People who say they "built" a house when they really mean they hired a builder and picked out a design. It's up there with saying you "rescued" a dog (George Carlin had a bit on that one.
I felt the same way about rescues, until I adopted my dog through a rescue org. They literally saved this dog from euthanasia, and explained to me that because I was taking the dog directly off transport, it opened up another foster care spot for another dog. So yeah, I do say he's a rescue dog now.
I have a coworker that bought his dog from one of those awful puppy-mill pet stores. He likes to say he "rescued" him from the awful pet store.
No. No, no, no.
This the problem with popularizing “rescue” as a virtuous act. My friend said she “rescued”a puppy from a breeder.
Um no honey, you bought a dog. Own it. It ain’t against the law.
Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can set themselves up as a rescue organization. We had to kick an elderly couple out of the national breed rescue organization for stockpiling dogs and selling them. It was mos def a money making operation for them.
Back to friends who rescue dogs: that same friend who “rescued” the dog from a breeder, bought one of those mixed breed dogs. Ummm, ok, whatever lady. But when she floated the idea of breeding it I said straight up in front of her and her husband at a dinner party —sure she can do that it is not against the law—but I would shun her. Yes I would be shunning her if she bred that dog. We all laughed uncomfortably about that and she Blathered about how she had bred excellent dogs blah blah blah blah but it was all a lot of bullshit. They knew I was serious, and shunning is my only tool.
Yet my other friend on the other side of the scale will practically start crying when she thinks about herself and her virtuosity in rescuing a house full of dogs she has. These really are street dogs. For a while she was an animal collector and she had way too many dogs and cats in her house.
Crying about shit always annoys me unless it’s very serious stuff like someone dies.