopefully improve things for dogs as a whole.

I go on a few forums dog and horse and moderate on a couple. I think all others do have thier cliques but I have been amazed not to find that here, unless I am blind.
I have always been made to feel welcome here from the start, never been slated for my points of view even my paticuarly strong ones like vaccinations.
Everyone on here seems very very friendly. I love it and have never seen what I feel is a clique.