New German Dog Ban info

[babesmom]

I just rec'd this from my Mastiff webring.
Eileen Heerdegen · E-Mail: EHeerdegen@aol.com

The eve of destruction ( or: Dead dog walking)
mass murder of tenthousand dogs – dog-owners are persecuted and threatened
End of democracy in Germany after 50 years?

A container filled up with small dead bodies. Totally stuffed – legs and heads jut out. scene from home for animals in Mönchengladbach, Germany. Blood’s running out of one dogs nose, the eyes are pouring out of the skull. These animals were killed – possibly illegal – shortly after German federal states had published new dog-acts, propably the most restrictive ones in the world. Getting through these acts will mean the death of tenthousands of innocent dogs, whose only „crime“ is their type of race. Even today these acts mean unspeakable sorrow for dogs and owners.

After six year old „Volkan“ was killed by two so-called fighting-dogs in Hamburg (Northern Germany) on June 26th, the whole country turned into a madhouse:
Within few hours urgent-decrees were inacted, meaning severe cuts in life of dogs and owners. Ortwin Runde, mayor of Hamburg: „We aim to kill as many dogs as possible.“ Hamburgs authorities installed a telephone-hotline for „good citizens“ to denounce fightin-dog-owners, the hotline broke down even the first day. Everybody saw would-be-fighting-dogs, the police had non-stop-action to find mostly only playing puppies. Politicians and journalist use terms of non-democratic vocabulary, that reminds on Germanys darkest past. Holger Christier, chairman of social democrats (SPD) in Hamburg, says the town „will be fighting-dog-free in november“. During the „3rd Reich“ the Nazis called for „Jew-free“ towns – it’s appalling and dangerous to hear even social democrats using similar terms unsensitively and irresponsibly.

To state it clearly: At least 95% of the dogs whose extermination is planned, are gentle individuals, that never caused an incident! Real dangerous dogs could always be withdrawn from circulation. But media slander entire races as „killer-dogs“, „bloodthirsty beasts“ or „killing machines“. Self-justice is announced in case the new laws will not be put in action quickly. Raging mob is already acting: A Dogue de Bordeaux was poured with fuel and set on fire, it seems that a six month Rottweiler was tortured and killed the same way. A three months old Rhodesian Ridgeback died excruciatingly by poison, people had put on a walking trail in Kiel. In Lübeck some dog-owners found pieces of saussage filled with razor-blades. In Berlin a group of men injured a Pitbull seriously by kicking the totally defenceless animal – the dog had been tied up, wearing a muzzle. Near Hannover a drunken man threatened to shoot a Bullterrier, pointing a gun at dog and owner. All over Germany dogs are kicked by passers-by and slandered as bloody beasts – small dogs, puppies, any race.
And hatred doesn’t stop with dogs: Dog-owners living in flats are threatened by neighbours, their dogs are tormented and injured while passing the staircase. A young man from Hamburg was assaulted by three guys with iron-stick and wooden laths, his Staffordshire Terrier suffered from a deep flesh wound. In the same town, a young girl going for a walk with her Golden Retriever was pelted with stones, even the daughter of a well-known politician was hit in the face while strolling with her Bullterrier through the park. Actually mostly women are victims of assaults and verbal-attacks. Elderly ladies with tiny doggies are abused the same way as young girls with Huskies or women with Labradors. They are insulted as sluts and hookers that should be send to the gas... Many owners of particulary defamed Pitbulls and Staffordshires only dare to go out in heavy rain or during night-time.

Not only „the man on the street“, even official Germany seems to be totally out of mind: German states try to trump each other, it seems to be a competition of what state will have the most restrictive dog-act. Up to 42 (!) races are defined as fighting-dogs and forced with permanent leash and muzzle. Only Germany’s „national dog“, the German Shepherd, is not „dangerous by law“, though these dogs are the race with most biting incidents in Germany. Beside Dobermann and Rottweiler (they are called fighting-dogs in two states) only races of foreign origin are listed: English/American, French, Spanish, Italian, Asian and East-european.

Every owner who wants to make dog-kind motion possible or even some playing around is threatened by high fines. Taxes for fighting-dogs increased nearly tenfold, and are now about a monthly pay of a small earner. Steps remind on the thirties and forties in Germany: Fighting-dog-owners are forced to put up big neon-coloured signs at their entrances, even at the doors of flats, the dogs are branded with special-coloured tags. Fighting-dogs are undesirable in shopping-centers. People with fighting-dogs are not transported by German Rail, in Hamburg they are even not allowed to use trains, buses, harbour-ferries or platforms of local transport. That means no family holiday, no sunday trips, no visiting friends for a weekend for loving dog-owners without private car. They can’t even take the dog to the vet, if it’s more than a walk-distance away.

