Welcome Message
(You will receive a copy of this when you join the list)

Petdogs-L is a moderated list--we look at every post before it goes out--and we enforce our rules. Please read them before posting.

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What the list is for:

Petdogs-L is for sharing information about owning and caring for dogs of all kinds and ages. If you own or are thinking about getting a dog or if you are an experienced owner or doggy professional who wants to help others, you are welcome here.

In general...
Questions and responses about getting, training, feeding, and otherwise caring for dogs are appropriate. However Petdogs-L is intended as a community and a community does not live by facts alone. Interesting, amusing, or sad things that involve dogs are also appropriate.

To keep list volume down please do not request 'zen,' 'good thoughts' or the like for your pet. When congratulations or sympathy are in order, send them privately if someone else has already posted the thought.

Controversial topics are okay but since this list is for exchange of factual information, discussion is to be reasoned, polite and brief. The listowners will stop these topics when we feel the discussion is no longer appropriate for Petdogs-L.

Petdogs-L was designed as a place for pet owners to get and share information about their dogs -- a place to learn without criticism. No one should feel too embarrassed to ask any dog-related question.

We expect polite, grown-up behavior. We believe dog people are the nicest folks there are and we expect Petdogs-L members to reinforce that prejudice. Rudeness, flames and the like may get you thrown out. There is no place on this list for sarcasm or condescension. None of us was born a dog expert. If you think a certain question or person is 'stupid' either answer politely, dealing just with the facts, or keep quiet.

Like any public list, Petdogs-L is a reflection of its membership. There are members who are dog professionals, breeders, trainers, and very experienced pet owners, and others who think they are experts but who have little or no experience. Consider the source of advice you are offered. It is generally better to read several answers to a question before deciding what to do.

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The Rules

While we try not to be 'uptight' some rules are necessary if a list of over 750 members (as of May 2001) is to work for all members. These are ours:

1) Be nice
People come to Petdogs-L to get help. If your answer isn't polite and caring it probably won't be approved and people who are often rude get unsubbed. A good test is: "If I had asked that question, would I want to read my answer?"

2) Keep posts as short as possible
Many members get mail by digest and must page over unneeded material. Others pay for downloads and/or storage; sending more than needed wastes their money. And yet others are busy professionals who donate to Petdogs-L, time that they could sell to other people; it is common sense as well as courtesy that we not waste that time with 'junkmail'. When responding to a current topic it's probably not necessary to quote anything unless you're answering just one point. For an older topic quote enough that your reader doesn't have to look at the original to understand your comment. Unless it's just a line or two, never never never quote an entire post. Always delete headers and other garbage. 'Sig files' are limited to four lines.

3) No 'urgent warnings' or chain letters
These are nearly all either fakes or well-known in the Internet community. Also do not post virus warnings, jokes, lists of the 'top ten things,’ forwards from other lists, etc. In general, if you got it from another list, don't send it to Petdogs-L.

4) No crusades!
Hate Rimadyl, the Iditarod or routine vaccinations? Love 'raw diets'? While these and other hot topics are sometimes discussed, banging on the bottom of a pot to promote a personal crusade is not allowed.

5) No adoption/rescue coordination
Do not post lost dogs or dogs available for adoption/rescue, or attempt to coordinate dog rescue or other activities through this list. Other lists provide those services and we will be happy to refer you to them. The only exception is that a lost dog belonging to a list member may be posted.

6) No advertising, address harvesting, or spam
Petdogs-L may not be used to promote a business, collect addresses, or buy or sell dogs. Please let us know if you are contacted for a commercial purpose by anyone you think has gotten your address from Petdogs-L. You may include in your sig file the name of your business and a web address. You may not include promotional statements. For example:

Suzie Sorghum
Suzie's Saluki Supplies
http://www.susiessalukis.com

would be okay.

But "We have the best prices on Adak" would not be allowed.

7) Keep politics off the list
This is a dog list with a worldwide membership of many faiths and viewpoints. Statements on sex or sexuality, religion, politics, and similar non-dog related topics should be avoided in posts, 'signature' files and elsewhere.

8) If it's personal, send it to the person
Replies go to the group by default. To help us keep the volume of traffic manageable, please send congratulatory or “Me too!” posts to the individual rather than to the group. 'Good thoughts' and "Hi Judy, Glad to see you on the list!" may be included in a post about other topics, but if “Hi” is all you have to say, do it privately. If you don’t see the poster’s individual address, click on REPLY. Usually it will show up in the body of the message. If you still have trouble, contact the listowner.

9) Use a meaningful subject line
Few people have time to read every post. "Fido won't eat" is better than "A dog question." When your subject isn’t the original one, change the subject line to match: “Best dog food for fussy eaters? (was 'Fido won't eat')”

10) When you intend humor, say so
Remember that readers of your post cannot see your smile. Use appropriate internet symbols (emoticons and acronyms) if needed. You can find a list at: http://www.zephryus.demon.co.uk/education/internet/smile.html
and commonly used acronyms at: http://www.zephryus.demon.co.uk/education/internet/acro.html

11) Content is copyrighted to the original poster
Nothing on this list may be forwarded or reposted to another list without the permission of the original writer.

12) Describe your dog
When posting a problem or question it will help if you give the dog’s name, breed (or mix if known), age, approximate weight, general temperament (sharp, sensitive, stubborn), training if any, brief history if known. “My dog snapped at me today” has a very different meaning for Muffy, (10 lbs, 2 years, sharp temperament, minimal training, owned since 12 weeks old) and for Brutus (110 lbs, 8 years, very shy, no training, rescue with history of abuse, owned for three weeks). Also we encourage you to complete your YahooGroups member profile and add information about your dogs in the Notes section.

13) No autoresponders
If you use an autoresponder when you are gone, you must set your list mail to NO MAIL or WEB ONLY. If an autoresponse shows up, you will be unsubbed immediately. You may re- join later. [Autoresponders are sort of e-mail answering machines and send a message like "I am away from the office this week. I'll get back to you later" to every message received while they are active. If you don't know what we're talking about, don't worry about it. They only work if you turn them on, so you can't get in trouble by accident.]

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Additional List Features:

You can access the following features from the Petdogs-L site at YahooGroups or by going directly to the web addresses indicated.

Searchable LIST ARCHIVES are available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Petdogs-L/messages

The FILES site is for interesting articles. Find it at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Petdogs-L/files/
and upload your own articles.

The PHOTOS site is for photos of you and your dogs. It's at http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Petdogs-L/lst. Click on "Create album" and start your own!

LINKS or BOOKMARKS is a list of members’ website links or any other favorite links you might want to add. It’s at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Petdogs-L/links/

A DATABASE listing members (real or nickname or anonymous) number of dogs, breed or mix, and origin of dog. The information is optional, of course, but we'd like to have as many members listed as possible to provide an overview of the makeup of the group. It is at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Petdogs-L/database
Just click on the table "Who Owns Whom?"

A CHAT ROOM is operational and available for any members’ use. You can arrange a chat with just one person, or you can announce to the list that you will be in the chat room at a specific time if anyone would like to join you. It is at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Petdogs-L/chat

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Opinions expressed on this list are not necessarily those of the listowners or the company providing host computer services. By continuing to receive messages you agree to hold harmless the listowners and host company for information appearing on the list; if you can't accept this rule, unsubscribe now.

Comments are welcome. Have fun!

Sharyn and Walt Hutchens
sharyn@timbreblue.com
waltah@earthlink.net

(Revised April 21, 2003)