"US Mandates Military Dogs Be Retired in US " Topic

"A gigantic defense spending bill signed Wednesday by U.S. President Barack Obama will allow U.S. military dogs to be returned to the United States upon their retirement and gives their military handlers first chance to adopt them.

Previously, U.S. military dogs could be retired overseas, which made them civilians and thus ineligible for military transport home to the U.S.

The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act changes that with provisions backed by the American Humane Association.

The association estimates each military dog saves the lives of between 150-200 servicemen and women by detecting IEDs and hidden weapons caches…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Glad to hear that, and surprised it hasn't been in place since the beginning.

Agreed

Yes, I agree ! Dogs are good people ! Humans, the most violent predator on the planet has/is taking advantage of these most "human" of beasts. We left behind how many K-9s to the Vietnamese military ? Who probably ended up on the menu. And I shudder to think some many Asian counties use dogs as food. Savages !!!! Absolutely repugnant ! Many, many humans have no "humanity".

What about the police dogs?…

Amicalement
Armand

Many, many humans have no "humanity".

Ya, eating dogs is soooo much worse than the way we treat our food animals.

I don't know exactly how we treat our "food" animals. But my dogs are NOT "food" animals … <rolls eyes>

However, I stand by my comment, humans are the most violent predators on the planet … that pretty much includes all humans as a species. Has nothing to do with race. Unless you believe that ?

Have you seen how the food-dogs are kept in Asia? About like we keep pigs here in the States.

And it's about damn time that we let the other half of a K9 team back into the US for retirement.

That upsets me …

And yes, let all K9s back into the US … Let them all in … so they don't end up on the menu. They are much too good for that. They are more human than many humans. Who ever the humans generally are …

WOOF !!!!!

I know of dogs that served in as many as 9 deployments that were brought home to be retired, it just depends on the leadership as to how they wanted to deal with dogs.

Good to know !

You good folk are aware that many staunch Hindus regard the eating of beef as anathema (but are undoubtedly too polite to throw it in our faces)?

Whilst I wouldn't eat dog, the cultural dietary choices of others should be beyond criticism.

Most Americans won't eat horse for about the same reason Hindus won't eat Beef. Kill your transportation/draft animal, and while you might make it through this winter, you will starve next year because you don't have the fields planted (or be killed by the hostile locals because you can't run away fast enough). The Hindus discovered that fact so long ago it became an item of religious belief. Americans didn't have that long ago enough, and we've had a revolution in transportation since that was a critical issue. Lots and lots of Hindus are still living at a subsistence farming level, so even if it wasn't an item of religious belief for them, it would be a life-and-death decision to eat the cow now and not have it available to plow the fields next year.

For other fun real, practical items turned into religious belief, sit down with an epidemiologist and talk about the Kosher rules. Kosher is basic, Bronze-Age food safety rules. Why are pigs not kosher? because they usually carry trichinosis, and open fires don't do a good job cooking food thoroughly enough to kill the trich. and trich is a horrible way to go. How fast will shellfish go bad in Middle Eastern heat? Pretty much instantly.

Most Americans regard dogs as pets and/or working life partners and life-savers (remember those hostile locals? Dogs barking will let you know they're coming). You do not eat a protector. If you do, you will die from the lack of protection.

Asian cultures don't have the recent history of hostile locals, so dogs are something different to them. Close to street vermin, IIRC.

I could probably eat dog if I didn't know what it was I was eating. I'd have a really hard time knowingly eating dog or horse, and I've never owned a dog or horse in my life.

@ Lion.

You lost me with your argument. Are you saying that Americans won't eat cars?
Personally I'm partial to a Mustang if not overcooked, followed by a pureed Ford Bronco. And I will relish a Pinto a la mode with a few sprinkles of Mitsubishi Colt…..wait! Aren't these horse-names?!? What about the horse power???

Animals that are closely related to humans should not be eaten, all primates. Animals that are kept as pets as their primary life should not be eaten either. Dogs, domestic cats and horses. All three of these animals have served mankind as a whole for thousands of years and they deserve better than the dinner table. As a debt of gratitude, it is the least we can do for them.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

You good folk are aware that many staunch Hindus regard the eating of beef as anathema (but are undoubtedly too polite to throw it in our faces)?

Whilst I wouldn't eat dog, the cultural dietary choices of others should be beyond criticism.

Of course not … but many of us see the difference between pets and food … I agree with much of Buck has just posted. And I don't know too many Westerners who have pet cows or chickens … but I have a heard of a few having pigs as pets.

Plus as us dog owners know … dogs are very intelligent, and great companions as well as security.
It is cultural differences … but if you like dogs … you get offended if someone wants to eat, as it has been said many times, "Mans best friend" …

And as I said, many dogs are better than many people, IMO. And Hindus have a religious prohibition against eating cows. As do many moslems and Jews have about pork.
And it's not a situation of having nothing else to eat in many cases in Asia, it's cultural. And if they need food, USAID and other governmental and NGOs could and do provide food. Other than what we consider pets.

Horse is a common meat in much of northern Europe, parts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands & Germany. Americans have a strong sentimental attachment to horses that doesn't really exist anywhere else.

I'm not sure where the notion of eating the redundant military animals came from, surely your vets would euthanize them. That's always been the British system, once an RAF police dog went to Germany it didn't come back.

There are holes in the Kosher/food safety comparison. Has anyone ever identified the potential risk of eating owls?

@ Ralph: I had to get to the last line of your post to come up with the key word: "we".

Your values are just that: "yours". I think that projecting them on others could be where the problem lies.

I think you are confusing morals with ethics. This is not a rare error.

Some reading for you:
link

Yes, I think I saw something like that chart in Business Ethics, a long time ago. But yes, it is true. The question of the difference between a moral person vs. an ethical person. May also be colored by one's point of view. Ideally you'd hope to be both moral and ethical, I'd think. But that may not always be the case …

I guess when I say "we" … I meant those that don't consider dogs as food but as pets. So that might be most of the Western world, I'd think. Even if some are not fans of dogs, they won't eat them …

Bottom line … I don't care what they think is moral or ethical … if someone thinks dogs are food. I'm not going to like it ! Or them ! And pretty sure my dogs will agree !

Police dogs? Public union scum, as far as I am concerned.

Whoa !!!! The K9s are only following orders !

Could just not eat animals period. *shrug*