Columns: No Limits, No Kidding!

CULTURE OF PET OWNERSHIP THREATENED

From Alaska to Arabia, all cultures worshipped or utilized dogs even in Muslim countries where they are traditionally scorned. Enter PeTA and HSUS...

Fred Lanting | March 2013

TheDogPress.com reprint from Arab (Alabama) Tribune

The odds are pretty good that you are a dog lover and many of you exhibit (show) your dogs. Although I am called “Mr. GSD” I judge All Breeds, not only German Shepherd Dogs. I have judged shows and lectured about dogs in 30 countries and there is no place on earth where dogs and dog lovers have complete liberty to enjoy life and each other than American and Great Britain.

At one end of the scale would be the Hawaiians of sixty or more years ago. One of those, our neighbor in 1958, told us that many natives loved dogs so much, that they nearly worshipped them.

At the other end of the tolerance spectrum are the more repressive Islamic countries, in which dogs have been considered “unclean” and untouchable. If you accidentally or through necessity touch a dog, you must physically and ceremonially wash your hands and pray for forgiveness.

But even where Muslims make up 97% of the population (such as in Pakistan), there are some younger or more modern persons who participate in Western-style dog breeding and do not follow tradition. I have met such people whose parents (living on the same property) do not touch the dogs that their sons rear and exhibit. In other countries, such as in the stricter, repressive Middle East, almost all dogs are feral strays that eat garbage and carrion. In those areas, you would not find dogs in any amiable relationship with humans.

In some Muslim areas, such as parts of rural Saudi Arabia or remote Sahara realms of the Tuareg Berbers, certain coursing breeds such as Greyhounds and Salukis are used in hunting, and they are as cherished as the fleet Arabian horses and camels they depend on.

When they wish to, people find exceptions to the strictest Islamic or religious rules. This gives credence to the assertion that religion is a human invention, for the most part. By that word “religion”, I refer to practices, not relationship. Most of us are somewhere toward the middle of that spectrum. Many of us grieve as deeply over the death of a faithful furry friend as we do over a relative, close friend, or lover.

But then, there are the empire builders who are dead-set on taking away the rights and privileges of people who would destroy that bond. The two worst are the Humane Society of the US (HSUS) and the terrorist group called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Both follow the tried-and-true subterfuge of choosing high-sounding names but some of the most deadly serpents are the most subtle and attractive...

HSUS is not the same as your local Humane Society. The local groups generally are your animal-loving neighbors but the HSUS spends an extremely small percentage of its $$millions to protect or aid animals. PETA is not about animal ethics.

On the other side of the cultural battleground are loving families who open their hearts and homes to furry friends. Some of these will become active dog breeders who seek to create that elusive perfect combination of bloodlines. They want to create beauty and gain acclaim for doing so. The big problem is that this competitive spirit is not easy to mate with the cooperative spirit.

Getting individual dog owners to band together for their mutual interests is as hard as religious organizations to agree on anything.

Once in a great while, hobby breeders have a legal victory as in a Miami-Dade judge who rules HSUS was found to be in violation of the RICO Act when they attempted to influence the public against purchasing pets and the lawsuit HSUS filed against the circus backfired. {1}

The former Deputy Chief of Staff for the House Committee on Agriculture Brent Gattis said  “The HSUS raises funds for its lawsuits and lobbying activities while leading the public to believe that the donations are supporting local shelters.” Correct! Less than one percent of HSUS incoming monies goes to sheltering activities, making that organization one of the top scams in the country.

TheDogPress.com reports that HSUS is being investigated by IRS for tax fraud. {2} Half a dozen Congressmen have called for an IRS investigation after finding that HSUS uses the misleading assumption that there is a connection with your local animal-welfare groups with similar names to raise billions of dollars. The IRS is getting involved because of a missing half-billion on tax returns uncovered by Frank Losey and headlined in www.TheDogPress.com

Any reader who is tempted to contribute to or defend HSUS should think twice. As goes the old warning that I learned in high-school Latin, Caveat emptor! Translation: Buyer, beware! or, Don’t get snookered!

Copyright ? NetPlaces Network 16717122004  https://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/Culture-Of-Pet-Ownership_FL-133.asp

More informative articles by Fred Lanting:

Islam, Dogs, and Rights  -   Canine Jealousy Explained  -  The Rottweiler Here and Abroad

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