Memphis: It doesn’t have to be this way

You know, I can barely stand to read Yes Biscuit! these days, because all the Memphis Animal Shelter webcam pictures of dogs being dragged to the kill room gut me.

But this afternoon I was thinking about how people say those webcams make doing their jobs so much harder for the staff at the facility, and make them worry about their personal safety, and give Memphis a bad name and could be taken out of context and all the other things they say about the webcams.

I typically responded to that by saying, “Yeah, well, at least you’re not being dragged to your death under horrible circumstances,” but you know what?

What we’re seeing on those cameras is cruelty to animals, but it’s also cruelty to the people who work at MAS. If it’s not making them wake up screaming every night with terror-filled dreams, then it’s eroding their compassion and deadening their empathy. It’s consuming their humanity, one needle full of Fatal-Plus at a time.

We know this because we’ve been told again and again by people who do it what the effect of shelter killing is on them. We can see it right in front of us when we look at those webcam shots, and imagine how the shelter workers have to shut their eyes to the terror of the dogs they drag down that hall.

Have to watch a garbage can full of squirmy puppies grow still and stop moving.

Have to see the rigid terror of the cat at the end of the catchpole relax into death.

Have to do it over and over again, hundreds of pets a week, an avalanche of death and fear and piss and shit. It never ends. Three out of four dogs and cats who come in the doors of the building where they work are going to be fed by them and watered by them and then dragged or carried down that long hallway, step by fearful step, until they’re killed.

And one day, they just can’t care anymore. And that’s the day a part of them dies, too.

So even if you think that Memphis is doing the best it can for the animals — which it’s not — tell me, do you think it’s doing the best it can for the people who work there?

Imagine for a few minutes that instead of experiencing this:

… the staff at the Memphis Animal Shelter, like their counterparts at the Nevada Humane Society, could feel like this:

It’s not impossible. It could happen.

Here’s how.

Photos: Top, a MAS staffer and a terrified dog. Bottom, two Nevada Humane Society staffers celebrating an adoption.

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My dog’s testicles are not why your dog doesn’t listen to you

So, here’s a true story.

I’m standing at the water fountain at the entrance to a San Francisco dog park, giving my Scottish Deerhound, Rawley, a drink. We’re right next to the parking lot.

A Lab mix comes flying across the field, a distance of around two city blocks.

The owner of the Lab mix runs toward us from the other end of the field, shouting, “Arden! Come! Right now! Come! Get over here! Arden! I mean it! RIGHT NOW! Come! Stop it! Leave him alone….”

Her voice becomes more breathless because she’s shouting and running; her dog has been ignoring her all along in favor of giving all his attention to Rawley.

“I told you to come…” she continued.

I’d snapped on Rawley’s leash when I saw the owner had no control of her dog. He’d already had his walk, so he was quiet.

The Lab mix started out okay, but as he sniffed Rawley, he became a little more assertive. He went up on the balls of his feet. He stood straighter. If he’d been human, I’d have said he narrowed his eyes. Maybe he did.

I moved away, toward my car, Rawley with me.

The Lab mix jumped on Rawley and tried to hump him.

I moved away, but the Lab mix jumped down, then back on.

His breathless owner finally arrived, and took a look at the situation — i.e., my dog doing nothing whatsoever, her dog running away from her, ignoring everything she said, and then bothering my leashed, quiet dog in a really annoying way. What do you suppose she says?

“Oh! He’s intact!” Then she glares at me. “Why isn’t he neutered yet?”

You know what, lady? My dog’s testicles are not your dog’s “get out of jail free” card for running away from you, ignoring your commands, and hassling another dog.

Cutting off my dog’s testicles will not miraculously turn your dog’s hearing back on. Nor is sniffing my intact dog’s Very Special Scent the only irresistible activity your dog will ever wish to engage in against your wishes. I mean, what if Rawley had been on the other side of a busy road?

In short, the problem is not my dog’s balls. The problem is you, and the fact that your dog is not trained.

This happened not long before Christmas. Since then, I had Rawley neutered, primarily to make his life in this city full of untrained dogs and their obnoxious owners a bit more pleasant for him. I have a lot of regrets about doing it, and if he has health problems because of it, I know I’ll have a hard time forgiving myself, but I didn’t see too much choice at the time.

And it definitely did reduce the number of dogs who find Rawley’s mere presence at the park to be cause for mayhem down to manageable levels (although not to zero, because apparently the fact that he’s way bigger than they are is also an issue).

I know it’s a dream I’ll never see come true, but you know what I’d like?

A world where people socialize their dogs around both intact and altered dogs, so dogs understand this is something normal in the canine universe they inhabit. Because people acting as if the parts our dogs are born with are a disease or a badge of irresponsible pet ownership is my least favorite thing about modern American dog culture.

/futile

Photo: Rawley: “See how good I am?”

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When dogs are ‘livestock’ the word ‘humane’ doesn’t apply

Every puppy mill story is a nightmare, but the details of this one are particularly sordid. In the February 1 edition of DVM Newsmagazine, editor Rachael Whitcomb describes an outbreak of canine distemper virus resulting in euthanasia of more than 1000 dogs. Now here’s the kicker— the dogs were all from the same kennel! How I wish I’d read this incorrectly, but no. From the article:

More than 1000 dogs were euthanized as a last resort to thwart a canine distemper virus (CDV) outbreak at a USDA-licensed Kansas kennel, reports Dr. Bill Brown, Kansas’ Livestock Commissioner.

