Presa Canario Mauls Woman To Death

In a ferocious attack never before seen in Broward County, a powerful, pit-bull-like dog mauled its owner to death Friday afternoon as she tried to give him a bath.

Here is a family dog attacking the owner's girlfriend. There are some clues in the story to tell us what happened. Assuming this story is accurate, here is my opinion of what was going on:

a.) Willey -- who has been cited in the past for having dangerous dogs. So, these owners had warnings about owning dangerous dogs. They had problems with more than one dog. And they own more than one dog.
b.) The dog was of a breed called Presa Canario, akin to a pit bull. They had a powerful breed, which is marketed as being a guard breed.
c.) The two officers who arrived at 3:25 p.m. saw the dog standing over her bloodied body. It was ''acting aggressively'' and they shot and killed the animal. This was a very personal attack by the dog. This was aggression with intent, and the dog knew what it was doing.
d.) Neighbors on Friday in this well-heeled neighborhood said warning signs had appeared in the past. The owners had allowed their dogs to threaten other people.
e.) Rafi Horwitz, 19, said a friend of his came over recently and gasped: ``I just got chased by two dogs.'' Willey had been walking a dog the day before and was struggling to maintain control over the canine, said neighbor Clemente Vaslo, 47. ''She had him on a leash but he was clearly having his way,'' he said. In other words, the dog wasn't under her control. The dog wasn't trained. She couldn't lead or manage the dog.
f.) In 2000, she was charged with having a dog at large, according to Hillsborough County court records. A dog ''threatened [a] witness into the house,'' records show. So, she had a history of having no control over her dogs.
g.) Willey also has a son in middle school. One neighbor, who declined to give his name, said the son had cautioned against playing with the dogs because ``they are mean.'' So, the family knew the dogs were challenging them in their own home!

Here is a perfect example of why you should train your dogs to obey. When you don’t have control over a dog, and that includes leadership over a dog, especially a large breed known for being protective, then you will endanger others, yourself, and your family. And to you "all positive", clicker training folks, or those of you who baby your dogs: this is what happens when you figure that you can train a dog without any rules, boundaries or leadership. This dog clearly got all it wanted in life, and it ended up killing someone.

Just because you think it would be cool to have a certain breed of dog, doesn’t mean you are going to be able to handle it on your own without professional training.

I get emails from people all the time telling me that they are having behavioral problems with a dog, but don’t see the need to train the dog.

In fact, these are the types who don't know a thing about dog behavior, but when it comes down to them having to work with the dog, they would rather either blame the dog, or tell me how they think the dog should be trained.

Check out this email I received last week:

"Hello, We got this puppy at eight weeks old he is now 7 months old. This is what I am noticing about him (my husband doesn’t think it's that bad). He sometimes growls when you try to put him in is cage. He sometimes tires to jump up and bite the kids when they are fighting they are 10 and 16 years old. When we took him to the kennel when we went on vacation they said he tried to bite them the first night and then he was fine (maybe he was scared)? The one girl actually said she was going to miss our dog. Sometimes when you are in the yard with him he tries to jump up and bite your hand (my husband thinks he just playing) I don't know if he is or not. He has showed his teeth to me and he doesn't like you to touch his feet at all especially trying to cut his nails. He is a little dog, Boston Terrier mix. He can be such a loving dog also he cuddles with you , but there is a side that can be mean. My husband doesn’t see it or doesn’t want to see it. I don't know what to do. My husband doesn’t think we should get rid of him. What do you think?"

I told her: "This can all be sorted out in obedience classes. There is no good reason to get rid of the dog. This is a problem created by not training your dog… it is your fault, not the dog’s."

Then, she responded: "There's only one problem with what you are saying, we had a dog before this one for 11 years who passed away last year and he never went to obedience class and he never did any of these things. Can you explain that?"

Just because you have owned a dog doesn't mean you know what you are doing with ALL dogs. This pup of theirs is heading down the wrong path. Training can and would fix this. Imagine such a person, letting a powerful breed of dog head down this path. You'd get the horrifying story you read about above.

MORAL OF THE STORY: All dogs need dog training. If you are too cheap, foolish or lazy to train the dog, then do us all a favor, don't get a dog.

Olympic National Park: REVERSE THE DOG BAN!

Olympic National Park is getting a new management plan that will set a course for the park over the next 20 years.

The public is asked to comment on whether the park should continue to be managed as it is today; whether to place greater emphasis on preserving the park as a wild ecosystem; or to increase development for visitors and tourism.

National Park managers have extended the public comment period on the plan, as well as scheduled a public hearing on it in Seattle.

The hearing is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Seattle REI, 222 Yale Ave. N.

To review the plan, go online to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/olym. Or, to request a printed or CD version of the document call 360-565-3004.

Copies also are available at the Seattle Public Library and at the University of Washington Library.

The public-comment period is open through Sept. 30.

Dogs are banned from our National Parks. I think you should write them and tell them that you want dogs allowed in the parks. They cause no harm at all.

Be prepared for the timid, politically correct letter back saying how dogs upset the “wilderness experience” for some people. In other words, Dog Haters are preventing you, the taxpayer, from using parks that you paid for, and should have every right to use.

Just remember, native Americans had pet dogs in these parks long before the European and Russians arrived on the West coast. So, dogs ARE a part of the natural habitat of that area.

Dolphins and Whales... Just Animals After All

Dolphins and whales are dumber than goldfish and don't have the know-how to match a rat, new research from South Africa shows.

For years, humans have assumed the large brains of dolphins meant the mammals were highly intelligent.

Paul Manger from Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, however, says it is not intelligence that created the dolphin super-brain -- it's the cold.

To survive underwater, these warm-blooded animals developed brains that have a lot of insulating material -- called glia -- but not too many neurons, the gray stuff that counts for reasoned thinking.

The same goes for whales because they share the dolphins' brain composition, he said.

Uh Oh, another animal rights propaganda myth bites the dust. The argument has been that since these animals have brains as large as ours, they are really just some kind of fish people, equal to us in every way. Bah! This was then used as a way of enacting draconian animal rights legislation all around the world. Remember that Star Trek episode where they saved the whales? Even though I am a Star Trek fan, this kind of pseudo-science has been used to bludgeon pet owners all over the world.

Why can’t we be satisfied that an animal is just an animal, and that is OK? Is this just a way for those who want “something more” to invent their own gods, because they don’t want to accept that God really exists? I think so.

Animal Rights vs Animal Welfare

"We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. . . One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding." Wayne Pacelle, Senior VP of Humane Society of the US, formerly of Friends of Animals and Fund for Animals, Animal People, May, 1993

NOTE: (Wayne Pacelle’s initial training was as a PeTA activist. Today he heads HSUS under the guise of "legitimacy". It is the largest and most profitable of the animal Rightist lobbying organizations.

Many people think that every “humane society” is part of the same organization. But, they aren’t. They are each distinct non-profit companies. Some are animal rights oriented, some are animal welfare oriented. You had better do your research before you send your money off to one of these groups.

Would you want to send your money to a group that was against the domestic dog?

WEIRD: Cancer Can Spread To Dogs As A Parasite

A strange form of cancer is being transmitted as an infectious agent among the world's dogs, without help from viruses or bacteria, a research team in England has found.

