I'd like to know your opinion

[Adriana]

What I'm about to post is not directly connected with the topic behavior (or just a bit with the agressive behavior of some dogs) or with the rotties themselves. Though, IT COULD BE in the future, if things go further this time with the pittbulls, american staff. and bullterriers (three breeds that are being banned in Germany). I read the German press, so if you're interested I can come with additional details.

Here it is a post I received from a friend, dog-lover too, and as far as I am informed (from the media) it's the bitter truth. If this is the wrong place to post, I apologise and hope the moderator will correct this.

============================================
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin & Susanne Mayer
Sent: Friday, July 07, 2000 10:33 PM
To: Tammy Dempsey and Ron Murray; Alexandrescu Dragos

Subject:


Dear dog-freaks!


Please send this mail to all your friends! It`s a horror, what happens in
this times in Germany and it begin to come to Austria too. I found the
following text in a guest book and think that dog-friends of the whole world
should stay together!

Many greetings

Susi Mayer


This is a cry for help. I will try to explain what happened here in Germany
during the last days and why tens of thousands of innocent dogs are about to
lose their lives and their owners have to face severe punishment. I’m
not a wacko. This is not a joke. It all happens right here in the middle of
Europe.


The nightmare started several days ago in Hamburg, where a little boy was
bitten and killed by a fighting dog. This happened because the authorithies
had missed to take measures against the owner who was known as dangerous and
had 14 previous convictions at this time.


The disastrous consequence of this avoidable tragedy was a mass hysteria,
aroused by the yellow press and cheap TV talk shows (just to give you an
impression of what happened: The popular Stern magazine having millions of
readers every week published recipes for cooking dogs this week).
Reactionary politicians tried to take advantage of the given dismay of the
population and introduced new laws in the states of Hesse and
Northrine-Westfalia within a few days. These laws are gruesome, unjustified
and superfluous, because the existing laws were more than sufficient to
persecute irresponsible owners of dangerous dogs. The only problem was the
missing law enforcement.


This is what people and their dogs now have to face: Lots of dog breeds are
totally forbidden now. This means they could be taken away from the owners
in a few months (Hesse) to ****ute the death sentences. Remember: Tens of
thousands of dogs who were true companions to their owners all their lives
and never did any harm! In Northrine-Westfalia (where a slightly different
rule was introduced), the situation is similar. The animal homes are
overcrowded with dogs who will never again have the chance to live a decent
life. Many breeds have to wear muzzles where buildings are near (which can
cause serious health problems or even death in hot weather) and lead cords.
Elderly people don’t leave their houses fearing their dogs would be
taken away if they did, trying to use old newspapers on the floors of their
bathrooms to help the poor animals in their needs. Veterinarians refuse to
aid in the mass killing of dogs and asked the secretary in charge for the
law, Baerbel Hoehn, to come and place the deadly injections by herself.


Thousands of concerned citizens complained and got immediately insulted for
„swearing“ on the website of Baerbel Hoehn. The state government
of Hesse was so afraid of the free speach of their citizens that they closed
their message board, mentioning people who uttered their thoughts could get
prosecuted.


Still those laws exist. Once again, this is an urgent cry for help. I am
sending this letter to organisations in different countries which are
involved in the protection of animals. Please inform everybody you know who
could be of any influence on this issue. And please complain to
pressestelle@hmdi.hessen.de (state government of Hesse, their message board
is closed but this email address still works), http://www.nrw.de/dialog/titel_forum.htm (state government of
Northrine-Westfalia) and http://www.baerbel-hoehn.de/ab/index.html (homepage
of secretary Baerbel Hoehn).

[Paxx]

I am moving this to Breed Specific Legislation.

------------------

[SarasMom]

These tragic events have been hot topics here on the forum lately. Just read in this section alone all the threads. We have all been sending emails to politicians trying to stop this madness. What has happened the past couple weeks is truly frightening. Students of history are reminded of unthinkable events that happened during the 1930s and 1940s.

[rottweiler_fancier]

If this includes TOP European Breeding Stock that affects and improves the lines we breed on, shouldn't we put into effect some major rescuing? Take in the best of the best, place them in homes over here for a few months and see if things blow over? This is the future of our breed and other breed's involved! If we can salvage some of the top dogs and gradually add them to our own lines, shouldn't we do it now? (It feels like when Adolph Hitler took over and the people went into hiding - should we attempt this with our dogs?)

-Dana W.

[Adriana]

I don't konw... Switzerland is pretty close to Germany and I'm sure some laws will change here too (hopefully for the better). My financial and political situation do not allow me to do what you suggest (I can only afford one dog and my experience with dogs is limited). If you think any of you could save some of the valuable dogs, I think that can be considered a worthy cause and maybe this would get some politicians to be ashamed of themselves (as much as I doubt that).

I read the article in Stern that is reffered in the mail I posted and I have no words... if any of you have interest in this, I could translate that for you in English. Or you can visit the website of Stern and see for yourselves.

