Sunday, March 31, 2019

We need to take a stand for man's best friend

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.

STOP Breed Specific Legislation.

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/

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