Sam Basso, known as Sam The Dog Trainer, is a professional dog trainer and behaviorist serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, Gilbert, Paradise Valley, and surrounding areas. Some posts use AI-assisted drafting for clarity. This blog participates in affiliate programs (including Amazon Associates). Purchases via links may earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What about the shock of the father? She knew what the heck she was doing.
This happens with street dogs all the time. Oh, I'm talking about the canine type...
Friday, May 15, 2009
Is the Dog-o-Matic an owner's best friend?
I think this is animal cruelty. This is an automated dog washing machine. If you look at the dog in the photo, it is clearly afraid. I think this device should be outlawed.
Amazing. Many times, the owners are still charged with a crime and the dog is put down. At some point, people, regardless of their ages, have to be responsible for what they do. And parents have to be responsible for what their kids do, and live with the consequences. I am not happy that a kid got bitten, however. This wouldn't happen in an ideal world, but we don't live in an ideal world.
Every dog owner should know these things... and I also recommend every dog owner should have a dog first aid book to treat their dogs in cases of emergency poisoning.
Even though I prefer no legislation of this type, it is probably inevitable that this kind of law would be proposed. The problem is that once it becomes law, then it will, over time, be amended. And amendments are always more and more restrictive. The number of dogs allowed will be reduced, the standards will get tighter and tighter. And eventually, dog breeding will become pretty much illegal.
I have a problem with these types of laws. Yes, I know they are used to fight child pornography... But, I'm not too happy with restrictions of free speech. I guess it matters what the courts and legislatures will consider animal cruelty. Is a vet cropping dog ears, tails or dewclaws engaging in animal cruelty? In some countries, the law says 'yes'. Is dog training with a chain or prong collar animal cruelty? In some places, the law says 'yes'. Is putting a dog in an airline crate animal cruelty? Possibly. Some cities are passing laws defining the enclosure sizes for animals. So, a lot of the criteria for 'animal cruelty' is pretty arbitrary, and when we are talking about penalties that might include prison, I'm not happy with these types of laws.
Look, you need to properly contain and supervise your dogs. There is no more 'one free bite' rule anywhere. There are times when a dog bite is justified, such as if the dog is being teased or the owner is being attacked by a criminal... but otherwise, you are in trouble if your dog bites someone. It is more important than ever these days to properly socialize, train, supervise and manage your dogs.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Celebrity Dog News
Paris Hilton got another dog... a Pomeranian for (reportedly) $10,000!!!
Who cares? The guy is President of the US. There are bigger issues to be concerned about. The only thing that would give me ulcers would be if he hated dogs... and he doesn't.
I understand why an investigation is warranted. Civilized societies are managed by laws. On the other hand, there is right and wrong, and there isn't always a law to deal with every situation. The medics did the right thing.
This story causes me to ponder a couple of thoughts.
First, it is always best to find ways of not getting in direct strife with people. Direct confrontation leads to hurt feelings, anger, and creates enemies... so it should be used sparingly and for true enemies where you have to defeat and destroy them. We are all guilty of provoking others to strife. We get upset and we go after the other person, or we goad them and goad them until they blow up, or we ignore what is going on with them and don't really bother to find out how they are doing inside. As the old proverb says, "The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with." Tact, patience, planning, forgiveness, timing, thoughtfulness, consideration of others... love... all take maturity and self control. People are mostly self centered, thinking of themselves and what they want. They don't consider the other person. I'm convinced that the one thing you'll never really get in any sincere quantity or quality from others is gratitude for what you've done or first consideration of what you need over what the other person wants. And you'll always be thinking of yourself before you think of others. The more self absorbed you are, and the more self absorbed the people around you, the more likely for strife and hurt feelings. Yes, you might be mad that the dog urinated in the home. But, maybe the dog needs training. Maybe the dog's owner needs help. Maybe instead of complaining, you get in there and give the other person a helping hand when they are down.
Second, many people have never been taught to exercise self control. You can influence, and even greatly control, how good or bad you feel and what you are going to focus on. Is the glass half empty or half full? Are you a quitter or a winner? Do you get up again after being knocked down, or are you a loser? I have learned a lot about emotional control from a variety of sources. You learn it if you have to be a salesperson. Your attitude will definitely control whether you make money or not. You learn it if you have to be in business for yourself. There are a lot of people out there who will try to knock you down. You'll learn it if you get married. The hardest things to do when married are to keep putting your best foot forward every day, sharing sacrifice, showing your spouse esteem and preference, supporting them, and not getting in strife. I think the traditional marriage vows are a terrific example of the choices we have to make in order to have a successful marriage: "Do you ___ take ____ to be your husband /wife – to live together after God’s ordinance – in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him / her, comfort him / her, honor and keep him / her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him / her your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?" Those are all choices about what you are going to do and how you are going to manage how you feel. Spiritual books, self help books, business motivational seminars, and so forth all deal with managing how we feel. When you get down, get distressed... you don't get a gun and start shooting people. Instead, you need to draw upon the character lessons of life, talk to friends, do the right thing regardless of how you feel, and get professional help if necessary.
Hopefully, this bill passes. Dogs shouldn't be deemed vicious purely because of breed. Viciousness isn't a trait that can be bred into a dog. And oftentimes what a novice considers vicious is just a dog doing a normal behavior in a situation where the dog has no other choice but to threaten or bite.
I am not opposed to using animals for medical research... however... I do believe in minimizing the use of animals and only doing it as a last resort. When alternatives are readily available, then we should use those alternatives. I know this is a very emotional issue, and easy to side with those who would say that no experimentation should be allowed.
To me, it's kind of like the drug legalization debate. It's fine to argue for the legalization of intoxicating drugs... until one of your close friends or family is either killed or injured or mentally damaged... then it isn't so easy to sit back and say these things. Same with experimentation on animals... easy to support the banning of these procedures... however, it's not so easy when maybe we are talking about saving the lives of people you love. You can't have new doctors experimenting on children or adults to learn how to treat diseases or injuries, can you?
Shouldn't we expect police officers to show the highest level of character? I have a great deal of respect for the police. But, they lose the respect of the community when this kind of thing happens.
Dog haters don't want dogs anywhere. You have to fight back, and when you do, you will win. The public understands and loves dogs. Politicians and bureaucrats need to remember that... be dog friendly or lose your job.
