Wesley Howe

A story ran in the news today of a dog badly mauled by a mountain lion while defending its owners, triggering some thought from me.

No greater honorable deed is recognized among humans than that accorded someone who gave their life while protecting others. While this happens in war, and occasionally elsewhere, it is standard operating procedure for a dog.

I have a sort of chow/lab crossbreed black dog we call “Shadow” (he was small, black, and always right behind you). He is 10 now, and still in good shape, if a little slower. He should be a boy scout, obedient, friendly, kind…

About three years ago, I took him with me when I went to feed the cattle. I ride around the ranch in a two-passenger vehicle that is sort of like a gas-powered golf cart, but with ATV tires and engine. Shadow sits up right beside you when travelling, as comfortable and attentive as any person. When I got down to the feeding spot, I parked the vehicle, got out the buckets and told him to stay.

We had an agressive Longhorn-cross cow we named Alice that always wanted her food Right Now. I generally always had to shoo at her to make her step back far enough for me to pour the feed into the trough. That day was not different, I took off my hat and flapped it at her, and poured the feed.

As I turned to go to the next trough, I saw Shadow sailing in a low arc through the air, landing some 15 feet away. Alice had tossed him with her horns. I was sure the dog was dead (and mortified with the idea of ’splaining that to Kay). I got over there, and he was lying still, but alive.

I gingerly checked him for broken bones and gaping wounds, but he was only shook up, and maybe bruised a little. He had not been gored, just picked up and tossed like a stuffed toy.

Shadow had seen me fussing with this cow, and thought I was being attacked by a large, dangerous animal. He had jumped out of the buggy, ran under the fence and proceeded to attack the cow he thought was trying to kill me. This cow weighted about 1,000 pounds, Shadow about 35. It would be hard to think of any greater mismatch, but Shadow did not think of his security, only of mine.

Had he been gored, or landed differently, he could have died. But regardless of the odds, he did the only thing that he saw the situation demanded, save me (luckily I was in no real danger from the cow).

So remember, to a dog you are important enough to die for. The next time he barks at something and annoys you, remember he is protecting you from a perceived threat. All in a day’s work for a dog.

I got a copy of a document that was prepared by out U.S. Homeland Security, a “lexicon” of “extremists”. I will also refer to the fact that Michael Savage, a talk radio show personality, was banned from travel to the U.K. for his positions. Certainly, if you believe that freedom of speech and association are Constitutional rights, think of ideas being defined as indicators of  suspicious activity.

This is not a healthy trend. People that belong to groups that have done nothing wrong will get lumped together with genuine extremists in a guilt-by-association. You could find your travel restricted, be wiretapped and have your movements secretly tracked (by electronic or physical surveillance).

While the general theme is to prevent violence from extremists, the scope of what they are on the alert for is wide-ranging. Some of the parts of the document I find unnerving classify people for being having such views as:

“They believe animals are sentient creatures that experience emotional, physical, and mental awareness and deserve many of the same rights as human beings; (more…)