Pomelle is an owner surrender. Apparently, her "nose is gone". Hmmm. Looks like it's still there to me.
Later, I learn that "nose is gone" refers to the fact that a dog no longer wants to hunt. I guess Pomelle should consider herself lucky that her owner, someone who enjoys animal bloodsports, decided to dump her off rather than kill her off.
Addendum:
Here are 2 links about hunting dogs from opposing viewpoints,
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife_abuse/campaigns/bears/hounding/hound_hunting.html
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/147307
Here are some links to videos of hunting dogs in action. You may lose your lunch, especially when you hear the man laughing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2MyfAPQHXY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-yHQRHdrnY
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8 comments:
Pomelle is lucky. In a Beograd shelter, I walked an old hunter we called Fantastic Fred. His behaviour was impeccable, but his nose was gone, too -- he was probably at least 14 when his owner shot him and walked away, leaving the old guy to bleed out.
Fred was also lucky: someone saw what happened and took him to the vet, then to the shelter. It wasn't a great place to be, but he got food, shelter, respect and a run in the fields twice a week for his remaining few months of life.
Just MHO,but anyone who can hunts for sport is not a dog lover, no matter what they say: their dogs are simply tools of the hunt, and it should hardly surprise us that they discard what they regard as broken tools....
I`m going to be sexist(forgive me) and assume that the Owner/hunter is a man.
His wife should be wary.
She might get dumped if she doesn`t meet his standard some day.
If the owner/hunter is female....etc.
I`m sure that little gal will find a home quickly even "without a nose"
You know I keep looking at this post I wrote and thinking it's sounding off too harshly on hunters and their relationships with their dogs. I'm sure some hunters treat their hunting dogs like family while others treat them like tools to be used and then disposed of, just as you said, like with Pomelle and Fred in your example.
I have to wonder, though, with people who enjoy the fun and excitement of killing an animal, what kind of emotional juggling they may or may not have to do when confronted with the "expiry date" on their own animal.
That is absolutely disgusting. I cannot believe anyone who claims to live in a civilized world posted that on YouTube. Makes you wonder which one is the pig?????? I wonder how eager they would be to hunt if the animals were armed. There is something so innately sick and perverted in someone who picks on, hurts or kills something that is vulnerable. I would like to see the outcome of that "hunt" as the pig would definitely have the advantage in the intelligence department.
Fred, you may be right. Maybe there are people who can kill one animal and love another. Maybe I have just not met them.
But I have to go with Ian on this. One killing leads so easily to another, especially when the killed is regarded as somehow a lesser being.
I am reminded of Pastor Niemoller, on German war guilt:
"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then they came for me. And by that time there was no one left to speak up."
(BTW, despite his words, he did stand up, and spent most of the war in concentration camps as a result. He was referring to his silence from 1933-1937.)
Maybe that is why I was not surprised to meet Fantastic Fred, or to hear Pomelle's story.
If you really must hunt to eat, that is one thing. But hunting is about as much a 'sport' as lynching or Jew-baiting or gay bashing -- imho....
I've known one hunter who considered his dog a full-fledged family member. They seemed to have an excellent relationship.
But I agree about the whole killing thing. Wouldn't it be a lot of fun if you could spend time training your retriever to do what it was bred to do, but not have to kill any wild animals to enjoy the fruits of your training?
If the answer is "Yes," the great news is that people who want to grow that sort of relationship with their retrieving dogs can pursue field-trial activities. From what I understand, no wild animals are harmed in field trials, and no guns are present. It appears to be a great way to get outdoors and do something fun with a hunting dog!
I've never heard of field-trial activities but it sounds interesting. I'll have to look that one up and maybe get my own dogs a new hobby (other than sleeping).
I spoke too soon. It appears that in some events, dead game birds are used. :-(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_trial
Hey, there's always agility and flyball!
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