Marching for dogs

On Tuesday 30th July, I marched with my two young children, along with several thousand other dog lovers up the main street in central Auckland, New Zealand. To be precise we were marching to prevent the testing of party pills on animals, especially dogs. Currently it’s being looked into on a Government level, so now was the time to act. (A great dog training tip: act early rather than late!)

Raising awareness

I made the decision to become a part of the march to help raise awareness and ensure that the best decision is made regarding this issue. It was important to make people realise that this law was currently being considered and should not be allowed to sneak in under the radar without anyone realising it had done so. I will not go into the details of what is being suggested other than it’s torturous and fatal for dogs or any other animals and an alternative MUST be found. Although thousands marched, there were many more people completely unaware of both the march and the issues being talked about. So if you are not up to date with what is going on then check out my Facebook page or follow this link STOPPartyPillTestingOnAnimalsNZ and you can keep in touch with what is happening.

What will you do?

Sometimes it’s important that we make the effort and use our freedom to keep pushing what we believe in. Albert Einstein’s words rang through my head this week as I thought about what to do… “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”

Learn to trust your gut feel

There was always something about this cause, which struck both me and many other people, and that was just how morally wrong we felt such testing would be. Sometimes you just know that it is not acceptable. The feeling’s not so much in your head but in your heart and your gut. As humans we often ignore such feelings and emotions, however as a dog trainer it’s by learning to tap into them more that you will develop your intuition and reconnect with your instincts. This is what will help you read and understand your dog better. Dogs are instinctual, they feel what is happening, they pick up on the mood and then respond, rather than waiting to be told about it.

What would your dog think?

It’s sometimes a big decision to get involved. It’s often easier just to support from afar or just spectate. However for me as a self-proclaimed dog lover to watch and do nothing just didn’t sit well with me (yes, it was that gut feel again that spurred me into action!). Whilst my dogs would not judge me, and would probably never know that I had failed to play a part in helping their fellow dog mates, I felt that I owed it to them to join in. After all, the fact that they were not the helpless creatures being tested on was more down to luck than anything else.

The morals of a country

The answers are not always easy or obvious. There is always a cost, a compromise, somebody has to give a little and perfect solutions are not always readily available. The answer though is certainly not to make the animals pay the whole cost with their lives. As the great Mahatma Ghandi once said… “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Some things in life are worth standing up against. It felt good to stand up for the dogs we love so much – animals whose only voice is ours. I truly believe if the shoe were on the other foot, there would be many more dogs marching for our human rights. Makes you wonder doesn’t it, how far have we really come?

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Take care out there, and stand up for your dog's rights!

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