CANIDNESS & FELI
It is estimated that there are hundreds of millions of dogs on this planet; by far outnumbering all of their canid relatives including foxes, wolves, coyotes, and jackals combined. There are presently more than 400 hundred recognized/known breeds of dogs. More breeds are constantly being discovered and added.
There are over 100 recognized pure breeds in the United States alone.
Labrador retrievers have helped hunters immensely. Labs are fast runners, strong, good swimmers, medium-sized, and have a generally friendly temperament towards humans.
Labs have also been used in warfare as swimmers and paratroopers. In addition, Labs are genetically inclined to retrieve objects or persons. They can be trained to guide the sick and blind. But they do require much attention and love from their owners. Sound dogs are trained to aid the deaf. This dog breed is very versatile.
Great Danes are known as gentle giant dogs. This dog breed aided hunters in the past.
Potential owners should understand that Great Danes carry blind or deaf gene.
The Assyrians used close relatives of the Great Danes for hunting and warfare. The ancestors of the Great Danes were boarhounds; they had a very aggressive temperament.
Celebrities who"ve owned a Great Dane include Side Caesar, Michael Douglass, Greg Louganis (former Olympic diver), and Olivia Newton-John.
Great Danes have loose and slobbery lips. If you"re close to one and it shakes its head, you'll be sprayed with saliva. On a positive note, this is a generally friendly dog.
Karelian bear dogs are incredible hunters with much tenacity and heroism. Karelian dogs can spook a bear, and will even attempt to fight it at times. They"re powerful, intelligent and solidly built.
Perhaps the most respected dog breed is the German shepherd. This is a powerful, loyal, fast, and versatile (companion, guard, military service, law enforcement, search and rescue, showmanship, and acting) dog breed.
German shepherd dogs are respected in K-9 Units and in the Secret Service, RCMP (112 dog teams in Canada), and other law agencies abroad.
The standardization of the German shepherd breed began in the late 1880's in Germany by Captain Max von Stephanitz.
Mastiffs originated in Asia and were used in warfare (sometimes to attack and kill prisoners) and used in blood sports (still used to this day).
The Mastiff is a massive, very powerful, and stoic in the dog fighting industry.
The Molussus, an ancestor of the modern day Mastiff, was an extremely aggressive dog.
A properly bred Mastiff with the right genetic makeup usually means a good companion animal.
The American Kennel Club officially recognized the Mastiff breed in 1885.
The American Kennel Club recognizes the following categories of dogs:
1. Herding Dogs
2. Hounds
3. Non-Sporting
4. Terriers
5. Toy Dogs
6. Working Dogs
Dalmatians have been used for hunting, carriage dogs, fire departments, mascots, and companion animals.
The Pekingese and Shitzu were referred to as "lion dogs" by ancient Chinese people.
In ancient China, the Pekingese was bred to resemble a miniature lion. It was housed in large palaces. Pekingese were thought to protect their owners from evil. No wonder, theft of one of these dogs from a palace resulted in a serious penalty.
The Pekingese dog has legs that are disproportionate in size to its head and torso. The Chihuahua is symmetrical but tiny.
Rescue dogs are used after explosions, natural disasters, major wrecks, avalanches, floods, or any situation where humans or animals are hidden. There are also special "cadaver rescue dogs". These dogs are trained to scent out rotten flesh.
Hard-working rescue dogs are heroes in the truest sense.
They can't comprehend heroism as we can, but they enjoy helping their master.
Rescue dogs must be strong, energetic intelligent, have a good temperament, be trainable (2 years of intense training, including obstacle training), be in top shape, able to automatically obey commands, and be desensitized to new surroundings or stimuli.
Trailing dogs sniff objects and scents. They keep their noses close to the ground. Air scenting dogs sniff the air.
Specially trained dogs are used by law enforcement agencies to sniff out bombs (also includes UN mine sweeping dogs), narcotics and in arson investigations.
Saint Bernard dogs are primarily used for snow-bound rescues. These dogs were first used in the Swiss Alps. Although German shepherds and Newfoundland dogs may also be used in snow bound rescues, the Saint Bernard dogs are the prime choice.
Newfoundland dogs are used for water bound rescues. They have webbed toes, a double coat of fur, and are good swimmers.
Special puppies are selected to be raised and trained as rescue dogs. The end result is a brave, obedient, versatile, easy to handle athletic dog.
