There are days when I beat myself up about, oh, not playing chase long enough with the dogs. Or giving them a raw carrot instead of cooked veggies if I’m running late (Little Bear refuses dried food without veg on the side, I kid you not) or maybe losing it and yelling at them to ‘purleeeaaassseee ,shut up!’
Then there’s the ‘should have brought him up differently’ type of guilt which has me wishing I’d read the books spilling out of my bookshelves now, before I even bought a puppy. Boy, if I’d known then what I’m beginning to learn now…. we’ve all probably been down that particular road.
But, all said and done, on a daily basis I think my dogs are pretty well looked after. They get plenty of exercise, good quality food, warm beds, mental stimulation, training, regular grooming, medical care when they need it, the odd private agility lesson and as much love and attention as they can soak up.
Now Little Bear in particular is a challenging dog, but never, ever, in even my darkest, gloomiest moments have I ever even thought that an Electric Shock Collar might be the solution to our problems. Why anyone would want to electrocute their dog as a means of managing their behaviour has always been lost on me, so imagine the look on my face when I met a lady at the park the other day who didn’t know the button she was pressing on her radio controller was actually zapping her beloved dog!
I doubt she’ll ever read this but just in case I’ll keep the details brief. Basically she claimed to have no idea that the collar was delivering an electric charge, but was merely emitting a high-pitched noise that ‘encouraged’ her dog to return to her. The gentle dog in question was indeed very attentive and yet it was only when I could bite my tongue no longer and let slip something along the lines of ‘I’d be attentive too if I was being electrocuted in the neck!’ that her mistake transpired.
Horrifically, as she couldn’t hear the supposed noise the collar was meant to emit she had turned ‘the volume’ up near the maximum…of course it wasn’t the volume but the charge. I could have cried.
I know some people plead ignorance to avoid confrontation but the horrified look on her face convinced me that she really had no idea about the true purpose of his torture device. I’m still bemused as to how anyone can not realise what an electric collar actually does, but it just goes to show that even seemingly sensible, intelligent dog owners can get it terribly wrong.
Luckily her dog won’t have to endure frequent and painful shocks any more but I’d love to see these despicable things banned outright. They’ve been outlawed in Wales but sadly I don’t see other countries rushing to follow their enlightened lead. Or how about a new rule? Test it on yourself first and guess what? If it hurts, don’t use it on your dog!
Okay rant over….for now
P.S some excellent resources and great blogs on the topic at www.nevershockapuppy.com
The Little Bear Dog Blog 