Am I supposed to feel better because the U.S. Department of Agriculture was “riding shotgun”? No, in fact their involvement makes the situation all the more deplorable. Canine distemper is completely preventable. How did the lethal combination of overcrowded, unclean conditions and inadequate vaccinations — the only way canine distemper can run rampant –  manage to slip under the USDA radar?

Apparently quarantine (isolation of affected dogs) had been tried, but was ineffective, primarily because of the sheer numbers of dogs. From the Kansas Animal Health Department:

Quarantine in place was not an option due to the inability of the facility to continue to feed, water and care for the dogs, as well as the continued circulation of virus throughout the facility. The large number of dogs housed at the kennel made testing unfeasible. [...] Since officials could not determine whether or not each dog was free from infection, officials made the decision to euthanize the animals.

Apparently, the decision to euthanize so many dogs was difficult. (no kidding!). Again, from the Kansas Livestock Commissioner:

This difficult decision was the last choice of the department and the breeder, but in the end, all believe it was the only humane way to accomplish both objectives to prevent the spread of disease and protect the dogs from prolonged suffering.

The irony of Dr. Brown’s statement sticks in my craw. How in the world does the word “humane” apply to the existence of a puppy mill housing more than a thousand dogs? Isn’t “prolonged suffering” an apt description for the lives of dogs kept solely for the purpose of producing puppies for profit in overcrowded conditions? With more than a thousand dogs to care for, I’m dubious that any of this “livestock” had access to basic amenities such as sufficient space to turn and stretch freely, adequate nutrition, clean water, appropriate veterinary care, adequate rest between heat cycles, or, God forbid, some human kindness.

The poor dogs in this story are puppy mill victims, plain and simple. I hope you will join in the effort to prevent future similar stories from happening. If you are a teacher, educate your students about puppy mills. Teach them about responsible ways to adopt a dog. And by all means, boycott puppy mills and encourage others to do the same. This means never ever purchasing a puppy from a pet store or from an on-line source (site and sight unseen). Let’s turn our outrage into productive efforts to eradicate puppy mills.

Photo credit: TammyB, PuppyMill Awareness Day

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Help Dear Abby: “Clingy” Dog Doesn’t Like New Wife

In case you didn’t see “Dear Abby” on Sunday, it involved a question from a woman who is jealous of the very close relationship her new husband has with one of his dogs. Abby told the woman to make sure the dog gets retrained so the pooch isn’t the alpha female in the pack, and gets knocked down a rank or two. She also advised marriage counseling if her husband isn’t willing to make some changes.

I’m interested in your take on the matter, Dogsters. The letter follows. What do you think is going on, and what — if anything — should be done. Who knows? Maybe the advice columnist will read your words and gain insight from them for the future. (Dogster does get around…)

DEAR ABBY: I met my husband, “Monty,” shortly after he lost his wife of 14 years. Monty has two dogs, but the one I have issues with is “Ginger.” I have never seen a dog act like her. She clings to Monty. She’ll sit outside the shower until he is done. She runs to him when he gets home from work to greet him before I do. It’s as if she thinks she’s his wife! She sits next to Monty on the couch. I hesitate telling her to move because my husband treats his dogs like gold. “They were here for me when my wife died.” I’m sympathetic to that, but where do I fit in?

Ginger bullies the other dog when she tries to get Monty’s attention. I’m feeling jealous because sometimes he neglects my physical needs and is more affectionate with the dogs. What do I do? — Jealous of the Four-Legged Mistress

Your thoughts, Dogsters?

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A Housetrained Dog Doesn’t Necessarily Have to Ask

September 14, 2008

I read a great tip from an article by dog trainer Kathy Diamond Davis the other day.

The question was how to bring an outdoor dog inside. The dog was an adult and had never been housebroken. Her perspective was this:

“I don’t train my dogs to ask when they need to go outside. I take them outside on a schedule. Their bodies easily adjust to wait until the next scheduled [potty break]. I get many questions from people who don’t consider their dogs housetrained until the dog will get their attention and persuade them to stop what they are doing and take the dog out every time the dog needs to go. In many cases, this is expecting too much from the dog.”

Kathy’s distinction between training a dog not to soil the house and training a dog to let you know when he/she needs to go out is important.

Without knowing it, I have trained my dogs the same way. We go outside first thing in the morning, after every meal, whenever I come home (no matter how briefly I’ve been gone) and last thing at night before bed. This way, the dogs have predictable breaks, and they “hold it” until the next break. Of course, if they’re not feeling well, have drunk too much water at the dog park or otherwise need an extra break, they get extra breaks. I also let them out if they’re hanging out at the door.

But I like Kathy’s suggestion that we take responsibility for getting our dogs outside for a potty break, rather than giving that responsibility to our dogs.

Check out Kathy’s book, Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others, or read her blog at http://kathydiamonddavis.blogspot.com/

- L

Entry filed under: Free Tips & Ideas from Dog Owners. Tags: backyard, dog, dogs, house, housebreak, housetrain, outdoor, outside, pee.

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