Dog shelters have historically overflowed with too many dogs. As a result, millions of dogs are put to death each year. What is the cause for pet overpopulation and what might be done about it? Here are some ideas on what should be done with excess dogs in shelters.
I have written several articles here and elsewhere regarding the Theory of Operant Conditioning. I have said it is an obsolete theory, especially when applied as Clicker Training. The reason I say it is obsolete is because it is incomplete regarding the spectrum of learning and modification of animal behavior. The theory ignores the emergent properties of behavior, especially regarding higher life forms such as mammals. A few years back, we saw a killer whale kill one of the trainers. No one, except maybe me, questioned the training methods being used on these big sea mammals. Maybe there's something wrong with the theory... but instead I got attacked. I have said the same numerous times regarding the negative effects of clicker training on some dogs. And I've been attacked on that, as well.
Here is another example...
A female zookeeper was recently killed by one of their elephants. Previous reports had said, "Jumbo is responding well to her operant conditioning and protected care management. The program allows keepers to manage her through a protected wall, and is based solely on positive feedback. She is responding well by presenting feet for care, all parts of her body for washing, rub downs and other health care procedures." Hmm... Someone dies, yet no one is asking about the methods being used. Yes, the article mentions this elephant had a rough prior history. But, even so, this woman is now dead and no one is questioning the methods used to manage this elephant.
My belief is that one out of every thousand people you meet are absolutely nuts. Because of that belief, I don't think it is ever wise to let your dog roam free in your neighborhood. All it takes is the chance encounter between your dog and that nutcase, and your dog will be found dead. That is what I believe happened in this case. Please... KEEP YOUR DOGS ON YOUR PROPERTY!!!!
The condo association where a depressed man lives has apparently denied him the ability to keep a service dog in his unit. This is not a small matter. Things like this can cost the association a LOT of money. Regardless of what you think about this kind of thing, I think you are stupid to fight these regulations in this way. You will lose. Either change the law, or abide by the law. If you think you are abiding by the law by denying the dog, then prepare for a major battle. This kind of thing could bankrupt the entire association. If I had been asked, I would have told them to allow the dog. In fact, I'd allow dogs, period. Now, there's going to be hell to pay.
A dog that isn't well will do things to defend itself, and it will have lowered thresholds for all other types of aggression. This, to me, appears to be a case of animal neglect that went terribly wrong. Dogs don't see kids as squeaky toys... they are more aware than that. If the dog is now well, and well fed, and is acting normally, then I wouldn't put the dog down. I wouldn't put the dog unsupervised with babies again, but I wouldn't do that with ANY dog.
They don't have the volunteers or resources to deal with turning these dogs around, so they kill them. They also kill them so that the dogs aren't adopted and put into fights again.
This is what criminals cause. The deaths of a lot of dogs.
Sheep herders in Wyoming are using Great Pyrenees / Akbash crosses to guard against predators (cougar, wolves, coyotes). I have heard of these crosses, but it is awesome to see a real picture of one.
A vicious dog is one that is wildly dangerous. A rabid dog would be vicious. It would be indiscriminate in who or what it would attack, and is mentally unstable. There is NO valid justification for calling any dog breed "vicious". It isn't factually correct.
But, there will always be places like Elephant Butt, I mean Elephant Butte, NM, that will pass unconstitutional laws. I can't wait for them to be sued in court, because this little town will go bankrupt, and we'll then be able to make those politicians there get a real job.
I've heard about increasing numbers of dog thefts in the past 5 years. It has gotten to the point where criminals will openly confront a person walking their dog, and then rob them of their dog.
There really isn't any good answer for this kind of thing other than to move to a different town. We all know that some places have lower crime rates than others. It should always be important that you live somewhere safe, for yourself, your family, your kids, and your dog.
I linked to this story which demonstrates just such a holdup. Suspects have been arrested and the dog is safe. But, it could have turned out much worse, for both the dog and the owner.
1.) I still think the reporting of the original story was faulty and sloppy. Dog lovers have become skeptical of dog attack stories because so many of them have been faulty.
2.) This is a tragedy for the police and their families. They do tough jobs that no one else is willing to do.
3.) It appears they did the raid without being armed. So, they had to call in for backup to come in and kill the dog. In the US, there's no way the police would have gone in to get a violent kidnapper without being armed. If they had been armed, then this wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as it did.
