Friday, November 29, 2013

Puppycide?? the "po-po" dog shooters

Within the last few weeks, we've had a near daily rash of fatal dog-shootings.  There is the inevitable backlash, the outrage, the fury--that an armed, trained, intelligent human ... would be so "extreme".  Would respond with "excessive" force.  
"Surely there must be another way!"  
"Shooting a dog, nonetheless family dogs?? How sadistic/lazy/cruel/other-negative-character-traits-here!!  I mean, who can't handle a dog, right? Throw it a steak or get over a fence or talk real nice and sweet to it or rope it with a harness, or just kick it away, right?"

The problem is... these 'common-sense' assumptions saddle a breed with uncommon aggressive habits and attack style.  Brutal attacks by pit bull type dog breeds are a daily occurrence.  Every 12-14 days (some years more, some years less, but the trend over the last 30 years is a steady incline...)  they kill another American--this doesn't count the fatalities occurring in the UK, NSW, Brazil, etc..  Every six days someone loses a BODY PART to these dogs--even if they were loved and spoiled family pets, raised from puppy-hood and bonded over years and years of uneventful cohabitation.

Trying to warn anyone about these crucial and life-altering differences typically gets a person assaulted and threatened, and called a 'hater', 'racist', 'ignorant', among other ugly ad hominem toss-outs.  This onslaught of harassment is so steady and prolific that it often is effective in silencing a truth-sayer.

Ergo, the majority of the community plods on, oblivious to the danger roaming around on four legs.  But law enforcement knows.  Their experience far out-classes that of the average joe-schmoe, even those who claim to be animal rescuers and the like.  These men and women of the law regularly face "when-things-go-wrong" scenarios.  The average pet owners' experience is tempered by the fact that their own sphere of exposure is relatively small, and experience with crisis situations may be non-existent... until it's too late.

I'm not claiming no police officer has ever done wrong or exercised bad judgement... they're fallible and human mortals like the rest of us.  What they do have, though, is training and experience with crisis situations in abundance.  They must follow protocol.  That protocol is based on a precedent of history. That history shows it is far too reckless to let a pit bull type dog roam at large--especially when it's aggressive.  What these animals do to people is not like the fearful, quick bite-and-release snap of an ordinary domestic dog.

Additionally, law enforcement must act with prevention in mind.  Preservation of the peace.  "Prevent "the deed."  This breed is infamous for sustaining attacks even after being beaten, gouged, stabbed, hit by a car, tazed, maced, and even shot REPEATEDLY.  It's important to keep in mind the damage that could be wrought upon the officers or innocent bystanders.  
It's important to keep in mind the unique horrors these animals can visit upon a body with no warning, and in seconds.  

THIS is what the officer must keep in mind when making that split-second decision on how to handle the animal;

(WARNING: graphic and disturbing images below--these are included for educational purposes only.  These are a pictorial representation of the 'side effects' of a pitbull attack, much like how manufacturers of medicines and products are obligated to be responsible and must include warning labels listing all known dangers--no matter how remote the chances are.)

 
Do you still think law enforcement should play coombaya with these animals first, when they approach the officer during/right after an attack?

4 comments:

  1. The authorities need to hear a clear message from the public: get rid of the dangerous dogs, the ones that demonstrate viciousness toward people, not by being a member of a breed but by displaying viciousness toward people. That means go find them, take them to the shelter and euthanize them. It does not mean train them, allow them to be adopted, allow them to breed freely. Kill the vicious dogs. http://dogbitevictim.wordpress.com/

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  2. No, only the pitiots think that. Another thing they say that bothers me is 'all dogs are the same', which even on its face is blatantly ridiculous. The Great Dane is the SAME size as a Chihuahua? The Dalmatian is the SAME color as a Rottweiler? The Poodle has the SAME coat as a German shepherd? The Dachshund is the SAME shape as the Labrador Retriever? No other animal shows as much difference across its species as the domesticated dog; and they were BRED for different tasks as well. So why should their temperaments be the SAME?

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    1. So true, and such a simple, common-sense, logic-borne deduction (and truth). These animals require special containment method, special harnesses, muzzles, 'indestructible toys' (which often and consistently don't stand up to fighting breed dogs anyway--that's in another post, however), and the crowning 'tell' of the same-dog fallacy--the break stick, which is to be used on PITBULLS ONLY, and every pitbull owner knows this or comes to know this quite quickly.

      It's funny how the acknowledgement--and even science--of the innate aspect of HUMAN temperamental differences are not touted as 'racist' or 'bigoted'... we regularly acknowledge that, regardless of environment and 'training', introverts will exhibit certain temperamental tendencies, extroverts another, type A personalities, type B, etc.... not to mention the universal 'quirks' and characteristics of various, inherited mental illnesses. Approaching a schizophrenic, depressive, obsessive compulsive, etc. with the presumption they will have certain sensitivities and/or inhibitions and are likely to behave in xyz way in xyz scenario is not ignorant, stupid, bigoted, or hateful... it's being intelligent, practical, prepared, and even, in its own way, is a tender mercy to the temperament they are approaching/handling.

      It's just basic fact that, emotively, that even if some animals do possess slightly higher emotive processes they are still nowhere as nuanced as those in humans and are substantially more slave to instinct and genetic predisposition. This knowledge is a product of science--aka investigation, research, observation, time-tested and objective methods--the very exact opposite of the ignorance pitbull zealots love to accuse non-gripper-worshippers of.

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  3. Your pictures are too dark and obscured by words to be considered graphic and more importantly to do what you are wanting them to accomplish. I understand your need to provide some buffer from the harsh shock of the truth of those pictures, but there is no point in using them if your buffer renders them useless in delivering even a mild shock. Even trying to look, I could barely make out images.

    I'm not coming at this from the point of view of wanting to see graphic images. I don't need to; I've seen many. But you are trying to reach those who have not, and you aren't reaching them.

    Just my two cents...

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