The discovery, reported in the journal Cell, shows how a single cancer cell can become a parasite, grow and then spread worldwide in susceptible animals.

Fortunately, even though the tumours grow aggressively at first, they eventually shrink and then succumb to the host dog's immune system. Remarkably, after the cancer has disappeared, the dogs have gained protective immunity, which blocks further infection by the cancer cells. The dogs' blood also can be used to vaccinate other dogs and block infection.

ANOTHER Mass Slaughter Of Dogs In China?

SHANGHAI, China — A second Chinese city plans a mass dog slaughter to control a rabies outbreak, state media said Friday, days after a similar cull in which dogs were beaten to death prompted a torrent of criticism.

Officials in the eastern city of Jining said Thursday they would kill all dogs within three miles of areas where rabies had been found, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The measure came in response to the deaths of 16 people from rabies in Jining in the last eight months, Xinhua said. It didn't say when the cull would begin or how the animals would be killed. It said the city had about 500,000 dogs.

Rabies cases are on the rise in China, with more than 2,000 people dying from the disease each year. Only 3 percent of the country's dogs are vaccinated against rabies.

So, let me get this straight… China is going to do ANOTHER mass slaughter of dogs to control rabies, when all they’d have to do is vaccinate the dogs? And how bad is this problem? In a country of over a billion people, they only have 2,000 deaths per year as a result of rabies? So, they figure that to save the 2,000 per year, they need to kill off entire cities full of dogs? This makes no economic sense... but then again, when have Communists ever understood economics?

There is more going on here than meets the eye. Did you notice, last week, that people went out and CLUBBED THEIR OWN DOGS TO DEATH? This sure smells bad. Wouldn’t you have to be COERCED to beat your own dog to death? I know I wouldn't do it voluntarily.

C’mon, folks.

This is why a closed and regulated media is bad for public policy. You don’t get the straight story, and a lot of bad things can be covered up.

Here’s the other weird thing, they were paying people about $.60 per dog as compensation. Now, figure this… if they were to purchase rabies vaccinations for all these dogs, how much do you think each shot would cost? Probably no more than this amount. And do you really think that killing off all these dogs will stop the rabies problems? This whole thing is completely inhumane and should be stopped immediately.

SHAME ON YOU, CHINA!!! You know better!

What Is Dog Whispering?

There are more and more dog trainers out there starting to call themselves “Dog Whisperers”. So, what does that mean, and how do you know if you are working with a Dog Whisperer? And should you hire someone who calls themselves a “Dog Whisperer”?

We Haven't Won Yet...

Have we won our fight against the Dog Haters? No, not yet.

Have we convinced the public that pit bulls are not inherently vicious? No, not yet…

But, a hint of sanity has appeared in the mainstream media (LA Times) today…

No one is suggesting that pit bulls have replaced the Chihuahua as the new "it" dog — at least not until Paris Hilton gets one. And county statistics show that the biggest concentrations of licensed pit bulls are in Compton and Lancaster, not Malibu or Beverly Hills. But trainers and animal shelter staffers and rescuers see a trend: increasing adoptions by families, professionals and others willing to attempt to raise a civilized pit bull.

Many who own or rescue pit bulls want to rehabilitate the image of a breed they believe has been unfairly maligned.

"I would say we're trying to restore the image," said Donna Reynolds, 44, who lives in Oakland. She and her husband rescue pit bulls and run a website, http://www.badrap.org , that seeks to dispel the belief that pit bulls are vicious and unmanageable. Reynolds says a pit bull is "an exceptional family pet…. People who tend to believe they're scary have been educated by the media.

"I say, 'Have you hung out or met a dog you consider to be a true American pit bull?' 'No, I haven't, but my neighbor has one chained out in the backyard.' Well, any dog chained in the backyard is going to be mean."

Cesar Millan, the famed "Dog Whisperer" who has his own show on the National Geographic cable channel, says pit bulls, like all the power breeds, can be trained through exercise and discipline.

He keeps pit bulls in his resident pack at his South L.A.-based Dog Psychology Center, which is part dog camp, part rehab center.

"My kids are around pit bulls every day," said Millan, who believes the dogs have been unfairly stigmatized. "In the '70s they blame Dobermans, in the '80s they blame German shepherds, in the '90s they blame the Rottweiler, now they blame the pit bull."

Mass Slaughter Of Dogs In China... Again

A county in south-west China has ordered all 50,546 dogs to be killed to fight a rabies outbreak which has killed three people, state media says.

It has taken five days, but authorities in Mouding County in south-west China say they have killed almost all of the 50,000 dogs in the area.

Some of the dogs were clubbed to death in the street as their owners watched.

Other dog owners took matters into their own hands, poisoning or electrocuting their pets.

They were paid around $0.60 (£0.32) for each dog in compensation.

China has a poor record of animal protection. There are no laws to prevent cruelty to pets.

This is reminiscent of what happened during the Cultural Revolution, when dogs were slaughtered en masse for evil political purposes. This is why we refer to these kinds of things as a Dog Holocaust.

There had to be a better way to do this. They could easily have asked animal welfare groups to help raise funds for vaccines (though, if you read the article, they even killed the vaccinated dogs). This cull was inhumane in every way. This is why you need better laws protecting dogs and dog ownership everywhere in the world. You couldn't do this in the USA

I really don't dislike China. I have great hopes for China, but they have so much baggage left over from their feudal ways, then colonialism, and the horrors of Communism... It is going to take a long time. I would love to travel there, and even better, conduct training seminars for dog owners and government officials. There is a lot of good to be accomplished. Who knows? Maybe someone is reading this and might make that connection happen.

What To Do About A Spoiled Dog?

From time to time, I get interesting emails that illustrate important points about responsible dog ownership. I publish these for the education of the general public, but remove identifying information about the persons involved to protect their privacy. This is just such a letter. Here is what happens when you spoil a dog.

How many times do we see people spoil their dogs… not willing to give them order and leadership, feeling that is somehow harsh… only to see the owners being bullied and bitten by those same dogs, the owners ultimately either yelling and hitting the dogs, having these dogs put to death by veterinarians for biting problems, giving the dogs away to a shelter, or causing the breakup of families over the dog issues?

If you have a spoiled dog, then hire a professional to help out, and do what they say:

Here is a real case study, and a classic example of the Mommie / Daddy type of dog owner:


Dear Sam,

I have a 1 ½ year old standard poodle. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old.

I enrolled in an obedience class and have completed 7 sessions. In these classes, she learned to sit and off (sometimes).

My problem is I got married in January. My husband is afraid of dogs, yet he is with her while I am at work. He tells me she is quiet all day long and good. When I come home from work, she starts to jump on me, and at night she bites my hands. She loves to chew on my skinny wrists and it hurts. Then, she will get a little aggressive as I pull away and she’ll come after me. I have to let her outside to run. When it comes time for food she sits at the table with me and eats with me and wants my food. She wont stop barking for food so I have to give it to her to keep her quiet.

I can't eat with my new husband I have to eat with the dog to keep her quiet. It is ruining the marriage. I won't give her away.

She is my child and means the world to me.