Although dog breeds varieties are mind-boggling, breeders and fanciers should try to breed out genetic and physical abnormalities. In addition, tail docking and ear cropping should only be performed out of medical necessity.
Dogs" ancestors, who were wolves, tagged along and eventually crept towards human settlements.
Throwaway food items lured many wolves near human settlements. Some wolves had the braveness to approach humans.
These wolves and their human caretakers began the process of "doggification".
The doggification process took thousands of years. Dogs" ancestors helped to warn humans of impending danger from predators and intruders.
Puppies from dogs" ancestors were raised and those that grew up to be human-friendly were used.
Humans began a process of breeding. The 19th century saw an incredible expansion and intensification of variable breeding of dogs. Humans were now becoming more proficient at breeding dogs for special purposes and appearance.
In ancient Egypt dogs were considered members of the family. A dog's death was a tragic event.
Ancient Egyptian militaries would sometimes unleash specially trained attack/killer dogs upon their enemies.
In ancient Greece and Rome dog meat was considered a delicacy. Dogs were also put to work in kitchens to pump water. Dog meat is eaten in Korea and China, and to a lesser extent the Philippines. The Taiwanese Parliament passed a law prohibiting the consumption of dog or cat meat and the sales of their fur.
The USDA uses Jack Parson Terriers (formerly known as Jack Russell Terriers) to detect brown tree snakes hidden inside cargo in the territory of Guam. Fisheries and Oceans Canada also uses dogs.
Servus, a Belgian Malimois and World Trade Center dog, fell 20 feet, face first into a glass sharp-jagged rebar, and otherdangerous rubble while on active duty.
The Suffolk County SPCA treated sick and injured dogs that worked the World Trade Center as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
During the First World War the Russian Military used between 70 thousand 80 thousand dogs. Thousands of these dogs died during the war.
After the Second World War and Vietnam War many war dogs were dumped by the U.S. Military. Finding proper homes for the military dogs, veterinary care, and shipping them back stateside would"ve been an enormous job, indeed.
There were roughly 350 rescue dogs from around the world that were put to work in the World Trade Center.
Sergeant Stubby was one of the most highly decorated war dogs in recorded history. Stubby attained the rank of sergeant in the United States Military.
War dogs must be trained to filter out most stimuli. During the Second World War the favourite dog breeds of the U.S. Military were German shepherds and Doberman pinschers; quite ironic.
Queen Elizabeth 1 loved animal blood sports. Christopher Columbus used attack dogs against the natives he came across. These dogs ripped apart many human beings.
Robert E. Perry, the first human to reach the North Pole (1909), was accompanied by 23 men and 133 dogs.
Roald Amundsen was accompanied by 92 dogs for his Antarctic expedition (1910-1912).
Agility training, Schutzhund, and the Iditarod (over 1,150 miles of sledding), are for te cream of the crop of athletically inclined dogs.
Regarding the Iditarod race it is run in Alaska in extreme cold. The raising, training, feeding, housing, and racing of any dog in this brutal race must be ensured optimum animal welfare standards. On the contrary, there have been numerous cases of these dogs dying of heart attacks, exhaustion, trauma, and also neglect in housing.
Iditarod trained dogs have been photographed chained or placed inside tiny, filthy pens.
Mushers and sled dog owners must treat their dogs humanely.
In which case, many do and many don't.
Many of the sled dogs are anxious to run. It's in their genetic makeup to run in the cold. However the duration, distance, terrain, and speed of the race are under the total control of the human mushers.
Furthermore, if one of the dogs is suddenly injured or for some unknown reason cannot continue running during a sled dog race severe injury or death is possible.
Alaskan malamute and Siberian husky dogs are well adapted to run the Iditarod.
Greenland uses over 20 thousand sled dogs. Many of these dogs are chained up outdoors, when not in use. The lack of sufficient food and water for the sled dogs makes this issue a serious eyebrow raiser.
Greenland has few animal protection laws and those that are in place are generally not enforced.
In 1925, Balto, a Siberian husky, was the lead dog in an emergency sled dog delivery of serum for diphtheria. There was a possible diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska. As a result of hard, strenuous work by Gunnar Kaasen, Leonhard Seppala, and sled dogs led by Balto the serum arrived in time.
People around the world are fascinated with animals. In order to begin a career with animals an individual can do volunteer work, academic studies, internship, residency, or just go and apply to an animal establishment. Depending on the institution, requirements vary considerably.
Working with animals includes some possible dangers; bites, scratches, kicks, tackling or butting, zoonotic diseases and allergies.
