Iditarod officials DQ musher for hitting dogs

[SilverZuk]

Are shock collars abuse?
Cesar Milan the "Dog Whisperer" uses them on his show, if it flies on that show, network, editing, producing, etc. I think it is safe to say that it is accepted by the majority of the public as "not cruel".

My wife thought they were cruel until we had to leave one of my dogs in the woods all night after 4 hours of searching for her on a deer chase.
Now my wife uses them on the dogs.

Yes, there are idiots that own dogs and shock collars. If they didn't have collars, they would abuse them with something sticks, rocks, boots, etc.
You can't fix stupid.
Just don't judge me by the actions of those idiots because we both have beagles and both use shock collars.

[sav]

I guess simply unhooking the dog and leaving it there to die would have been more humane? 90 miles from the nearest civilization is a long way by dog sled, bleeding hearts annoy me

[WrongsideRandy]

I guess simply unhooking the dog and leaving it there to die would have been more humane? 90 miles from the nearest civilization is a long way by dog sled, bleeding hearts annoy me

This is my wifes battle but I just have to chime in.

They have chase vehicles and vets the entire time of Idiotrod. The idiotrod is like a Tour De France for dogs.....90 miles from civilization sounds cool, but it's not the facts. In fact this beating actually took place in a village(town) named Golovin, and the musher was only caught because he literally beat the hell out of his dogs in front of a school teacher who had children with her that later told their parents!!

The guys sponsors are dropping him and his website is down, and his manager is spinning news......so you do the math! I dont think it has anything to do with a bleeding heart, it has to do with having a little sense and not acting a darn fool.

http://www.adn.com/iditarod/race_2007/f ... 5270c.html

If you're in a trial and your dog runs her guts out and lays down...you gonna beat her to death and leave her for the birds to eat or are you gonna make room in your game pouch and pack her out?



Just my take on it,
Randy

[harvhounds]

Wrong side,
Yep this guy is an idiot but you have condemed the whole race because of it!(or your wife I would let her get her own id but heck I'm single)Peta is jumping all over this why don't you just go join up? Jeff King is one of the top mushers for years he'll let the race go if his dogs are tired.This guy is going to take his lumps and he needs to,but the race itself is a prime example of humans and dogs working together just like when my hounds run a rabbit to my gun and it ends up in the pan.

[NorWester]

Some folks posts make me shake my head in disbelief Some on here are right on the money and give me hope that not all is lost. It's a good thing most on here have their trusty e-collar because they'd never be able to cope with how the old timers trash broke their hounds As for the school teacher with children, I'm SURE they would NEVER exaggerate the incident in these politically correct days of misinformation, nor would the media responsible for relaying the info. I bet they would all have the same reaction at witnessing a cute, fluffy bunny being tormented to exhaustion by hounds then shot by a blood thirsty depraved red-neck right?? However, that does not mean this fellow isn't simply a dick head that lost his temper in the heat of the moment. Who's to say? Certainly none of us cause we were'nt there were we? Passing judgement on subjects we know nothing of is one of the strong points of human nature I guess.

[Honey Pot Hounds]

When you have all of the big publicity and the AR people snooping around with camera's and you do something stoopid like beat your dogs then I think you deserve a good whooping yourself!!!!!

This fella just gave the AR's more fuel for their fire by losing his composure.

Dealing with animals can be extremely frustrating but if you can't stand the heat get OUT of the kennel. What he did is plain foolish and unfortunately all of his peers are going to have to suffer politically for it.
JMHO!

