"one Nation Under Dog"

[tigerlily46514]

HBO is going to air yet another documentary on the dog overpopulation crisis in USA, (many other nations also have this problem, too)
and the dark side of where 80% of those AKC purebred pups "with papers" come from, (backyard breeders and puppy mills)
and encourages more ppl to rescue, spay and neuter.
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc-tv/47756093/#47756093


"One Nation Under Dog" airs MONDAY,
June 18th at 9pm on HBO.
sooner or later, this documentary will probably be available on HULU or some other free site, maybe even youtube.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/one-nation-under-dog-we-think-theyre-people/2012/06/14/gJQATAXseV_story.html

 

[tigerlily46514]

ONE MINUTE TRAILER:

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/one-nation-under-dog/trailer

 

[Dogster]

I think this will be a great documentary. I'm sure a lot of people will tune in to watch it. I think it will change a lot of people's minds on buying dogs from pet stores and expensive breeders. It will get people to adopt. A lot of people don't want to think about the millions of dogs in shelters and the dogs living on streets because they say that it's not their problem. But if we spayed and neutered our dogs, if we adopted instead of buying, then we could diminish the overpopulation of shelter dogs. Dogs would have loving families, and puppy mills would (hopefully) be put out of buisness. We just have to care about these dogs....

 

[Dogster]

It just makes me sad.... Makes me cry every time I see these poor dogs on TV... I just wish I could adopt all of them and give them loving homes....

 

[Ripleygirl]

Wow, just the trailer made me tearful..! Not because I didn't have knowledge of what was said but in hope that all these documentaries like this can one day make a difference to the many who do not see this side to having/thinking about getting a dog and what they are taking on/where to get it from (breeder/rescue) and what happen in reality when it goes wrong... I wonder when it will air in Britain...

 

[Ripleygirl]

I think this will be a great documentary. I'm sure a lot of people will tune in to watch it. I think it will change a lot of people's minds on buying dogs from pet stores and expensive breeders. It will get people to adopt. A lot of people don't want to think about the millions of dogs in shelters and the dogs living on streets because they say that it's not their problem. But if we spayed and neutered our dogs, if we adopted instead of buying, then we could diminish the overpopulation of shelter dogs. Dogs would have loving families, and puppy mills would (hopefully) be put out of buisness. We just have to care about these dogs....

Wise words, Dogster... Sometimes I can't believe you are how young you are... we need more people in the world like you!

 

[Dogster]

Thanks!!! Blushing.... I feel strongly about this topic, I want everyone to care and to do something about it.

 

[tigerlily46514]

me, too, Dogster, me too. It's hard for us humans to sometimes even SEE or even KNOW ABOUT "the bigger picture" that we might accidentally be supporting with our wallets when we "buy" a puppy,
or when we breed more dogs to sell, cuz the pups could have "papers" and be lucrative as merchandise to sell,
or when we even breed MORE dogs just cuz the dogs are "cute",
or so our kids could experience a litter of puppies for a few weeks, etc. etc etc.

Obviously, there are some breeders out there who are breeding specifically to eradicate the disorders so rampant among so many purebreds, to improve the function and health of the dogs, but, such breeders are a minority among breeders.

Too many ppl put too much store by a dog's "papers" imo, and that "Dogs with Papers are somehow Superior" mindset can help prevent such humans from considering adopting vs. buying a dog.

so so many ppl don't realize how many MILLIONS AND MILLIONS dogs ARE sent to the gas chambers each and every year,
year after year,
when even just spaying and neutering alone could help drastically reduce that number.

 

[tigerlily46514]

Well i watched this show.

It has many segments,
and the first two segments, i was not impressed.
The 1st one, shows some doctor whose dogs bit multiple ppl, and his dogs are all wearing shock collars, and many ppl complain about his dogs---- which do seem like they are in need of some desensitization training and behavioral modification and better supervision, imo.............that whole segment there was chockful of dumb remarks, imo.
Like the doc suggests the reasons his neighbors are complaining about his dogs (one dog bit off an ear of a child ) was cuz he "doesn't belong to the right country club." what!?
........and his wife remarks they need to increase the shocks being delivered in the dogs' collars, etc etc.


next segment, is some rich ppl who had their dog cloned, for $150,000.
...........All i could think of, when i heard that, was, "Wow, consider all the dogs in rescue one could rescue with $150,000...."


next segment, is a grief support group, which, when placed after the first two segments, both of which are showing "extreme" dog owners, almost made the grieving ppl seem slightly off or odd, cuz by now, you've been watching 30 minutes of odd dog owners.....


FINALLY, last segment delved into puppy mills and dogs in rescue, and focused on a few ppl who seem to be dedicating their lives to rescuing dogs. Some real sad footage there. They mention the 4 to 6 million dogs being euthanized each and EVERY year, year
after
year
after year.............
and how one unspayed dog,
which creates one litter,

can add over 4,000 dogs to the world, in only a few generations.
and much emphasis on how the euthanasia rates go down when there are low cost neuter and spay options for the locals. They made a very strong link between "neuter and spay" and reducing the mass euthanasia in the dog pounds.....


