It was with great sadness and great outrage, that we read and article on the forced extinction of certain breeds of dogs. Why, when we fight so hard to preserve species that are naturally, or due to man's interference becoming extinct, do we allow the forced extinction of man's best friend. It is man's greed and vanity that has placed God's creatures in this perilous state and it is man in his self-righteous arrogance, that deems himself worthy to decide who should live and who should not.

Some of the so-called undesirables on this list of dogs include the Pit Bull, the American Bull Terrier, the Kuvas, the Fila Brasiliero, the Rhodesian Ridgeback just to name a few. Certain countries including Germany, Holland and Britain have passed legislation requiring all litters to be registered and all pups to be neutered so as to move towards the permanent extinction of these breeds. In North America, government is already discussing the possible ban of "protection dog" breeds being owned by family or regular civilians. These dogs include the German Shepherd's Dog, the Rottweiler, the Doberman, the Malinois, the Dutch Shepherd's Dog etc. I have no doubt that these well-loved and dedicated animals will soon join the above on the forced extinction list.

Call to mind the German Shepherd's Dog, protector of hearth and home, guardian of children and flock. World renowned for his use in war efforts as sentry dog, scout dog, tracker dog and medic dog. Well known and utilized the world over as Rescue K-9, Therapy K-9, Assistance dog for the disabled, blind and deaf. Used extensively in narcotics detection, weapons detection, explosives detection, environmental detection and criminal apprehension. A dog of unquestioning loyalty, intelligence and devotion. Now imagine a world without this dog.

It is time for those who know to take a stand and for those who don't to wake up and smell the coffee. Every time government legislates something we loose another little freedom. The outbreak of dog bites today is man's fault not dogs. Weak people, weak breeders, weak handlers and weak parents have created the situation that exists today. If I as a child had gone up to a strange dog and been snapped at, I would have been disciplined by my parents for approaching a strange dog. This doesn't mean that dogs should snap at everything but it means people need to be more responsible with themselves and their children. If a dog growls at a child, the dog should be corrected for growling, the child should be disciplined for teasing the dog and both the handler and the parents must be aware of that which they are responsible for.

Weak and undisciplined breeders have caused an influx of weak nerved, brain dead dogs. Miss-informed trainers teach the miss-informed public. People come to us to have their dogs trained for protection work. They apply themselves with diligence to the part where the dog bites. NO ONE wants to do tracking or obedience under stress. No one wants to apply a correction to their dog if they move out of position in obedience work. We are affectionate to our dogs, we praise our dogs when they do well, but if you ask your dog to do a command, which he fully understands and he refuses, he must be corrected. If you are not in control of your dog, you are out of control.

When we have people here for training we often go off-site and are always witness to undisciplined dogs with undisciplined handlers in an undisciplined public. On one occasion we stopped outside a coffee shop for a break and sat outside the store with two German Shepherds and one Malinois. The dogs were all placed in a down stay. Two young people in their twenties walked out and upon seeing the dogs began pushing each other into the dogs and yelling, "look they're going to bite you". Our dogs simply looked at them and stayed in position. Had the dogs perceived a threat and alerted on these people, they would have been deemed vicious animals. Another time we went into a large pet store where our dogs walked at fuss and behaved in a mannerly fashion. Another women had two Australian Cattle dogs, one young and one older dog, dragging her through the store and lashing out non-stop at every animal they saw. The young dog learned this poor behavior from the older dog. At no time did this woman correct her dogs, she simply dragged them to another aisle where they were not able to see other dogs. If these dogs break free of her and attack another dog or, a child, it is not the dogs' fault but the handlers.

Many of you may not like the breeds you see on the list, but they have received a bad wrap due to poor handling, poor breeding and irresponsible ownership. The Pit Bull is an excellent example. These dogs are not naturally people aggressive they are animal aggressive and if they are well socialized around animals, as with any other dog, they are solid around other animals. The owner and trainer of a Pit Bull make it people aggressive or animal aggressive. Brain dead people make brain dead dogs. Certain breeds have inherent breed characteristics. If you don't want an animal aggressive dog, don't buy a breed used to hunt large game and always socialize your dog well around other animals. If you don't want a protective dog, don't buy a herding or otherwise protective breed. If you just want a pet, then please, buy a lap dog, remembering that many of the small lap breeds are nippy. Don't allow your dogs to run at large, especially if you have no off- lead control. Don't feel it is your right or your child's right to pet a stranger's dog. You wouldn't like it if a stranger hugged your child, we don't like it when you, without permission, pet our dogs. If you want to pet a dog, buy your own, and for God's sake accept the responsibility that goes with it.

In my opinion, we have permitted for far too long, the weak minded people in our society to pass laws, which rob us of our freedoms, among which are our freedoms to think and make mistakes. It is time for us, who have stayed quiet for so long to stand up for our rights while we still have some. Orwell's 1984, where he speaks of a mindless society is not too far around the corner. We have permitted the very weak in our society to impose their distorted views in our schools, in our churches, in our public places, in our homes and now upon our dogs. The loss of a true companion and friend such as the dog will bring about the end to our freedoms. Responsibility cannot be legislated. Just take a look at what our world has become by letting these politicians and people make it into what they deem a better place. The Prozac they have given our children, they now tell us to give our dogs. We have to, if we are serious begin to stand up for the truth. The very people that breed weak, unstable dogs are the people that want to legislate and control our rights over dogs that are bred properly.

Remember laws have no conscience, nor do they have a thought process. What once was passed to protect, is now passed to control. I hope sincerely, that this letter is read globally by those of us that believe our dogs, our homes, our families, our schools and our churches should be left untouched by the cancer that is rapidly growing in our once great country. I do not want, nor will I live in a world of weak, spineless individuals who through legislation and special interest groups want to destroy the norm, thus making their weakness and distorted view the norm.

What is happening around us is frightening because the pace of this madness is increasing. Innocent people that have large breeds are often looked upon as being criminal. The American Pit Bull Terrier was the first breed of dog to serve as a war dog for the United States of America in World War I. Of course many will say that was then, the world has changed, this is now. I will agree the world has changed and it is time to change it back. Back to the foundation of responsibility where our children learn to read and write in school, where our homes and families were our business and our responsibility. Where our churches were not afraid to preach the truth and our politicians were responsible and respectable individuals not criminals. A time when responsible people took responsibility for their actions and government legislation had nothing to do with our rights and privileges.... A time when government worked for us, the people. A time when we were not over-ridden by them..... A time when the inmates where not permitted to run the asylum.

Rights and privileges such as owning a dog is the responsibility of the individual. If he proves he cannot own a dog, or parent a child, or drive a car, or own a firearm, then the law will decide on him as an individual not on the masses as it is being done today. We didn't move when they took away our right to raise our children responsibly. We didn't move when they took away our rights to protect ourselves. Perhaps we'll grumble now when they threaten to take away our best friend and guardian. If we don't then we will get exactly what we deserve. An unfortunately and sadly, noble breeds of service dogs will suffer and get what they don't deserve. Those weak ones who would bring us down to their level have created a world up side down, where people are afraid to be strong, afraid to be individuals, afraid to stand up for their beliefs. Soon even letters like this will be deemed to be unsuitable.

We, in closing, anxiously await any and all replies to this letter and hope that as you reach down and pat the head of the noble creature that shares your life, that you will not permit this atrocity to go on any longer without confronting it. It is always harder to swim upstream, but the reward is the mountaintops and the river source.

Written by Mike McConnery