Feedback on Canine Cash Crop
(Page 3 of 6)
September/October 1972
By the Mother Earth News editors
The breeds most likely to suffer such a fate are the cockers, the poodles, the Scotties, the Pekes, the Lhasas, the setters, the springer spaniels... any of the cute, fluffy breeds that grow up to need a certain amount of brushing and grooming. If denied it they develop skin diseases caused by accumulated filth.
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Maybe you think you should therefore go in for shorthaired breeds like dachshunds or beagles? Well, dachshunds are very cold natured and suffer terribly from chills, yet some people will tie them outside during winter and summer with no shelter. The beagles, bassets, pointers and hunting breeds are sometimes bought by creeps who use them during the hunting season and then kick them out to fend for themselves to avoid feeding them once the season is over.
So, why not go in for a medium-coated breed, hardy, and more self-sufficient, like collies, elkhounds, huskies, German shepherds? Well, the sled dog breeds are barking animals, bred to sound off joyously while pulling their loads. If their owners don't take steps to train them early, they are going to annoy the hell out of the neighbors who will complain to the cops. Collies are a herding breed, who unless trained early not to, will exercise their instinct by chasing cars. They are either killed in the road at an early age, or possibly they are the cause of traffic accidents. They will certainly attract the attention of neighbors driving by, and eventually this will be brought to the attention of the police. Remember a dog is, according to biologists, a plastic animal . . . that is, it can be changed or molded. Its instincts can be channeled when it is young and developed along helpful lines. If it is allowed to just grow up, marry of those helpful instincts become just another set of bad habits which society will not tolerate.
These are the animals that end up at the SPCA. Most of them are best put out of their misery. Take the case of the German shepherd, an animal of great intelligence, courage, sensitivity, and the possessor of a strong protective instinct. It is my area which gained lots of notoriety recently when three of these dogs attacked and killed a kindly neighbor coming to spend an evening with his special friend, the dogs' owner. I talked to our County Dog Warden who was present during the sheriff's investigation. The dogs had done a very thorough job, and as far as the dogs were concerned, it was the job they were hired to do. Their owner hadn't taken his own job as trainer and educator of his dogs seriously enough, Would you enjoy having sold such a puppy to such a man?
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