Dear ¡Mira! reader,
When I launched this text six months in the past, I promised you an offbeat perspective on politics, coverage, individuals, and — crucially — pets. I hope I’ve lived as much as that promise. But on this concern of ¡Mira!, I wish to preserve issues mild and enjoyable in your inbox as we are saying goodbye to 2023, and I’m solely itemizing an important tales and traits about pets of the previous yr. (Do let me know if I missed any: [email protected])
See you in 2024! 🪅
The saga of Commander, President Biden’s biting canine. Perhaps no different canine story captured the general public’s consideration this yr than that of Commanderthe president’s 2-year-old German Shepherd. Commander was Biden’s second canine removed from the White House for aggression, after it was reported in October that Commander had been concerned in multiple biting incidents. More than two years in the past, the Bidens, who’re clearly canine individuals, needed to rehome Major, then 3, after he bit two individuals in a single month. Commander’s saga sparked a robust conversation about aggressive dogs and what to do about them (it additionally impressed the comedy web site The Onion to write down this gem and this satirical exit interview with Commander printed by a school newspaper). It’s unclear the place Commander is now, however he positively lives lease free in my head.
The UK bans the American bully XL. After a string of violent incidents involving American bully XL dogs within the United Kingdom, the prime minister introduced a set of restrictions on the breed with the purpose of finally eradicating it. As of subsequent yr, house owners of bullies XL should get a certificates of exemption and muzzle their dogs in public. It will likely be unlawful to promote, promote, present, change, or abandon bully XL puppies and dogs. In an earlier concern of this text, I wrote about why such breed-specific bans are ill-advised, arguing that banning canine breeds doesn’t make the public safer. Dog bans are usually not about public security or the breed’s perceived dangerousness — they’re about human prejudice.
The nice American reckoning with pandemic pets. During the COVID-19 pandemic, practically 1 in 5 households adopted a pet. But as housing and financial hardships improve throughout the nation, increasingly more individuals have been compelled to give up their pups to shelters. According to at least one estimate, the canine shelter inhabitants within the United States grew by practically a quarter-million animals in 2023. Sadly, due to this spike, euthanasia charges in shelters are also on the rise. So that is nearly as good a time as any to remind you to, when you’ve got the means, assist your native canine shelters. Click here for an inventory of licensed animal and rescue organizations in Massachusetts.
Dogs vs. rats. What can presumably go fallacious? This story was equal components fascinating and terrifying, and the pictures are gorgeous, albeit in a bizarre approach. A volunteer group of Washington, D.C., canine house owners who name themselves the “Ratscallions” take their pups out to hunt rats. Hopefully this new position for working dogs doesn’t grow to be an actual development.
Robot police dogs to the rescue? This is definitely a development to observe in 2024. You’re in all probability acquainted with “Spot,” the robotic canine manufactured by Boston Dynamics that can be utilized to carry out a wide range of duties within the office, comparable to inspections, knowledge assortment, substance detection, and many others. (Also, Spot can now talkbecause of the generative AI of ChatGPT.) But it will also be used for public security functions. Many consultants are already sounding the alarm concerning the lack of transparency concerned in regulation enforcement companies’ use of the robotic police dogs within the United States. Boston Dynamics apparently has a strict policy towards any weaponization of its robots and has repeatedly acknowledged that Spot can solely be used for disarming explosives, investigating suspicious packages, and related duties.
A mysterious respiratory sickness impacts dogs. I first discovered about this new illness outbreak on TikTok (the place else!) throughout the summer time. Cases have now been reported in at least 16 statestogether with Colorado, Oregon, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. According to veterinariansit begins with a cough then advances to pneumonia and respiratory misery, typically acute. Because the illness doesn’t seem to reply to antibiotics, it could kill dogs inside 24 to 36 hours. Many consultants are recommending that canine house owners preserve their pups out of day cares, boarding amenities, groomers, and another location the place dogs are saved in shut quarters. If your canine is coughing, you shouldn’t panic however keep vigilant about your canine’s signs and speak to your vet in case your canine’s well being doesn’t enhance. Watch out for a lingering cough, lethargy, lack of urge for food, troublesome respiratory, and another signal of respiratory misery.
Dog coaching wars. Are you for “positive reinforcement” or for “balanced training”? The reply may fully rely upon the kind of canine you have got. The first training method makes use of much less intrusive and minimally aversive methods, comparable to rewarding your canine with a deal with after they carry out the habits you’re asking them to do (i.e., sitting or getting of their crate.) The second method is extra of a spread of methods, together with optimistic reinforcement but in addition aversive conditioning, comparable to the usage of a prong collar. But identical to “gentle, punishment-free parenting” has grow to be a factor within the child-rearing world, there is a war brewing within the dog-training area, with the discourse getting increasingly more polarized — and political. It’s the dominance-centered alphas vs. the… radical woke mob?
Are “button dogs” a hoax? Count me among the many nonbelievers of button-based communication with animals. There’s been a proliferation of canine house owners on social media documenting their pups’ perceived capacity to speak by urgent buttons with footage or symbols on them that correspond to issues (deal with or walk) and emotions (ache or happiness). But the science behind it is still unsettled. At least it appears extra legit than pet psychics!
The cloned dogs of the president of Argentina. There are many attention-grabbing details concerning the newly sworn-in Argentinian president, Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian who desires to dollarize his nation’s economic system. But to me, one stands out: Milei has five cloned dogs from the genetic materials of Conan, Milei’s authentic English Mastiff that died in 2017. Moreover, Milei used a pet genetic preservation company primarily based in Worcester, Mass., and paid roughly $50,000 to get Conan’s clones.
The case towards proudly owning pets. Pet abolitionists imagine that domesticating and proudly owning animals is morally questionable. It’s a provocative debate that hasn’t fairly made it into the mainstream however that would occur subsequent yr: Should people hand over animal possession for companionship functions? Is the reply fewer however happier pets? No matter how well-meaning we people are, “we’re making the decision that all the overt abuse and lower-grade cruelty and neglect is more than made up for by the joy wrought by the human-animal bond,” read an essay in Vox making the case towards pet possession. In different phrases, we should always pay extra consideration to the dangerous issues lurking in “the shadows beneath the sunny narrative of pet ownership, things like physical abuse, animal hoarding, puppy mills, dog fighting, and bestiality.” Given the rising canine shelter inhabitants and the rise in euthanasia that I highlighted above, the idea of abolishing pet possession raises many questions — as an example, is it even potential to do it at this level? — and it truly is a dialog price having.
Massachusetts’ favourite canine. Who knew? According to a brand new Forbes Advisor survey of 10,000 canine house owners throughout the nation, Massachusetts’ favorite dog is the Labrador Retriever. The beloved breed — I’m fully biased as a result of I personal two yellow Labs (see picture under) — ranked fourth in favorability nationally behind Australian Shepherds, German Shepherds, and Bulldogs. As for the least favorite breed within the nation, that will be the Havanese.
Marcela García is a Globe columnist. She could be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @marcela_elisa and on Instagram @marcela_elisa.
