kendalyn

I'm torn! This sounds like a fun topic to get into (maybe for the debate section) but it is pretty emotionally charged. I think it might be ok to get into and if it gets too sketchy, the post can be closed. Abker, I PM'd you before I posted this time. Here's my take: God (I said it too!) put animals on the earth for humans to use (companionship being a form of use). Animals do not have any responsibilities. They cannot do "right" or "wrong". They do not understand the concept. When a person dies, his or her soul is judged and deemed worthy for heaven or hell. An animal cannot have a soul because there is no way to judge them. Could you send a dog to hell? No, and by the same token you can't send it to heaven either. Those are my thoughts and beliefs. Take'em or leave'em.

I just think that it is WAY too abstract an idea for a 6 year old. It would be better to have him remember the dog when he used to run and play and be fond of those memories.

[quote]but wouldn't it be appropriate to explain to the child that the dog has died and it is now up in heaven playing with lots of treats and bones. That is what we tell children happens to people after they die, right[/quote] I suppose it would depend on your religous beliefs what you tell the child. I personally don't believe animals go to heaven as they don't have souls. So I would not tell a child that the dog is in heaven playing. Again, this would depend on the person's religous beliefs. If your point was to paint a happier picture of death, I think reality would be the best way to go. That's not to say that you should describe in detail the horrible accident, but you should not try to sugar coat it. It's a sad thing, the child should be sad, so should the parents. There's no getting around the fact that the dog is gone forever. I say let the child feel the pain of losing a loved one. It's part of life.

I think it's ok to get the same breed as long as the new dog doesn't look a whole lot like the old one. Get one that's a different color or something. Or better yet, don't get a specific breed, go to a shelter! I can't help plugging that...

I meant what does the health guarantee cover? I mean, you can't be expected to predict certain diseases (not genetic) that may occur before 36 months...

They're not even going to have a grandfather clause!?!? That's even more nuts than banning the breed to begin with. That's totally unfair to make current owners rehome their dogs. :evil:

I think you're being a bit hasty. If you read a lot of the other posts you would see that most of the people here are against dog fighting and would never patronize a breeder who is in favor of it. A better judge of feelings on this forum would be the opinions of the people using it, not one ad on the site. I guess you probably won't see this though...

That's great news!

I agree, get the kid another dog fairly soon. He's six and will not fully comprehend death.

Tell him the dog died, explain how it happened and than explain what death is. I don't know his son, but most kids are old enough for this conversation at that age. It will probably take a while for the child to understand that the dog is never coming back. It will probably be an ongoing conversation. Children that age don't understand the permanance of death. Honestly, I would not mention anything about the "rainbow bridge" this is WAY too abstract a concept. The child will think it is a real place.

Most places already have laws regarding dogs with a history of being dangerous. Those laws just need to be enforced in my opinion. As far as preventing bites, the only way for that to happen is for people to train and socialize their dogs. I would be against any legislation that tries to enforce this. Mainly because it would be too hard to enforce and it would just further burden the responsible owners. It would just be another law that the irresponsible people won't follow anyway and will be a big pain to the good dog owners.

[quote]I think the poster who said something like it's my dog and they have no say in what happens is mistaken, from a breeders point of view[/quote] This was from a raising/training the puppy point of view, not genetic defects. I can see why you would be interested to know those things. My point is that if someone does not want the breeder/rescuer involved in how they are bringing up the dog, I don't think they should have to. What is your health guarantee policy? If someone has those tests done and they come out positive, do you bear any of the responsibility?

Statistics mean nothing to me. You can really make them say anything you want. It's so hard to do an accurate statistical analysis.

That's a tear jerker for sure! :cry:

Great family photo! :D

Maybe you could send them a few articles on puppy biting and how to stop it and most importantly why it is bad.

Hmmm... looks like it is only continental out of the larger airlines. I couldn't find any other big airlines that had similar policies. I'm surprised that it is ONLY APBT. Not even mixes are excluded. Well, it's stupid to refuse only the APBT. :evil: I don't know if I'll be flying Continental again. At least while this policy is in effect.

I thought this was very interesting. I found it on the continental airlines website about restrictions regarding transporting dogs. I'm not sure if other airlines have comparable rules: Embargo of American Pit Bull Terriers (Pit Bulls, Pit Bull Terriers) Continental Airlines will accept American Pit Bull Terrier puppies which are between 8 weeks and 6 months of age provided they do not weigh more than 20 lbs. All American Pit Bull Terriers more than 6 months old or weighing more than 20lbs. will be refused. This embargo does not apply to American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or Miniature Bull Terriers. Crossbreeds with American Pit Bull Terriers are also excluded from this embargo. The purpose of this embargo is due to the aggressiveness of the breed and the danger presented to our aircraft and our customers. Here's the link if you want to check it out yourself: [url]http://www.continental.com/travel/policies/animals/restrictions.asp?SID=CED9C7D0A5BD4C58874CF381ED83EF87[/url]

I do have a question about the legalities of repossessing a dog. Are you honestly allowed to remove a dog from a home based on a violation of the contract that the owners sign? I mean, how legally binding is that contract? Have you ever checked, or been forced to take it to court? I just wonder how well it would hold up...

[quote]Actually, the law DOES mandate how children, adopted or not, are to be treated. If you adopt a child and the government doesn't like the way you raise it, they DO have the right to "repossess" them. [/quote] Yes, the law says this as it also requires certain treatment of dogs, but the adopting mother does not retain any control over the specific upbringing of her former child. Just as I don't believe you should over dogs that you adopt out (unless requested by the owner). I don't have a problem with continued relationship or committment if that is what the owner wants obviously, but I think it's kind of crazy when potential owners are required to inform the breeders/rescuers of address changes. I mean, if someone sold their house and moved to a rented apartment, would you then repossess the dog?

Oh, that is terrible. It must be a hard day for you. I'm hoping that Koda is happy where she is.

[quote]What a lot of people fail to realize is that WE also make a lifetime commitment to these dogs. It doesn't end when they leave our physical care[/quote] This is actually the attitude that bothers me about breeders/rescuers that adopt out dogs. Actually, the relationship does end when the dogs leave your physical care. Just because you have formed an emotional bond with the animal doesn't mean that after you have adopted it out, you should retain any kind of control. If you want to retain control, don't adopt out the dog. It's like someone giving up a kid for adoption but mandating throughout the kid's life what he/she is allowed to do and how the parents should treat the child. Or perhaps someone selling a car and continuously checking to see if it is getting all the scheduled oil changes. I really think that once the dog is released to the new owners, they should be able to decide everything that happens to the dog. It is after all their dog. If they want to keep in touch with you, that should be their decision. I think it's very strange that this is sometimes written into adoption contracts.

I'm a GSD!

good tip!

I also have never had a fence. I could be off the mark here, but I've always thought it makes the dog more calm about being loose. My aunt and neighbors have fences. If one of those dogs gets out of the fence, you can forget about it coming to your call, you have to go get it. However, inside the fence, the dog's recall is good. I think they just get really excited or disoriented and run because they aren't used to being unconfined. I can trust Buck off leash almost anywhere. He knows not to run in the road and he comes very well when I call or whistle. It's almost like he knows that I trust him...