[RSQRottweiler]

What I want to know is where are all the big Animal Rights organizations? They compare the slaughter of chickens (for food) to the Holocaust but they don't speak up when governments start destroying family pets?

Audrey

[rottweiler_fancier]

Maybe there are a few breeders that have an extra outside kennel or another place to hold a Rottweiler. I'm sure most people would just want to get the dog out of there rather than haggle over a big fee so airport transportation would need to be arranged. I'm going to get in contact with a few rescues (most have no idea whats going on) and I'll pass this on to a few newspapers to get some public attention.


-Dana W.

[KatMc]

I don't have any extra money so to speak, but I have a fenced yard and a 4 bedroom house, lots of love for the breed - I could foster here in Maryland for any that could be brought over.

Kathy

[Adriana]

I hear yesterday another accident happened in Berlin. A child was severely injured by a dog (Am. pitbull, I think). No comments!!

I agree with the analogy to the 1930's and 1940's. history is repeating itself!!!!

just because it is a breed of dogs this time rather than an ethnicity of humans doesn't make it any more acceptable.

so...what do we do about it? first of all, make sure that NO legislations/laws etc are passed that target specific breeds. second, if ANYONE or ANYTHING attempts to target a dog simply because of its breed, REFUSE to comply! i mean any law, any directive, etc.
i can say for myself, if ANYONE tried to take my dogs away simply because of their breed, I would REFUSE to comply (get arrested, get fined, whatever.)

[K9-man]

Originally posted by RSQRottweiler:


What I want to know is where are all the big Animal Rights organizations? They compare the slaughter of chickens (for food) to the Holocaust but they don't speak up when governments start destroying family pets?

Audrey

Good point. Where are they?

re the animal rights organizations -

many of them don't believe in keeping dogs as pets. i guess most of them would think that there should be other organizations (AKC, Rottweiler/Pit Bull clubs, etc.) that would be better suited with more experience to address this issue.

[~cosmo]

Although the point that animal rights organizations should be showing some concern over legislation in Europe was a good one, please remember that discussions of the "rights" or "wrongs" of the philosophies of these organizations is not allowed on this board.

~cosmo

[rottweiler_fancier]

Who originally posted the message that Adriana forwarded? Is the information completely reliable? And can I have permission to send it to various newspapers & e-mail groups? I have a feeling that a little publicity is in order to reveal the horrors going on in Europe. It might make front page news if its a slow news day and maybe our Animal Rights people would petition this. I'm also on a ton of e-mail list and a lot of people don't know whats going on. So if this letter is reliable and if I can get permission to cross-post, I'm sure dozens of animal groups would get involved.

-Dana W.

[Thomas Peuschel]

After the first accident in Gladbeck (unfortuneatly with a Rottweiler) the discussions on dog-laws started again in Germany. They were just going down a little bit when the bad accident with the young turkish boy happened in Hamburg. At this time nobody was interested that the dogs involved in this accident have been specially trained for dog-fights, that they have been trained on the area of the school were the accident happened! It is forbidden to bring dogs on school areas since a long time. Up to this accident nobody of the police cared about this at this special area im Hamburg (this part of the city can be compared to the Bronx in N.Y.). The involved dogs have already be fined to be kept on leash and with muzzle only, but again nobody of the police and other city governmental organizations cared about.
So, really it the police, the city government and of cours the dog-owners are to blame for the accident.
Supported by the TV and newspapers all our politicians started activities for breed specific bans in a speed not known for politicians up to now. Here was a chance to show that they do react on what people in this country want. With this highspeed the new dog and breed specific laws have been made within some days only.
After publishing some of state politicians realized, that they have forgotten a lot of things or that they are not able to fullfill all there own laws. Since two weeks lots of discussions with animal rescue organisations, the VDH, ADRK, SV a.s.o have been done and some results are already existing. Of course no TV or newspaper will report on this:

Hesse will not euthanize the 5000 - 10000 dogs named in list 1 (3 breeds). They will now be tested by VDH-experts and if they pass they will get an allowance.

NRW will most probably release the dogs named in List 2 (29 Breeds incl. Dobermann. Briard, Rottweiler, Beauceron, a.s.o) from the leash and muzzle if they can confirm a BH-Trial or are already in education for it.

The german government will come up with new laws on dog breeding, if done in a proper way they might help against BYB and imports from BYB (Poland, Netherlands, Czech Rep. Belgium) were lots of puppy mills supply cheap puppies to the german market.

But what makes me much more afraid are the reactions of many, many people in Germany. They do show a behaviour nearly similar to the one in the 30´s and also well known from East Germany till 1989:
People are raising their fingers onto dog-owners, they start to treat dog-owners like criminals. If have got the impression that nearly all germans are a kind of deputy-sheriffs and that they have to clean the roads from all dogs they do see!
It might be of a good help to sent emails to the responsible minister in NRW, Frau Hoehn, expressing that you are concerned of the things happening in Germany with the dogs and who will be the next?