One remark which surprised me, is,
that only 20% of dogs in America are chosen from rescue dogs or puppies. So presumably, the vast bulk of american dogs are bought....
that money flow IS what keeps backyard breeders and puppy mills going, is the cash flow. darn. i had sort of thought america was doing a little bit better than only 20% of us are chosing rescue dogs....

bummer.

ANYONE WATCH THIS SHOW??????????

 

[bekah1001]

That is why for now on I'm adopting and fostering!!! And I don't how people make aliving off of breeding it cost so much money to take care of the dam and the puppies and set a side money for emergencies!

 

[tigerlily46514]

i so understood the people who were trying to save as many dogs as they could, when a few of them said they are most drawn to the dogs who are sick, senior, or otherwise "less marketable"...i knew just exactly what they meant.
One guy there, focuses mostly on dogs with behavioral issues, almost exclusively, and i understood his mindset, too. He also discussed how inaccurate a dog pound evaluation of a dog can be, compared to getting dog out of the dog pound to see who the dog really is. Dogs in a dog pound may not be "themselves" cuz of all the stress and whatever they've just been through.

Some of those rescue ppl who have farms dedicated to saving unwanted dogs, reminded of various members on DTA who say that is their dream, too, is find some way to help rescue dogs, maybe have a farm like those in that tv show.

 

[tigerlily46514]

//And I don't how people make aliving off of breeding it cost so much money to take care of the dam and the puppies and set a side money for emergencies!//


Not all breeders care much about medical care for their dam. Most of the dams shown in the tv show were in horrible conditions. Americans will pay top dollar, well into the THOUSANDS, for a dog with AKC papers.

Lots of breeders get that litter out prior to second round of shots, too, as soon as possible.

Think about it, a whole litter of pups, if one can charge a thousand dollars each, Ka-ching!

the sellers wipe the mud off of the pups,
and people WILL buy those pups,
and have no idea, nor care,
where that pup came from.
The puppy has PAPERS, which humans seem to think makes a dog more valuable....but, i do NOT get that at all....i truly do NOT understand that mindset...


Like i said above, there ARE responsible breeders, and breeders who DO testing to ensure they are NOT contributing to the disorders and diseases becoming so rampant in purebreds which come from frightening small gene pools,
but, such breeders are a minority. I've read that less than 15% of breeders do ANY health screening prior to making a litter to sell,
and of that 15%, only 5% do ALL the necessary testing.


the vast bulk of AKC puppies come from backyard breeders and puppy mills.
but ey, the dog has those overly-emphasized "papers" then....





It's not hard at all to make cash from dog uteruses, IF the dog has papers.
Especially when done in mass amounts. but someday, if/when humans begin to look at the bigger picture, perhaps, they will stop paying these scheisters -----------and then--- puppymills and backyard breeders
will give up trying to sell dogs. Like everything else, it's all about money.

 

[southerngirl]

I wish I had HBO so I could have watched the show. I've watched other documentaries on puppy mills and find it so sad that people can do this to dogs. The conditions of these places are horrible. More people should adopt Not shop. I'm happy to say my petsmart does not sell dogs or cats rescues go to it and have their dogs and cats adopted up there.
At my pound if the dog is "unfriendly" you can't adopt them, either their owner has to reclaim them or they're put to sleep. I wonder how they evaluate these dogs. Do they come pick them up from the street and if the dog tries to bite them(probably out of fear) and say "hey this dog is aggressive" or do they take the dog to a calmer area and have a someone evaluate them after they have settled down some. I'm thinking that they just determine there temperment by how they act when they pick them up and put them in there cage becuase once Chase got in the pound(our evil neighbor called on him he grabed Chases leash and held him until the pound came he even stole his leash and expensive collar. He knew he was ours.) anyway they told us Chase was very sweet and didn't try to bit them when they put him in the truck if he had of misbehaved we would have had to pay more to get him out.

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"I wonder how they evaluate these dogs. Do they come pick them up from the street and if the dog tries to bite them(probably out of fear) and say "hey this dog is aggressive" or do they take the dog to a calmer area and have a someone evaluate them after they have settled down some"//


SouthernGirl, you would have gotten along great with that one guy in the show, who seemed to think same as you think.
My dog also bit everyone he met (including us) for quite some time,
then he de-escalated to just growling at everyone,
then he de-escalated to just glaring,
and one day.........
one fine day, Buddy finally smiled. I still remember his first ever, fully relaxed, spontaneous real smile.

and now loves all humans. For real, Buddy LOVES to meet anyone at all now.

but yeah, Buddy was a "biter" too.

