I REALLY like dogs

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Ok, I am repeating myself, spamming a little here, but I posted this info in the Ebola thread and then thought some here might be interested.



Oh, and for those of you interested in the dog of the infected nurse they are planning to euthanize in Spain, here is the online petition to quarantine the dog instead. 300k + signatures already! The dog is a mixed breed named Excalibur:

https://www.change.org/p/a-los-que-sea- ... crificarlo

There is also Twitter and Tumbler stuff, but I know nothing about how those networks work. A Twitter hashtag being used is: #SalvemosAExcalibur

There was a study done concerning whether dogs could contract or transmit Ebola. The results were not conclusive as none of the dogs tested had Ebola in there system. But a fair percentage of dogs (5-30%) living in the affected villages showed markers in their system that are associated with exposure to Ebola. It got too technical for me, but it sounded like immune response stuff. The researcher(s) concluded more study was necessary but that dogs, and possibly other pets could not be ruled out as carriers.

In Excalibur's case then I think quarantine and study is the best approach. It will benefit the recovery of the infected nurse and her family (husband under quarantine) to know their loved pet will not be killed needlessly and be given the same chances as them. Something may be also learned from studying the animal.

August 17 was one of the saddest days in my life because my doggie Shane died.

In his honor will post this famous speech from the 1870's once delivered in a courtroom in Missouri by s lawyer later to become a U.S. Senator, George Graham Vest - This closing argument in a legal case came to be known as "The Eulogy to the Dog." -- Gentlemen of the jury?

The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter whom he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with out happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has he may lose. It flies from him perhaps when he needs it most. A man?s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is the dog.

Gentlemen of the jury, a man?s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground when the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he can be near his master?s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.

When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth an outcast into the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws and his eyes sad but open, in alert watchfulness, faithful and true, even unto death.

- ---George Graham Vest
Eulogy of the Dog
23 September 1870
Warrensburg, Missouri

I really like them too, I like a lot of animals. I was nuts about horses as a kid, but dogs are more accessible now, irresponsible owners bug me too, especially in public areas. I had to forcibly remove my Shih Tzu from a loose Retrievers mouth once, he just walked over, real innocent but curious and tried to eat her, after that I carried a doubled length of cable in my pocket because there were also feral Greyhounds and the occasional loose Pit Bull.
If you like animals in general there is imo a dog breed for you, I like the Lhasa Apso, small, non shed, sleeps a lot, happy with a short walk, friendly but not needy, good watch dog, nice heritage, clever and easy enough to train.

Last edited by Amity on 09 Oct 2014, 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Am really angry. Spanish authorities have said they are going to kill the dog today despite protesting, petitions, etc.

Our government leaders are idiots and cruel. Killing the dog won't do any good. Meanwhile, the government leaders can't control their borders and infected people leak in.

I love dogs very much. I still miss my dog Spot who was my buddy. He was smart, affectionate, athletic, cute, and loved to cuddle. And his short fur kind of smelled like peanut butter. He was a Australian shepherd mix with some Dalmatian and maybe some beagle. We got him from the pound.

Here's a poem my sister wrote when we got him 30 years ago.

Our dog's name is Spot
We like him a lot
We got him from the pound
He likes to run a round

Spot likes to catch a ball
He isn't very tall
More often than not
I like Spot a lot

While I'm not the biggest dog fan, and prefer the company of cats, I'd like to point out that if cats were about the same size as the medium-sized to large dog breeds (Alsatians, Danes, Rottweilers etc.), there would probably be incidents of pet cats killing people in aggression as well. As it is, some cats will scratch people, but since they're relatively small, it's never with fatal consequences. You also don't hear of Jack Russell terriers or dachshunds killing people.

Furthermore, there have been reports of cats eating their deceased owners*, but that's more because of their food supply running out than anything else.

Last but not least, dog aggression is, in most of the cases, more due to people's inability/incompetence in maintaining discipline over them, than anything else. It's rarely the dog's fault, in the sense that the dog in question usually feels provoked by whoever it is attacking, and it doesn't operate out of a cruel killing intention. Of course, there are viciously aggressive dogs with a mean character, but they're the exception and not the rule.
A society that teaches all people who take in a dog, how to properly take care of them and relate to them, could arguably allow all dogs to roam unleashed in the public space, if properly supervised.

*I dislike the word 'owner' as it relates to pets, but I'm using it for clarification.

I love dogs and love my dog very much. I am rather apprehensive around the more aggressive breeds of dogs.

Here is that segment from 60 minutes... I thought it was very interesting...

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-smartes ... the-world/

I read a pretty exhaustive study on dog attacks. The gist of the finding was that the large majority of serious/fatal attacks came from dogs that were not actually socialized pets. Pit Bulls for instance were much less likely to attack someone if they were raised like a normal pet in a home. The ones usually doing the attacking were those mostly left to themselves and as guard dogs, often in packs, a cheap form of security.

Last edited by Toy_Soldier on 09 Oct 2014, 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

I can?t think seriously about the quantity of dogs being needlessly euthanized, it?s too depressing at the moment.
Yeah, people buy them, don?t understand or care about meeting the dog?s basic needs and do not understand the specifics of the breed?s nature or how serious the consequences can be for not respecting the nuances in breeds/crosses.
I grew up around ?dangerous dog breeds?, irresponsible owners and breeders are responsible for making these dogs dangerous. As a kid I learned to respect animals, not as a higher being or anything, just acknowledging their true nature and not dismissing it. For example, I was 7/8 and a neighbors dog went for my throat after I tried to pet him while he was eating, pure nurture and nature in action, the dog was not socialised and defended his food. Another one is letting sleeping dogs lie, I learned that young too. Lol. For me it?s respecting their potential, and being mindful of it.