Loving dog-owners refusing to give away their animal will posibbly be left homeless. The housing companies gave already notices to quit, the jurisdiction (and even the tenants association) is on their side – even if the dogs have always behaved well. Harmless Citizens with gentle dogs are loosing secure position and any kind of respect. Persons concerned are damned by media and politics named as unscrupulous antisocial elements. Noted psychologists are making wholesale „telediagnosises“ talking about abnormal exceeded aggressiveness concerning the owners of big dogs. Children of families concerned are distracted and traumatized with dread of loosing their best friend. Some dog-owners think about suicide.

It’s still open where to leave the forbidden animals. Animal shelter homes are crowded yet. Hamburg thinks about putting the dogs into animal experiment laboratory of the University... Erecting „camps“ is planned nationwide...

The killing of healthy animals doesn’t agree with German law for the sheltering of animals, that allows „euthanasia“ only in case of severe disease or individual-prooved ouseness. In comparison with other States german animal homes are fit out extremely well, even with finances. German people donating lots of money to these private organisations to prevent animals from death. But apparently dogs are not longer seen as guarding-worth creatures.

„Dogs and other objects“ – these words are from the governments bill for abrogation of parts of animal shelter act to legalize the national program of mass-extermination. And according to Otto Schily, minister of the interior, whole Europe shall accompany the Germans back to the middle-ages of animal sheltering.

State-run hatred is cancelling moral principles. Hysteria kills scrupels. Without real reason for self-defence, some dogs were already shot by the police. Only because they had growled when the cops entered the flat (!) or because a free-running dog had been accused of threatening passers-by.

Dog-owners concerned, their families and friends are in deep despair, no one gets the reason for this witch-hunt. Germany has least of all dogs in Europe. Germany doesn’t have a dog-problem, not even an exceptionally problem with so-called fighting-dogs. Every year there are 1 to 4 dead caused by dogs nationwide, but more than 7000 dead in traffic-accidents. (Germany is one of the last countries in Europe without speed-limit on motorways.) Germany has a lot of social problems: High crime and a big number of violent persons. Extremely high rate of unemployment, a lot of people have been forced to social isolation. High flat-rents. The gap between poor and rich is increasing. Pensions are insecure. Future is insecure. In addition there are latent xenophobia and increasing assaults by right-wing extremists.

Some criminals abuse „trained“ dogs to threaten, injure or even kill people. So the dog that killed little „Volkan“ made several bad impressions before and the owner has several previous convictions. The dog should have been seized long ago. Even according to the „old“ dog-act authorities had the duty to take action, but they didn’t at all or only half-hearted, like in many other cases before. Now tenthousands of innocent people and innocent dogs shall pay for these neglections.

It’s an easy way directing people’s frustrations in dangerous ways, as actual incidents and the incredibly stupid hate against dogs and owners may proof. Just over fifty years after the end of second World War people dare again defining „life unworthy of life“. Again they dare wholesale, criminalize, persecute and stigmatize groups of persons.
As soon as democratic principles aren’t agreed any longer, as soon as Innocents are persecuted and killed, as soon as justice turns to wrong it will be no longer „only“ a question of dying dogs.
Let’s remember the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller, surviver of concentration-camp:
"In Germany, they first came for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Catholic. Then they came for me – and by that time there was nobody left to speak up."

We’re still here to speak up. It’ still time enough to speak up for innocent dogs and owners. It’ still time enough for foreign countries and people to help. And it’s still time enough to help Germany to remember it’s democratic principles.

Eileen Heerdegen

[Stacy White]

I understand the seriousness and high emotion of the events happening in Germany, but in sensitivity to Jewish members and those who may have survived the Holocaust please refrain from comparisons between these events and the genocide occurring many years ago.

Thank you.

[Guy Nieuweling]

Dog owners not only in Germany, but also in the whole of Europe have to be very vigilant. A couple of weeks ago, right after the incident in Hamburg, a German minister pleaded for a European law prohibiting "attack-dogs". Scenes like those in your article may show up a little bit everywhere. A short analysis indicates once more what we all know: responsible ownership is the key to the solution. Up to the lawmakers to formulate regulations that make this possible.