Many of the entry-level jobs in the animal field are low paying.
A degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant field will help open the doors of opportunity for the applicant, and the pay level will usually increase corresponding with the level of education and experience.
Veterinarians are the M.D.'s of the animal employment sector. When searching for a dog breeder make certain that the facility is clean, dogs appear healthy, the cages are clean, no multi-breeds, notice the dog to worker ratio; behaviour of the dogs, behaviour of the breeder and the other workers (if applicable), you should have the right to bring along a veterinarian of your choosing. Finally, try to get good referrals or recommendations from trusted family members, friends, your veterinarian, or former customers.
Animal shelters in the United States are forced to put down80 million dogs and cats every year; too many births, not enough spaying and neutering, irresponsible breeding and irresponsibleownership.
Puppy mills are horrible places for dogs that are to be sold or are used as breeding machines (breeding dogs, or breeding bitches).
Puppy mill breeding bitches are often the dogs that suffer the most and for the longest period of time.
Many puppy mills place their dogs in tiny, filthy barren cages that may contain urine, pasted and logged feces, maggots, insects, blood, puss, and fresh or dry vomit.
Puppy mill dogs suffer from mental and physical ailments. Veterinary care is usually not sufficient. The object is to sell dogs with the least overhead.
Puppy mills often sell their dogs to pet stores. As a general rule, dogs should be purchased from a local shelter or a legitimate dog dealer.
Depending on the jurisdiction, shelter dogs are probably on death row. They must be sold, or they"re killed. The method of killing depends on the shelter and the laws of the area.
Euthanasia (lethal injection) is the fastest and most humane method of killing a shelter dog or cat. Unfortunately, shelters all around the United States are overcrowded, with insufficient staff and too much work. Not to mention the low pay and the lack of understanding and compassion by the public.
Depending on the jurisdiction a shelter may use lethal injection, gas canister (gas chamber; a horror to the cramped animals and the ones in line that can hear their brethren's screams of agony), or a lethal injection into the heart of a fully conscious animal. People breed dogs then casually dump them in a shelter or onto the street when they realize that they can't handle the hard work, love, and dedication needed to care for a bitch and her puppies. Adult male dogs are also tossed. The dog may be incorrigible, too aggressive, or the owners don't know how to properly care or train him.
If you purchase a dog from a shelter you may be helping to save its life and you'll be helping the shelter and its staff.
Please DON't BREED ANY ANIMAL/S unless you"re a fully licensed and qualified breeder; you must know what you"re getting into and be able to handle it.
Surplus animals have to be sent somewhere or must be killed.
Some jurisdictions allow animal shelters to practice pound seizure (sending of unclaimed or tossed dogs and cats to biomedical labs).
Pound seizure opens up the door to corruption. Lost animals can be sold to biomedical labs before the deadline.
When purchasing a dog from an animal shelter open your hearts to multi-breed dogs. Most patron want a pure bred.
No kill animal shelters are good in theory but can easily become devastatingly overcrowded. The adoption rate almost never equals the housing rate.
Animal shelters are also dumping grounds for former fighting dogs.
Jersey City, New Jersey recently experienced a dramatic rise in fighting dog dumping (especially pure breed pit bulls, mixed breed pit bulls) into its shelters.
These dogs have been bred to be extremely aggressive, mean, and to show no fear. These dogs already have the genetic components to fight.
Thug breeders don't care about the dogs" physical or mental well-being. They want to sell, make money and often-times watch bloody dogfights.
The breeding of overly aggressive dogs has been going on for thousands of years. The primary purposes were for war, guarding, pitting against prisoners, bull or bear baiting, fighting lions, dog fighting, prestige (criminals, drug dealers). Fighting dogs were used in Roman coliseums.
Dog fighting promoters, dog fight breeders, and anyone else who supports this horrible industry must face stiff penalties.
In dog fights at least one of the dogs is seriously wounded, dies, or is later killed as a result of horrible wounds.
The winner of any dog fight is on borrowed time, unless his owner/s retires him on the spot.
The dog fighting organization is crime infested. Drugs, alcohol, weapons, ex-cons, illegal gambling, and a general atmosphere of toughness prevail. Children and youth who attend these matches are taught that this kind of behaviour (brutal blood sports, criminal activity and cruelty to animals) is acceptable.
Dog fighting occurs in other parts of the world too. In Afghanistan fight day is on Friday morning before the weekly congregational prayer. How hypocritical.
