As a dog lover and owner, I find the way people treat these creatures absolutely appalling. Mans best friend is supposed to be just that: MAN'S BEST FRIEND! Meaning, you protect your dog and watch your dogs back. You take care of it, you don't harm it or kill it.My German Shepherd is my best friend in this world. When I need something to pick me up, that's what he's for! When he needs to be fed, loved, and cuddled with, that's what I'm here for! He deserves every bit of love and spoiling he gets. He's laying on my arm as we speak, paw on my chest. What's there to dislike? It's all love. Sure, he's a ham and he occasionally has an accident in the garage while I'm at work, but that is nothing that warrants death or maltreatment.
So many countries throughout the globe do just that: kill dogs and treat them poorly.
I feel today is the best day to post this blog, after just viewing the premiere of "PitBulls and Parolees" on Animal Planet. First, let me go ahead and say... I loved this show. It's absolutely inspiring. Tia and her husband are responsible for the largest Pit Bull rescue in the US. They house and care for 200 Pit Bulls daily and also place them in homes as much as they can. Just today, in their first episode, we witnessed the adoption of a gray Pit Bull named Uggy, who was shot while wondering Los Angeles. This poor dog is missing over half of his tail.
I think this show will help decrease some of the myths and rumors behind the Pit Bull. Deemed outcasts, violents, and evil dogs, these poor pups are essentially left for dead. I feel like this is similar to German Shepherds in a way... They have a reputation, not nearly as bad as a Pits, but whenever I walk my dog, people cross the street in fear or completely stop altogether, asking if he bites. It's shocking to me. My dog is a gentle giant who just wants to lick you to death.
So, this blog is very close to my heart and I hope by reading it, many of you abandon your fear of "killer" breeds like Rotts, Pits, Shepherds, Dobermans, and others. I love all of these breeds and hope to experience having each one as a pet within my lifetime.
Moving on... In this blog, I hope to discuss Dog and Cat Fur Farming, Dog Fighting, Dog Racing, and Dog Slaughter and Culling. All four of these are absolutely disturbing and proof of the depravity of many human beings worldwide.
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13. Dog Fighting - a global issue that is running rampant in the U.S. (despite the fact that it's illegal!), dog fighting involves raising Staffordshire Terriers (common name "Pit Bull") and other "killer breeds" in brutal, abusive conditions where they are trained and often forced to fight. These animals are never seen by vets due to the owners fear of being exposed. They are bled, bruised, and broken daily... all without medical attention. Worse yet, when the dog is deemed "useless" or is not a "champion, it is destined to be killed in so many cruel ways that I cannot even list.
So many of you have probably seen Animal Cops and seen what a fighting dog looks like. They're scarred, torn apart, terribly infected, and missing ears. Injuries received from the fight are usual incredibly severe and often fatal. Pit Bulls are capable of inflicting serious bruising, deep puncture wounds, and broken bones. So sad is the fact that most dogs used in these events die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion, or infection.
Dog fighting doesn't even stop at the dog. Small animals like cats, rabbits, and small dogs are used in the training of these dogs. 9 times out of 10, these animals are stolen pets or animals obtained via ads claiming, "FREE TO GOOD HOME".
These poor dogs receive such bad reps because of the human greed of their handlers. Their reputation makes it dificult to place them in homes and their "training" makes it all but impossible. As a result, thousands of Pit Bull are killed, unfairly, every year because they're either too aggressive or no one adopted them fast enough.
Also, as well as the torture in the ring, handlers will take matters into their own hands, performing procedures only meant to be done by a Vet. Ear cropping is a common practice for Pits, Dobermans, Manchester Terriers, Pinschers, and Great Danes. It is meant to make the dog look less cute and more fierce. As well the removal of floppy ears prevents ears from being grabbed during fights. Dog handlers will essentially chop the ends 65% of the ear off. 95% of the time, handlers won't even attempt to stitch the wound or cover it. This leads to massive infection and intense pain for pit bull puppys. Pit bull pups are among the cutest puppies of all breeds... how people can look these puppies in the eye and just chop their ears off is baffling to me...