I tell him not to yell at the dog. When he yells at her, she gets worse, and he’ll go into the bedroom to close the door. She lunges after him and then I have to try and grab her to get her away from him. She is uncontrollable to get, but I grab her and get my hands scratched. I won’t have her attack him to keep peace.

She is spoiled with the food and the bones. That I agree. But the biting is the major problem. Why is she biting my arms, and why does she get aggressive towards my husband? She gets even more aggressive after he yells at her. She bites hard, and I have been bitten and bloody. I have to be careful so I don’t get my arm bitten or finger bitten off.

I love this dog. Why does she do this?

The dog is great otherwise with me. When I‘m alone with her she is fine. If he is alone with her she is fine. But, when we are both together she is biting my arms. or my legs. I have to give her bones to chew to keep her from biting me to quiet her down.

I don’t know what to do anymore.

I was married before but my first husband of many years died and I just remarried. My first husband loved dogs and they loved him but not this new one.

It is awful!!!!

My first husband saw my new pup when she was a baby and he loved her. He said to me before he died “take care of her; she’ll be your best friend.” Now, she’s a year and a half old, and I’m married to a retired military man who hates dogs but puts up with her. One minute he talks nice to her but as soon as my dog jumps up to him he gets scared and yells and it sets the dog off. I don’t know what to do anymore.

If I knew this I would never have married him and put myself in the position I’m in now.

He knows it’s my dog and she comes first to me. I hate to say it, but, after my first husband died, I lost the love of my life, I didn’t need to remarry and now be in this situation with someone who can’t tolerate my pup.

Thank you,

XXXXXX


Dear XXXXXX,

Your dog is a spoiled brat. This problem is being created by both you and your husband. This can be fixed with proper obedience training and house rules. You need a better trainer to work with. No need to get rid of the dog or your husband. Both of you should be involved in the classes to learn more about your dog and how to manage her. This is easily fixed.

The biting is because she is a spoiled brat. You gave up your leadership position with this dog long ago, and it doesn’t help your husband is afraid of the dog. Fear doesn’t make you act like a calm, directed leader around a dog, so the dog takes advantage of that. You baby the dog, and so you are half the problem, your husband is the other half.

The bones are a small part to fixing this. If you do this on your own, without a professional, you will not fix this.

I see from your letterhead that you are a professional person. Do you think I could just walk into your job today, without any training and experience, and do what you do? You believe in education otherwise you wouldn’t have the degrees you have. However, you don’t believe that training and experience play a factor in becoming a good dog trainer or dog owner. You can have this fixed in a month if you work with someone good. On your own, this will keep going on and on because you don’t know what you are doing. You need a new type of education: dog training.

This is a piece in the puzzle for sorting out your marriage problems, too. This is a way for you both to learn to work together better. It can be good for you, your husband, and your dog.

Best wishes

Sam Basso
www.samthedogtrainer.com

UPDATE: This person has contacted me and told me they are setting up lessons. This is a good sign. I have encouraged her to stick with the training to see this through.

This Is What All Those Dog Hating Journalists Are Causing

Lynnwood police are investigating the hanging of two pit bulls.

After hearing barking and yelps, the owner found his dogs, 1-year-old Peanut and 10-month-old Wiggles, hanging by their necks on ropes over his fence. One of them was limp, and the other was struggling.

"I put in an incredible amount of time training them, taking them to obedience classes, working with them to be sure they were calm, submissive, playful dogs and not aggressive at all," he said.

He speculated that a neighbor may have killed the dogs out of fear of the breed. He said his dogs had never had problems with people. But while walking the dogs, he said, some residents expressed concern there were pit bulls in the neighborhood.

After cutting the dogs down, the owner said, he lay next to them for 20 minutes and cried.

Pasado's Safe Haven is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Rita Morgan, national cruelty investigator for the Monroe animal shelter, said people often have preconceived notions about pit bulls. Sometimes those fears are well-founded, but often, she said, pit bulls are well-behaved family pets.

She said Pasado's took in three pit bulls after Hurricane Katrina. All three, she said, are "sweet, gentle and very social. They've won over all our volunteers."

This is what is going to happen the more that the media prints Dog Hating stories focusing on pit bull breeds. This was totally unjustified, cruel and meant to send a message. The person who did this deserves some serious time in prison.

This is why you should fight back whenever you see Dog Haters writing articles against dogs. These relentless attacks on innocent dogs encourage this kind of vigilantism.

This is a case of Dog Hating Terrorism.

Pet Dating Services

I have been seeing the rise of so-called “pet matching services”, where dog owners can find breeding partners for their pet dogs. The latest one is a new internet “dating” service for pets. Makes me sick…

Though I am not against breeding dogs, I have seen way too many people breed dogs for sentimental reasons, instead of breeding great dogs that will be good as pets. Modern breeding is a science. You can wreck a puppy if the parents aren’t free of genetic problems. Do you realize how devastating it is for a pet owner to have to put their dog to death because of a serious health or temperament problem?

I received a letter just the other day from someone who had to put their dog down because it became vicious, most likely from a brain tumor.

If you recall, I mentioned an article, at www.DoggieNews.com concerning the Top 10 dog diseases reported by pet insurers.

How many of these novice breeders will be genetically screening for these issues? Probably none. How many know how to breed for proper temperament? Probably none.

To me, being a breeder is a highly respected hobby or profession. It represents someone special, making exceptionally good pets through scientific breeding principles. It doesn’t represent this kind of backyard breeder who knows nothing and who contributes to the misery of untold numbers of dogs and dog owners. I won't mention the names of these services here because I don't want to increase their popularity.

Retired Gwent Police Dog Doesn't Deserve Death

A police dog who saved his handler from an axe-wielding attacker has been put on death row at the end of his service, according to the handler's family.

Saxon, a five-year-old German Shepherd, protected Mike Townley, 47, many times during his time with Gwent Police.

But his licence has been withdrawn as he is now considered "unsafe". The last dog this happened to was destroyed. The Townleys want to keep Saxon as a pet.

This is a tragedy and should be fought against. An otherwise healthy dog, which has a responsible family that wants to adopt it, shouldn’t be put to death

To register your opposition to killing Saxon please e-mail the following policeauthority@gwent.pnn

How to contact Gwent Police A Division –
Newport Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Kevin Price Tel: 01633 244999 Police Headquarters Cardiff Road Newport NP9 2EH B Division –
Monmouthshire & Torfaen Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Paul Symes Tel: 01492 764711 Police Headquarters Glantorfaen Road Pontypool NP4 6YN C Division –
Caerphilly & Blaenau Gwent Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Alun Thomas Tel: 01495 223673 Police Headquarters Blackwood Road Pontllanfraith Blackwood NP2 2XA D Division –
(based at Police HQ) Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Ray Wise Tel: 01633 838111 “D” Division provides operational support to the territorial divisions through a range of specialisms thereby assisting them to realise their own objectives.

Tethering Dog Ownership?

Tie up your dog to any stationary object for more than three hours and you could go to jail if Senate Bill 1578 passes. The bill would make it an infraction or a misdemeanor to tether a dog for more than three hours a day.

This is in California... and being proposed by animal rights activists...