In Pakistan there is a sport called "Gitt Kootah", better known as bear baiting. Mind you, this is not the bear baiting performed by canned hunters.
This kind of baiting was imported into Pakistan (the countryside) by the British.
The combatants include a defanged/declawed bear that's leashed to a pole or inanimate object. Two specially trained fighting dogs are unleashed upon the bear.
This is a very bloody and gruesome sport. The bear may be forced to fight over and over again. Naturally, there's wagering on these fights. In addition, corruption of the authorities reaches high levels.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals, other animal protection organizations, many petitioners and brave hard working Pakistani government workers have combated this menace.
Because bear baiting occurs in the countryside corruption and difficulty in enforcement pose continuous problems. Furthermore, a nation that's facing instability and bombings on a regular basis has bigger priorities at hand.
Fight promoters and participants in animal blood fights are losers; pure and simple. No human being of sound mind and who has empathy in his/her heart would ever stage a brutal animal blood sport.
Fighting dogs like the American pit bull terriers are stocky, tough, fearless, and are sustained biters (keep biting until the referee or owner pulls the dog away). Most dog breeds bite and then snap back.
Dog fighting trainers need a strong, tough, preferably medium sized or large breed of fighting dogs.
There are countless tough dog breeds but the most notable is the American pit bull terrier (APBT). The fighting version of the APBT is powerfully built, fearless, relentless, feels almost no fear, and is an incredible sustained biter.
Today, moulding a good fighting dog involves incredible raining, often times beyond exhaustion for the dog. Dogs in training endure forced runs on moving treadmills, tree-dogging, excessive caging, scaling trees to snatch blood pasted animals, being bitched out for making mistakes, little or no empathy, deprivation of food (to make it desperate and obey commands).
Fighting dog owners care about the bottom line; MONEY, MONEY, AND MORE MONEY. They couldn't care less about the dogs in their care. I hate it when they say "but I really love my dog".
Fighting dog owners have been known to curse, kick, punch, Shoot and even burn alive their losing dog. Remember, there's a good chance that the dogs" owners are wagering on the fights. Countless companion animals are stolen every year to be used as bait for fighting dogs. The bigger and tougher dogs that are stolen may be moulded into fighters.
Dog fighting is common in Japan and in certain parts of Russia. Other forms of animal fighting include horse fighting (Philippine Island of Mindanao, thousands are maimed or killed every year), bullfighting, cock fighting, and hog-dog rodeos (the Deep South).
Animal hoarding is a big problem in the United States. In individuals 'take in" dozens or in some cases a few hundred animals (usually dogs, but cats are also victims) into their homes and properties.
Rampant, unchecked births, lack of nutrition (hunger, starvation, thirst, emaciation, death) are ever present. In addition, lack of emotional care for the animals, tiny, filthy cages, and sickness are ever present.
Animal hoarders are for the most part mentally ill.
Hoarders consider the animals in their care as their own children or dependants.
The hoarder may or may not realize the true nature of his/her actions. Denial is common. Unlike sadists and cruel individuals, hoarders claim to love their animals and may show no outward signs of hostility towards them.
Unfortunately, it's all too common for judges to return confiscated animals back to the hoarders.
Hoarders should not be allowed to own animals, period! They"re sick thereby unable to care for them.
Animals under the care of humans must be housed, fed, watered, cared for (veterinary medical care), and loved.
Hoarding is extreme negligence and ignorance of the animals in a person's care usually without the "malice" or "evil intent".
Hoarders are a danger to the animals in their care. Persons found guilty of hoarding must have the animals in their care confiscated and never returned.
It's a terrible sight to see starvation, emaciation, sickness, mental anguish, and death on an animal hoarder's premises. Feces, urine, blood, maggots, fleas, vomit, horrible stench, desperation and apathy engulf the air.
Animals may also be trapped inside a barn; chained to a tree or an inanimate object.
Psychological and/or psychiatric counselling for hoarders, if possible, is highly recommended. Because these individualsare sick, there's no telling what they"ll do after their animals are confiscated.
In the United States there are over 1000 new cases of hoarding every single year. Unfortunately, the hoarding problem is probably much larger. An animal hoarder who lives out in the middle of nowhere is unlikely to be discovered; barring a miracle.
Every continent contains wild dogs except Antarctica. Domesticated dogs come in all shapes, sizes, coats, duties and personalities. Humans have moulded dogs more than any other species.
