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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 10023
[Animals]
Date Posted:
5/27/2004
12:45:57 pm EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 6,456
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Comments: 10
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Austria Enacts Strict Animal Rights Laws
Author: William J. Kole, Associated Press Source: Tampa Bay Online (FL)
Title: AUSTRIA ENACTS STRICT ANIMAL RIGHTS LAWS
Austrian lawmakers on Thursday approved one of Europe's toughest animal rights laws, a measure that forces farmers to uncage chickens and bars pet owners from clipping their dogs' ears or tails.
The law, enacted by a unanimous vote in parliament, outlaws the use of lions and other wild animals in circuses and makes it illegal to restrain dogs with chains, choke collars or "invisible fence" - devices that administer mild electric shocks.
Those found guilty of animal cruelty would be subject to fines up to $18,000 in extreme cases.
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Community Thoughts: There are 10 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Good For Austria | May 28th. at 8:22:16 pm EDT |
by KarEEna (Perth, Australia) - wc_xemail
I wish more places would have laws like this.
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| Crulty Or People Safety | May 28th. at 9:48:16 am EDT |
by hetty (pennsylvania) - wc_xemail
i agree that we should not be able to clip the ears of dogs and cats or use electric fences for dogs but i would feel safe if dogs were kept in fenced areas especialy haveing seen a mauling victum on my street and everyone said the dog was trained well i guess i will think again about taking my children near animals who arent fenced in there yards and just think about the trouble of cleaning if the owner isnt with the animal haveing them run all over the towns what a mess that would be and who would be responsible for the clean up just a few things to think about and thats my 2 cents.
blessed Be To All
Wiccanfairie
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| First Animal Right Advocate | May 28th. at 7:41:01 am EDT |
by sherman (spooner, wi) - wc_xemail
Hilter was the first animal rights advocate that I can remember. He was from Austria.
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| Where The Line Is | May 27th. at 5:50:03 pm EDT |
by Starlight Bunnybutt (FL, USA) - wc_xemail
I have a neighbor who keeps his dog outside 24/7 and rarely gives it any attention. He didn't used to have to chain it up, but after the dog jumped the fence over to our yard repeatedly and woud stand on our property and bark at us I laid down the law. So the silly mutt spends 3/4 of the day and night barking nonstop. It's not like he's upset now, it sounds like he's reading cue cards "Bark. Bark. Bark." Nevermind the chaining, just having a *social animal* all by itself all day and night is animal cruelty.
My bleeping other neighbors let their cats run around outside. We're talking not yet out of kittenhood cats that still need a social environment and a huge calorie diet. We rescued one of the little buggers from being an emaciated street pizza, but there are at least 3 more on the loose dodging cars and begging for food. And of course, *mating* so we can have more of them on the loose soon.
Even domesticated animals have emotional needs. In fact what they lack in intelligence they make up for in emotion. Ignoring those needs and treating your animals like some sort of furry lawn furniture is the cruelest thing you can do.
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| Good Idea, But Overkill | May 27th. at 3:54:29 pm EDT |
by Patrick (Chicago) - wc_xemail
I'm all for treating animals humanely. I love animals. I have a dog and a cat who live inside, in clean environments, who get a lot of positive attention and socializing (and consistent, fair discipline) with our extended family household. I think it's a great idea to ban extended chaining of animals, and I don't see a problem with banning the bobbing of ears and tails. A couple of practices named, I don't consider to be as cruel as the Austrians do - people's attitudes on this subject vary from region to region. But the fact that I consider the bill to be overkill is not really what made me type this long-winded message that, probably, not that many people will read anyhow. It's the fact that I think they are missing the point and focusing only on one area of animal cruelty, the methods themselves. It would be a lot more effective in the prevention of cruelty to consider more aspects of the animal's life and enforce the methods by which they are raised.
