I am not excited about this development. The Chinook is still a pretty primative breed, and most of these types of dogs don't make great pets. Further, with a very limited gene pool, there is a great potential for genetic defects. It is also a sled pulling dog. The sled pulling versions of the Husky, the real things in the Arctic, aren't the same types of dogs as those you see in the dog shows. I haven't met or worked with a Chinook. I could be wrong. But, I'm probably right on this one... it is a specialty breed that isn't right for most pet owners. When a new breed comes along, the tendency is to oversell the dog, and not be realistic about what the dog is really like... and then they end up abandoned in shelters.
Seventh graders aren't the best resource for making suggestions on what dog to own or not own. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with promoting or creating new breeds.
I saw something similar to this a couple of years ago. The groomer warned them that she would turn them into animal control if she found out that they ever neglected the dog like that again. This poor dog smelled horrible, a lot of dust came out from the coat, there were sores starting to form on the skin of the dog. Poop was matted so bad at the back end of the dog it was having trouble defecating. And it took the groomer hours to clean the dog up. In the end, the dog was pretty much shaved mostly bald because there was no way to get out all the mats. This kind of thing is cruel. The owner was too senile to own a dog, and it was the family who brought the dog in for grooming.
I watched the video. He didn't beat the dogs. I believe his story that he was stopping something happening between the dogs. This story is prompted by is wacky animal rights nuts going ballistic in order to get in the news.
If you got a Christmas puppy, search this blog for a lot of free dog training tips. Also, go to my web page, SamTheDogTrainer.com for more specific advice. Just remember:
* The pup doesn't know anything. YOU have to teach them everything, step by step. They don't know their names, any commands, the word "No", leave it, drop it, don't know where to pee and poop, won't come when called, can't walk on a leash... they don't know anything. All of that has to be taught. * No rough stuff! No spanking, swatting with a newspaper, yelling, shoving the pup's face in it's poop... none of that stuff! It doesn't work, and it wrecks the dog... and it is cruel. * Get help! Don't be a cheapskate! Hire a trainer! * Study the breed(s) in your dog. * Go buy a dog first aid book, read it from cover to cover, and make up a first aid kit for your dog. * First objectives: House training, puppy manners and early socialization. * With a good trainer... start obedience no later than 4 months old. * Supervise, supervise, supervise... kids, strangers, and the pup!
Three cruelties for the price of one. First cruelty: shooting dogs with a shotgun. You kill birds with shotguns. You kill larger animals with a rifle, otherwise they might just be wounded and run off and die a slow miserable death. Second cruelty: letting a dog go to let it fend for itself in the wild. Third cruelty: letting feral dogs run loose. Feral dog packs are dangerous to other animals and people, and dogs can pass on rabies to people. There's got to be a better way, eh?
I encountered a vicious 12 week old Australian Shepherd pup many years ago. The dog was a born fear biter. The dog was dangerous even at that age. Breeders will tell you, if they've been breeding dogs long enough, that sometimes a pup will be born that isn't right in the head. And the breeder will cull the pup (meaning put the pup to death). The article says the pup was "timid", usually meaning fearful. A true fear biter can't be fixed. The dog is mentally ill, and no amount of training, love, or behavior modification will change that. A dog that bites will often not let go, and dogs have incredibly strong jaws, even as puppies.
Then again, I have met wackos that would provoke dogs. They would tease, or even harm a puppy, to the point that even a very mild mannered pup will eventually become a biter. Saw this once with an Italian Greyhound. Mild mannered dog that was treated way too roughly, and the dog eventually became a serious biter. The dog needed some serious work, a lot of patience and love, and we could have gotten the dog over it. The owners refused to spend the money and let us get the dog out of this predicament. Ham handed, home brewed training is just as bad as outright abuse.
Some people get manic when dogs enter their yards. They get aggressive to the dog to run it off, or to punish it for pooping in their yard, or such like.
Again, we can't tell from these stories if the man is guilty or not. So, unless there is more evidence showing abuse leading up to the bite, I'd acquit the guy.
What do you do in these circumstances? First, try to get the owners to get their own dog. Second, if that fails, and you are going to try and get the dog yourself, use a leash or rope to lasso the dog. Don't grab the dog. Third, once a dog locks its jaw on your body, it is probably not going to let go... and then you have to defend yourself. That's the cruel truth.
