#1 - cathy miller said:
2007-08-10 09:50 - (Reply)

When you consider the number of dogs we have in New Zealand sharing our lives on a daily basis, the majority of which are well-cared for and managed responsibly, I believe that it is unfortunately, unavoidable that these attacks and challenges happen from time to time. The only way forward to prevent these attacks from happening at all is by education, beginning at early childhood level. I speak from 20 years of experience, having worked at the coal face as a Dog Control and Animal Welfare Officer and from there, moving on to a position of Team Leader, running the local Authority Kennels. In that role I was often involved, along with my staff and volunteers, with looking after and dealing with dangerous dogs and difficult owners, frequently in a very volatile and hostile environment. Whilst employed in that role, I saw the need to educate dog owners and potential dog owners as to the responsibility that goes with owning a dog, in order to prevent the sort of behavioural problems happening that are so evident in both owners AND dogs today! Being a pro-active person, I approached local primary and high schools plus Unitec, with a view to setting up a program whereby children attended the Centre and learnt first-hand about animals and the responsibility that went with owning an animal. This of course meant not just dogs, but cats as well, as they are also a huge understated problem, as so often they are dumped and abandoned, left to fend for themselves as best they can and in their bid for survival, cause huge problems when it comes to the killing of native wildlife. As a nation, I believe it is our collective responsibility to teach children that all life should be respected and only by doing this will we instrument change. We have to change our attitudes and culture towards how we view each other and our pets, and only when we do this, through education, will we move forward and become a more tolerant and caring society. Be Pro-active, Not Re-active! Cathy Miller