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by Mike McConnery |
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It was with great sadness and great outrage, that we read an article on the
forced extinction of certain breeds of dogs. Why, when we fight so hard to
preserve species that are naturally, or due to man's interference becoming
extinct, do we allow the forced extinction of man's best friend. It is man's
greed and vanity that has placed God's creatures in this perilous state and
it is man in his self-righteous arrogance, that deems himself worthy to
decide who should live and who should not.
Some of the so-called undesirables on this list of dogs include the Pit
Bull, the American Bull Terrier, the Kuvasz, the Fila Brasiliero, the
Rhodesian Ridgeback just to name a few. Certain countries including Germany,
Holland and Britain have passed legislation requiring all litters to be
registered and all pups to be neutered so as to move towards the permanent
extinction of these breeds. In North America, government is already
discussing the possible ban of "protection dog" breeds being owned by family
or regular civilians. These dogs include the German Shepherd's Dog, the
Rottweiler, the Doberman, the Malinois, the Dutch Shepherd's Dog etc. I have
no doubt that these well-loved and dedicated animals will soon join the
above on the forced extinction list.
Call to mind the German Shepherd's Dog, protector of hearth and home,
guardian of children and flock. World renowned for his use in war efforts as
sentry dog, scout dog, tracker dog and medic dog. Well known and utilized
the world over as Rescue K-9, Therapy K-9, Assistance dog for the disabled,
blind and deaf. Used extensively in narcotics detection, weapons detection,
explosives detection, environmental detection and criminal apprehension. A
dog of unquestioning loyalty, intelligence and devotion.
Now imagine a world without this dog.
It is time for those who know to take a stand and for those who don't to
wake up and smell the coffee. Every time government legislates something we
loose another little freedom. The outbreak of dog bites today is man's fault
not dogs. Weak people, weak breeders, weak handlers and weak parents have
created the situation that exists today. If I as a child had gone up to a
strange dog and been snapped at, I would have been disciplined by my parents
for approaching a strange dog. This doesn't mean that dogs should snap at
everything but it means people need to be more responsible with themselves
and their children. If a dog growls at a child, the dog should be corrected
for growling, the child should be disciplined for teasing the dog and both
the handler and the parents must be aware of that which they are responsible
for.
Weak and undisciplined breeders have caused an influx of weak nerved, brain
dead dogs. Misinformed trainers teach the misinformed public. People
come to us to have their dogs trained for protection work. They apply
themselves with diligence to the part where the dog bites. NO ONE wants to
do tracking or obedience under stress. No one wants to apply a correction to their dog if they move out of position
in obedience work. We are affectionate to our dogs, we praise our dogs when
they do well, but if you ask your dog to do a command, which he fully
understands and he refuses, he must be corrected. If you are not in control
of your dog, you are out of control.
When we have people here for training we often go off-site and are always
witness to undisciplined dogs with undisciplined handlers in an
undisciplined public. On one occasion we stopped outside a coffee shop for a
break and sat outside the store with two German Shepherds and one Malinois.
The dogs were all placed in a down stay. Two young people in their twenties
walked out and upon seeing the dogs began pushing each other into the dogs
and yelling, "look they're going to bite you". Our dogs simply looked at
them and stayed in position. Had the dogs perceived a threat and alerted on
these people, they would have been deemed vicious animals. Another time we
went into a large pet store where our dogs walked at fuss and behaved in a
mannerly fashion.
Another women had two Australian Cattle dogs, one young and one older dog,
dragging her through the store and lashing out non-stop at every animal they
saw. The young dog learned this poor behavior from the older dog. At no time
did this woman correct her dogs, she simply dragged them to another aisle
where they were not able to see other dogs. If these dogs break free of her
and attack another dog or, a child, it is not the dogs' fault but the
handlers.
