Posted on 07/08/2024 12:46:14 PM PDT by Dr. Marten
A few years ago, in Bozeman, Montana, a brain surgeon and his wife were walking through a farmers’ market when they came across a booth selling dogs. The breeder, called Svalinn, touted them as a one-of-a-kind hybrid: military-grade protection dogs with elite danger-sensing instincts but the warmth and temperament of a conventional family pet. The surgeon, Regis Haid, took a closer look at the dogs, which did indeed seem magnificent, intelligent, and powerful. Then he saw the cost: at least $150,000 each.
Haid’s wife, Mary Ellen, was interested. He told her, “There’s no way I’m gonna spend that kind of money. Are you out of your mind?” Many stories about Svalinn dogs begin this way. The Haids couldn’t stop thinking about the animals they’d seen, and before long, they drove to Svalinn’s training facility. Each dog is an undisclosed mix of Dutch shepherd, German shepherd, and Belgian Malinois. “They put the dogs through all these obstacle courses and things,” Haid recalled recently. “I was in the military, I had an Air Force scholarship to med school, and I’ve hunted. These dogs — they’re like humans.” Many high-dollar protection dogs are nothing but menace; Haid approached one of the Svalinn dogs, who nuzzled his hand. He and Mary Ellen now own two.o a very emotional thing.”
Dang.
For that kind of money it better do my dishes, cook my meals, clean my home, and screen my cell phone calls.
[The price is purely the status symbol part.]
I could act snooty a lot cheaper than that.
There is enough horror and sadness in the world without having to read about the poisoning of a dog. Even a mean one. He didn’t need to die in agony. He could have been humanely euthanized at the vet.
[He didn’t need to die in agony. He could have been humanely euthanized at the vet.]
Sometimes the message is in the method.
Look at Mr. Tough Guy wanting to go out and shoot animals. What are you, a psycho?
Sad that the dog was mistreated and would have been better in a loving home.
I have two Belgian Malinois. Both are rescues. I paid $200 for one of them and the other I got for free. They are intelligent, high energy dogs. They need jobs. One of mine is a narcotics dog and is on contract. The other is trained to do Search and Rescue tracking. They can get needy, clingy, and destructive if not mentally and physically exercised. Shelters and rescues are full of Belgian Malinois because people either back yard breed them and dump the pups they can’t sell, or they get a puppy and don’t realize you can’t kennel them for 12 hours a day while you are at work.
Mary Ellen knows about hubby’s girlfriend....
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