syrinx

I am proud to say that my 2 dogs have been trained to never do harm to the critters that wonder into our property. In fact a very interesting dynamic has happened. By training them to guard the birds that come to the feeders the birds have figured out that they are safe to feed, bathe, play, and pollinate in the yard when the dogs are there. Bonnie and Fergus can sit right up to the feeders and the birds flock around them safely.

Pet ownership to me means being responsible for your pets actions as much as for their health, and wellbeing. I will not permit my dogs to engage in the slaughter of wild animals and mask it with the most ignorant of all excuses "that's what dogs do". What pets do is what we let them do. Just as pathetic as the people who declare that "boys will be boys" when in fact all they are actually doing is showing that they are too lazy to actually manage their pets properly to be good citizens.

A few years ago a friend of mine with an organic farm, told me what I needed to do to control the mice I was dealing with both in the house and around the house. He explained to me that you don't use the spring traps because all you will do is teach the other mice to avoid them. You don't use poison because anything that might survive and is consumed by a hawk, will now kill that hawk. Cats, (which should be kept inside) are effective in your house up to a point, but you risking diseases will be carried to your pet. They should not be outside killing as he pointed out, because they are not selective in what they kill. It won't be limited to mice. He told us we had to avoid taking the lazy way out, and instead be active in how we handle this by using live trapping and relocating to where hawks, owls or other predators live. Well guess what? It worked. The years that I did it the other way - proved to be a never ending nightmare. This method actually works! And I did it while respecting nature, and not engaging pets as the assassins of little critters. I thought that since he has a 15 acre farm he would know. And - he was right. Yes it is more work, but I don't want to join the "zombie" club of people who do things without really thinking about their consequences. Who utter the "that's what dogs" do BS and without understanding there are no dogs in nature. They do not have a role to play in the natural world. Beyond acting as a prevention of problems (which as I have shown, can be done) they should not be catching and maiming or killing other animals.

We did the same thing with skunks (which can be a bonus to your yard if you can keep them at a distance). After live catching a our home invader, the relocation person told us to keep a radio playing at a low level, on a station with lots of talk and music. It will keep virtually all animals out of a certain range. Guess what? That worked too. It keeps all the wild nightly visitors at a safe distance. I still want them to come here as I have fallen in love with the songs the coyotes sing, but I keep this invisible barrier up to ensure we don't have unwanted encounters. Kept at a low volume, we don't hear the radio. But the critters do.

That is partly what inspired me to examine what is in keeping with nature and the balance of life, vs what is easy and convenient for me to ignore and engage in.
Pets do not replace the predators that we have pushed away. In fact they actually contribute to the wrong side of the problem. But just from a moral position, predators in nature must get their "meals" pretty fast. Killing is quite swift, unless they are beginners. Pets however, who don't need a meal often engage in sadistic lengthy torture of victims, strictly for their own amusement. I won't have that. No way. That is as wrong as children engaging in that behavior. Also, I respect the authentic hunters who eat what they kill, and keep everything clean and honorable. Not the so called sport hunters who are no different than the delinquent pets that are contributing to the huge struggle wild animals face. I have a conscience. And I believe in working on who I am everyday, in big ways and in small, and that sometimes means looking at behaviors that are all to easy to overlook. I can't look at butterflies, frogs and birds as amazing and beautiful, and then think it's ok for my dogs to annihilate them for their entertainment. Dan and I keep our dogs active. Despite an acre of land, we still take them for a walk, as a yard is no substitute for the interaction you should have with a dog. Unfortunately, we are a rare breed.

Pets, more closely resemble the role played by children in society, than they do any role in nature. So their impact should be considered as having a consequence in the same way good parents keep their kids in line. Of course as we have seen, there is no shortage of parents who have very little involvement in the lives of the children, so this leap of awareness is harder to sell. But the cost of this ignorance is shameful.

Right now I have rare salamanders and green frogs living on my little acre. This is a wonderful thing as they are part of the team that controls the bugs we don't want. I take extraordinary steps to ensure they are safe from harm from pesticide (which I do not use), from lawn mowers that are either spilling fuel all over the property or killing them while grass cutting as I strive for my socially approved lawn. But most of all, my dogs are well trained in knowing, you don't touch wild things. Ever. Not ever. Period. We don't accept that, and we took the time to learn how to train them to be good citizens and not bored animals that have to amuse themselves by killing anything that moves, wandering around out of our sight.

My farmer friend said to me, that pets that go out and kill are no better than mindlessly spraying pesticide and actually believing that you are not doing any harm.
He has a larger land to protect, and is dependent on that farm for his income. Yet there he is, taking the extra steps to do the right thing, and truly live in harmony with nature. I have to respect that. But more important, I have to act on it.

I am so proud of my dogs when they go out and sit near the birds. Neither Dan or I had a dog before we were 40 years old, and I think that has something to do with the "eyes wide open" approach we take to ensuring our dogs are not a menace to others.
If you grow up with animals that wonder around and kill - you will see this as normal and make the huge mistake of thinking that your idea of normal is "natural". At the same time my farmer friend grew up with that definition of normal, but could see past his programmed ideas, and choose to do what was right, and still make a good living. Not deterred by the ridicule of his fellow farmers who also thought organic farming was a phase that would go a way, he has stayed with his positive morals and lives a live I admire.
In my small area it is difficult to be different, by adhering to goals that others see as too much, or not needed or just strange. But I don't want to leave behind a legacy of thoughtlessness. As my Dad used to say "anyone can be average".

My former neighbor from next door, walked his cats on a lead to protect both the cats and the other critters. And believe it or not, someone in the new housing development near me is also walking his cats on leads. There are some people who not only think outside the box, disregarding the message in their head from childhood, but see themselves as stewards of nature, positive examples to their children, and members of a world we share not just with each other, but with lots of wonderful little things. Choosing to be part of the solution and not the problem, like my farmer friend takes courage. Outside of the Rush Limbaugh's of the world, who can say this is wrong. I applaud them. And I applaud my dogs.

tags: dogs nature harmony