What Should We Do With The Overpopulation Of Dogs?

Dog shelters have historically overflowed with too many dogs. As a result, millions of dogs are put to death each year. What is the cause for pet overpopulation and what might be done about it? Here are some ideas on what should be done with excess dogs in shelters.

I'd also like your feedback

The Perils Of Clicker Training

I have written several articles here and elsewhere regarding the Theory of Operant Conditioning. I have said it is an obsolete theory, especially when applied as Clicker Training. The reason I say it is obsolete is because it is incomplete regarding the spectrum of learning and modification of animal behavior. The theory ignores the emergent properties of behavior, especially regarding higher life forms such as mammals. A few years back, we saw a killer whale kill one of the trainers. No one, except maybe me, questioned the training methods being used on these big sea mammals. Maybe there's something wrong with the theory... but instead I got attacked. I have said the same numerous times regarding the negative effects of clicker training on some dogs. And I've been attacked on that, as well. 

Here is another example... 

A female zookeeper was recently killed by one of their elephants. Previous reports had said, "Jumbo is responding well to her operant conditioning and protected care management. The program allows keepers to manage her through a protected wall, and is based solely on positive feedback. She is responding well by presenting feet for care, all parts of her body for washing, rub downs and other health care procedures." Hmm... Someone dies, yet no one is asking about the methods being used. Yes, the article mentions this elephant had a rough prior history. But, even so, this woman is now dead and no one is questioning the methods used to manage this elephant.

Who Kills 23 Puppies?

Two men apparently killed 23 puppies in a commando style raid. Why they did this, I have no idea. But it is sick, and I hope they get locked away for a very long time.

Free Roaming Dog Stabbed 5 Times And Dies

My belief is that one out of every thousand people you meet are absolutely nuts. Because of that belief, I don't think it is ever wise to let your dog roam free in your neighborhood. All it takes is the chance encounter between your dog and that nutcase, and your dog will be found dead. That is what I believe happened in this case. Please... KEEP YOUR DOGS ON YOUR PROPERTY!!!!

Owner finds dog stabbed to death in ditch

Condo Association In Big Trouble

The condo association where a depressed man lives has apparently denied him the ability to keep a service dog in his unit. This is not a small matter. Things like this can cost the association a LOT of money. Regardless of what you think about this kind of thing, I think you are stupid to fight these regulations in this way. You will lose. Either change the law, or abide by the law. If you think you are abiding by the law by denying the dog, then prepare for a major battle. This kind of thing could bankrupt the entire association. If I had been asked, I would have told them to allow the dog. In fact, I'd allow dogs, period. Now, there's going to be hell to pay.

A Lake Shore Drive condo association is accused of violating anti-discrimination laws by refusing to allow a tenant suffering from depression to keep a miniature poodle named Diego as a service animal for therapeutic purposes. The Illinois Department of Human Rights filed suit

Update On Husky That Killed Baby

The headline to the article says: Fatal baby mauling: Dog might have seen 'squeak toy,' expert says

I highly doubt this was the cause of the attack. I am more persuaded that the dog wasn't well.

"That dog was in pain, with a homemade splint on its leg," Uhring told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "He ate so much food when he got to my house. He just needs a loving home."

A dog that isn't well will do things to defend itself, and it will have lowered thresholds for all other types of aggression. This, to me, appears to be a case of animal neglect that went terribly wrong. Dogs don't see kids as squeaky toys... they are more aware than that. If the dog is now well, and well fed, and is acting normally, then I wouldn't put the dog down. I wouldn't put the dog unsupervised with babies again, but I wouldn't do that with ANY dog.

Dozens Of Fighting Pit Bulls To Be Killed

Here is what happens to fighting pit bulls that are seized by government authorities in a third world country... they are put to death.

They don't have the volunteers or resources to deal with turning these dogs around, so they kill them. They also kill them so that the dogs aren't adopted and put into fights again. 

This is what criminals cause. The deaths of a lot of dogs. 

Flock Guards And Herding Dogs In Wyoming

Sheep herders in Wyoming are using Great Pyrenees / Akbash crosses to guard against predators (cougar, wolves, coyotes). I have heard of these crosses, but it is awesome to see a real picture of one.

They are also using Border Collies to herd the sheep. 

Elephant Butte Is Full Of Elephant Bull....

"Own a vicious dog like a pit bull and live in Elephant Butte and you must carry special liability insurance"

Don't you love biased reporting like that?

A vicious dog is one that is wildly dangerous. A rabid dog would be vicious. It would be indiscriminate in who or what it would attack, and is mentally unstable. There is NO valid justification for calling any dog breed "vicious". It isn't factually correct.

But, there will always be places like Elephant Butt, I mean Elephant Butte, NM, that will pass unconstitutional laws. I can't wait for them to be sued in court, because this little town will go bankrupt, and we'll then be able to make those politicians there get a real job.

Man Saves Dog From Robbers

I've heard about increasing numbers of dog thefts in the past 5 years. It has gotten to the point where criminals will openly confront a person walking their dog, and then rob them of their dog.

"A Jersey City man snatched his dog back from robbery suspects who opted to take his pet when he told them he didn’t have any money"

There really isn't any good answer for this kind of thing other than to move to a different town. We all know that some places have lower crime rates than others. It should always be important that you live somewhere safe, for yourself, your family, your kids, and your dog.