Have you noticed, all over the country, you see this same bill being proposed and passed? Dogs can’t be tethered longer than 3 hours a day…

Though I’m against tethering as a way of restraining an unsupervised dog, this is an organized animal rights campaign. I don’t feel good about it. Something stinks about this legislation, but I’m not sure why. I don’t know the larger agenda here, but something is afoot.

I do know that they are passing “standard of care” statutes in Europe, regulating pet owners to the point of mandating the minimum sizes of dog houses and kennels, types of food, hours of play time, etc. I think this is just another foot in the door to get these larger goals implemented.

Beware!

Sneaky Backdoor Ways Of Banning Dog Ownership

Chicago aldermen have cracked down on foie gras, public smoking, noisy street musicians and drivers yakking on cell phones.

Now they want to microchip Fido.

"Tags come off sometimes," said Patrick McNulty, director of the county's Department of Public Health, which oversees Animal Control. "If an animal is involved in a bite situation, we can identify it. But mostly, it's to return your animal to you."

Other new provisions include new licensing categories for grooming facilities, guard dog services and pet day-care facilities. Also included is a new ordinance that sets guidelines for tethering dogs, including setting a time limit of three hours and mandating access to food, water and shelter.

This is a sneaky effort by the city of Chicago to go after your dogs.

This won’t make people more responsible over their dogs, prevent dog bites, or do anything. It is just a way to track dog ownership and make more revenue for government to waste. It is just more government intrusion into our lives, to make it more difficult to own a dog, and to cut into the dog business.

This is all driven by animal rights activists. They are incrementally using the law to ban dog ownership.

Two Pit Fighting Dogs Die In Pontiac, Michigan

Fifteen people were arrested for dog fighting after police were called to a Summit Street garage early Monday.

Someone called police after seeing people sneaking into a garage at a home on the 100 block of Summit Street about 3:45 a.m., said Sgt. William Ware of the Pontiac (Michigan) Police Department.

"After the officers got there, the dogs would not stop fighting," Ware said.

The practice of dog fighting is prevalent in the city even though it is illegal. It is part of an underground culture and is notoriously difficult to track.

There are very few arrests or prosecutions for dog fighting because fights typically take place in the early morning hours in pits set up in basements, garages or abandoned houses.

In the practice, dogs fight until one dies or is so severely injured it cannot continue.

Ware said gambling is involved in many of the fights.

So, do you want to be involved in this kind of thing? Two dogs died, 15 people were arrested and will probably go to jail. What’s the point? Why be involved in this kind of butchery? A dog is a pet, worker, and protector. Why make a dog fight for its life for no reason other than to gamble for money and to see animals tear each other up? It is sick. You are sick, if you support this kind of barbarity.

Police Mistakes Cause Death Of Dog

A preliminary autopsy has revealed that a New Brunswick police dog died from strangulation over the weekend while out hunting for a man.

Hrain was on the hunt for the man, trying to sniff him out of the woods but then he got loose. It was while on the prowl without his handler, leash flailing behind him, that Hrain ran into trouble.

Here's the way I see what happened. This is both a serious handler error and a training failure. The dog went on attack without first being released from the leash. So, the dog could be strangled once it found the suspect. Also, the dog didn’t come back. I’m sure the handler called the dog back, but it didn’t return. This is a training failure.

So, you want a protection dog? Do you have any idea of how to deploy the dog? Do you have any idea of how to prevent accidents like this? Do you have any idea of how to train and control such a dog? No. I'm sure you don't. And if you don't, you could not only cause the death of your dog, you could be killed by the criminal, too.

Liposuction For Dogs?

Patch is believed to be the first dog in Australia to have undergone liposuction, an increasingly popular operation for overweight humans.

His problem was not obesity, but fatty tumours. One, on his left hind leg, was so large it was threatening to cripple him within months. "To see him degenerate was tearing at my heartstrings," Ms Williams said.

Amazing. Though you have to figure that this isn't a cure, just a treatment. Hopefully this dog is doing well and lives a long and happy life. With modern technology, we are on the verge of saving dogs that really should be put down. I have seen dogs that were too old and too sick to have treatments, but the owners did it anyway. The dogs still died and the treatments were painful and highly stressful for the dog, not to mention extremely costly. You have to use your judgment in these cases, and decide what is best for your dog, even if it means euthanasia, not what will make you avoid the pain of losing your pet.

QUIZ

What are the Top 10 Reasons Why Dogs Go to the Vet?

Go to www.DoggieNews.com to find out!

Are You Allergic To A Specific Dog Or Breed?

Many dogs are given away AFTER the owners find out they are allergic to their dogs. I recommend finding out if you are allergic to a particular dog BEFORE you bring it home to be your pet.

First, discuss your allergy with your doctor and only proceed with an evaluation with their advice and permission. One way to perform a test is to bring 3 or 4 bath towels with you when you first visit the breeder, shelter or rescue organization. Lay the towels around the dog or dogs you are interested in, and have the dogs lay around them for about an hour. You could even rub the dogs down with the towels. Put the towels into plastic bags and bring them home. At night, open the bag and take out the first towel. Roll up the first towel and place it at the head of your bed, above your pillow. Go to bed, then see how you feel the next day. After 2 days, bring out the second towel and repeat this test for 2 days. Repeat this with the third towel for another 2 days. If you have multiple family members, cut the towels into wide strips and make rolls for each person's bedroom pillow.

I figure if you are going to show an allergic reaction, this will provoke it. If you are SEVERELY ALLERGIC, you should NOT do this. People who are severely allergic to anything should be working with a qualified doctor, because a severe allergic reaction could be lethal.

You should NOT do this with children without the approval and direction of your family doctor!!! I'm NOT a doctor. Again... allergies can kill some people. But, if you got the dog, and left it in the room of your kid without first testing your kid's allergic reaction to the dog, then you could wake up to a dead child anyway... so I figure it is best to do a controlled test in cooperation with your doctor.

There is NOT a good excuse for not testing for allergic reactions BEFORE you get a dog.

Criminal Neglect

Faibish's son, Nicholas, was killed June 3, 2005, after his mother left him at home alone with the two pit bulls, Rex and Ella, while she went with her daughter on a school picnic. Ella was in heat, prompting Rex to behave in a more aggressive manner, according to both the prosecution and the defense.

Faibish instructed her son, who was diagnosed with receptive and expressive speech impairments and had refused to attend school that day, to stay in the basement, where she had left snacks and a television. She told police she had given him a shovel to prop the door closed and keep the pit bulls away.

When Faibish returned almost three hours later, she found her son dead in an upstairs bedroom, and her efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Because the boy died, she faces a felony child endangerment charges with a special enhancement, and if convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.

If this story is accurate, I would also have recommended this mother be charged with criminal neglect. First, if the story told here is true (and I never completely believe any story in the media… I’ve seen too many distortions over the years), then I figure a.) the mother clearly knew the kid wasn’t mentally competent to be left alone; b.) she didn’t trust the kid alone with the dogs, especially because the dog had bitten the kid earlier in the day; and c.) something made her concerned enough about the dogs for her to use a shovel to keep the dogs away from the boy. This really isn’t a pit bull story, this is about leaving a handicapped kid with unstable dogs… it is about criminal neglect of a child... did you read about the living conditions in the home? Also, who knows what went on with these dogs prior to this incident. It is very unusual, in my experience, for any dog to attack a family member without prior abuse, neglect, or bad training. Further, WHY WOULD YOU BE BREEDING DOGS THAT WEREN'T GOOD WITH KIDS? The female dog was in heat and left with a male... so, this makes me suspicious these dogs were going to be used for breeding purposes, don't you think? Remember what I always say about checking out breeders before you get a dog... you could end up with some kind of a freak dog. Read between the lines of this story... and I'm guessing a lot was going wrong here.

