I came across this meme on Facebook the other day. In one short sentence it says everything you need to know about people and dogs. Animal abuse should be vigorously prosecuted for one important reason. It has been shown that many people who abuse animals go on later to kill people.
I have owned Rottweilers
since 1995 and I think my experience with them has given me some
personal knowledge of their true nature. My second and third Rottweilers
were both adults who had been passed through three homes before I got
them. While they were last owned by my daughter, they were technically
rescued dogs, but they adapted to their new home and quickly filled it
with love simply because that is how we treated them. If you treat any
dog with love and respect and affection they will return that love to
you and everyone else ten fold. On the other hand Rottweilers and all
dogs for that matter, have something in common with children. If you
abuse them and mistreat them they will respond by becoming mean and
vicious. Show me a vicious dog, of any breed, and I will show you an
owner who doesn't give his dog any love. Some people, I like to refer to
them as the "Joe six-pack" people, enjoy having the meanest, most
vicious dog in the neighborhood - just for the bragging rights. These
people are as dangerous to society as the dogs they own.
I wrote a Guest Editorial on this subject for the Kentucky Enquirer that was published on July 25, 2008.
Most
lawmakers who write ordinances against specific breeds of dogs do so as
a result of some emotional incident that has raised the ire of the
public. They write these laws without bothering to do any research into
animal behavior or temperament. There is a source for such scientific
research that has been around for many years, it is the American Temperament Test Society and
they have compiled a list of over 30,000 tests done over every breed of
dog since 1977. You should note what these temperament tests consist of
and how they are conducted and then read the percentage ratings of some
of the common dogs that get a lot of media coverage. How interesting is
it that the popular Jack Russell Terrier has less temperament than the
Rottweiler. Anyone interested in reading these results can look them up
on the ATTS web site. Click here: https://atts.org/breed-statistics/
I
have a simple solution that would eliminate many dog bite incidents.
Following a dog bit incident, check the owner of the dog and the way the
dog has been treated and then prosecute the dog owner for making his
dog vicious. It won't be long before Joe six-pack gets the message that
he'll go to jail if he raises a vicious dog. If your town or city
doesn't have such a crime on the books then push your lawmakers into
making it a crime for mistreating an animal and causing it to become
vicious. Dogs don't become vicious all by themselves anymore than Guns
Kill People. And leave those nice families alone who have provided their
pets with all the love and kindness they require.
If
you want some proof about the true nature of dogs read about the famous
case of NFL player Michael Vick. Michael Vick was convicted of
conducting dog fights and went to jail, but his dogs, at least the one's
who were rescued alive were rehabilitated by a group that simply cared
and showed them some love and then these so-called vicious Pit Bulls
were adopted by ordinary families. Read the story here: https://barkpost.com/good/vicktory-dogs/