4.) This dog is also a victim. It died doing what it was taught to do.
5.) If this guy is found guilty, he should go to prison for a very long time. But, it is the UK, so he might just be let off with a warning and given a new place to live with subsidized rent and free food.
I have worked with many rescue dogs. I have always volunteered my time and services for rescue. I couldn't just train dogs and also not give back.
Here is the story of "B", a rescued Australian Shepherd mix I worked with. The dog was found running loose on an Arizona Indian reservation. He started out untrained, fearful and aggressive. Today, he is a great pet, and is safe with strangers and guests. Here is how I did it...
So, earlier, we got the story that some police officers were attacked by a "pit bull" type of dog. I criticized the story because it was incomplete. Now, we get a fuller picture:
2.) The dog had apparently mauled a bicycle rider in the past. The attack was severe. So, why wasn't anything done?
3.) The police went on a raid to find a suspected violent kidnapper and were mauled by the resident dog. They apparently were there to issue an arrest warrant, and broke down the door to a house in the process. It isn't clear from the article if the dog lived in that place or not. I'm not sure the dog or it's owner had anything to do with the kidnapping case. It looks to me like it was that the police officers were in the wrong place at the wrong time, in a neighborhood where the owner had previously allowed his dog to menace the neighbors. When the police broke down the door of one house, the dog escaped and attacked. That doesn't indicate a vicious dog, however. Any guard dog would be expected to attack a home invader. They aren't humans. They aren't going to distinguish between police officers and home invaders.
4.) The attack was very bad. "One officer had his arm broken between the animal's jaws, while others had chunks of flesh torn from their legs and arms. Some will require plastic surgery, and one could lose several fingers."
5.) The dog is alternately described as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and in another paragraph, a mix of some kind of bull terrier and Doberman. From the blurry pictures, it appears to be some kind of bull terrier or mix. I have written before regarding why dogs like this typically attack. It would be useful to know what kind of life this dog has lived. Who names their dog "Poison"? To me, that says a lot. And now the dog is dead, shot to death by the police, and the 25 year old is under arrest.
6.) The neighbors have complained about this dog, but no one did anything. Apparently this dog was reported 3 years ago. And then there was the previous bike attack. Yet nothing was done. Why is that?
7.) The police say criminals are deliberately breeding "vicious" dogs to be used as weapons. I am guessing that is what they believe happened here. There is no such thing as people breeding "vicious" dogs... they might be breeding a certain type of dog, but such a dog is made vicious by how it is raised and treated. This is media hype, because the article insinuates that maybe Staffordshire Bull Terriers should be also banned in the UK. Note that this apparently wasn't a purebred dog. It was a mix. So, you can ban one dog, and another will take its place.
8.) Since no one followed up on the previous dog complaints, the police were apparently unaware that there was a dog at that home, and were unprepared for such an attack.
1.) A "pit bull" type of dog could mean anything. We've seen this before. It could have been any breed or any mix of breeds. I hate it when reporters do this kind of reporting. They had the ability to find out who did the raid (police), what they were doing (a raid), where they were doing it (London), what happened to the police (4 injured seriously, one somewhat injured), who was arrested (a 20 year old man)... yet the focus of the story, the main point of the story... about a dog that bit them... we know next to nothing and apparently no effort was made to figure out anything about the setup, what kind of dog, what was the setup for the dog bite, what happened to the dog, and so forth. It's just lazy, sloppy reporting.
2.) If strangers break into your home with violent intent, and that is what the police officers did, then this dog didn't do anything wrong. The bites, though unfortunate, were justified. I hope this dog gets a good pat on the head, and if it has a stable temperament, is adopted by someone else.
3.) If you are a criminal, your dog isn't going to stop the police. Most times, the police come in and shoot all the dogs in their way. The dogs die because of your criminal activities.
Akbar the Great, a Moghul emperor of India during the 16th century, was known to have had 1,000 Cheetahs which he used to hunt antelope for sport. Cheetah have been used much like greyhounds for centuries, and were tamed to do that type of hunting. The sport of Cheetah hunting continued on until the middle part of the 1900's.
Insurance companies have no idea how to limit their exposure regarding dog bite claims. So, their solution has been to ban coverage for certain breeds. However... how's that been working out for them? Not so good. Claims are rising, not falling.
