A Dogs and Cats Story

There's a page five-type story from the Saarland this weekend.....which kinda makes you laugh.

For several years, because of violent attacks, there's been this German effort to register and monitor dogs of certain breeds.  Germans will say that the handful of attacks.....makes it a necessity to monitor the dog and his owner to some degree.  The public has gone along with this.....mostly because 98-percent own dogs of a non-vicious nature.

Well....the SPD Party in the Saarland wants to turn the current database into a national database of ALL dogs....not just the vicious breeds.    This would all lead to compulsory labeling of dogs, and each would have an evaluation.

I think in some way.....this has to deal with the fact that all dogs could have some minor behavior problem, and some trained guy could spot the issue and ID the dog as a potential problem.

For those who weren't aware....there are legal categories now for problem dogs in Germany.

Class One Dogs:  These are presumed by law to ALWAYS be dangerous.  In Bavaria, they cannot be imported.  This group?  AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER BANDOG PIT-BULL TERRIER STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER TOSA-INU.

Class Two Dogs:  These are presemed to be danagerous unless you performa temperament test (which you, the owner, pay out of your own pocket).  These dogs include:ALANO AMERICAN BULLDOG BULLMASTIFF BULL TERRIOR CANE CORSO (ITALIAN MASTIFF/ITALIAN CORSO DOG) DOGO ARGENTINO DOGUE de BORDEUX FILA BRASILEIRO MASTIFF MASTINO NAPOLETANO MASTIN ESPANOL DOGO CANARIO (PERRO de PRESA CANARIO) ROTTWEILER PERRO de PRESA MALLORQUIN (CA de BOU).

(I got the list from a 2010 US Army listing).

The comical side of this entire story is that the SPD Party apparently has decided that they would also like to include into this national database of all dogs.....all cats as well.

No one is saying that any cat is presumed to always be dangerous or potentially dangerous. The hint is only that if you register dogs, it only makes sense to register cats.

Somehow, you get this gut feeling that it'll go typisch-German, and involve birds, snakes, mice, fish, horses, and rabbits.

Something that a political party, especially one that was a common worker's political party should be actively pursuing?  This is why so many people get disenchanted with the current trend of the SPD Party and walk out the door.

So, if you own a dog of any type.....it's a fair chance that within two years.....even if your dog is a ultra-friendly dog.....he or she will end up on some stupid German registration database (if this suggestion is picked up by the coalition in Berlin).  And if your stupid dog one day decides to hightail it and run away....you will probably have to go down to some central office in your local German county.....to report "Huns" has run away....to let the German 'bean-counter' note that there is one less dog in the local area.

If you own a cat, maybe they will avoid this whole mess....if the Berlin leadership decides it's wasted value.

Now, if they could only register and keep an accurate count of refugees in Germany.....man, that would be an interesting thing.