Many of you may not like the breeds you see on the list, but they have
received a bad rap due to poor handling, poor breeding and irresponsible
ownership. The Pit Bull is an excellent example. These dogs are not
naturally people aggressive - they are animal aggressive and if they are well
socialized around animals, as with any other dog, they are solid around
other animals. The owner and trainer of a Pit Bull makes it people aggressive
or animal aggressive. Brain dead people make brain dead dogs.
Certain breeds have inherent breed characteristics. If you don't want an
animal aggressive dog, don't buy a breed used to hunt large game and always
socialize your dog well around other animals. If you don't want a protective
dog, don't buy a herding or otherwise protective breed. If you just want a
pet, then please, buy a lap dog, remembering that many of the small lap
breeds are nippy. Don't allow your dogs to run at large, especially if you
have no off lead control. Don't feel it is your right or your child's right
to pet a stranger's dog. You wouldn't like it if a stranger hugged your
child, we don't like it when you, without permission, pet our dogs. If you
want to pet a dog, buy your own, and for God's sake accept the
responsibility that goes with it.
In my opinion, we have permitted for far too long, the weak minded people in
our society to pass laws, which rob us of our freedoms, among which are our
freedoms to think and make mistakes. It is time for us, who have stayed
quiet for so long to stand up for our rights while we still have some.
Orwell's 1984, where he speaks of a mindless society is not too far around
the corner. We have permitted the very weak in our society to impose their
distorted views in our schools, in our churches, in our public places, in
our homes and now upon our dogs. The loss of a true companion and friend
such as the dog will bring about the end to our freedoms. Responsibility
cannot be legislated. Just take a look at what our world has become by
letting these politicians and people make it into what they deem a better
place. The Prozac they have given our children, they now tell us to give our
dogs. We have to, if we are serious begin to stand up for the truth. The
very people that breed weak, unstable dogs are the people that want to
legislate and control our rights over dogs that are bred properly.
Remember laws have no conscience, nor do they have a thought process. What
once was passed to protect, is now passed to control. I hope sincerely, that
this letter is read globally by those of us that believe our dogs, our
homes, our families, our schools and our churches should be left untouched
by the cancer that is rapidly growing in our once great country. I do not
want, nor will I live in a world of weak, spineless individuals who through
legislation and special interest groups want to destroy the norm, thus
making their weakness and distorted view the norm.
What is happening around us is frightening because the pace of this madness
is increasing. Innocent people that have large breeds are often looked upon
as being criminal. The American Pit Bull Terrier was the first breed of dog
to serve as a war dog for the United States of America in World War I. Of
course many will say that was then, the world has changed, this is now. I
will agree the world has changed and it is time to change it back. Back to
the foundation of responsibility where our children learn to read and write
in school, where our homes and families were our business and our
responsibility. Where our churches were not afraid to preach the truth and
our politicians were responsible and respectable individuals not criminals.
A time when responsible people took responsibility for their actions and
government legislation had nothing to do with our rights and privileges....
A time when government worked for us, the people. A time when we were not
over-ridden by them..... A time when the inmates where not permitted to run
the asylum.
Rights and privileges such as owning a dog is the responsibility of the
individual. If he proves he cannot own a dog, or parent a child, or drive a
car, or own a firearm, then the law will decide on him as an individual not on the
masses as it is being done today. We didn't move when they took away our
right to raise our children responsibly. We didn't move when they took away
our rights to protect ourselves. Perhaps we'll grumble now when they
threaten to take away our best friend and guardian. If we don't then we will
get exactly what we deserve. An unfortunately and sadly, noble breeds of service dogs will suffer and get
what they don't deserve.
Those weak ones who would bring us down to their level have created a world
up side down, where people are afraid to be strong, afraid to be
individuals, afraid to stand up for their beliefs. Soon even letters like
this will be deemed to be unsuitable.
We, in closing, hope
that as you reach down and pat the head of the noble creature that shares
your life, that you will not permit this atrocity to go on any longer
without confronting it. It is always harder to swim upstream, but the reward
is the mountaintops and the river source.
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