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By Reed Seifert Let’s start with a quick narrative to set the scene- the story of Rudy and Louie. As a child I was desperate to bring a furry companion into my life, so at the tender age of 10 I lobbied my parents relentlessly to get a dog. I used all the plays in the play book and pulled every trick from my sleeve, and eventually they caved. I was thrilled to have gotten my way, however my mother and father agreed on one condition- the dog was to be kept in a kennel in the garage. Unfazed by this stipulation we bought our first dog, a Yellow Lab bred specifically for hunting and named him Rudy. My life was complete with the new addition to the family, or so I thought. When Rudy became too large to keep in the house my parents enacted their one condition, and bought a 9’ x 6’ kennel for the garage. Five years later my younger sister began to press our parents for her own dog. She must have taken notes on my tactics, because she too was successful. Her breed of choice was a cute little white Cavachon with big black eyes and a round face. The fur ball named Louie quickly earned the nickname “Lou-cifer” for his constant carpet-pooping, carpet-peeing, and (worst of all) sock-eating tendencies. Despite all the mayhem and destruction Louie brought to our house, he received the keys to the castle. And so I thought, “Why was Rudy locked in a 50 Square foot kennel eating kibble, while Louie lived in our 2,000 Square foot house eating home cooked dog food?” This is the question prompted my research into how socially constructed roles for dogs have led to such a radical disparity in living conditions. The hunter and the companionWhen I first started to question why Rudy and Louie were treated so radically different, I looked for physical differences in the dogs themselves. In appearance Rudy is large, slender and beady-eyed while Louie was the opposite: small, fluffy and big-eyed. This led me to believe the physical attributes of companion dogs and hunting dogs are noticeably different. To begin let's look at the physical attributes of the top three hunting dogs: Labrador Retriever, German Shorthair, and Brittney (www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/8-excellent-bird-hunter-breeds/). These breeds are noticeably large, with an average weight of an adult male being 63lbs. In comparison when you examine the most popular companion dogs you’ll notice that among familiar names like the Labrador and Golden Retrievers, a stark trend appears. 10 of the 20 most popular comapnion dog breeds share an average height of only 13” and 25lbs as adult weight (www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/breed-weight-chart/), half the size of most hunting dogs! These small dog breeds include the Spaniels, Shih Tzu, and Beagle to name a few. How have such dog breeds became so differentiated? In examination of the genomic mapping of the canine family, researchers have found profound trends caused by human intervention. A study conducted by Dr. Heidi G. Parker of the National Human Genome Research Institute found that early breeds were genetically similar, however as time progressed geographic areas claimed their own breed of dogs for either domestic comfort, or utility (such as farming or hunting). As inbreeding strengthened physical characteristics, breeds became dramatically different depending on where the dog was from and what the assigned “purpose” was. Eventually breeds became so independent that the genomic variation rose to 25%+ (In comparison, all humans are within 5-10% of the same genetic code) (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3559126/). The physical attributes that define small companion dogs and large hunting dogs is not of canine nature, but of human intervention. Collectively, our ancestors constructed social norms that made it possible to define Rudy as the hunter and Louie as the companion. Rudy the Plebeian, and Louie the Patrician As previously discussed human intervention led to the dramatically different physical traits of both Rudy and Louie, but why is one set of attributes acceptable in the house and the other damned to eternity in the garage? I believe there to be a strong correlation between animals with human characteristics and the attention received from its owner. What is a companion animal? As defined by the ASPCA companion animals are any domesticated animals whose physical, emotional, behavioral and social needs can be readily met as companions in the home (http://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/definition-companion-animal). Lets see how Rudy and Louie vary under the scope of these traits. After examining these personality traits (social/behavioral) it is apparent that Louie’s temperament makes him an adequate companion pet, however many of these characteristics are developed by years of human interaction. Some may argue that Rudy’s behavioral variance stems from a life of solitude being treated as “the hunting dog”. Again, the social constructs first given to Rudy distanced him from our attention, potentially leading to many of his social and behavioral traits. Despite the difference in personality, the most apparent distinction