Here's my tale. There is an individual in our household who has a dog that frankly, gone nuts. This unbelievably energetic, hyperactive (and loudly and frenetically hyperREactive-to-doorbells, ringing phones, passerbys, loud noises, soft noises, dishwashing detergent, and eggs) was chosen out of all the other dogs at the puppy-mill store in the mall because "she seems the friendliest and most active! and she's so cute!" (no consideration given to breed temperament) Well, this dog is now 5 years old and she is a menace. Don't get me wrong, she's sweet-natured, intelligent, and yes, cute... and her owner, a retired lady dog-lover, has an utter inability to train or discipline the dog. This incredibly active indoors dog was clearly a very bad choice for the unfortunate retired couple to have made.
There is now an infant in the same house. This dog explodes into a 50 lb. snarling furry frenzy with every single event that happens under our roof. This behavior is not just annoying, it's potentially deadly for my infant son. There are no laws that I am aware of that require the dog owner to establish and maintain any sort of discipline. In fact, the dog's BEEN to obedience school and passed. The lack of any reinforcement from any family member other than myself has caused the dog to forget everything she learned. The only thing she can still do is Sit, and that's only when she's calm and you're holding a treat. (I'd like to add that there is no option of moving out in our current affairs.)
This dog, now that her behavior has been fully ingrained into her daily life, cannot be controlled. Recently (in the past year) the dog owner has been increasingly pressured to exert control over her dog, to make it a safer environment for our child. Disciplinary measures were sloppily, inconsistently applied by the owner, then abandoned in favor of the "ignore her until you can't stand it, and then start yelling" method of discipline. Sadly, the dog has even been briefly prescribed tranquilizers, which only altered her behavior to make her woozy and slightly unsteady when calm, and have no effect on her frenzies. The dog owner and her husband have tried restraining the dog on a leash during the active part of the day. (ineffective due to wild inconsistency of application) They've tried caging the dog, inside, it had no effect (and let's face it, is just cruel to do to any dog who's not used to it, especially one with boundless energy) . They've tried wildly inconsistent positive and negative reinforcement, and neither of them apparently is concerned enough to stick to it. The dog owner has steadfastly refused to get rid of the dog from the beginning. The only thing that works with any degree of consistency is the electric collar.
It's painful when the collar goes off. I can see her cringe and sometimes let out a little yelp. I hate that damn thing, and never thought we'd end up with THAT as our option. But faced with our inability to change the situation, or the dog owner's behavior, that is one of our last options.
Punishing people for animal cruelty is RIGHT. However, what's wrong is a heavy-handed, one-sided plan to punish dog owners for what, for many people, is the end result of a series of bad choices made by animal owners (often in sheer ignorance) that result in an uncontrollable dog.
What is more important - ending the practices that result in animal cruelty, or punishing animal owners? It seems to me that it's more important to end animal cruelty.
Now, clearly I'm not an Austrian, so their laws don't affect me. It's a good start. But you know, the real problem is owner behavior. The government needs to have a lot more regulations on animal ownership than they currently do. Animals have a developmental lifecycle that locks many of them into permanently behaving in unacceptable ways due to improperly applied training or inconsistently discipline. It would be much more effective for there to be laws requiring an owner to send an unruly dog to an obediance school, or show a degree of proficiency (either by passing a test or going through a class - kinda like driver's exams) in handling, care, and disciplining their animals.
Don't get me wrong, I think that they've made a great start. But the problem isn't (mostly) people who wake up and decide out of the blue one day, "hey, I'm going to go buy an animal and torture it by chaining it up outside." This is usually the end result of a long chain of bad decisions made out of ignorance, or yes, willful negligence.
Of course, what I just wrote exclusively deals with animals as housepets, and does not deal with the various forms that animal-based industries take. There needs to be clear laws requiring their good behavior as well, but frankly that's not where my experience is, and I'm not going to run my mouth about that because it's not an area I'm particularly knowledgable in. But animal laws need to be a great deal more comprehensive in terms of the type of disciplines are applied to animals over time.