The current worldwide financial crisis is the fault of government meddling with the free markets. This would have never happened if we hadn't created these ridiculous incentives to create no-money-down, no income verification, sub-prime loans. Whose brilliant idea was that? Banking is banking. We messed with the system, and gave lenders incentives and mandates to toss out good banking practices, and now look where that has gotten us. A mess. This is why you see articles here condemning government over-regulation, because it always ends up destroying things in the end.
Even on the simplest levels, these past wrongs are affecting everyone: It is trickling down to even to our dogs.
It is interesting that the worst breeding offenders are puppy mill operators... but the laws that are then passed to deal with them affect the best breeders... the hobbyists. Regulations are piled on to prevent the good breeders from staying in the business, and the worst breeders just keep pumping out dogs. You don't see the committed hobbyists pumping out 3o dogs, shipping them to who knows where, falsifying records, and causing the deaths of numerous puppies, do you? Nope.
Animal control enforces the dog laws in your community... and they oftentimes are doing the very things that they'd put you in jail for. I believe in the animal control function. It is necessary, for the welfare of the animals and for public safety. However... look at these situations and realize that these aren't just isolated incidents. So, who are they to judge you when they don't have their own houses in order? This is the result of a lack of accountability, poor management, too much influence from the animal rights nuts, lack of due process, bureaucracy, etc. This is also the problem when you give an agency police powers and then not check up on them until it is too late.
The year 2008 is almost over... and 2009 approaches...
HOLIDAYS!
Another Thanksgiving is past and the end of the year celebrations are still going. How did your dog do this past weekend? Was your dog good with your guests? How did the potty training go? Was your dog obedient? Did your dog get into any trouble? Did you have to keep your dog away from everyone, or was your dog able to participate in all the activities?
Holidays and pets can either be a fun thing or a not so fun thing. I have always been one to emphasize preparation for holidays. I start brushing up on my dog's training weeks prior to these events. Training and manners can get rusty as the months go by, and then the training you thought you had isn't there when you need it. So, right now is a good time to do a tune up on your dog! You can either do lessons at home, or we can arrange for a board and train program. Either way, you can be better prepared, and your dog will be happier. It isn't any fun for the dog to be in trouble the entire time, or banished from the family, when guests arrive and everyone is hustling to and fro from the stores and in and out of the home.
Or maybe you are planning on getting another dog over the holidays. If you haven't had a puppy in a while, it is best to start the planning now. I highly recommend doing a house training lesson BEFORE the puppy comes home, so you are prepared. And for some breeds, it is also good to do a Puppy Manners lesson before the pup comes home so everyone is prepared for what to do when the pup starts to bite, and tear up things, and gets everyone aggravated. It doesn't have to be a hassle" do the preparation work in advance.
Or maybe you are trying to think of a good gift for someone who is planning on getting a dog over the holidays. I have had numerous people purchase Gift Certificates for dog training over the years. Gifts can be pretty difficult to find, right? Most people have the things they need: TV's, sweaters, pants, jewelry, DVD players, cameras, and so forth. It is hard to get something personal and unique. A gift of dog training can be just the thing! (And sometimes, you get them the dog training gift because it is such a hassle going over to their place, because their dogs are totally out of control" and here's a way to help them with that problem).
Or maybe your dog just needs a tune up, or you never did complete the training of your dog, and you want a bit more control and a few less hassles.
Need some holiday training? Call me! And if you are out of the area... find a good local trainer!
TRUE LIFE EXAMPLE
Here is a recent customer" who hired me to introduce a new bull terrier to the family, when the main dog, another bull terrier, wasn't typically good with other dogs"
Thank you, Sam. Things have gone so well that it is like a dream for us. We have put off getting another dog because we always thought that it just could not be done. Unfortunately, we blamed or male dog for it and didn't realize that it took getting just the right dog at the right time along with some good advice. It has taken a lot of work (especially on my part) but we are so happy. It just seems like she was meant to become part of our family.
A
From: Sam The Dog Trainer
Super! I can't tell you how happy this makes me. Usually when things are going well, I don't get any feedback" and you wonder how things went.
From: A
To: Sam The Dog Trainer Hi, Sam. I have been so swamped that I have not had a chance to get back with you. Things are going really well at our home between our dogs. Our third dog, has also accepted her.
