Breedism

Hello everybody and welcome to my new 'sam sketches' blog. For my first blog I'd like to share with you all an article and illustration I wrote and sketched about breedism. read on and enjoy...hopefully!!

In this day and age racism is severely frowned upon or any form of discrimination due to race, religion or sexual preference. But yet in 2011 a form of discrimination against our kinds so called ‘best friend’ is still very apparent. The Control of dog’s Regulations states that certain breeds are required to have their mouths covered by a muzzle. Some of the dogs required to do this are German Shepherds,Dobermans and Rottweillers. So forget judging by the colour of skin, these three black and tan breeds are almost discriminated for the colour of their fur! These dogs along with some other breeds such as bull mastiffs are targeted in what has been branded ‘breedism’ - discriminating against a dog solely due to their breed.

So yes, we have all heard the stories of dogs such as German shepherds attacking and in some cases killing people, but there are far more stories in the paper about white Irish people killing and raping but yet I am not made wear a muzzle because I’m the same race as them! Seem fair?

In my personal experience, my own dog Sophie a 45kg German shepherd is the perfect example of the term ‘gentle giant’. A growl is something not in her vocabulary as over the last 8 years she’s became a big favourite of the kids of the neighbourhood and the adults for that matter. She’s even sparked up an unlikely bond with our postman who has been known to bring her biscuits on occasions.

In reality, dogs such as Jack Russell’s (who suffer severely from small mans syndrome) and Dalmatians who are proven to be more aggressive and both are more likely to bite, growl and snarl at you!.The the latter are known to the public as the lovable puppies in Disney classic 101 Dalmations but German Shepherds are thought of as the German guard dogs during WW2. it’s no wonder they are unfairly treated!.

I think that the case of nature versus nurture comes into play as I feel it’s all about how the dog has been raised and not just the type of breed of dog they are. Of course, a Rottweiler raised as a guard dog in a junkyard is going to be dangerous but so would a collie or poodle if it was raised without love or affection, as would a human being. I think this law should be changed so that these so called ‘dangerous dogs’ are judged for their temperament and not just because of their bloodline.