Sunday, March 13 marks the 74th anniversary of establishing
the K9 Corps in the US Army or the National K9 Veterans day.
In 1942 the American Kennel Club helped create “Dogs for
Defense,” a civilian group that trained dogs as sentries to help patrol US
coastline. The US Army approved the experimental program and created the K9
Corps.
The K9 Corps initially trained 32 different breeds, by 1944
the number dropped to seven.
Military dogs are usually non-commissioned officers one
rank higher than their handlers. According to CNN, some say this is meant to
prevent handlers from mistreating their K9 partners.
The Army used about 1500 dogs during the Korean War and
about 4000 in Vietnam.
Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer,” made headlines when a
dog appeared on his show attacking a pig. According to TMZ, an investigation is
underway by LA County Animal Control. Officials visited Millan’s dog training
center in Santa Clarita, California. Millan was not present, but has been given
24 hours to respond. The call was due to a barrage of complaints flooding in
when Millan’s show, Cesar 911, featured the dog attacking and injuring a pig
during a training session.
Millan is staunchly defended by NatGeoWild, which airs the
show on its channel. But dog trainers all over the country are saying they have
been trying to get the message across about Millan’s methods for the past
decade.
According to NBC Los Angeles, professional dog trainer
Laura Nativo has helped organize a petitioncalling for the cancellation of Millan’s show. Close to
10,000 people have signed it so far.
Other trainers have echoed these sentiments for years,
according to an article by author and internationally acclaimed trainer Jean
Donaldson on UrbanDawgs.com.
According to Donaldson, Lisa Laney Patrona, a certified
professional dog trainer and a graduate of the Companion Animal Sciences
Institute, wrote a letter to National Geographic prior to the airing of The Dog
Whisperer.
“The intended program depicts aversive and abusive training
methods – treatment for some serious anxiety and fear based issues – being
administered by an individual with no formal education whatsoever in canine
behavioral sciences. The ‘results’ that are shown are more than likely not long
lasting changes, but the result of learned helplessness, or fatigue, neither of
which impact behavior to any significant long term degree – at least not in a
good way. For those of us who are pioneering the effort to end the ignorance
that drives the cruel treatment administered upon our canine companions, it is
disappointing to see that this programming will reach the masses – especially
on the NatGeo Channel. The ignorance that this program perpetuates will give
equally ignorant people the green light to subject their dogs to abuse. In turn
these dogs will react even more defensively, will bite more people – and end up
dead.”
In a 2006 article in the New York Times, Mark Derr called
Milan’s program a “pack of lies.” He points out the sexist angle of Millan’s
training.
“Women are the worst offenders in his world. In one of the
outtakes included in the four-DVD set of the first season of Dog Whisperer, Mr.
Millan explains that a woman is ‘the only species that is wired different from
the rest.’ And a ‘woman always applies affection before discipline,’ he says.
‘Man applies discipline then affection, so we’re more psychological than
emotional. All animals follow dominant leaders; they don’t follow lovable
leaders.'”
In a 2011 blog article by the Huffington Post titled “First
Do No Harm,” Law and Order actor and “dog worshiper” Richard Belzer calls out
National Geographic for sponsoring Millan.
“The fact that the Dog Whisperer has been nominated for an
Emmy should give serious pause to all those in the business who are about to
vote for the awards. Dog owners and dog lovers would be disturbingly misled if
Mr. Millan and his program are honored in such a high-profile way.”
Chiming in with countless other statements, Dr. Nicholas
Dodman, a professor and the head of Animal Behavior at Tufts University, wrote,
“Cesar Millan’s methods are based on flooding and punishment. The results,
though immediate, will be only transitory. His methods are misguided, outmoded,
in some cases dangerous, and often inhumane. You would not want to be a dog
under his sphere of influence. The sad thing is that the public does not
recognize the error of his ways. My college thinks it is a travesty. We’ve
written to National Geographic Channel and told them they have put dog training
back 20 years.”
The recent episode where the pig was attacked is not the
first time that animal professionals have waved the red flag about Millan. The
question is, will National Geographic finally take notice?
Update:
In a report by Fox News, Cesar Millan stated that the
public’s reaction to the pig incident was overblown.
“I do have a large group of fans and a small group of
people who don’t agree with me. They are taking this the wrong way and blowing
it way out of proportion.”
Watch the pig-biting incident in this video by Inside
Edition.
Our department is mourning the loss of one of our K9s. Arko
passed away on Wednesday. He was the devoted partner of Sergeant Alix
Braunstein of our Special Operations Division.
Arko was a patrol and drug detection K9. He served the
community from 2007 until his retirement in January of this year. Sergeant
Braunstein called Arko a loyal and kindhearted dog, adding "Our first
night out together we found 76 grams of marijuana in a backpack in the trunk of
a car.
He was all about work and loved doing it." Arko was 10
years old. He will be greatly missed by the K9 Section and all who knew and
loved him.
Before they wrap up a probe into allegations of animal
cruelty involving “dog whisperer” Cesar Millan, Los Angeles County animal
control officials want to see the pot-bellied pig that was attacked by a French
bulldog mix during a TV episode.
Investigators also want the names of everyone who appeared
on the Feb. 26 episode of National Geographic Wild’s “Cesar 911” show.
Then they will decide whether the canine-on-swine-related
violence rises to the level of a crime, officials said Friday.
“We know what we saw, and if you saw the entire video, then
you know what we know,” said Aaron Reyes, deputy director for the County of
L.A. Department of Animal Care and Control. “There’s no question that what happened.
A dog under Cesar Millan’s control escaped and attacked another live animal, in
this case a pot-bellied pig.”
In a statement, National Geographic Wild does not dispute
that the French bulldog mix, named Simon, attacked the pig during training. The
dog reportedly bit the pig in the ear, drawing blood. Later in the episode, the
same pig appears to be leashed to the dog on a walk around a pen in an attempt
to train it to co-exist with pigs – which was a big problem for Simon.
But Reyes said context is important in investigating
allegations of animal cruelty, which were lodged Thursday by an animal rights
activist who saw the episode.
“The dog that was in question, that Cesar was attempting to
train, broke away from him in the video, and immediately charged the pig. Now,
what we’re hearing from the [complaining party] is that the biggest concern is
someone had that pig, a male adult was holding one of those pigs, those rear
legs, and holding the pig up, which made the pig squeal, which made the dog
into a frenzy. And it immediately charged at that pig. And the dog attacked,”
Reyes said.
In 2014, a pair of mated Bald Eagles chose the most idyllic
of nest sites within the United States’ National Capital (Washington, DC),
nestled high in a Tulip Poplar tree amongst the Azalea Collection at the U.S.
National Arboretum, which is operated by the United States Department of
Agriculture. This is the first Bald Eagle pair to nest in this location since
1947. The two Eagles have been iconically named “Mr. President” and “The First
Lady.” Join us in viewing the most patriotic nest cam in the United States, 24
hours a day.
We are officially on egg-watch alert! Egg #1 is expected to
hatch as early as Tuesday March 15th. If you want to try and guess the hatch
dates/times of the eggs, hashtag #dceaglecam on Twitter, Instagram, and
Facebook with your prediction (Eastern Standard Time).
A rescued baby elephant has found his new crush and it
isn't another elephant. Get ready for four perfect minutes of love, cuddles,
and friendship when this baby elephant falls head over hooves for a human. He
even tries to sit on his lap! Who wouldn't want a baby elephant to fall in love
with them?
