Dog-Gone Rights

Wes Ballard

Professor Benton

English 101

June 9 2008

DOG-Gone Rights

Imagine being born into a world that knows nothing but sadness, despair, and suffering. In the formative time that is most paramount to forming your view of reality, you experience nothing positive. You were born in a cage made of chicken wire, alongside your brothers and sisters. You come into this world hungry and full of curiosity, only to find that your mother is too exhausted to feed you, and there are so many others crammed inside your cage that you cannot move. That’s about the time you realize that your standing in aged feces, and urine. The smell is so overwhelming that it makes you want to vomit. Then your foot gets stuck. It has fallen through the large gaps in the bottom of the wire cage, and you are stuck. You can’t even attempt to pull it out because others are crawling on top of you, but there is nowhere else for them to go. When your eyes finally open, you catch a glimpse beyond your cell mates, beyond your prison. You see cages stacked on top of one another, in long rows, crammed with life. Thousands of others born into the same nightmare as you, some of them packed so tightly into their cages that the wire is cutting into their flesh, causing their faces to bleed. You and everyone around you is full of parasites and worms, adding to the misery of not being able to move. This is all you know of the world. What did you ever do to deserve this? Why are you being treated like an item on a shelf? Is this life? Your mind races with questions, but no answers. Then your cage door opens, at least you think you heard it open. As you try to push past the others to see what is happening you here the cage door slam shut. You make it to the front of the cage just in time to see your brother carried away. Where are they taking him? As time passes you learn to accept that your brother is never coming back. You begin to lose all hope of ever exploring the world outside your cage, if you are able to even experience hope. There is nothing to do but wait, and hope that you will be the next to be carried off into the unknown, because wherever they took your brother, must be better than this cage.

This is what life is like for a puppy born into a puppy mill. Puppy mills are barbaric mass -producing breeding grounds with only one intention: to make money. Any breeder that sells puppies wholesale to pet stores, research facilities, and animal brokers that breeds at least three females is considered a puppy mill, although some of them house up to a thousand dogs under one roof. Puppy mills do not see dogs as living, breathing animals with feelings. They view them as a cash crop with only one purpose; profit. In order for them to make as much profit as they can, they tend to keep expenses such as veterinary treatment down. Most dogs from puppy mills have never had any form of veterinary care. They keep the dogs in wire cages only slightly larger than their own bodies, and often mashed in with others. The cages are stacked on top of each other in long rows enabling them to produce more puppies per square foot. The cages are wired on the bottom to allow their droppings to fall through to the floor, where it usually sits creating bacteria and disease. The smell attracts flies and other vermin who antagonize the dogs. The wire floor hurts puppy’s paws, and sometimes they fall through the feces gaps, often causing them to break a leg. Many dogs from puppy mills tend to be unhealthy with parasites and viruses due to the surrounding filth they live in. Inbreeding also occurs, causing numerous genetic disorders and behavioral problems.

The mothers get treated the worst in this horrific operation. They are forced to reproduce as many times as possible only to have their puppies taken away from them. According to the Humane Society of The United States, a fertile dog can produce two litters a year, each litter consisting of six to ten puppies. According to the FDA, it is against the law to take a mother from its pup before 8 weeks of age, although in most puppy mills the pups are taken at 6 weeks. The mothers are considered nothing more than “breeding stock”, and when they can no longer reproduce they are slaughtered; the dog farmers no longer have any use for them. Eight years of abuse and they are killed without ever even having a name.

There are Laws within the Animal Welfare Act that are supposed to prevent these types of crimes from taking place. Unfortunately these laws are not enforced in the agricultural states which contain the most puppy mills, and therefore might as well not even exist. What good is a law without law enforcement? The United States Department of Agricultural is responsible for inspecting more than five thousand puppy mills nation wide to determine if they are participating in any form of animal cruelty which violates these laws. When they actually do perform these inspections it is usually quit apparent that these mills are violating almost every aspect of the Animal Welfare Act, in which case they receive a warning. These are considered light slaps on the wrist which allow the puppy mills to remain in operation while they “remedy” the problem. If the USDA decides to do a follow up investigation on the mill, they usually find that the mill has changed nothing to better meet the standards of the Animal Welfare Act. In this case the puppy mill will be given a second “warning”, but still no action. Many of these mills have piles of warnings which mean nothing more to anyone evolved then the paper they are written on, they are simply props.

