Dogs!

[Blabj]

Normally I wouldn't go to the hassle of posting something like this but it really annoys me when the police do something wrong, especially when dogs are involved.

There is a police department here in the UK in a place called Gwent, who're opting to put down a 5 year old German Shepard Dog called Saxon. The handler of the dog has said he'd be willing to give the dog a home after he's served his dutys with the police, but still they are opting to put the dog to sleep.

5 years is no great age for a german shepard. At age 4 they're at their peak of phyisical performance (roughly in their 20's when comparing them to humans), so this dog has a wonderful 5-8 years of life still left in him.

There is an online petition being sent to the police department in question, asking them not to put down the dog and to send him into his handler's care.

Here is the petition if you wish to sign it, http://www.petitiononline.com/k9saxon/petition.html , as you can see the petition still needs many more signatures, but hopefully the article on this dog (one of which can be found here) is going to be put into one of the major newspapers in england (The Guardian) asking more people to sign the petition.

Here is a picture of the dog.

Please use this thread to add some feed back and discussion into this subject also!

Thanks,
Blabj

 

[Sharpe]

Go go British police! Seriously is there anything they do well?

 

[Sabene]

My only concern would be if Saxon showed aggressive behavior off the job. If he does begin to show aggressive behavior at home since he doesn't have the outlet of the job anymore then I might agree with the police dept. I would have to see studies on what has happened with other dogs in similar situations....

 

[LadyKiKi]

In the same concept, the person who will ultimately use the dog can turn it into a weapon. I can see their reason of putting it down. I mean, we might never know what the new owner will do to the dog. Police Dogs are fiercely trained and can do some serious damage.

It's like America handing a nuclear weapon/missile to another country because it's still got 20 years of life in it. It's not the dog that's the problem, but it's the potential damage it can cause if misused.

 

[Neyla]

If that was actually a legit concern we wouldn't have thousands of retired police dogs in this country living well and playing with their former partner's kids like your average dog next door. Comparing a well-trained police dog to a nuclear weapon is ridiculous, especially when most of them are trained in languages most Americans (and Brits) can't even speak. Try to command most police dogs in English and they'll just stare at you.

 

[LadyKiKi]

Try to command most police dogs in English and they'll just stare at you.

Yeh, and you try to provoke it just a little bit and see if it chews your leg off? Although they don't do it unless on demand, but what if you manage to threaten it a tiny bit?

 

[Neyla]

Yeh, and you try to provoke it just a little bit and see if it chews your leg off? Although they don't do it unless on demand, but what if you manage to threaten it a tiny bit?

Yeah, because they're never monitored for aggressive behavior...As for a police dog being threatened, they tend to handle it with more calm than your average house pet, all of which will do just as much damage as a police dog when they're of a similar size. It's not like they teach the dogs karate or anything. It's controlled aggression. Your average animal, when provoked, would go for the throat rather than the arm.

 

[Halifirien]

It's not like they teach the dogs karate or anything.

There is one notable exception.

 

[Alyada]

I'm going to sign it Blabj. I'm a dog person and I'd hate to see a dog in their peak be put down for no reason at all.

The concerns about these police dogs being walking time-bombs is usually pretty false. I know a guy who owns one, and I've seen little children wrestle with the dog and he barely growls. They're usually calm and loyal pets. There are obvious exceptions to this rule, as to any rule, but in general a dog trained to be aggressive will be aggressive. All police dogs are trained to protect and subdue, never kill.

 

[Canitoch]

They aren't dogs ment as house pets >_> They were trained to do their job, and if it's being aggressive, thats what they will be.

Military usually puts their dogs to sleep after I dunno..they are considered too old or something, since they are way to aggresive to be given to people.

Ask yourself this, are you willing to risk adopting a dog that may hurt little kids that live in your neighborhood? Or hurt you?

 

[LadyKiKi]

And that's what I've been trying to say. A nuclear weapon isn't very a good comparison, but the person with the guts to use it will clearly can't think much for itself, hence, like a dog.

 

[Neyla]

Ask yourself this, are you willing to risk adopting a dog that may hurt little kids that live in your neighborhood? Or hurt you?

Yes. And considering we DON'T put police dogs down in the U.S., but instead usually give them to a police family, I'd say there are plenty of others who feel safe with them as well.

 

[Ryuoho]

Military usually puts their dogs to sleep after I dunno..they are considered too old or something, since they are way to aggresive to be given to people.

How sure of this are you? Military and Police dogs have little, if any, differences in the way they are used. If you're referring to them being used as weapons,as in killing an individual, I highly doubt that. They are a much better use as ears, eye's, and noses.

 

[Samukami]

There is an online petition being sent to the police department in question, asking them not to put down the dog and to send him into his handler's care.

In the same concept, the person who will ultimately use the dog can turn it into a weapon. I can see their reason of putting it down. I mean, we might never know what the new owner will do to the dog. Police Dogs are fiercely trained and can do some serious damage.

It's like America handing a nuclear weapon/missile to another country because it's still got 20 years of life in it. It's not the dog that's the problem, but it's the potential damage it can cause if misused.

You should have read that part first. The dog would be released to it's handler, it's commander, master. It'll serve and obey them, not much chance of it being misused there. I don't think a police dog would ever be allowed to be released to the general public unless it was used for narcotics detection.

It's a good petition, the dog doesnt deserve to be put to sleep because of it's job. It's just like saying every person who's been trained under the military should be put to sleep because they have the power and knowledge to kill someone more efficiantly and with more ease then the common man. Any dog can maul your face off, even if unintentually. Did you not hear about the women who took sleeping pills, and she was so doped out that she didnt feel the dog ripping apart her face which was just trying to wake her up! That dog was also put to sleep. Which i think is unfair justice, it's the womens own fucking fault if she decideds to dope herself out that much without regard of her surroundings. And commitments (the dog).

 

[Blabj]

We've had countless german shepards as pets, and they also do man work (also known as Shutzuhn, probably spelt wrong but meh).

This basically means they get full police training from as early as 8 months old. I don't see this as a bad thing however. I see it as a way for me to not only feel safer if I'm out on my own walking the dog (I even take him into town on friday and saturday nights to scare off anyone who might try anything with me) and it helps to make the dog even more loyal to his owners. The first thing police dogs (and indeed any dogs that undergo shutzuhn training) is the leave command, not sic, not how to drag a fully grown man to the ground, but the command to stop doing whatever they're doing at that very moment.

Military usually puts their dogs to sleep after I dunno..they are considered too old or something, since they are way to aggresive to be given to people.

For police work, dogs are taught not to tear limbs, not to pierce through major arteries which would lead to intense blood loss, but to grip the forearm of their target, and quickly and painlessly (as possible) take their target down to the ground, and stay with that target untill their handler says they can leave.

The way dogs are trained makes them think that capturing someone and being told to leave is a game, and that winning at this game is obvoiusly a good thing and they will be rewarded with treats from their handler (sometimes just a verbal "Good boy!" or just some simple dog snacks)

 

[Danyal]

I've read the petition and everyone's arguements for either side here. I signed the petition and passed it on to my friends.