Enough, Already!

More drivers are taking along canine and feline friends as they head out on the road, enough that auto-insurance companies are finding that pet distractions have become nearly as big a traffic hazard as cellphone conversations.

Pets that are unrestrained in cars or trucks cause crashes when they take the drivers' attention away from the road, said Pat Elliott, spokeswoman for Allstate Insurance in Phoenix.

Statistically, the numbers of serious crashes are still small, but recent studies show about 1 percent of all auto accidents are directly caused by pet distractions, about equal to the number of crashes blamed on cellphones, Elliott said.

What is the deal here? One measly percent? This country is starting to be ruled by gangs of politically correct, weasely busybodies. LEAVE PEOPLE ALONE! You just can't regulate everything, or we'll become a dictatorship over time. Enough is enough. I'm fed up with those who want to turn the US into a Nanny State!

Pack Of Pet Wolf Hybrids Kill Owner

Humane agents warned a Westmoreland County woman it was only a matter of time before the wolf hybrids she kept as pets turned on her.

Authorities are trying to determine if the pets attacked and killed Sandra L. Piovesan, whose body was found mauled in the fenced pen where the hybrids were housed on her Salem Township property.

Lee Neslar, executive director of the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, said keeping wolf hybrids in packs heightens the danger because each animal is constantly vying for dominance.

"She loved those wolves just like pets. She told me she was part American Indian, and she told me it was part of her ethnic background," said Brian Gallagher, a longtime friend who has a theory about what happened.

"They were all one pack ... including Sandra, who was considered the leader of the pack. I think one of them may have wanted to take over as leader of the pack," Gallagher said.

I’m not completely against owning wolf hybrids or even wild animals. The problem is that you are dealing with a wild animal, even if it is part domesticated dog, and you had better know what you are doing. This isn’t a game. You are dealing with the raw forces of nature, and those forces can get you injured or killed.

This is why we domesticated dogs. Domestication is a good thing. Domestication makes dogs useful companions and workers. Wild animals really aren’t good pets for almost anyone. If you have a wolf, coyote, or dingo hybrid, you really should have a better reason for owning one than because you are "part American Indian".

Family Dog Saves Toddler Playing On Roof

An unlikely hero helped keep a toddler safe in Southwest Philadelphia on Sunday as the family dog stepped in when the little boy tried to play on the roof.

Never underestimate the value of a good family dog. In this case, it was a German Shepherd Dog. This dog saved the life of this kid. Amazing that insurance companies are starting to not write homeowner’s insurance policies for this breed. Just shows how wacky this world has become.

Time To Ban Greyhound Gambling

A dog racing watchdog is to hold an inquiry into claims that thousands of animals are being shot dead every year.

The National Greyhound Racing Club has condemned the "euthanising" of healthy dogs and said putting them down should be a last resort, carried out by a vet.

A Sunday Times investigation claimed builders' merchant David Smith, of Seaham, County Durham, had shot and buried 10,000 dogs over 15 years.

This slaughter of thousands of otherwise healthy and adoptable dogs is why I am opposed to greyhound racing. I have no problem with people racing their dogs as a sport. It is good exercise and a mental challenge for the dogs, and for some breeds, speed and endurance are necessary aspects for their reason for being bred. But, the gambling industry isn’t good for the dogs, and it is terrible for us as dog owners. Gambling is a primary motivating force behind pit fighting, and it is the driving force for greyhound racing. Gambling in this instance isn’t for the good of the dog or breed, it is only for the gaming interests of people. I would bet that more dogs die each year as greyhound racing throwaways, than the number of dogs that die in pit fighting. Tell me... when was the last time you saw a greyhound puppy? You won't see one. The ones that don't show promise are put to death early on, the remainder go on to race and live in cages, and when they aren't winners any more, most are put to death. That is no life for a dog.

A dog is first and foremost a pet. Dogs are needed and useful in a multitude of ways. They can be used for companionship, protection, hunting, scent detection work, service dog work, etc. All good things. But, when they just become a commodity, such as turning them into human food, or for pit fighting or professional greyhound racing, then that denigrates all dogs and dog ownership. Such activities also stir up animal rights activists, who can then use these inhumane practices to force through laws that make it more and more impossible for legitimate owners to have or breed pet or working dogs.

I think that a ban on using dogs for greyhound gambling purposes would be justified since so many normal and healthy greyhounds are killed each year for no humane reason. We already ban gambling on pit fighting, so this would also be justified for many of the same reasons.

Should we then ban gambling on dog sled racing? I’m not sure. At this point, I’m not opposed to dog sled racing because I don’t believe that dogs are being bred and slaughtered en masse for the sport, and I believe that it could be said that such dogs are being tested to produce better sled dogs in the future that could provide use and companionship to humans. In addition, my research indicates sled dogs then go to live as pets at someone's home, not living in cages all year round. Greyhounds are never companions when they are still race dogs. They go from race to race in cages, and there isn’t much else in life for them. If the gambling aspect of greyhound racing was eliminated, then I would support greyhound racing events. But, the appalling number of dogs that are put down each year, and the fact that almost all live their entire lives in cages, because of gambling, makes me believe professional greyhound racing should be banned.

“My dog is too friendly with strangers. What can I do to make him into a guard dog? I want my dog to protect me.”

I figured it was about time to write an article about this topic.

The Risks Of Buying A Dog At A Pet Store

A day after she paid $900 for two Yorkshire terrier pups at a Utica pet shop, one went into seizures. The pup, named Jasper, spent the next four days attached to IVs at a vet's office and died in Moodie's arms within two hours of coming home

More than 3,500 puppies arrived at metro Detroit pet shops from out-of-state breeders and dealers in 2005, and more than 80% of those came from breeders and dealers that have been flagged by the USDA for violations.

How many times do people need to be told? ONLY BUY DOGS FROM REPUTABLE BREEDERS, OR ADOPT DOGS FROM REPUTABLE RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS!

Throw-Away Dogs

"Peanut," as the 1- to 2-year-old female (pit bull) is now known, was found zipped inside a baseball-equipment bag and thrown into the garbage…

I have seen article after article detailing this kind of crime over the past year. This business of “throwing away” pit bulls seems to be a trend. Why, I don’t know. But it is quite alarming.

Another Reason To Train Your Dog

When Tom Norman died last month, his five dogs weren’t just left without an owner. They were orphaned.

Nina, Opal, Otis, Skeet and Roseanne Roseannadanna, all Boxers, were like children to Norman, who never had any of his own, said long-time friend Nancy Stephens.

"These were his kids," Stephens said.

The dogs, all purebreds, are available for adoption through Morgan County’s Sav-A-Stray Foundation, where Stephens hopes the dogs she’s helped raise will find new families.