I linked to this story which demonstrates just such a holdup. Suspects have been arrested and the dog is safe. But, it could have turned out much worse, for both the dog and the owner.

UPDATE: Dog Attack In London Injures 5 Police Officers

Now, we have the rest of the story...

A musician suspected of being a violent kidnapper has been charged under the Dangerous Dogs Act today after five police officers were allegedly mauled by his dog during a raid.

More thoughts:

1.) I still think the reporting of the original story was faulty and sloppy. Dog lovers have become skeptical of dog attack stories because so many of them have been faulty.

2.) This is a tragedy for the police and their families. They do tough jobs that no one else is willing to do.

3.) It appears they did the raid without being armed. So, they had to call in for backup to come in and kill the dog. In the US, there's no way the police would have gone in to get a violent kidnapper without being armed. If they had been armed, then this wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as it did.

4.) This dog is also a victim. It died doing what it was taught to do.

5.) If this guy is found guilty, he should go to prison for a very long time. But, it is the UK, so he might just be let off with a warning and given a new place to live with subsidized rent and free food.

Working With Rescue Dogs

I have worked with many rescue dogs. I have always volunteered my time and services for rescue. I couldn't just train dogs and also not give back.

Here is the story of "B", a rescued Australian Shepherd mix I worked with. The dog was found running loose on an Arizona Indian reservation. He started out untrained, fearful and aggressive. Today, he is a great pet, and is safe with strangers and guests. Here is how I did it... 

Now We Get The Rest Of The Dog Bite Story

So, earlier, we got the story that some police officers were attacked by a "pit bull" type of dog. I criticized the story because it was incomplete. Now, we get a fuller picture:

1.) The dog had a history of attacking people before. But, apparently not much was done. If dogs are allowed to attack innocent people, there should be a process to determine if the dog should be removed from the owner. I'm not in favor of this most of the time, but if the dog is being allowed to be a menace to the neighborhood, if the owner has a criminal history, and if they won't restrain their dog after reasonable complaints and follow up have been done, then find the dog a new home.

2.) The dog had apparently mauled a bicycle rider in the past. The attack was severe. So, why wasn't anything done?

3.) The police went on a raid to find a suspected violent kidnapper and were mauled by the resident dog. They apparently were there to issue an arrest warrant, and broke down the door to a house in the process. It isn't clear from the article if the dog lived in that place or not. I'm not sure the dog or it's owner had anything to do with the kidnapping case. It looks to me like it was that the police officers were in the wrong place at the wrong time, in a neighborhood where the owner had previously allowed his dog to menace the neighbors. When the police broke down the door of one house, the dog escaped and attacked. That doesn't indicate a vicious dog, however. Any guard dog would be expected to attack a home invader. They aren't humans. They aren't going to distinguish between police officers and home invaders.

4.) The attack was very bad. "One officer had his arm broken between the animal’s jaws, while others had chunks of flesh torn from their legs and arms. Some will require plastic surgery, and one could lose several fingers."

5.) The dog is alternately described as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and in another paragraph, a mix of some kind of bull terrier and Doberman. From the blurry pictures, it appears to be some kind of bull terrier or mix. I have written before regarding why dogs like this typically attack. It would be useful to know what kind of life this dog has lived. Who names their dog "Poison"? To me, that says a lot. And now the dog is dead, shot to death by the police, and the 25 year old is under arrest.

6.) The neighbors have complained about this dog, but no one did anything. Apparently this dog was reported 3 years ago. And then there was the previous bike attack. Yet nothing was done. Why is that?

7.) The police say criminals are deliberately breeding "vicious" dogs to be used as weapons. I am guessing that is what they believe happened here. There is no such thing as people breeding "vicious" dogs... they might be breeding a certain type of dog, but such a dog is made vicious by how it is raised and treated. This is media hype, because the article insinuates that maybe Staffordshire Bull Terriers should be also banned in the UK. Note that this apparently wasn't a purebred dog. It was a mix. So, you can ban one dog, and another will take its place.

8.) Since no one followed up on the previous dog complaints, the police were apparently unaware that there was a dog at that home, and were unprepared for such an attack.

Severed Dog Heads Found In LA Trash

OK, this is pretty sick... and I hope they find out who killed these dogs.


When you find severed dog heads in the trash... I immediately think we are dealing with a budding serial killer

Why Do Police Shoot Dogs During Raids?

Five police officers were attacked by a dog during a raid by a "pit bull" type of dog. Apparently the injuries were serious for 4 of the officers.

My thoughts:

1.) A "pit bull" type of dog could mean anything. We've seen this before. It could have been any breed or any mix of breeds. I hate it when reporters do this kind of reporting. They had the ability to find out who did the raid (police), what they were doing (a raid), where they were doing it (London), what happened to the police (4 injured seriously, one somewhat injured), who was arrested (a 20 year old man)... yet the focus of the story, the main point of the story... about a dog that bit them... we know next to nothing and apparently no effort was made to figure out anything about the setup, what kind of dog, what was the setup for the dog bite, what happened to the dog, and so forth. It's just lazy, sloppy reporting. 

2.) If strangers break into your home with violent intent, and that is what the police officers did, then this dog didn't do anything wrong. The bites, though unfortunate, were justified. I hope this dog gets a good pat on the head, and if it has a stable temperament, is adopted by someone else.

3.) If you are a criminal, your dog isn't going to stop the police. Most times, the police come in and shoot all the dogs in their way. The dogs die because of your criminal activities.