between Louie and Rudy is the “cute factor”. Think of something cute. What are some adjectives that describe what you are thinking of? Small? Big-eyes? Fluffy? According to Dr. Eloise Stark humans innately sympathize with things that remind of us babies. Things like kittens and puppies tend to have exaggerated human characteristics such as round faces and large eyes thus are more likely to receive our attention (www.animalsandsociety.org/asinsight/the-cute-factor/). This cute factor obviously played into the selective breeding of the Cavachon that is Louie. From home cooked dog food & a heated dog bed to the mountain of toys- Louie is treated as the spoiled patrician of our home. Why every dog deserves a standard living conditionUnder a socially conscious lens, you may look at the disparity in living conditions between Rudy and Louie as a product of many different social constructs. From our self-interested intervention, selective breeding has assigned both physical and psychological traits to various breeds. When the value and purpose of a dog relies solely on its pedigree, so does it’s living condition. Dogs bred for hunting experience a dramatically different quality of life than those bred specifically for companionship and my example of Rudy is only the tip of the iceberg. Take for example the culture of southern deer hunting, where hunting dogs are seen almost entirely as a piece of expendable equipment. The Carolina TAILS, an Animal Society Publication based in South Carolina, did an investigative piece on the trends surrounding hunting dog abandonment. Citing various kennels across southern states, the end of deer hunting season correlates directly with an astonishing spike in hunting hounds being dropped off or found abandoned. One such Carolina kennel reported nearly 300 hunting hounds in January of 2017 (www.carolinatails.org/many-hunting-dogs-flooding-area-shelters/). Not only are the dogs abandon, they also showed signs of abuse and maltreatment such as splayed feet, scarred and ripped ears, untreated wounds, visible ribs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, are the Louies of the world. The pampering of small dog breeds translates directly to the longevity of life. One study published in the Journal of Gerontology revealed that smaller, purebred dogs were more likely to avoid euthanasia when faced with terminal ailments (http://www.academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article-pdf/52A/3/B171/1667649/52A-3-B171.pdf). In similar circumstances I can only Imagine that many hunting dogs would receive the old euphemism and be put out to pasture. I thoroughly believe that the disparity between the quality of life for hunting dogs, and that of companion dogs results from our socially constructed views of various dog breeds. I think that it is unfair and unethical of us to breed dogs for an intended purpose, and in turn construct drastically different standards for how they are to be treated. Every breed from Chihuahua to Mastiff is a result of our intervention and should be treated equally regardless of the reason. The physical, behavioral and emotional characteristics of Rudy and Louie vary drastically, but the care they deserve should not. References“2018 Most Popular Dog Breeds.” American Kennel Club, www.akc.org/most-popular-breeds/2018-full-list/. Akc. “Breed Weight Chart.” American Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, 24 Oct. 2017, www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/breed-weight-chart/. Asiadmin. “The Cute Factor - Welcome to Animals & Society Institute: Ann Arbor Michigan.” Welcome to Animals & Society Institute | Ann Arbor Michigan, 6 Oct. 2016, www.animalsandsociety.org/asinsight/the-cute-factor/. “Definition of Companion Animal.” ASPCA, www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/definition-companion-animal. Errico, Teresa. “Why Are so Many Hunting Dogs Flooding Area Shelters?” Carolina Tails Magazine, 3 Apr. 2018, carolinatails.org/many-hunting-dogs-flooding-area-shelters/. Gary J. Patronek, et al. “Comparative Longevity of Pet Dogs and Humans: Implications for Gerontology Research.” Academic.oup.com, 1997, academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article-pdf/52A/3/B171/1667649/52A-3-B171.pdf. Kriss, Randa. “8 Breeds That Are Excellent Bird Hunters.” American Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, 14 May 2018, www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/8-excellent-bird-hunter-breeds/. Parker, Heidi G. “Genomic Analyses of Modern Dog Breeds.” Mammalian Genome : Official Journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3559126/. Saini, Angela. “The Code for Cuteness.” BBC Earth, BBC Earth, 6 Apr. 2017, www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=the-code-for-cuteness Author BioHello! My Name is Reed Seifert. When this blog post was written I was a Senior at Minnesota State University Mankato studying Business. Originally from Minnesota, I have interacted with Animals through hunting, fishing and being a companion animal owner. This blog post was written about two of my dogs who experience living with our family in drastically different ways.
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