Can't we finally put an end to this exploitation of Man's Best Bud?
14. Dog Racing: another global issue, Dog Racing is exploitation at it's finest. In fact, it surpasses Horse Racing by far. Dogs are kept in small, dirty kennels for years at a time. These animals are subject to small crates without air circulation or heat. They are subject to intense heat and inclement weather.
The Grey Hound is the most common dog used in dog racing and they often sustain injuries when racing. Often, after they receive an injury or they're not fast enough, they're disposed of in cruel, disgusting ways.
The industry is responsible for the breeding of tens of thousands of Grey Hounds every single year. This is much more than what is deemed necessary and what can be placed on a track. Mainly, the industry believes that, by breeding thousands, they are more likely to get a winner. All of these dogs are generally disposed of after their first year on the track. Grey Hounds, whose lifespans are 13 years, are destined to die around 3 to 4 years.
Luckily, many dogs are adopted into rescue centers where homes can be found, but more than that, thousands, are not rescued and are just, simply put, killed. The industry utilizes the cheapest methods to destroy these dogs including gunshot, bludgeoning, abandonment, and starvation. Many owners will often just cut the dogs head off... So disturbing.
Like Dog Fighting, small animals are used in the training activities. These training activities have been known to injure and kill thousands of domestic rabbits and wild jackrabbits every year. The particular event that kills the most rabbits is known as "coursing", which involves the chasing, terrorization, and killing of the rabbits within fenced in runs.
I've actually witnessed a pair of ex-racers at a rescue center. They were horribly skinny, nervous, and just plain scared of everyone. I felt so bad for them and all I wanted to do was hug them. Because of their fear, I wasn't allowed. The rescue was afraid of potential dog bites. I left the rescue crying. Why we do these things to dogs, I'll never understand.
15. Dog Slaughter and Culling - a problem in many Middle Eastern, East-European, and Asian countries, dog culling has been taken as the only option for countries with poor animal control organization. In order to dispose of large populations of street dogs, locals utilize horrible methods. Most dogs are beaten to death in the street in front of children. Some are tossed in garbage trucks to be compounded into mush. Despite continuous appeals from other countries, begging for them to stop, most of these culling countries continue on, using the same practices. 
I don't feel the need to preach about spaying and neutering. It is incredibly important in controlling dog and cat populations. It is both humane and effective. That's all I need to say. Many of you should already know this.
Just an example of this issue... Every year, thousands of dogs and cats are poisoned in Greece. The Greeks wait for the tourists to clear out during winter months and then they put broken glass in dog food to kill strays. Unfortunately, strays aren't the only ones killed by this method. Many loved and owned pets are killed by these methods.
China is perhaps the most visual country who participates in this horrible act. Officials will announce a cull and then it's in the hands of the locals, who eat dog meat! Dogs are beaten to within an inch of their lives with clubs and then, often, skinned alive for their fur and chopped up to be eaten for dinner. A group I actively support, Animals Asia, is the leading organization fighting against this cruelty in China.
This, to me, is so incredibly painful to even think about. I always imagine what it would be like if Klause and I lived in China. I know for a fact... if someone tried to kill my dog, they'd be the one suffering from a cull. I'm so sick of hearing "people first, animals later". People are evil. I am not a god-fearing person, but I think the Lutherans got it right when they said that humans are inherently evil. I thank Darwin for the few people who actually care about animals.
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Some days, it is sooo hard to wrap my head around some of these things. So many questions spring to mind... WHY are people doing this? WHO is doing this and who has the heart to do something like this? WHEN is this going to stop? It's so frustrating not having the answers and knowing that everyday, every hour, and every minute this goes on and countless numbers of sentient, peaceful animals are murdered. It's almost too much to bare... and yet, so many people just let it happen.
I'll never get it... I'll never understand. These poor dogs don't deserve this.
Thanks for reading,
Ashley
Photo: An Andean Bear climbing the tree tops of the Cloud Forests of South America.