 

[southerngirl]

Curious did the pound you get Buddy from have Buddy labeled as unfriendly? At my pound if a dog were to bite someone the only way they'd get out is if their owner picked them up. I do wonder though if they would let a rescue take one of their "unfriendly" dogs.

 

[Anneke]

Ofcourse, Holland being a much smaller country than america, these problems are not as big here. But we do have a few(identified) puppymills, one is just over the border with Belgium.
A lot of breeders here do have their dogs tested and care for parent and offspring very well. Some just don't have a clue.
We have only no kill shelters, dogs are only put down when there is a medical reason or an extreme behavioral problem.
Ofcourse we do have a lot of shelters and yes a lot of shelterdogs, but by no means is the problem as big as in america.
I did an internship in a shelter for a few weeks(back then I still wanted to start a shelter or a doggy hotel) That made me realise that it is not for me... I wanted to keep all the dogs myself, didn't think anyone was good enough to care for certain dogs.

I think spaying an neutering will help a lot to reduse numbers, BUT that is NOT the only reason why dogs end up in shelters.
People need to be educated. He became so big!!!(great dane), he is sooo hyper(border collie), he is too strong(cane corso) are just a few of the remarks I heard when people came to give up their dogs.
I would love to see shelters add a manditory obendience class to the requirements for taking a dog home. Not for the dog, but to educate the people on how to train their dog.
There has been some talk of a manditory class, when owning a dog. Don't think it will ever become a law, but I would like it to be!
Ofcourse not everyone will comply to this, but I think it would be an eye-opener to awhole lot of people.

 

[Mr-Remington]

Reading this thread and watching the trailer makes me feel horrible. My pup came from a breeder. He was a gift from some family members, after they found out I was looking in to getting (adopting) a aussie. My first dog was an rescued pomeranian, and he was the love of my life, I wanted to save an aussie. I feel bad that I didn't get to save a life, and now I'm contributing to the thousands of dogs without homes.

 

[bekah1001]

I feel really bad!! My dog had three litters..two were intentional, one was an oopsie. I wish we did more research. We kind of caught puppy fever.

if I have done the research prior to breeding I would only breed my dog if both the female and male have had proper screening and testing, and that I knew that 100% that the puppies were going to go to homes that they would be treated right and not be bred again.

I don't understand how people can create puppy mills. It makes me sick to me stomach. I feel so bad for puppies I see at pet stores. They most likely came from puppy mills and probably have health and behaviour issues and probably end up in a shelter because of it.

With the puppies that Riley had we clipped there nails every week, cuddled with them every second we could, socialized them with different people and environments, and made sure that they hopefully went to great homes. Unfortunately, I only know how
6 out of 24 puppies are doing. 24 is a lot and I don't know if they are fixed, had a litter, or in a shelter. I only know that 5 of the dogs are fixed (the 6th is on his way!) I feel horrible and I hate that I have no clue what happened to the other dogs. I hate myself for it. There are so many dogs in shelters that need a loving home and I didn't help that problem one bit.

 

[tigerlily46514]

OH Remi, don't feel bad, we all do the best we can, we can't be blamed for what we didn't know. at all, ever.
It's like Maya Angelou says, "I did the best i could, with what i understood at the time."
You will still love and adore the pup you have, and give that pup a great life, no doubt about it.

Everyone has their own ideas on this topic, and my ideas are not "right" for everyone, it's just how i see it. I truly do NOT understand the value of AKC papers, at all, but, that's just me. I am very tuned into rescuing dogs as opposed to buying dogs, but, to each his own, really.
we live and learn.

none of us are born knowing about dogs. we just have to learn as we go along, and no doubt, we are all just doing the best we can.


and some ppl do have valid reasons for buying a dog, recently, a thread posted by someone who plans to raise their own service dog, and that person was big fan of rescuing dogs, but, in that situation, because they needed a certain energy and type of dog, a certain size, a specific ability and temperament, etc, they were probably better off choosing their service dog from the breeder they were working with, as opposed to pulling a dog from rescue.
(although i am still doubtful one can truly know the temperament of ANY puppy, as parents and their pups can be UNlike each other, but, whatever). Her reasoning was both logical and sound and even i, the big "rescue" fan, totally understood her ideas.

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"Curious did the pound you get Buddy from have Buddy labeled as unfriendly?"//

yes, it was hard to miss!! total gangsta!!
but i knew some ppl from the rescue orgs, and Buddy had less than one day left, he was going downnnn.
and the admin at the dog pound was huge border collie fan, and really fell for the hotmess gangsta dog there in the deathrow box,
and we had no other dogs, we had no kids, we were committed to try to help the gangsta dog that no one else wanted, some rescue orgs he knew well were vouching for me,
and so with much coaxing he was convinced to bend the rules to give Buddy a shot to live. We were Buddy's absolute last chance to even live at all,
and sometimes i do point this out to Buddy when he seems unsatisfied with a boring day here or there!! (just kidding)