Dog Aggressive for Toenail Trim

The correct way.

Safe or Unsafe Handling of an Aggressive Dog

How NOT to groom a dog.

Undercover Investigation Reveals Cruelty to Chimps at Research Lab | The Humane Society of the United States

Quoted from http://www.hsus.org/animals_in_research/animals_in_research_news/undercover_investigation_reveals_chimpanzee_abuse.html:

March4,2009

A nine-month undercover investigation by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has pulled back the curtain on the secretive, federally-funded New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) in Louisiana, revealing routine and unlawful mistreatment of hundreds of chimpanzees and other primates.

The investigation of New Iberia Research Center is the most comprehensive ever at any major primate research facility and has resulted in a 108-page complaint to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), alleging a minimum of 338 possible violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act at the center. The law sets minimal standards for the treatment of animals in labs.

Shocking Footage

The HSUS' videotape evidence shows severe distress of primates in isolation: they engage in self-mutilation by tearing gaping wounds into their arms and legs, a behavior that could be the result of NIRC's failure to provide adequate environmental enhancement.

Routine procedures, such as the use of powerful and painful dart guns and frightening squeeze cages for sedation, are shown causing acute psychological distress to chimpanzees and monkeys.

Infant monkeys scream as they are forcibly removed from their mothers so that tubes can be forced down their throats.

Altogether, the investigation reveals animals forced to endure anxiety and misery behind the razor wire of the research facility.

Irresponsible and Inhumane

"These experiments come at an enormous short-term and long-term expense to taxpayers, and an even greater expense in suffering and anguish to chimpanzees and other primates forced to live in this pitiful laboratory," said Wayne Pacelle, The HSUS' president and CEO.

"Our investigation found an abject failure on NIRC's part to attend to the psychological well-being of primates as dictated by law, a lax USDA attitude about enforcing that law, and a knowing and gross violation of the federal government's pledge to stop breeding more chimpanzees for research."

NIRC cages about 6,000 monkeys and 325 chimpanzees on its 100 acres, but in the span of nine months, The HSUS' investigator saw only about 20 of the chimpanzees used in active studies. The majority of chimpanzees at the facility appeared to be warehoused or used for breeding – two activities that cost American taxpayers millions of dollars, even at a time of fiscal crisis and when no other developed nation uses chimpanzees in experiments.

Chimpanzees Held Captive

Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace said, "In no lab I have visited have I seen so many chimpanzees exhibit such intense fear. The screaming I heard when chimpanzees were being forced to move toward the dreaded needle in their squeeze cages was, for me, absolutely horrifying."

One of the chimpanzees at the facility—Karen—was taken from the wild and has been housed in a primarily barren laboratory setting since 1958, when Dwight Eisenhower was president.

The HSUS is calling upon Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to release her to a sanctuary—along with many other elderly chimps who were taken from the wild decades ago. Another chimpanzee—28-year-old Siafu—attempted to communicate with center staff by "signing."

Chimpanzee expert Roger Fouts believes Siafu's frustrated, repetitive movements were crude begging gestures, based on his viewing of the HSUS tape.

Federal Government Failings

In addition to The HSUS' 108-page complaint filed with the USDA, in part revealing the agency's lax enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act at NIRC, the group is calling on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to stop its practice of paying the laboratory millions of dollars to produce infant chimpanzees despite the agency's explicit policy against funding chimpanzee breeding.

"This shows an appalling lack of attention by federal regulators and laboratory managers to their responsibilities," said Martin Stephens, Ph.D., The HSUS' vice president for Animal Research Issues.. "The only people who support continued breeding of chimpanzees are those who benefit from bilking the U.S. taxpayer."

Deceptive Dealing

Meanwhile, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues a 20-year-old policy that allows captive chimps to be used in invasive research, due to a highly unusual "split listing" under the federal Endangered Species Act.

In 1989, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed chimps as "endangered" in the wild, but merely "threatened" in captivity, and specifically authorized the continued use of chimps in captivity for biomedical research, the pet trade and roadside zoos.

All chimps should be consistently listed as "endangered," and thus only used in captivity for purposes that benefit the conservation of the species. No use of the chimps at NIRC could possibly be considered useful for that purpose.

What You Can Do
Watch the video; then take action for chimpanzees and primates»

If You're Aggressive, Your Dog Will Be Too, Says Veterinary Study

Quoted from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217141540.htm:

ScienceDaily (Feb. 18, 2009) — In a new, year-long University of Pennsylvania survey of dog owners who use confrontational or aversive methods to train aggressive pets, veterinary researchers have found that most of these animals will continue to be aggressive unless training techniques are modified

The study, published in the current issue of Applied Animal Behavior Science, also showed that using non-aversive or neutral training methods such as additional exercise or rewards elicited very few aggressive responses.