Domestication of the dog began more than 10 thousand years ago. All dogs are descended from wolves; coyotes, jackals, and foxes are related. However, the fox is the most distant.
The gray wolf (also called the timber wolf) is the largest and most numerous of all wolf species.
The gray wolf can weigh up to 175 lbs. and can attain a height of 3 ft. at the shoulder and 6 ft. in length.
Historically, in the United States the gray wolves have been hunted, killed, trapped, poisoned, demonized, cursed, had bounties on their heads, and have been driven off of their habitats.
By 1973, the gray wolf had been nearly obliterated from the continental United States except for Minnesota and Michigan.
Today, people shoot and kill wolves that are in the wrong place at the wrong time. The age-old story of the big bad wolf holds much weight in peoples" attitudes.
In 2003 Alaska began an aerial shooting campaign of wolves. It's important to understand both sides of this equation. Of course, wolves have endured tremendous suffering at the hands of humans.
On an opposing note, wolves are able and willing to kill livestock. There must be a clear territorial separation and compensation (if possible) to a rancher who can verify livestock lost to a wolf. In addition, ranchers have a right to use humane repulsive measures, fences or even lethal force upon any predatory animal that tries to kill or who has killed one of their livestock and is still on their property; this is called personal livestock self-defence (PLSD).
Red wolf DNA is a combination of gray wolf and coyote. The latter 2 have been killed wholesale.
The Mexican gray wolf (lobo) is visibly smaller than the gray wolf. The swift or kit fox is the fastest fox.
Wolves, coyotes, foxes, and jackals have been killed in large numbers. Above all else, they"re considered a threat toranchers" livestock.
During the middle ages (in Europe) people commonly believed that wolves were devils dressed in wolf clothing. Later, wolves were exterminated from England and Ireland.
There are only a few hundred Ethiopian wolves left in the wild. Problems include habitat loss, disease, and persecution.
The maned wolf has endured habitat loss, disease, and hunting.
In the American West bison, wolves, coyotes, prairie dogs, black footed ferrets, and grizzlies were considered vermin, andwere duly exterminated.
In Ancient Egypt many dogs were mummified. They were believed to be dual species gods (half human-half dog). Take a look at the carving of Anubis (perceived God of the dead).
The sculptured face is that of a canid. Canid images were also painted.
There are no wolves in Australia. The fox and dingo wereimported by humans. As a general rule, the dingo doesn't bark.
Dogs have been subjects of vivisection for biomedical, pharmaceutical, toxicity tests, tobacco, and burning tests.
At the Third Military Medical University at Chongquing,
China nearly 90 dogs were used in a series of fire burning tests.
In the napalm burning tests (30 second duration) 36 dogs were used. The dogs were killed after 3 days of immense suffering.
For the second experiment an additional 7 dogs were used as control subjects (no burning).
At the end of the experiment all of the dogs were killed and their organs were examined to test the effects of resuscitation fluid on internal organs of napalm victims.
Other dogs were burned (third degree burns over half of their bodies) then underwent brain scanning.
The third experiment involved 24 mixed-breed dogs (I don't like to use the word "mongrel" because it has negative connotations) were scalded in approximately 40 percent of their bodies.
Other militaries use animals in experimentation. Unfortunately, in dictatorial regimes much or all animal experimentation is hidden.
One of the largest military experiments on animals occurred in Bikini Atoll. 4000 sheep were subjected to radiation effects of an atomic blast.
Tobacco experiments performed in Hazelton's (now Covance) laboratories in Reston, Virginia involved smoking Beagles in sustained exposure to cigarette smoke "adorned" with carbon monoxide.
In the mid-20th century tobacco experiments conducted on Beagles included securely fastening Beagles side by side and fitting them with secure face masks. The gizmo used allowed the experimenters to replace one smoked cigarette after another until the sequence for the particular experiment was finished.
Later, other experiments relating to second-hand smoke wereperformed on Beagles.
Vivisection or animal experimentation is a touchy subject. I hold a middle line view. Vivisection should only be done if there's clear anticipated benefit for humans and/or animals. In addition, all "humane alternatives" must be studied first. Of course, animal welfare standards must be exercised regarding housing, food, water, cage sizes, and enrichment activities.
Tobacco is now a known carcinogen. Experiments on animals will not solve the tobacco cancer problem. Education, and of abstention are the best options.
Dr. Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), the Russian physiologist performed experiments on dogs to better understand the connection between salivation and the digestive system. An important field of study (Classical Conditioning) in psy