Here is a great example of why to look for a dog through a responsible rescue organization. You can get a great dog. Not all dogs in rescue were abused or have problems. Sometimes, the dog ends up in unfortunate circumstances and needs a new home.

By the way, this is also why I advocate obedience training for every dog. It is going to be much easier for a dog to find a new home if it is well behaved. You aren’t doing your dog any favor by not training it thoroughly. What if something happened to you? Would someone want your dog? Or would it be so unruly that the shelter or rescue organization would be forced to put your dog to death? Something to think about.

Dog Dies In Hot Car

Cary police have charged a woman with leaving a dog inside a 122-degree car.

I just don't get these kinds of stories. How can you leave a baby or a dog in a car and not know what is going on and what is happening? You see these types of stories every year. I always know what is going on with my dog at all times. I make sure I know. If I had a kid, I'd make sure I knew what was going on with that kid. Life isn't so busy you can't be a responsible parent or dog owner. There just isn't any good excuse in most of these cases.

Another Biased Pit Bull Hating Story

Personally, I don't blame the dog. Like pedophiles, they simply can't resist attacking what they see as weak, defenceless, easy or vulnerable. It's just the way they are -- bred that way by people who've done the breed a disservice.

Here is another pit bull hating story. This story isn't about science, it is about dog hating. Anyone can find, or make up, a bad story about anyone or anything. Doesn't make it true. Doesn't make the opinion worth listening to. And it certainly doesn't mean it should be the basis for making public policy and laws.

I don't see anywhere in this story where the author demonstrates an expertise in dog behavior. Just another cheap shot article from some columnist.

Man Pleads Guilty

A Rochester man today pleaded guilty to killing a dog by throwing it out a sixth-floor window of a Syracuse apartment building.

What kind of wacko would do this kind of thing? Usually substance abuse, most likely alcohol, was involved. In my experience, it usually is part of the abuse equation.

Stupid Breeding

A dog matchmaking event will be held in the city this month, giving lonely-heart hounds a shot at puppy love - and owners the opportunity to find the best breeding match for their pets, Shanghai Daily reported.

Hosted by www.gougou520.com , which calls itself China's first professional online pet matchmaking company, the event will gather 100 dog owners in Hongqiao area to find their pooch the perfect partner.

This is absolutely ridiculous and the worst possible way to breed dogs. Breeding is an art and a science, and it takes a whole lot more than this to produce healthy and well adjusted pups. This is not a sentimental game, folks. Foolish breeding wrecks dogs.

Big Dog, Little Dog

If dogs didn't exist, then man would have built one… Oops… someone already did that! We domesticated the dog a long time ago. Now, we are even building mechanical dogs.

See: Big Dog Walking 4-Legged Tank/Mule

Even in this modern world, we still need dogs. And I think we are going to need some form of dog, even if it has to be a mechanical one, a thousand years from now.

It’s just silly how so many people fight against having dogs, when they provide so much utility and companionship. Why even a little dog can save someone’s life. Check out this story, how a Pomeranian alerted a woman to an intruder (who has since been arrested on suspicion of murdering one of her neighbors).

Another Look At Clicker Training and Operant Conditioning

So, you operant conditioning / clicker training fans might want to consider some facts before you start spouting how your all positive training theories are superior to all others.

Check this out…

• Scientists still consider some species particularly unsuited for confinement:

• "A newly-captured porpoise or small whale is certainly frightened, and death from shock is not uncommon. Spinners and kikos [spotted dolphins] are particularly high-strung and apt to go into shock; some oceanariums will not even attempt to capture animals from this genus because they are frightened so easily." Karen Pryor (1975).
• "Few species seem to be genetically incompatible, but for some reason the common dolphin does not always co-exist well with the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and other large dolphins." Joseph Geraci (1986). Walker (1975) described common dolphins as "the most delicate of the four routinely-captured species" and "the most difficult to keep in captivity.
• "Shallenberger (cited in Reeves & Leatherwood, 1984) described the melon- headed whales at Sea Life Park, "In captivity they can become quite aggressive and must be handled carefully."
• Pryor (cited in Reeves & Leatherwood, 1984) described pygmy killer whales at Sea Life Park, "They proved aggressive and did not adapt well."
• The Fraser's dolphin, was described by Hammond & Leatherwood (1994): "we believe the nervousness and general ‘fragility' of this species probably makes it unacceptable for captivity."

So, after hearing all these great stories about how operant conditioning works with sea animals, we find out that THEY ARE ONLY WORKING WITH THE MOST SOCIABLE AND MALLEABLE SPECIES! You mean, these techniques won’t work with all marine life in an aquarium? These experts can’t control the aggression or fearfulness with these techniques? These noted experts need to skip working with some species?

Does this mean therefore that you clicker trainers (all positive trainers) are willing to accept that maybe all positive reinforcement in training doesn’t always succeed with all dogs? What do we do with those that are highly aggressive or fearful when they don’t fit within your program? Put them down? Hmm? We certainly can’t just turn them back into nature, like you can with a wild sea animal. We can’t just drop those dogs off in some forest or parking lot and figure it will all work out.

Any dog training fool can take a highly trainable, non-aggressive, food motivated, stable dog and get great training results. But, not all dogs fit that description.

Time to get your heads out of the clouds and start reading the scientific literature critically.

Rest In Peace

Acidman
1952 – 2006

Funny. Irreverent. Hurting. Politically incorrect. Frustrated. Blunt. Troubled soul.
Blogging pioneer, widely read.

Rest in peace.

Let’s never forget that there are real people behind all these blogs.

LEGISLATIVE ALERT: Here's another poorly conceived dog bite law

Owners would not face prosecution if the victim of the attack was trespassing on the owners' property, they have a properly fenced-in yard and have posted beware-of-dog signs.

This is NOT adequate. It is a start, but not nearly adequate. There are MANY more justifiable reasons for a dog to bite.

How about consulting some dog experts, eh? I have many links on the sidebar of pro-dog groups that could help draft a much more reasonable and effective dog bite law.

DOGSTER: New dog blog!

I have found a new blog, Dogster, that I really like. Check it out. I'm adding it to my Links.

The dog world is quite interesting, and the more I learn, the more I find how much I DON’T know or didn't see. Dogster is quite interesting and I think you’ll like it, too.

$97,500????

With pet food and veterinarian visits, Eileen Acheson knew that owning a dog could be costly. She had no idea.

The Redondo Beach woman must pay $97,500 to her neighbors, who won a dog barking suit against her in court this month, or say goodbye to Rover.

These kinds of judgments are absurd. I advocate the regulation of homeowner's associations. They are out of control. There is no way this sized judgment is at all just or reasonable compared to the issue in dispute. Just like we need tort reform, we need reform here.

Shame On PetSmart!

Have you seen this? Petsmart discriminates against bull breeds in its doggie daycare program. What breeds are NOT allowed in their doggie daycares?

"Dogs in the "bully breed" classification (e.g. Pit Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Bull Dogs or mixed breeds that have the appearance or characteristics of one of these breeds)"

This is outrageous. Either they know what they are doing with dogs or they don't. Breed isn't the issue, temperament of the individual dog, and the quality of the trainers are the issue. Are they professionals or not? Do they train their staff properly or not?