“Nationwide, the No. 1 reason why dog owners take their pet to a veterinary behaviorist is to manage aggressive behavior,” Meghan E. Herron, lead author of the study, said. “Our study demonstrated that many confrontational training methods, whether staring down dogs, striking them or intimidating them with physical manipulation does little to correct improper behavior and can elicit aggressive responses.”

The team from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Penn suggest that primary-care veterinarians advise owners of the risks associated with such training methods and provide guidance and resources for safe management of behavior problems. Herron, Frances S. Shofer and Ilana R. Reisner, veterinarians with the Department of Clinical Studies at Penn Vet, produced a 30-item survey for dog owners who made behavioral service appointments at Penn Vet. In the questionnaire, dog owners were asked how they had previously treated aggressive behavior, whether there was a positive, negative or neutral effect on the dogs’ behavior and whether aggressive responses resulted from the method they used. Owners were also asked where they learned of the training technique they employed.

Of the 140 surveys completed, the most frequently listed recommendation sources were “self” and “trainers.” Several confrontational methods such as “hit or kick dog for undesirable behavior” (43 percent), “growl at dog” (41 percent), “physically force the release of an item from a dog's mouth” (39 percent), “alpha roll”physically -- rolling the dog onto its back and holding it (31 percent), “stare at or stare down” (30 percent), “dominance down” —- physically forcing the dog down onto its side (29 percent) and “grab dog by jowls and shake” (26 percent) elicited an aggressive response from at least 25 percent of the dogs on which they were attempted. In addition, dogs brought to the hospital for aggressive behavior towards familiar people were more likely to respond aggressively to some confrontational techniques than dogs brought in for other behavioral reasons.

“This study highlights the risk of dominance-based training, which has been made popular by TV, books and punishment-based training advocates,”Herron said. “These techniques are fear-eliciting and may lead to owner-directed aggression.”

Prior to seeking the counsel of a veterinary behaviorist, many dog owners attempt behavior-modification techniques suggested by a variety of sources. Recommendations often include the aversive-training techniques listed in the survey, all of which may provoke fearful or defensively aggressive behavior. Their common use may have grown from the idea that canine aggression is rooted in the need for social dominance or to a lack of dominance displayed by the owner. Advocates of this theory therefore suggest owners establish an “alpha” or pack-leader role.

The purpose of the Penn Vet study was to assess the behavioral effects and safety risks of techniques used historically by owners of dogs with behavior problems.

Gramby has been adopted! - Animal Haven

Quoted from http://www.animalhavenkc.org/2009/02/13/gramby-has-been-adopted/

Gramby was our longest term dog here at Animal Haven and was recently adopted. Gramby was found as a stray from a city with a breed ban on October 13th, 2006 when he was just a pup. Last week he was adopted out by a fantastic lady from Blue Springs. He has adjusted very well to life with his new mother and is having the time of his life now that he finally has his lifelong home. He even gets to cuddle with his mother’s baby granddaughter for nap time.

And, what a wiggler he is too! Our ants-in-the-pants pal Gramby is always on the lookout for something interesting. Who can blame him? Gramby’s dedicated friends here at Animal taught him a few things before he went to his new lifelong home, and he’ll sit for a treat (though he likes to be sure it’s abundantly tasty).

Kansas City Dog Trainer Continues City’s Long History of Humane Education

Kansas City has a rich history of involvement in humane education, and now an area dog trainer is continuing that tradition. Sympawtico Dog Training LLC’s Suezanne M. Law recently earned certification as a Humane Education Specialist through Humane Society University, an affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States. Stephanie Clark, Manager of Outreach and Training with Humane Society Youth says that since the Certified Humane Education Specialist Program began, only 100 people have earned certification. “The courses are rigorous and I have high expectations of my students,” Clark says. “The program requires higher order thinking, community-related research, writing, and often assignment revisions. Only five students have earned all 700 points on the final exam in the last two years.” Law is one of those five.
Humane education in the United States began as the passion of Bostonian George T. Angell. Born in 1823, Angell helped to change the way Americans in the 19th and early 20th Centuries saw the animals with whom they shared their lives. After witnessing an 1868 race in which two horses were ridden past exhaustion to their deaths, Angell formed the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Within 3 short months, he had garnered the support necessary to achieve the passage of the state’s first anti-cruelty laws. John Quincy Adams and Ralph Waldo Emerson counted themselves among Angell’s supporters, and by 1871 animal-protection societies blossomed in 24 cities across America.