Are dogs only objects of possession? Or should they be recognized as living, breathing creatures that deserve rights? The problem is that the people who run these mills view these dogs as cash-crops waiting to be harvested; they do not accept the fact that these are intelligent animals that experience pain and emotions. This is a sick view of a creature that humans have created and domesticated over thousands of years, cultivating them into loyal and dependant companions. Humans engineered dogs to be “man’s best friend”, thriving only when loved by humans and given jobs to assist humans. The most popular and very successful dog trainer in America, Cesar Millan, illustrates this point very well. Cesar Millan helps owners with seemingly unruly dogs time and time again by insisting that all the dog needs is a job to do. Once they are given a job to assist humans and some basic training, the owner is astonished to have a seemingly different, well-behaved dog.

Our Federal Court systems view dogs as nothing more than a possession of its master, property. This is where the problem begins, because if we recognized these creatures for what they actually are, and gave them just a few of the most basic rights that you and I have, puppy mills would cease to exist. If someone looses a dog because of someone else, and they try to sue that person in court, the only money they will receive will be the actual cost of the pet. No traumatic stress or emotional loss compensation of any type would be granted.

Dogs have been used since the beginning of mankind for their superior hunting, guarding, and tracking abilities. Dogs have proven countless times to be one of the best defenses a person can obtain. Because of this they have been used in just about every war ever recorded in our planet’s history. When properly trained, K-9’s can carry out very specific assigned tasks. Entire formations of attack dogs equipped with armor and spiked collars were used by the Greeks and Persians in their conquest for the Roman Empire. Napoleon used dogs to warn his soldiers of an attack by posting them at the front gates of Alexandria. During both World Wars, the most dependable method for soldiers in the trenches to be alerted to approaching ambushes was dogs. Dogs have been recognized repeatedly throughout history as an essential part of offensive and defensive warfare. Currently the use of attack dogs by the army has mostly diminished due to more sophisticated long range weapons. However, they are still used for their loyal companionship to our soldiers who are currently at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Greek myths Cerebus (a three headed guard dog) guards the gates of Hates. This is one example of how the image of the dog has been viewed as a source of protection for thousands of years. Dogs are better at judging peoples intentions then humans because they pay such close attention to our body movements and our tone of voice. They pick up on things that humans are completely unaware of. They can also sense fear, if a person was to approach a dog in a timid fashion; the dog will usually see that as a weakness which tells them they need to take control of the situation. Their special ability to determine if something is out of place in a situation is what makes them such admirable protectors. Dogs are the best security for a household because they have phenomenal hearing and they are very alert. They are security alarms with brains. When they sense that anything is out of the ordinary they immediately let their masters know with a loud bark. If a burglar is approaching your house in attempt to rob you, and they hear a mean bark on the other side of the door, more than likely they will decide move on to the next house.

On the other end of the scale dogs are used for their extreme loyalty and compassion. Many people own dogs as family pets which provide extreme devotion to their family. There are also many health benefits to owning a dog. It has been proven numerous times that just petting a dog lowers your blood pressure immediately, and that patients that own a dog who undergo life threatening surgery have a much higher survival rate than those who do not, even more then those who have a sibling, or loved one present. We think this is because the master has a sense of “who will take care of my dog when I am gone?” mindset that makes them feel depended on providing them with the extra determination needed to survive.

Dogs are essential to the disabled. Guide dogs are well trained and can actually lead a blind person through a city, keeping them out of harm’s way at all times. Letting them know when it’s safe to cross the street, and helping them avoid obstacles. This is a prime example of dog’s ability to obtain good judgment

Dogs are commonly used by our police force for their superior ability to detect danger, and their strong sense of smell. Police K-9 units are used in airports, border crossings, train stations and many other high security areas for their ability to sniff out drugs, weapons, or anything else that they have been trained to detect. Another use for these amazing K-9’s noses are to track down people who are missing. Last year, a missing young Boy Scout was found by a dog named Gandalf after having been missing for four days in the woods. Dogs also assist in finding someone trying to get away, such as someone who has escaped prison, or simply anyone that is being tracked by the police. Usually in this case the detectives need nothing more than a scrap of clothing from the missing person for the dog to pick up their scent, and then the dogs can follow that scent through unbelievable obstacles while maintaining the missing persons scent in their mind.

Many Police K-9 Units have been recognized for their heroic efforts in helping maintain the law. These dogs are real officers of the law, and fellow officers view them as equals. Just as any officer, these dogs are put in life threatening situations and sometimes they are killed, often risking their own life for that of their masters. When a Police dog is murdered it is given the same type of funeral that a human police officer receives. When someone kills a police dog, they are charged with the murder of an officer of the law. This is the same charge they would receive if that dog was a human police officer. This law was passed because these dogs are sworn peace officers of the law. Do they deserve more rights than other dogs because of their specialized and lengthy training? To me this is the same as asking if a wealthy person deserves better healthcare because of their good fortune.