THE CAT LESSON
I have owned dogs for many years. However, 2 years ago I inherited a cat after I got married. Because the cat was "someone else's" (meaning it was a family member's cat), and I was busy working, I didn't much pay attention to what was going on. I figured that cats were pretty self sufficient. How wrong I was! The cat stopped eating, and $600 in vet bills later, I have learned a very important lesson.
I have saved numerous customers' dogs. Because I have read a lot about dog health, I can oftentimes spot medical problems early on. I have come into customers houses and seen dogs that had a medical issue. I have immediately stopped the lesson, and urged the customer to get their pet to the veterinarian immediately. And some of these dogs would have died or had other serious medical issues if they hadn't gotten their dog to the vet immediately. Years ago, I started recommending that my customers get a pet first aid book for their dogs, read it from cover to cover, and make up a first aid kit for their dogs. I have said over and over again, that this one step could save you thousands of dollars at some point in veterinary bills.
I should have done that with the cat. Once I got married, that cat was mine, too, right? Why it didn't occur to me" I don't know. I think if I had known more about cat medicine, maybe I would have seen early on that something wrong was going on, and would have been able to head off the problem. Maybe that is wishful thinking, and maybe none of that would have helped. Now it is past that point: we are having to force feed the cat, and inject it with fluids. Maybe the cat lives, maybe the cat dies. It is heartbreaking to have to deal with this every day.
I see this kind of thing with pet dogs all the time.
A LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE
My grandfather always taught us: Today is the first day of the rest of your life. He also taught us: When you get knocked down, get back up again. I still try to grasp the wisdom in these sayings, and keep trying to implement them in my life.
This year has been a time for a lot of changes for many of us" myself included. Yet, this year is now almost over, and even though it is useful to reflect on the past, and learn the lessons that life has for us, 2009 is about to start. You can't re-do 2008, and 2009 is coming whether you like it or not. Some of you have had a great year, some of you haven't. Whatever the case, it's time to start planning for the next year, and to let this year go.
What are you going to do with your 2009? I'm trying to answer that question for myself this week. I'm making plans for growth and opportunity" how about you?
I have blogged on this topic before. Some people go absolutely insane when they hear a dog barking. Sometimes it can be just a little woof that sets them off. Might be a complaint to animal control, might be a lawsuit, might be them killing your dog, might be them purposely getting your dog to bark in order to get you in trouble... Whatever the situation: Beware of these goofy people... they are nuts and they are coming for you and your dog.
I have worked with numerous dog owners to help them with their barking dogs. Sometimes the owner's dogs are at fault... but sometimes it is the goofy old man next door, or the crazy woman down the street who have a psychological problem and the idea of a dog barking is enough to set them off... Not all dog barking is a nuisance or illegal or unwarranted, and not all dog barking is worthy of what these cretins will do if they start to target you and your dog.
When Puggles (Pug / Beagle cross) first came out as a breed, I was quite skeptical. After working with a number of them, and watching them in action, I have come to the conclusion that it is a success as a breed. I wasn't quick to jump on the bandwagon, because not all new breeds are a good combination.
I like the breed. They typically play well with other dogs, are pretty happy go lucky in temperament, are friendly, seem pretty healthy, not overly yappy or troublesome, and their owners love them, too.
What a bunch of silliness! I have worked with rescue groups for years, and sometimes the members will do some pretty stupid things. Sigh, the stories I could tell... and don't because there's no reason to get sued for libel and slander... questionable dogs adopted out; money spent foolishly on dogs that were too old and too sick and should have been put down; inter-organizational squabbles; people overstepping their authority on behalf of the organizations and costing them tens of thousands of dollars; people who shouldn't be rescuing dogs at all setting up their own private shelters, oftentimes severely underfunded and therefore inflicting more abuse upon the dogs in their care; people with mental problems adopting dogs that should be put down; and on and on.