The son of a schoolteacher and a Baptist minister, Angell passionately believed that education was the key to ensuring humane treatment of both domestic and wild animals. In 1881, he launched the “Bands of Mercy”, a nationwide network of humane education clubs; and when Angell’s successor, the Reverend Frances Rowley, organized a 1912 Bands of Mercy convention in Kansas City, 25,000 children plus 15,000 parents and teachers attended. That same year, sisters Sarah and Henrietta Jacobs founded The Humane Society of Wyandotte County – now renamed The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City – because, as Henrietta wrote in the Kansas City, Kansas Gazette Globe, “We are particularly responsible for the welfare of domestic animals because we brought them from their natural conditions for our own benefit. They have learned much from companionship with us, but we have also learned much from them.”

As for Law, humane education provides one more outlet for teaching humans and dogs about living well together. “Dog training is not just dog training for Suezanne,” says Sharon Woodrum, a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and owner of Personable Pets Inc. Dog Training in Louisburg. “She takes a holistic approach to education, not only for the animals, but for the families and the public as well. The CHES program falls right in line with her philosophies.”

Though Law and Woodrum own separate dog training companies, the two banded together last year to create Dog 101 Productions, a company dedicated to the creation of dog behavior related educational products for a variety of industries and individuals. Law also offers monthly Dogs&Storks classes at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, as well as classes and private instruction for pet dogs and their families, dog-bite prevention workshops for children, and, together with the trainers of KCDogTrainers.com, behavior and handling seminars for area veterinarians.

“People tend to think of animal welfare and humane education as new ideas,” Law says. “But since Kansas City’s beginnings, protection of animals has been our priority. Early on we recognized the link between an individual’s relationship with animals and his character. Now many states mandate character education in public schools. What better way to engage children than by relating these lessons to the animals they love? The children benefit, but of course the animals benefit, too. So this is my way of giving back to the community and to the creatures who have given me so much my whole life long.”

CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Senate legislation would make cockfighting a felony in Kansas

On Tuesday, February 10, Sympawtico Dog Training, LLC joined the Humane Society of the United States at the Kansas State Capitol Building in Topeka to lobby for the animals. We met with state legislators to encourage their support of a new law which would make cock-fighting in Kansas a felony offense, and also to ask them to oppose a resolution allowing Kansas horses to be exported for inhumane slaughter. It was a beautiful day for beautiful work. Here's a link to the photos I took while participating in this event, and please continue reading below for an article by Topeka Capital-Journal's Tim Carpenter.

Senate legislation would make cockfighting a felony in Kansas

By Tim Carpenter The Capital-Journal Published Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Humane Society supporter Sharon Berry wept Tuesday while recalling the fate of a pit bull used as fodder for a cage match.

"I'm sorry. Just a moment," the Atchison woman said before catching a second wind and explaining why Kansas should enact more stringent penalties for organizing illegal sporting events that harm animals.

The dog, she said, had to be euthanized.

"All animals that are being abused should have rights," Berry said.

That is why she joined John Goodwin, who works on animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States, at the Statehouse to lobby for a Senate bill that would make the sanction for cockfighting a felony in Kansas.

Gamecock fighting is illegal in all states, but 38 states and the District of Columbia consider it a felony offense. Kansas is among a dozen states — most are in a corridor from Ohio to Mississippi — that categorize the crime as a misdemeanor. The four states surrounding Kansas elevated the sanction to felony status.

"The intent is to make Kansas consistent with all neighboring states," Goodwin said. "We do not want Kansas to become a refuge for cockfighters as they seek out jurisdictions with the weakest penalties for their crimes."

A hearing is scheduled for Friday in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Senate Bill 238, a measure sponsored by Sen. Julia Lynn, R-Olathe, that would reclassify the operation of a cockfight as a felony. Possession of gamecock equipment would be a misdemeanor.

In June, law enforcement officers raided a farm near Gardner where they found more than 170 roosters trained to fight. All were put to death along with hundreds of other chickens at the residence.

The main defendant in the case was charged in Johnson County District Court with dozens of misdemeanors, but he entered one-year diversion agreement in January. Defendant Fernando Tapia also surrendered $45,000 in cash seized by police in the raid.

Goodwin said gambling is common at cockfights in which the surviving bird is declared the winner. The specially bred birds wear knives on their legs to inflict lethal wounds to the head and chest of a rival, he said.

"It's a nasty activity," he said. "It tends to attract a lawless crowd."

Tim Carpenter can be reached at (785) 296-3005 or timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com.