This kind of thing just goes along with the Dog Hating, "politically correct", crowd that hates the pit fighting or bully breeds. Shame on them!

Maybe it is time to call for a boycott. Hey, Dog Lovers! Time to fight back!!!

(If PetSmart is "smart" they will retract this policy. If I have this wrong, then let me know, but I got this off their own web page!)

The Straight Poop

A study conducted last August and September, quoted in today’s Raleigh News & Observer, shows men and rural residents are least likely to clean up their dog’s poop.

47 percent of urban residents “rarely” or “never” pick up dog poop. That compares to 49 percent of suburban residents and 47 percent of city-dwellers.

People in the 18-24 and 65-older age groups are most likely to clean their dog’s poop. Least likely are those in the 35-54 age group.

I’m male, live in the suburbs, and am between the ages of 35 and 54.

Gee, according to that list, I’m doomed!

Seriously, though. Too much is made of dog poop in many communities. First, communities should plan better for their canine residents, allocating land for “poop stations” that dispense plastic bags. Second, we have a bigger problem with pooping geese and people who litter than pooping dogs. Third, if you ever travel, you’ll notice that in most nature parks, they have a display talking about how beneficial the animal poop is for the environment… yet they ban dogs from the parks on the grounds that dog poop is bad for the park. So weird. I don’t think it is that big of a deal. Poop your dog. Pick up. Leave people alone.

The result of a male dog and a female coyote is a dogote, while the result of a male coyote and a female dog is a coydog. There is a difference where the cross-breeding of animals is concerned: the male of the parent species gives the first part of the offspring's name.

I’ve heard of these, and knew someone that had one. I see no rational reason to intentionally create this hybrid. There is also a theory that coydogs are actually wolf / coyote hybrids, which is entirely possible.

Dog Attack Evaluated

A woman in her mid-70s was attacked and bitten repeatedly by a neighbor's dog as she walked near her Fairwood home.

Neighbors said the dog is usually kept in the back yard, but on Sunday, two young girls in the family took the dog out on a leash. Animal control Sgt. David Morris said that was clearly a mistake.

"This dog is probably 65-70 pounds, probably outweighed the young girl that was walking the dog. There's no way a 5, 6, 7, 8 10-year-old child is going to be able to control a dog 50, 60, 70 pounds," he said.

As I have said before… kids and dogs should be supervised. The interesting question here is whether the dog should be put down. If this is the complete story, these kids did something very wrong. They shouldn’t have been out with the dog unsupervised. Some dogs will try to protect children, and children are not capable of restraining dogs that are just as big, or bigger, than they are. With an adult, it is quite possible this dog might never have bitten anyone off leash. In addition, some dogs are much more wary of the elderly, and more likely to growl at, or attack, them. I have seen dogs that were otherwise sociable in public, act differently around some people. One trigger for growling or attacking is if the victim acts or feels fearful around dogs. This type of demeanor puts many dogs on the defensive. In the wild, a fearful animal either runs away or makes a full blown attack. When dogs sense fear in someone, their natural programming puts them on guard, since they perceive their lives are in danger. Add to this, if a dog is with puppies or young children, in other words, anyone the dog feels responsible for protecting, the risk of the dog attacking can increase. This phenomenon might very well have played a factor here. I'm also not pleased with the part about the dog being "usually kept in the back yard." Social isolation isn't good for dogs, and if this dog spends most of its life in the back yard, such a dog will become more and more wary of strangers, and more likely to bite, especially around the dog's territory.

THE DOG: This dog needs a behavioral evaluation by a professional. If the dog is a normal dog, physically and mentally healthy, and if the parents can be determined to be criminally negligent, then I would place the dog in another home, and this incident shouldn’t be held against the dog, either legally or socially.

THE KIDS: In a few cases, I do support spanking kids for doing wrong. If these kids knew they were not to take the dog out for a walk on their own, if I was the parent, I would sit them down, remind them of the house rules, tell them what happened as a result of their breaking the rules, and then administer a spanking and have them do some kind of community service related to dog bite incidents. If the kids weren’t told to not take the dog for a walk, then I would not administer punishment to the kids.

THE PARENTS: Regarding the parents, they will have headaches enough as a result of this. They will most likely be sued by the victim, their insurance company will pay the damages and then cancel their homeowner’s insurance, and their dog will probably be put to death. If the dog is to be kept, if found to be a well adjusted dog, then better fencing should be installed and a new supervision and socialization program implemented.

ANIMAL CONTROL: An investigation should be pursued concerning the circumstances surrounding this incident, and the law enforced. However, as I have stated before, there are justified bites and unjustified bites. This is a tough case, which requires good judgment, not just going by the letter of the law, to determine whether this should be prosecuted. Not every dog bite case should require that the dog be put down or the owners punished.

THE VICTIM: The victim should be compensated for all medical bills by the parents. The children and parents should be made to apologize to her for what happened. Law abiding people deserve to be safe when walking in public.

Breed Restrictions Of Major Insurers... The List Keeps Growing

Here’s how major insurers in Tennessee handle dog ownership of various breeds in homeowner’s policies… Allstate, Farmers, Hartford, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, State Farm, etc…

Breed restrictions include pit bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Chows, Presa Canarios, Alaskan Malamutes, German Shepherd Dogs, Siberian Huskies, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Wolf Hybrids, and Akitas…

Read this article. Look at what irresponsible dog owners have done to the rest of us. And look at how regulation of dogs, using breed specific legislation, has hurt us as dog owners.

Was This Dog Attack Justified?

A 13-year-old was attacked by a friend's pit bull in the Top Hat neighborhood of Seattle Wednesday.

The girl apparently told police that the dog had been acting up and she hit it on the nose, which may have triggered the attack.

OK, this sounds like this was a provoked attack... meaning the dog wasn't at fault. Kids aren't always innocent in dog bite cases. This is a good reason to teach everyone in your family... DON'T HIT DOGS TO PUNISH THEM!!!!! (By the way... where were the parents? And why was this dog left unsupervised?) If this story is as it appears, I WOULD NOT recommend euthanasia for this dog. You can't expect that you can hit a dog, especially a dog that isn't yours, and expect that the dog is going to just take it. To a dog, you've attacked THEM. These aren't cartoon characters. They are animals, and they will act like animals, not furry little punching bags.

Dangerous Waters

A popular lake is off limits until health officials can determine what killed at least two dogs.

They suspect a toxic algae bloom is growing on Anderson Lake near Chimacum in Jefferson County.

Daisy is the lucky one. She is expected to make a full recovery after taking a drink from Anderson Lake over the weekend.

"Her legs started shaking and then she just fell over and started having these seizures," said Ann Katsikapes, the dog's owner.

I’ve seen people let their dogs swim in extremely dirty water. You had better consider where you let your dog swim. Not all lakes, streams or ocean beaches are safe.

A Terrible New Dog Bite Law

The proposed rules include the county's first specific definition for vicious dogs: animals that bite a person or other animal, causing severe injury, or dogs owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of fighting with other animals.

This definition is just not good enough. Many dog bites are justified. This definition needs to be expanded to allow for justified bites. Here is an article I wrote on When Should A Dog Be Allowed To Bite. This needs to be incorporated in this law. In addition, we need to have due process procedures to define how an accusation is going to be handled. The procedures being set up are also not well thought out. Here is another article I wrote on How To Make A Fair Dog Bite Law.

