It is hard to
find a place these days, where there are no dogs around.
Perhaps no one of those reading this article would want to
live in such a place, not in a life time! On the other hand,
disputes on the problem “dog in town” do not tend to cease.
In connection to this a number of matters are mentioned,
namely: hygiene, noise outgoing from dogs, dog bites.
Priority in discussing of these matters may vary from one
town to another depending on a situation and cultural level,
but generally the problem exists and occupies people’s
minds.
The group of
professional dog-breeders has emerged almost out of nowhere and
is now rapidly developing, new ways of selection are mastered,
and our native species are very well displayed at international
bench-shows.
In Moscow these
days there are lots of opportunities for dog-owners of which one
could only dream of for instance 15 years ago. Firstly, the
problem of transportation of dogs is settled on the legislative
level. The dog is no longer an impediment depriving the owner of
a dog of a possibility to move around only by a car or a taxi.
It is now allowed to stay with a dog at a hotel, to visit
cafeterias and shops (except for places where it is prohibited
by special tablets).Lots of bench-shows are held annually, a
specialized dog-shops’ network is functioning in towns; every
district has emergency veterinary stations.
In whole,
maintenance of the dog in Moscow proves to be qualitative and
does not differ in any way from those in Europe or in the US.
It is not by an
accident that the problem of “a dog in the city” has not yet
been raised. There is no such problem, but there is a problem of
“double standard” on determination of moral and legal treatment
of certain issue. The problem of double standards is old enough
and is pressing with reference to dogs. Let us apply it to a
simple example. It is of common knowledge that it is inhumane to
cut short dog tails and ears, besides it is quite troublesome.
However, castration is widely used with respect to dogs. Humane
enough? Hardly! Instead, it is very convenient for the dog-owner
– no problems with puppies, sexual attraction, and smooth
behavior. Get a dog or a cat, cut of all unnecessary attachments
and enjoy the company of a friend. Everybody is happy. Nobody is
outraged. Complete triumph of humanism. Many people are not
overjoyed with a noise produced by a dog. But what if one’s
apartment windows are close to the railway? And every night a
locomotive is gasping outside your windows in a middle of a
night at three a.m., when it is time for sleep. Why doesn’t it
occur to anybody to fight with Ministry of railroad
communications and demand for locomotives to be quiet from 23.00
p.m. till 8.00 a.m. In many countries dogs of potentially
dangerous species are prohibited. Every event connected with a
dog bite is widely displayed in a press with maximum naturalism
and details chilling to the bone. For the past 100 years less
people suffered dog bites, than perhaps those hit by various
electric devices for the past year. In general, the problem of a
dog behavior is not connected only with strange propensity of a
dog itself, but more of people’s mental problems and society’s
health. It is not of a coincidence that the dog problem is
mostly being discussed among those where mental health is
supposed to be suspicious.
The dog is not just
a man’s friend. A man is obliged to the dog. It was the dog who
helped a man to domesticate an herbivorous animal.
For most people
these days the dog is the only living being existing between a
man and a hostile man-caused environment, that is guarding not a
man’s life or property, but immeasurably large values – common
sense and soul. And particularly this advantage overweighs any
small inconvenience it may cause.
The reason why a
man differs from an animal is because he can choose a conscious
option between good and evil. So let us choose rightfully!