[Hare Hunter]

We have many sled doggers in my neck of the woods. If you ever saw a musher go out to harness up a pack and watched the ones that got left behind go banannas you would know how these dogs are bred to run. Even being harnessed up they are barking and jumping around waiting for the run. When the musher begins the run all barking stops and these hounds become a TEAM! I don't know about the incident up there as the gentelman has not made public ( as far as I know) why he felt he had to do this, but the trail markers are ( at least the ones I've seen here) thin plastic strips, very plyable, don't believe they could cause much harm to the dogs. Let's not let the antis pick and choose what dog sport may be o.k. If that happens we all lose. JMHO Hare

[DRamey]

Some foolish boys here shot some free-roaming horses a few weeks ago and it made national headlines. The same week, a man beat a 2-year old toddler to death and it barely made a blip locally. I wrote a letter to the newspaper titled "people are people and horses are horses" and you would have thought I shot the horses. I explained in the letter that the boys (who I know personally through tutoring at the high school they attend) should be punished, and that the punishment should fit the crime and no more. Peta had already gotten involved which, along with the toddler's death (which Peta ignored) was what prompted the letter. Peta getting into anything is bad, but they only stick their noses into things that make national headlines, giving them free exposure and recruitment. My letter also said that I grill steaks in my backyard and that Peta should stay in their own backyards and graze ont he grass, unless they are afraid to hurt it, too. Th Iditarod is like anything else that includes animals, horse shows, the Ky Derby, you can find people that use the animals without discrimination to serve their own ends, and people that use the animals for what they were bred for to their (and the animal's) enjoyment. I severly dislike Peta and what they stand for because if they had been around during Old Testament times, they would definitely ahve been against several of God's commandments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[les guynn]

DON'T EVER GO WITH THE BELIEFE OF AN ANTI HUNTER, OR AGREE WITH THEM. If your a dog person keep your handling practices to yourselfl THEY DON;T NEED ANY HELP FROM US.

[houndsound]

Those dogs love what they do, to the extent that they get tired and wore out..... just like our dogs, a great bred hunting beagle can be run ragged, skin tore off it's tail, feet wore, skinny.... and howl at you madly if you don't take it out the next day.

Sled dogs love pulling and running... it's what their bred to do. If you ever get the chance to hang around some mushers or watch a race you should.

dk

[tiffinis]

There are alot more people out there fighting against beagling and rabbit hunting then there are against the mushers. There is NO animal sport that is without their abusers. I have been involved in alot, from rodeo to horse racing, Search and Rescue K9 to Obedience to Beagling. I can tell you horror stories that would make your blood curdle. Can any of you honestly step up here and say that in some point of your life with animals you have not struck one in anger or frustration?

It is not a huge step for AR and Peta to go from Huskies to Beagles. Wasn't too long ago a kennel in UK lost over a hundred years of breeding and bloodlines when ARs broke into their kennels and stole 46 dogs!!
To read more: http://www.beaglesinperil.org.uk/index.html

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[mybeagles]

I hate to think how many beagles have paid the ultimate price for refusing to get in the brush, backtrack, mouthy, etc.....

I have helped out with a team of sled dogs that eventually finished the Iditeron. The amount of training that goes into those dogs is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Starting out with 4-5 hours a day and working up to about 16-18 hours a day all year long.

The dogs live for it, and appear to be much happier than some of your dogs that only get out once or twice a month. I dont think anyone can justify beating a dog for exaustion, but very few people know how frustrating it must have been to train that many hours for two years only to have the dogs quit hours short of the finish. Imagine how it would feel to make the winners pack and have your dog curl up on the trail and take a nap with 20 minutes left in the trial?

[warddog]

I've been around hunting with hounds for many years and just as I can remember the remote possibility of me ever having to use much less own a computer, I had the same thoughts when I first heard of a shock collar. I can tell you faulty dogs had to be broke so YOU sit back and imagine how one might get that done without the technology of today. Of course I don't even remember the Kids rights stuff let alone the AR and Peta folks on the animal rights bandwagon. I wish I had a dollar for every time I got my fanny blistered at school for acting up because I'd sure be able to buy me one of them high priced hounds with it when today a kid can't even be talked to in a stern tone of voice. I remember my Dad and Grand Dad making the very same statements of if they got their feet up under my table under my roof they will march to my drum and that statement was intended for both kid and beast. I took many a good lickin that today would be considered abuse and even had to go out and cut the weapon of choice but I'm still tickin.