Man gets 2 years in prison for whipping his pet dog

Frederick News Post ^ | Thursday, March 18 2004 | Susan C. Nicol

[AnAmericanMother]

I think another consideration is the damage an untrained large dog can do.

If a Shar-pei or chihuahua growls at people, they think it's funny. It's not funny when it's a 75-80 pound Lab, or something even bigger.

My Lab is a little skinny shrimp (last time I weighed her she was 42 pounds, but eyeballing her I think she's up to about 46-47 now) but the first time she (as a puppy) growled a tiny growl at me when I took up her food dish, she was flat on her back with my one hand holding her mouth closed and the other on her throat before she knew what hit her. Now the kids can take her full food dish away from her and she will stand back politely and sit until they put it back down again.

You have to do whatever it takes to get the message across to a large dog, or that dog will be a menace.

[AnAmericanMother]

What I just said. It's funny when it's a Doxie - not when it's a large sporting or working dog.

Even my dog thinks little dogs are funny. My horse trainer has a tiny Jack Russell that flies at everything barking and snapping. Shelley just bends down her head and stares at her and she backs right off.

[AnAmericanMother]

Oh, geez, I meant a Shih-Tzu not a Shar-Pei. A Shar-Pei could do some damage.

. . . all these Chinese dogs look alike to me . . .

[HairOfTheDog]

. . . all these Chinese dogs look alike to me . .

I beg your ill-bred pardon! ;~D

[AnAmericanMother]

If there was actually a shih-tzu somewhere with a brain in its little fluffy head, I might apologize.

Here's one Chinese dog that looks like nothing else on earth. Believe it or not, one actually competes in agility . . . I've seen it on the course.

[HairOfTheDog]

Just pitiful!

[AnAmericanMother]

I must confess I like dogs that IS dogs. Dogs with a job to do. Dogs that are actually "doggy", and not perfumed, coiffed, pampered little trophies.

If I want something absolutely useless and ornamental, I have three Siamese cats. (Of course, they're not really useless. We have never had mice, roaches, or any kind of creature in our house large enough for the cats to catch (they can't pick up the ants - but that's why they make DefCon ant bait).)

[HairOfTheDog]

Yes, I like real dogs with jobs too.

And in dog showing, I have never understood the concept of judging the conformation of a perfect Toy dog. Judging the conformation of a Labrador or a Shepherd and assessing whether it has the traits to do it's job, yes. Those desired traits came from a real need to perform a function.

But exactly what difference does it make if a LAP DOG has straight legs or a nice trot?

I have the same feeling about Agility for little tiny dogs. I can imagine there is a real function served by teaching large dogs to jump real-sized obstacles... Police work, tracking and hunting come to mind... but what is the point showing off an animal that can jump a 8 inch fence? Saw a dog that cracked me up.... a min-pin that stood on the edge of the teeter - he was too light to drop it.

[tracer]

Hey, the Frederick County jail is just down the road from me. I'll have to find out about visiting hours.

I have something I'd like to say to this brave and noble warrior......

[tracer]

I know neighbors of his who might just do that (not me, though -- sublety and passage of time are integral parts of a great art form)......

[tracer]

"I want to save that space for deliberate malicious torture that we all know goes on."

The maggot in question may well be going down that road or may have arrived there with humans and/or animals for all we know.

So let him appeal, clean up the sentencing, and do his two years for being an irresponsible , drunken bastard who has menaced many with his vehicle and until now apparently has gotten away with it.

And pray that he never beats a dog in my presence.......