This story doesn't surprise me at all. My opinion of what happened here? First, the adoptee apparently had an agreement with the rescue group to keep the dog and not give it to someone else. Second, the organization could have enforced this agreement. Third, dogs that are dangerous to other dogs don't need to be put down, they can be managed in a variety of ways by people. Forth, you don't go and play James Bond, put a fake name on an application and then put a dog down outside the authority of the organization you apparently represent... looks bad, puts them in a liability conundrum, its got to be some kind of fraudulent thing, and lying is just plain wrong. Fifth, this trainer, if he did what they say, and if there was an agreement to keep the dog, was wrong to not just turn the dog back to the rescue organzation if he had fixed the dog. If there was no agreement, and he had fixed the dog, then he had every right to give it to another person. And if he hadn't fixed the dog, then something is wrong with this situation... and I'd like to know his reasoning for doing what he did. Apparently a lot of assumptions were made by everyone involved, and no one apparently just talked to one another before all this happened. Sixth, wasn't there another way? Did the rescue group do a good job of evaluating and placing this dog? And seventh... death threats? Who is nutty enough to issue death threats to others? This takes things to the level of a felony, most likely, and none of this is worth that.
My suggestions? These don't seem to be the right people to be involved in rescue or adoption. Time for a top to bottom re-evaluation by this rescue group of what they are doing, their procedures, and so forth. There is no way I'd want to be contributing to any organization with these types of problems.
Well, whatever works. You can't have packs of dogs roaming a city. They are dangerous, and one reason we have leash laws here in the West. On the other hand, are conditions in Baghdad such that these suggestions can be implemented? First off, you'd need to fund an animal control department. Catching dogs, licensing, and so forth is a full time business. Second, you are dealing with an Islamic country where dogs are oftentimes considered unclean... at least that is true in Iran... I don't know about Iraq. Is Iraq sufficiently "westernized" to accept the changes in law and investment of money for animal welfare? I think it is worth attempting these changes and speaking up. Third world countries don't have to operate like the trash heaps of the world, especially a country like Iraq with it's huge oil reserves and buckets of money coming in.
Here are my tips for a safe Thanksgiving for your dogs...
1. Consider enrolling your dog in a doggie daycare for the day, or at least for the day before. A tired dog is a good dog, and by wearing your dog out a bit prior to guests arriving, your dog will be calmer and less likely to be a nuisance or be harmed. Or, if you can't manage your dog and guests simultaneously, then do the daycare during the day and board your dog overnight. Same with your guest's dogs.
2. Too late to train your dog... so SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE. It is also too late to train your kids and relatives. Put your dog in a crate or kennel when you can't supervise your dog, make sure everyone knows the rules for the dog, watch the doorways, watch the potentially poisonous foods, keep dangerous human toys away from the dog, and watch any family members that arent' good with dogs. Don't leave dogs unattended in hotel rooms, either.
3. Don't give your dog a ton of table scraps. You can kill a dog by giving it turkey bones. You can kill a dog by giving it chocolate, or the entire skin off a turkey, or feeding the dog a variety of other people foods. If you aren't sure if it is safe, then ask your vet, or better yet, don't feed it to your dog at all.
4. Lock the side gates of your back yard to prevent escapes.
5. Get your dog some extra toys to enjoy. If your dog's toys are old, or if your dog doesn't have anything to do... then no wonder your dog is getting into trouble.
6. Don't mix dogs. Guests bring their dogs to town. They might fight with your dog. And they take them to the local park and let them run loose, and these strange dogs might not have been out of the house since last year... unsocialized, wary, unruly and ready to get in a fight with your dog.
7. Kids and Dogs... can be a recipe for a disaster. Watch 'em, don't let them pester one another, don't leave kids unattended with dogs, and the rest of the usual advice.
Enjoy the holiday... and make sure it is going to be an enjoyable holiday instead of a mess.
I see a lot of "do it yourself" dog training out there. Many people have no clue whatsoever regarding dog behavior. Some harm their dogs physically, some do it psychologically, some do both. If you asked most of them if they liked dogs, they'd say yes. Weird, huh? In some of these instances, these people would be just as in trouble with the law as this couple mentioned above. Heck, these people could be your next door neighbors, or even extended family members, or even someone in your own home.
With tough economic times, people get in pretty difficult situations when their pets need medical care. Do you spend $500 to save the cat, or should you not spend the money because finances are tight and you might need that money for rent?
If you are in that type of situation, call your local humane society and ask for assistance. They probably won't provide you with the medical care or money, but they can oftentimes refer you to a low cost veterinary service in your area. It's also a good idea to spend a few bucks now on a first aid book for your pets. Read it from cover to cover, and make up a first aid kit for your pets. Heading off medical problems early on can save you a lot of money.
