Years ago I was a member of the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders
Association) and had the joy of producing award winning show
rabbits ... I lived in a rural area, and many neighbor parents
wanted bunnies to help educate their children on the responsibilities
of animal husbandry and, believe it or not, the facts of life, so I
was more than happy to re-home bunnies to these folks.
It was not long before the neighborhood dogs were raiding my hutches
by tearing the doors off cages, or trying to take the rabbits from
underneath the cages by tearing at their feet. There were many nights I
was awakened by the sounds of the rabbits screaming in terror at their
attackers as I chased the dogs away. I called the ACO looking for
advice. There was (and still is) a leash law existing in the town, but
unless I could document (best with photos) the dogs responsible for the
attacks, he could not pursue the owners. He told me that the dogs were
acting on instinct, and since there were several involved, the pack
mentality was driving the multiple participants. Because the leash law
was designed to prevent loose dogs from causing injury to persons or
other domestic and wild animals, and even to themselves by auto hits,
in order to make the case for the responsibility of pet owners, without
proof, his hands were tied. This is entirely understandable, and I
was heartbroken, knowing that dogs in the neighborhood that I KNEW to
be normally awesome happy good dogs were the ones doing the raiding.
He was sympathetic to the entire plight, and offered some interesting
information, which guided my next step. He said: "were you aware that
in some prisons, before the use of electronic safeguards to prevent
escape, that geese were used as alarms? Dogs WERE used, but were found
not to be trustworthy, they could be bribed by the use of food
treats... geese will not...!"
A good solution it turned out to be... I obtained 4 domestic geese
which were the best alarm system I could have hoped for... Not
surprisingly, soon the neighbors were complaining about the racket the
geese were making when their territory was invaded at night by the
nightly raiders... The ACO simply reminded the neighbors that there was
a leash law, that they were in violation of this law, and that if the
dogs were responsibly kept and restrained, there would be no further
disturbances. Subsequently, there were no further raids, no more racket
by the geese, and all was again well.
Over the years I have raised MANY MANY different types of animals...
ducks, geese, rabbits, dogs, ferrets, cats, turkeys, hamsters, budgies,
the list goes on... One of the many things I learned, very early on, is
that all of them...ALL of them, are designed by nature for their own
purposes. That due to their own perfect design by nature, despite all
our attempts to domesticate or change or humanize them, they will still
ALL revert back to that design. Instinct rules long before humans and
domestication does.
It is imperative that we are more than diligent when it comes to
cohabitating with a potpourri of NATURALLY incompatible critters... How
many of us have seen our pet cat chase birds or mice or chipmunks in
the yard? Why is our budgie kept in his cage? For his safety of
course... And our gentle patient family dog.. he will chase cats or
squirrels in the yard, too... Why? Instinct - The design in full
force... What makes a bouncy playful experience-my-world-with-my-mouth
ferret any different from the squirrel running around in the yard?
The point to be made here is no matter what we do, our failing as
humans is to loose sight of the fact that animals are guided by
instinct, and no amount of training, time spent, devotion, love,
will deter the natural reaction. I feel strongly that we need to
be realistic in the way we look at our companion animals... I love
mine just as much as the next person- and I, too have made my own
mistakes --- but none have been repeats, and thankfully none have been
deaths at the hands of another animal. Yes, accidents DO happen, and
the key is seeing the whole picture for what it is. Aside from
segregation, truly knowing and being able to recognize the subtle
warnings given by one animal in defense of himself against another is
perhaps the best way to prevent this sort of inevitable tragedy. One
accident, yes, two or heaven forbid more should NEVER have happened
and could have been responsibly prevented.
I do not apologize for my opinions and the vast majority of responses
to my personal email and to the FML are in agreement of these views ...
sometimes someone has to step up and make harsh observations about
certain behaviors or subjects or incorrect information being discussed
simply because diplomacy can often times leads to complete silence and
this is not what the FML is all about... We need to be able to discuss
and communicate, teach and learn, chastise and change our behaviors for
the betterment of ourselves and protection of ALL the furry fuzzies we
call our KIDS...
My deepest sadness is for the two (or perhaps more???) wonderful kids
who lost their lives in such a violent way. BUT I will also say that
I pray NOW eyes are open -- truly OPEN -- Terrible things like this
hurt us all, and we need to learn from it. As for those who defend
someone clearly in the wrong, you are doing so from behind the veil
of friendship and /or popularity which in the grand scheme of things
does nothing to prevent further needless deaths. Please rethink your
positions...
Thank you for your ears.
[Posted in FML 6088]
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