Violent Felons Banned From Owning Dogs

As of Jan. 1, 2007, Illinois will be the first state in the Union to restrict dog ownership of convicted felons.

Those who have been convicted of certain felonies - mostly those dealing with violence, weapons or drugs - are banned from owning dogs that have not been spayed or neutered. They are also prohibited from owning dogs that have been declared vicious or dangerous.

The banning period is 10 years beginning with the felon's release from custody. In some cases, that period may be covered by parole. In many cases, it will not.

This is good legislation, and is something I’ve advocated for years. Most of our dog problems are people problems. Most of our worst pit bull problems are problems with violent criminals. Violent criminals should NOT be allowed to have a dog to run another drug or pit fighting operation.

This Dog Deserved Better

John Hohnsbehn received 3-year-old Teddy, a Great Pyrenees, when it was a puppy as a gift from his brother, Bruce Hohnsbehn. When John Hohnsbehn moved out of his East Alton home and into an apartment a little more than a month ago because of marital troubles, he left the dog there. The 120-pound dog, which Hohnsbehn estimated was worth between $1,000 and $1,500, could not stay in the apartment.

Animal Control officers seized Teddy last Tuesday, and after trying to find a place for him at an Edwardsville pound and at a humane society shelter, they euthanized the animal. John Hohnsbehn said he never was notified. Instead, his 18-year-old daughter signed the paperwork that his wife, Jackie Hohnsbehn, approved over the telephone. She could not be reached for comment.

While John Hohnsbehn conceded he told his wife she could "do what she thought was best" to the dog, he countered he should have been called before it was killed.

So, why didn't this shelter contact a Great Pyrenees rescue organization? It isn't good enough, when you are in the business of rescuing dogs, to just make a token effort to find another home. And why didn't this husband, wife or adult daughter contact a GP rescue organization? Was this family fight worth the death of this dog? Where is the evidence this dog was either unhealthy or had an unstable temperament? Where is the evidence that everything was done to save this dog? If we assume that this story is complete and accurate, these people all were undeserving of having a dog, including the shelter involved. Poor dog; he deserved a lot better than this.

Cesar Millan's Way

A couple of months ago, I was asked to write a review of Cesar Millan’s book, “Cesar’s Way”. Appearing on high profile shows, such as Oprah Winfrey, he is marketed as “America’s most sought-after-dog-behavior expert. But Cesar is not a trainer in the traditional sense – his expertise lies in his unique ability to comprehend dog psychology… Founder of the Dog Psychology Center in Los Angeles, Cesar Millan is the star of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan on National Geographic Channel.”

In his book, he focuses on three elements when dealing with any dog: exercise, discipline and affection, in that order.

Regarding his method, Cesar Millan runs a type of dog camp or doggie daycare. He uses

a.) a considerable amount of exercise, including the use of treadmills and backpacks, as a way of relaxing dogs to prepare them for counter-conditioning exercises;
b.) packs of dogs to rehabilitate unstable, fearful or aggressive dogs;
c.) Leashes and chain collars to block jumping, whining, possessiveness, biting, aggressiveness, excessive barking, mounting, fighting, active dominance challenges;
d.) Redirection to get dogs doing alternative behaviors in play areas, obstacle courses, a pool, a feeding area, a sleeping area, and an eating / drinking area;
e.) calming techniques using hand feeding;
f.) a limited amount of obedience training, such as teaching the dogs to heel on a loose lead at the handler’s side;
g.) a “claw” technique, his own version of the “alpha rollover”, and a pursuit technique to deal with dogs that don’t show submission to other dogs or people;
h.) “flooding” for phobias;
i.) “calm / assertive” handler techniques;
j.) touch and sound techniques to interrupt, correct and / or redirect behaviors;
k.) a variety of traditional manners rules, which are implemented with the “no free lunch” type of approach;
l.) a variety of games and other “mental challenges”; and
m.) human intervention.

He also believes that obedience training doesn’t fix everything, and feels that an “all positive” approach to behavior modification is not justified for many dogs, especially those that are dangerously aggressive or on the verge of being put to death for behavioral problems.

By doing a bit of research on the internet, I found that Cesar Millan is quite a controversial figure in the dog training world. On the internet, his critics claim

a.) He lacks credentials;
b.) He hasn’t titled dogs in either obedience or in the show dog ring;
c.) He uses “old methods” such as leash corrections, e-collars, dominance techniques, the alpha roll; which they claim induces “learned helplessness”;
d.) The dogs are stressed when his methods are applied;
e.) Some behavioral problems are medically related, are not going to be addressed by any kind of behavior modification program, and Cesar Millan doesn’t clarify this in his writings or on his TV show;
f.) He doesn’t use the accepted behavioral terminology, and makes up his own behavioral vocabulary; and
g.) He and his company are being sued by a former customer for allegedly injuring a dog; inferring or charging this is evidence he is a cruel and inhumane trainer. Some have gone so far as to petition the National Geographic channel to pull his show off the air, and to offer to testify against him in court!

There is a philosophical war going on about how to train animals and humans. Cesar Millan’s primary critics are generally from the “all positive” folks, who have become extremists, and thus hate what Cesar Millan is doing. The clicker folks and veterinary behaviorists really have their hair in a knot. To them, dominance and aggression have become discredited as concepts, only their credentials are valid, stress is considered abnormal and insurmountable, any kind of correction is considered abusive, and operant conditioning has become the bible of all things behavioral.

In his book, Cesar Millan addresses his critics on some of these points, and it is worth reading the book to hear his side of the story.

None of Cesar Millan’s work is really new to anyone experienced with dog training and behavior modification. If you are an experienced “dog psychologist” all this stuff can, and probably should be, in your training toolbox, along with your treats, toys, clickers, and massage techniques. However, few know how to properly administer any of the techniques Cesar uses, so, unless you know what you are doing, you should stick to purely positive methods to get results. I disagree with his overall approach, however. I do not recommend it at all.

I found the book interesting and would recommend it to understand what he is proposing, yet I had to spend a considerable amount of time pondering what he had to say about behavior.

In general, I liked the book and found it interesting, but I think it isn’t very useful for most dog owners. Most of what he is saying and doing is in the wrong direction.

The most annoying thing I found about his book is his use of language and terminology. He uses terms, such as “energy”, to define a wide array of behavioral phenomena. His terminology is hard to decipher, and therefore made my review of his book especially difficult. I also think it is misleading to draw the conclusion, from the marketing you get in the media, that you can save all dogs if you just knew more about “dog psychology”… and I didn’t find that stressed clearly enough in his book. I do give him credit for saying that not all dog owners are willing or capable of doing what is necessary for the wellbeing of their dogs. His terminology is not in line with the vast amount of behavioral and learning psychology work that I have read, from Darwin to Pavlov to Skinner to Lorenz, and others.

I’m not here to vouch for Cesar Millan. I don’t know him personally, and can only judge him by what I know about the dog world, and what I’ve seen on TV, from what I’ve read in his book, from his interviews in the media, and by evaluating what his critics say and who they are.

Get the book. Read it and judge for yourself.