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Monday, January 17, 2011

To pinch or not to pinch

Boy howdy....did old Billy Bob get pissed the other night or what?

Ya see, it's like this...we was all sit'n around the camp fire, fire blaz'n, dogs play'n, shoot'n the breeze, drink'n our favorite brews....the subject of "pinch collars" come up. Half the camp thought they were cruel midevil torturing devices to train a dog to do anything you tell it. The other half seemed to think they were the best thing ever invented to "make the dog do anything you say". Naturally I left the campfire when a playing dog was yanked plumb off it's feet by means of a pinch collar for doing nuttin but hav'n a good ol' time with the other dogs. I'm think'n there's a time to train a dog and a time for the dog to have some fun...not both at the same time.

Back at "da house" I did a little research on these supposedly humane pinching devices. That was also a 50/50 deal. Now the way I see it is if I tap you on the head with a 2x4, I'll get your attention. That would be same as a slight pull on a pinch collar. But....if I wind up and and "pop" ya one real hard with that 2x4, I'm gonna do some damage....like knock your ass slap out. That would be about the same as giving a mighty yank on a pinch collar....so hard that the dog comes slap off the ground.

According to neurologist and animal welfare advocate, Jean Zuniga, MD, PhD, these collars can actually cause permanent damage in the dog. 
 http://www.learningdog.com/articles/article/864436/7096.htm
http://www.dogremedies.com/dangers_choke_pinch_shock.html
http://www.cal.net/~pamgreen/pinch_collar.html

Well I suppose everyone is dying to hear about "the boat". I got that piece of stryo screwed to the bottom just like I said I was gonna do. Then I started experimenting on adding some voltage to the motor. Well that didn't work out as planned. Then I said......"ya need more speed". With the pulley set up I started with, the wheel turned 80 rpm.....what I thought would be fast enough. It ain't. So I broke out a bunch of wood work'n tools and ripped the pulley off the paddle wheel. Got lucky....didn't break nuttin. Then I made another one....half the diameter of the motor drive pulley. Holy crap......it turns 160 rpm on full throttle. Gonna go a hunert mile a hour.

Had I felt better (Billy Bob gets sick when he's upset) today and yesterday , "the boat" would have made a trip to the water hole. But as it is, it will have to wait till tomorrow.....or the next day....or something like that. Did get "that jeep" washed though. No...not by me. I pay for crap like that. Then tomorrow the propane guy gonna bring me some propane. Not that I'm gonna need it.....it's been plumb hot at the slabs. 87 degs right now at 3pm. Then....I got a load of laundry what gotta be washed....maybe today. Then....there's my trip to Walmart in the near future. Boy howdy, old Billy Bob just never get no rest.

4 comments:

  1. Hey Billy,You just say the word and a bunch of us dog loving friends of yours will show up out there and "talk" some sense into the lady with the poor puppy.
    ( or get her email address and we'll work on her that way first, sort of soften her up for you to go for the final kill"

    I have absolutely no respect for anyone who mistreats animals.

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  2. We use harnesses on our dogs instead of collars, much more comfortable for the dogs. We only put them on when we are somewhere where they need to be on a leash. At home, they have the run of the house and a fenced in yard. No collars or harnesses required. Can't stand to see any animals mistreated.

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  3. I had one of those choke chains on my dog when I first got her in Alaska. I only used it for a week and didnt use it that much. Didnt pull hard on it ever, but it kept her from running out into traffic. Then I moved out to my place in the middle of nowhere and she never ever had a collar on again, she would come to me when I called her and she would do what I asked. My theory is that animals are like people. Given lots of space they will be fine. Confine them and collar them and it'll be miserable for everyone.

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  4. Some people just don't understand how they are hurting their dog:

    "Early Trauma or Injury Can Lead to Joint Disease Later. Early pethood trauma is probably the most overlooked source of joint disease in dogs and cats.

    It doesn’t have to be a major trauma like being hit by a car. It can even seem insignificant at the time.

    For example, you take your dog for a walk on a leash. He spies a rabbit and instinctively tries to bolt, forgetting he’s tethered to the leash, which causes his head to jerk backward. This creates a common cervical injury that I often see evidence of later."
    From:
    http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/10/17/Four-Simple-Reasons-Your-Pet-Develops-Joint-Problems-and-Arthritis.aspx

    Maybe, they just don't care,
    some think it is 'just a dog'.
    I think "Do, as you would be done by" or "An eye for an eye" would be good for people like that.
    Happy Trails, Penny, TX.
    SPCA Foster Mom
    www.pennys-tuppence.blogspot.com

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