Guest guest Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 great post merritt, i've also been thinking along those lines, and was about to write an article " Everything I Ever Learned About Being Human, I Learned from My Dog " but u pretty much summed it up below. I'd just add that a well-trained and socialized dog will look at other dogs, say out on the morning walk, as potential playmates, while an untrained and neglected dog locked behind a fence will see every other dog in the neighborhood as enemies. thx, Jigs in Nepal On Jan 14, 2009, at 4:38 PM, Merritt Clifton wrote: > If I happened to have the opportunity to teach humane > education in the Middle East, which is about as likely as my chances > of winning a Nobel Prize for diplomacy, among the lessons I would > teach would be these: > > To Palestinians, I would point out that if one happens to > live next door to a Rottweiler, taking frequent pot-shots at the > Rottweiler with a bean-shooter is not intelligent, even if one does > happen to believe that the Rottweiler should be evicted. > > A Rottweiler, when sufficiently provoked, may just break > the fence, & when that happens, one is likely to get chewed up > rather badly, even if other neighbors help to holler for the > dogcatcher and the dogcatcher responds with the warning that is all > he ever is likely to offer in such a situation. > > To Israelis, I would point out that if one happens to live > next door to a pit bull who hates one's guts, ensuring that the pit > bull is routinely short-chained, starved, & beaten is hardly > conducive to one's own safety, because once in a while the pit bull > will get loose. > > The biggest problem I perceive in the whole situation is that > too few of the people on either side of the fence ever learned how to > properly treat a dog. Promoting a better understanding of proper dog > care might not by itself bring peace to the Middle East, but would > be entirely consistent with the teachings of both Islam and Judaism, > and could help to develop some cultural commonalities, particularly > pertaining to how one earns trust. > > I note that the factions most hellbent on waging war, not > only in that region but in most regions around the world, have a > notorious antipathy toward dogs. Dogs tend to be a rowdy lot, & > most are not averse to a good scrap, but dogs don't usually engage > in warfare without coercion, & left to their own devices, will even > work out relatively amicable truces with most cats. > > Dogs also tend to figure out situationally appropriate ways > to use any shoes that are not on someone's feet. > > Wolves fight wars amongst themselves, but wolves have not > managed to spread their influence globally as dogs have, & tend to > work much harder for their living. > > -- > Merritt Clifton > Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE > P.O. Box 960 > Clinton, WA 98236 > > Telephone: 360-579-2505 > Fax: 360-579-2575 > E-mail: anmlpepl > Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org > > [ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing > original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide, > founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the > decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations. > We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year; > for free sample, send address.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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