So, because we have taken the time to train these specific animals they deserve more rights. I contest that all dogs deserve the same rights. Dogs are one of nature’s easiest creatures to manipulate. They fold into whatever pattern their master creates for them. These police dogs don’t become living creatures with feelings the day they graduate from their police training no matter how extensive it is; they have had these qualities all along. The thousands of dogs neglected, abused, and shot in corn fields every year have the same potential as these police dogs, they only lack in training, and how is that their fault? It’s not that these police dogs are born more aware of the world with higher IQ’s; it’s because someone has taken the time and provided them with the care needed to make them who they are today. So it’s not so much the actual dog that these laws protect, in the end it is our time, and money investments that we defend.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, about four million dogs get taken to animal shelters each year. Out of those four million dogs, two million will be euthanized (killed) after about two weeks of being in the shelter because of overcrowding. The shelters have to decide which dogs appear more adoptable when deciding who will live and who will die. There is an estimated six thousand shelters across the United States overflowing with animals that need homes. Knowing this, why do we allow more dogs to be mass produced in puppy mills? Many claim that it’s because people want a pure-bred dog. Well, also according to the HMUS, 25% of the dogs in shelters are pure-bred. Most importantly, the American Kennel Club denounces puppy mills because of the damage they cause to pure bred’s blood lines, and will not register any dog from a puppy mill. If you just simply don’t want to take the time of siphoning through shelters to find the breed you are looking for, there are rescues for just about every breed of dog imaginable. An excellent resource for finding these rescues is www.petfinder.com. These rescues are people who have saved dogs from horrible conditions such as puppy mills, or the streets, and taken them in until they find a good permanent home for them.

We must stop puppy mills now; they are hurting our integrity, and mocking the most basic morals of life. No animal deserves to be treated as a prisoner, especially our most intelligent ones. How do you think the mothers in the puppy mills would feel about being called “man’s best friend”? Maybe a more sufficient quote would be “Man’s wallet fillers”.

There are ways that you can help this situation. First of all don’t EVER buy a dog from a pet store, they usually claim that they do not get their dogs from puppy mills, but according to numerous undercover investigations done by organizations such as IDA (In Defense of Animals) 99% of pet stores do in fact receive their dogs from puppy mills. Adopt a dog from the Human Society or a dog rescue. If you buy a dog in a pet store, it will simply be replaced by another dog from a puppy mill, thus taking away a home from a dog that will be put to death at the pound. Second, Contact your state legislature and tell them we want puppy mills banned, if you happen to live in a state where puppy mills are not present send a letter to Pennsylvania’s state legislature instead, they have more puppy mills than any other state. Third, Contact your local newspapers or news stations, we need to spread the word about puppy mills. Too many people are unaware of this situation. And last of all please spay and neuter your pets.

As humans we are the most intelligent animals on this planet. Therefore it is our greatest responsibility to fend for those that cannot defend for themselves. If we do not step up and do anything about the abuses and misuses of our animals then who will? We can’t keep going around viewing the world with eyes of greed, using creatures as cash crops with nothing in mind but our own advantage, no matter what the cost to those who can do nothing about it. Spiderman says it best when he says that “with great power comes great responsibility.”

WORKS CITED

-Celizic, Mike, “Dog and Fireman both Found Lost Scout.” March 21, 2007. MSNBS News, June 13, 2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17719391/

-“ HSUS Pet Overpopulation Stats.”Oct 12, 2006.The Humane Society of the United States June 12, 2008 http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/pet_overpopulation_and_ownership_statistics/hsus_pet_overpopulation_estimates.html

-“K-9 History The Dogs of War.” August 14, 1998 . Hahn's 50th AP K-9, West Germany, June 13, 2008 http://community-2.webtv.net/Hahn-50thAP-K9/K9History/

- “Ban Puppy Mills.” November 12, 2001. LCA Justice For Animals, June 13, 2008 http://www.banpuppymills.com/

Mitchells , Dana. “Assistance Dogs, What they are and What Rights You Have.” May 5, 2001. E-Fido.net. June 12, 2008http:/ http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/petsandstress.htm/www.e-fid http://pixelclash.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/puppy-mills-did-your-puppy-come-from-one-or-why-you-should-adopt-from-your-local-spca/o.net/archives/050101/working_dogs050101_1.html

- “Puppy Mill Facts.” June 30, 2006. In Defense of Animals. June 12 2008. http://www.idausa.org/facts/pmfacts.html

Elizabeth, Scott M.S. “ How Owning a Dog or Cat can help Reduse Stress” November 1, 2007. About.com June 12, 2008. http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/petsandstress.htm