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A poem/blogpost from cynopolis.fr, translated from the French original. Copyright Elsa Weiss.
I am a 21st century dog
I am a Malinois.
Gifted among dogs, I shine in all disciplines and I am always ready to work. Today, I am asked to lounge on the couch all day.
I am an Akita Inu.
An outstanding hunting dog, my ancestors were also used for dogfighting. Today, I am asked to be tolerant with my peers, and I am criticized for my reactivity when one of them approaches me.
I am a Beagle.
When I was chasing my prey, I gave voice so the hunters could follow me. I led the dance. Today, they put me on an electric collar to keep me quiet, and they want me to come to the reminder of a snap of the fingers.
I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a formidable rat hunter in the English mines. Today, they think I'm not able to use my paws and they always keep me in their arms.
I am a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dip in a pond to bring back to my master the duck he has just shot. Today, we forget that I was a sports dog, I'm obese and I have to play the children's nanny.
I am a Jack Russell.
I can stand up to a fox bigger than me in its own burrow. Today, they reproach me for my bad temper and they want to make me a lap dog.
I am a Siberian Husky.
I experienced the wide open spaces of northern Russia, where I could tow sleds at impressive speed. Today, my only horizon is the walls of the garden, and my only occupation is the holes I dig in the ground.
I am a Border Collie.
I am made to work eight hours a day, and I am an incomparable artist of herding work. Today, they blame me because, for lack of sheep, I try to control bicycles, cars, children in the house, and everything that is in motion.
I'm...
I'm a 21st century dog.
I'm beautiful, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I fit in a bag… but I'm also an individual who needs to express his instincts, and I'm not adapted to the sedentary life you want me to lead. Spending eight hours a day alone in the garden, seeing you a little in the evening when you come home and having the right for all activity only to take a little hygienic walk will make me deeply unhappy. I'll express it by barking all day long, turning your yard into a minefield, defecating indoors, being unmanageable the few times I find myself outside, and, sometimes, spending my days slumped on my cushion. You will then think that I am happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work: in reality, I will be in full depression.
If you like me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful azure eyes or my athletic look appeal to you, but you can't offer me a real dog's life, a life that is really worth to be lived, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes demand… then give up on me. If you like my look but you are not ready to accept my character traits resulting from rigorous genetic selection, and that you think you can change me with only your good will... then give up on me. I am a 21st century dog, yes. But, crouching deep inside me, still slumbers the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided a herd. And, sooner or later, he will wake up. For better or for worse.
Sadly, many dogs are now poorly bred and lack the capability to do what they originally did. You won't find many really good GSD lines, Doberman lines, etc. Malinois have become the latest "flavor of the month" and are a prime example. The breed has been made popular in the movies "Dog" and "John Wick 3." A well bred Malinois (generally not an AKC dog where conformance, not performance is the biggest concern) is getting more difficult to find these days. Bred to work, they have insane amounts of energy, drive and is ready to go 24/7. They require significant training and mental/physical stimulation. People want them and then quickly find out that they are in way over their heads...in the end a lot of dogs end up in a shelter and breeders start breeding for color, and lower drives....trying to turn them into pets. The breed will be much different in 20 years than it is today. We've seen this happen with many, many breeds.
A poem/blogpost from cynopolis.fr, translated from the French original. Copyright Elsa Weiss.
I am a 21st century dog
I am a Malinois.
Gifted among dogs, I shine in all disciplines and I am always ready to work. Today, I am asked to lounge on the couch all day.
I am an Akita Inu.
An outstanding hunting dog, my ancestors were also used for dogfighting. Today, I am asked to be tolerant with my peers, and I am criticized for my reactivity when one of them approaches me.
I am a Beagle.
When I was chasing my prey, I gave voice so the hunters could follow me. I led the dance. Today, they put me on an electric collar to keep me quiet, and they want me to come to the reminder of a snap of the fingers.
I am a Yorkshire Terrier.
I was a formidable rat hunter in the English mines. Today, they think I'm not able to use my paws and they always keep me in their arms.
I am a Labrador Retriever.
My vision of happiness is a dip in a pond to bring back to my master the duck he has just shot. Today, we forget that I was a sports dog, I'm obese and I have to play the children's nanny.
I am a Jack Russell.
I can stand up to a fox bigger than me in its own burrow. Today, they reproach me for my bad temper and they want to make me a lap dog.
I am a Siberian Husky.
I experienced the wide open spaces of northern Russia, where I could tow sleds at impressive speed. Today, my only horizon is the walls of the garden, and my only occupation is the holes I dig in the ground.
I am a Border Collie.
I am made to work eight hours a day, and I am an incomparable artist of herding work. Today, they blame me because, for lack of sheep, I try to control bicycles, cars, children in the house, and everything that is in motion.
I'm...
I'm a 21st century dog.
I'm beautiful, I'm alert, I'm obedient, I fit in a bag… but I'm also an individual who needs to express his instincts, and I'm not adapted to the sedentary life you want me to lead. Spending eight hours a day alone in the garden, seeing you a little in the evening when you come home and having the right for all activity only to take a little hygienic walk will make me deeply unhappy. I'll express it by barking all day long, turning your yard into a minefield, defecating indoors, being unmanageable the few times I find myself outside, and, sometimes, spending my days slumped on my cushion. You will then think that I am happy to be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work: in reality, I will be in full depression.
If you like me, if you've always dreamed of me, if my beautiful azure eyes or my athletic look appeal to you, but you can't offer me a real dog's life, a life that is really worth to be lived, and if you can't offer me the job that my genes demand… then give up on me. If you like my look but you are not ready to accept my character traits resulting from rigorous genetic selection, and that you think you can change me with only your good will... then give up on me. I am a 21st century dog, yes. But, crouching deep inside me, still slumbers the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who guided a herd. And, sooner or later, he will wake up. For better or for worse.