Due to the fact that I don't have all day to sit and type, I'm sure I've left out some measures we've tried, but I would like to add, lest I be judged by the wildly judgmental people whom I'm perfectly aware will eventually read this, that I treat animals with the utmost respect, and the dog and cat that are my personal repsonsibility want for nothing, including love, food, attention, and fair discipline. I hate seeing the other dog raised like this, and there's little I can do about it since I am not the house owner. Do I put the electric collar on the other dog myself, or allow it to happen? You bet I f'ing do, bud - I have to keep my 1 year old son from being trampled to the dog's owner's negligence, and I'm sorry but my son's life is more important to me than a dog. I would like to see laws that prevent this situation from ever happening because if raised the right way, there would never be a need for the electric collar in the first place.
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| Choke Collars? | May 27th. at 3:44:59 pm EDT |
by Kaori (Hampton Roads VA) - wc_xemail
We use a choke collar on our 1 1/2 year old german shepherd. This was recommended by the trainer at obedience training. From what I have been told it is much gentler than the gentle leader unsed by many. Our dog still runs to us when we pull out the collar and sits pretty still for us to put it on. It is to mimic the teeth of his mother when pulling him back.
I don't see him in pain. That is the only part of the law I couldn't support.
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| Huh?!? | May 27th. at 3:06:56 pm EDT |
by Krysaliss (michigan) - wc_xemail
Invisible fences causing dogs to become violent??? Hmmm. I have a puppy who we keep on a chain WHEN she has to go potty. She stays inside or we take her to the park to run about. There is nothing dangerous within the radius her chain reaches. She is not in danger, and she is one of the least violent dogs I have ever met. She has yet to meet a stranger, animal or person.
And my family has three dogs very much the same. One is old and grumpy (grumpy because of her age and the diseases that come with it) and the other two are very friendly. One of those two occasionally gets past the fence, and he wanders the quiet neighborhood. He never barks or tries to attack anyone.
I have been around lots of dogs kept in fences that barked their heads off and were mean. I have been around dogs who weren't. I think that their temperment has WAY more to do with how they are raised and treated by their people than by the device that keeps them in their own yard (minus a few VERY OBVIOUS suggestions)
Geez
Krysaliss
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| It's About Time | May 27th. at 2:45:16 pm EDT |
by Bittersweet (USA) - wc_xemail
I'd like to see these kinds of protections embraced in the States. It's the very least we humans can offer. I think it's the livestock industries that don't want to see humane laws passed. If it's cruel to do it to a dog, why wouldn't it be cruel to do it to a chicken?
My family always had chained dogs and I'm so glad that I've had my eyes opened as an adult. Chaining dogs and 'invisible fence' devices are cruel and dangerous. Both of them subject dogs to abuse from strangers and encourage the dog to believe its barking and harassment are what drives people away from its territory. So how does the dog react when it gets loose? I rode my bike past an 'invisible fence' dog and that vicious animal was terrifying.
I think the progression from animals-as-objects to animals as family members is a good thing. I certainly wouldn't chain my family up outside, even when I'm frustrated enough to want to. ;) Find More info -- HERE
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| Yay!! | May 27th. at 2:31:23 pm EDT |
by An Cat Dubh (SF, CA) - wc_xemail
What great news to wake up to first thing in the morning! I hope other countries follow Austria's example. True, it does raise the question of what humane and feasible methods are still available for those with dogs... although, there have been numerous problems with invisible fences that endangers both pets and people, so I do support the measure. For instance, dogs will often cross the path of the fence and, having been shocked, are too afraid to go back in! This pretty much defeats the purpose and is traumatizing to dogs.
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| While I Applaud The Effort | May 27th. at 1:24:12 pm EDT |
by Carter (Indiana) - wc_xemail
this law goes too far. My dog is kept in the yard using a chain, and although she sometimes gets tangled around stray chairs and posts, I am hardly being cruel. I feel much the same about invisible fencing.
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