It's time to change a lot of things, but those things don't include breed bans. They don't work, and as you can see, the costs keep on rising. You'd think insurers would be a smart bunch, but I can't see how that claim can be made here.
There are better approaches to deal with this kind of thing that could dramatically reduce the costs... But, hey, why ask a dog trainer?
What a great idea!! There are many uses for dogs. This is something that we can't so easily duplicate with technology. And it is cheaper to use a dog than to develop a special sensor that can work in rugged, subzero environments.
Of course, Greenpeace says it is impossible for dogs to do this kind of thing. What a bunch of loons. Dogs were used 50 years ago to detect leaking natural gas, before companies used that rotten egg smell, in deeply buried pipes. The dogs could detect the leaks, and then the pipes could be dug up and fixed. Greenpeace says this because of political motives, not because they have any science to back up their ridiculous claims. If arson dogs can be trained to find chemicals used to start fires, petroleum products I might add, then they can easily sniff out oil leaks. It is a no brainer, except for those with no brains. It is one thing to have a cause, a belief in something, it is another to make up lies just to get your way. When your lies are exposed, you look stupid and it hurts your cause.
In fact: "The dogs " border collies Jippi and Blues, and dachshund Tara " were able to pick up the scent of oil up to 5km downwind of a spill."
Wolves are territorial, and they will kill wolves (and other canines) that intrude. It is their instinct to protect their food source and their young. They will also attack and kill other animals to eat them. That's what predators do. I don't think it is right to kill wild animals that are doing what they naturally do. This isn't like going after a rabid wolf, we are talking a healthy pack doing what healthy packs do.
Why, oh why, do we need all these governmental bureaucracies and all their pinheads? Something needs to be done. And the public needs to man up and accept that life in the wilderness requires you to protect your pets, not the government.
Well, armpits also smell, people talk, and they have excrement, too. How about outlawing that, too? Sounds like a dog hater to me. And even if the guy loves dogs, I think anyone that would make this kind of statement is also the kind of busybody that I wouldn't want to live around. I think we all have had enough of the Nanny State in our lives, we don't need any more fussbudgets messing with our right to own a dog. And I've had about enough of lawyers, haven't you?
Here is a woman that moved into a town that only allows you to own 2 dogs. But, she has 4 dogs. So, she is moving. Good. That is what she should do.
There are always reasonable limits to everything in life. And we can all have our opinions about what is that amount. But, laws should also have a reasonable basis, sometimes with science to back it up. I would bet that a 2 dog limit could be challenged in court on Constitutional grounds and defeated. But, who has that kind of money? Pit bull advocates challenged laws on Constitutional grounds and won on that basis as well, challenging the definition that pit bulls were inherently vicious. That just didn't stand up in court.
Anyways, if you are a dog hater, then move to Wausau, Wisconsin. It would be interesting to see how full their animal shelter is, and how many dogs are put to death in that community because of the 2 dog limit. I think they are a bunch of losers, and they all deserve one another.
Well... maybe. I never really believe these types of stories. I know that celebrities have press agents, and they will put out stories to get their clients faces in the news.
I also never believe in doing things to prove your love to someone. It is a losing game. They either love you for the right reasons or they don't. The chemistry is there or it isn't. Pathetic gestures to prove your love lower your attractiveness to a potential mate, and also degrade your self image.
Are all dogs territorial? What can you do about dogs that won't stop barking when guests arrive? What about dogs that guard your car? What makes a dog watch for strangers? And how do you make things better for yourself and your guest, and prevent attacks on innocent people or animals?
Here is a dog rescued from a pit fighting operation. The dog was in terrible condition, in life threatening condition. We all know that pit fighting is cruel and illegal. But, this caught my eye:
So, I looked it up. Babesia is a protozoan parasite transmitted typically by fleas. It has a lot of very bad, life threatening effects.
As you must be aware, those that fight dogs don't love dogs. The people that fight them are criminals. They hide like cockroaches, and do their brutalities in hidden places. Those that glorify pit fighting are the useful idiots that perpetuate this kind of barbarity.
Why would pit fighting dogs get a tick borne disease like this? Well, it should be obvious that dogs that are kept as pets don't normally get this kind of thing. So, you can guess the kinds of filthy conditions these dogs are subjected to, with no medical care, and no one treating them with any kind of dignity.