Excellent post and right on the money!! The dogs with the best attitudes are the ones that are made part of the family and not a diversion when someone feels they need one.
Sadly, many dogs are now poorly bred and lack the capability to do what they originally did. . . .an AKC dog where conformance, not performance is the biggest concern . . . Bred to work, they have insane amounts of energy, drive and is ready to go 24/7. They require significant training and mental/physical stimulation. People want them and then quickly find out that they are in way over their heads . . .
Totally agree. There is an upside, in a dark way: breeding for conformation (looks) and suitability for the pet life makes better PETS. I hate, though, that the working dogs end up being lost because of it. Another thing to remember is that the ways of life that made space for the success and usefulness of those working dogs are mostly gone. All those places and times, where using a dog made good sense, have practically disappeared.
The Welsh Sheepdog people may have the right idea to help counteract this trend. They only started trying to revive the breed in the late 90's. IIRC, they were down to something like 5-600 potential breeding dogs. As I understand it, they insist pups go to working situations when possible, and breeding stock comes ONLY from a working situation. That means function comes first. I'm in the US, not Wales, so I could have that wrong. However, in the US, with similar working breeds, there are individual breeders who attempt to do something like that, but no organized movement promoting it.
Meh... All I see is happy dogs and loving owners. Dog's don't care what they were bred to do. They just want safety, comfort, food, shelter, and most of all to be with their owners.
I think the only real sin today with dogs is neglect. Don't get a dog and leave it tied to a post in the yard 24/7. Dogs need frequent interaction with their owners.
The OP's poem serves as a reminder to good owners, that we have to be sensitive to a breed's purpose and characteristics, and not get a dog strictly out of looks and try to turn it into a stuffed animal for cuddles. Breed characteristics matter. Dogs can take a wide variety of lifestyles despite being bred for a narrow range of specific duties.
It is OK. It won't hurt them.
I am pretty sure most owners are decent and most dogs are pretty happy with them. You don't have to move to Alaska and buy a sled just because you rescued a Malamute from the shelter.
Meh... All I see is happy dogs and loving owners. Dog's don't care what they were bred to do. They just want safety, comfort, food, shelter, and most of all to be with their owners.
I think the only real sin today with dogs is neglect. Don't get a dog and leave it tied to a post in the yard 24/7. Dogs need frequent interaction with their owners.
The OP's poem serves as a reminder to good owners, that we have to be sensitive to a breed's purpose and characteristics, and not get a dog strictly out of looks and try to turn it into a stuffed animal for cuddles. Breed characteristics matter. Dogs can take a wide variety of lifestyles despite being bred for a narrow range of specific duties.
It is OK. It won't hurt them.
I am pretty sure most owners are decent and most dogs are pretty happy with them. You don't have to move to Alaska and buy a sled just because you rescued a Malamute from the shelter.
I came back to this thread to post something along those same lines. The French reminder is beautifully conceived, and a nice reminder, but it is a bit condescending, and doesn't take into account that the various breeds were manipulated by humans working with the original wolf descendant. So one could write an admonishing poem reminding breeders of the "inner wolf."
Dogs are incredibly adaptable, probably as much as humans. We're moving toward a new "breed" of domestic companion dog, living inside the home with their humans, sharing our lives, and communicating at a level unimaginable for all other nonhuman species. Many dog owners today understand that. If humans would rise to the occasion and (like another poem says) be the human your dog thinks you are, then we'd have really happy dogs...
Growing up we always had beagles because my dad hunted rabbits. When it wasn’t hunting season he took them daily to the country to run. My son adopted a husky/shepherd mix and took him on long hikes on weekend and long walks during the week.
I inherited him when he was 9 and luckily I could still fast walk 5 miles a day because that’s what he needed. Now I have 2 Maltese lap dogs that can only walk 1.5 miles because that’s the stage of life I am at.
Meh... All I see is happy dogs and loving owners. Dog's don't care what they were bred to do. They just want safety, comfort, food, shelter, and most of all to be with their owners.
I think the only real sin today with dogs is neglect. Don't get a dog and leave it tied to a post in the yard 24/7. Dogs need frequent interaction with their owners.
The OP's poem serves as a reminder to good owners, that we have to be sensitive to a breed's purpose and characteristics, and not get a dog strictly out of looks and try to turn it into a stuffed animal for cuddles. Breed characteristics matter. Dogs can take a wide variety of lifestyles despite being bred for a narrow range of specific duties.
It is OK. It won't hurt them.
I am pretty sure most owners are decent and most dogs are pretty happy with them. You don't have to move to Alaska and buy a sled just because you rescued a Malamute from the shelter.
No, it doesn’t have to be literally the same purpose. As a matter of fact, I know someone who adopted an abandoned purebred Malamute. The dog has lived contentedly along the southern CA coast and then in a temperate, wet (but not snowy) part of the PNW. The dog gets exercise and companionship.
BUT people also need to look at the entire package that goes with the breed. Years ago on a very hot day (90+ degrees), I was mtn biking and came upon a lush-coated Malamute lying exhausted on the trail side, panting like crazy, with his idiotic owner yelling at the dog to get up and resume running by him as he biked. The owner drank from HIS water bottle and the dog had NO WATER. I couldn’t believe he was being so sadistic.
So, yeah, that dog was getting (forced) exercise, probably because the owner could not keep him at home while he was gone for hours without the dog destroying something. But the exercise was cruelly unrealistic given the conditions, the heavy coat, and lack of water.
Also, even in the extremely cold parts of the world, Malamutes were the heavy haulers, not the runners (Siberian Huskies).
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