|
Front Page » Archive » Vol
2 No 57 » here
Dog Politics
by Reed Eurchuk
The Republic
Dogs get quality education, nutritious meals, and excellent
press. Kids--one of whom was recently viciously attacked by
a dog--get nothing. There is a solution.
In the wake of the horrific dog attack on Shennica White,
The Vancouver Sun devoted a full page of its January 20 edition
to the issue of dog attacks and dog owners' responsibilities.
Dog owners' anxieties about an anti-dog backlash were
"explored," as they say in the media business. A number of
happy couples--that is, dog and master (or
mistress)--were profiled as they frolicked in the verdant
fields of our city. Evil owners who chain their animals or lock
them behind fences were trashed. Dog education was emphasized.
We learn, for example, that "only 11.2% of dogs that bite have
been given any obedience training." We learn further that there
are 70,000 dogs in Vancouver. (No wonder you can't walk
anywhere without stepping in dog shit.)
Stanley Coren, a UBC psychology professor identified as a
"dog guru" was the Sun's chief expert source. His credentials
include "many books on dogs, including How to Speak Dog." He
authored one of the two large Sun pieces, and is quoted in the
other as well, where he warns ominously that "there are going
to be segments [of society] who will use [the attack] as part
of their anti-dog campaigns."
Coren wrote that a study had found there had been 238 deaths
over a 19-year period due to dog attacks. That works out to
about 12 per year. But this figure is for deaths only, and
horrid maulings like the one White received do not count in
this statistic. Include maulings and the statistic would be
many times higher.
Coren's pro-dog prejudices are front and centre in his own
piece. He employs the classic "blame the victim" strategy,
writing "the victims of many of these dog bites often play a
part in precipitating the tragedy." Uh-huh, and women who dress
provocatively may be precipitating their own sexual assault,
too.
In Vancouver some dogs eat better than some children do
A recent report, entitled "The Cost of Eating in BC: The
Challenge of Feeding a Family on a Low Income," published by
groups representing dieticians and nutritionists in BC and
Canada, finds that "the majority of poor renters [in BC] are
forced to devote at least half of their income to housing,
compelling them to choose between shelter and food."
The report gave a number of illustrations of adults and
children at risk of food insecurity. For example, the report
explains that a single mother with two children on income
assistance would receive $881 per month. Including federal and
provincial family child tax benefits and a quarterly GST
credit, the family income would be $1350 per month.
"After rent, this family would only have $431 left for food
and all other living expenses," says the report.
But food costs alone would be $458, leaving the family
without funds for clothing, shoes, transportation, utilities,
hygiene products, laundry and school supplies. The cost
estimates were based on the costs of a nutritious food basket
defined in the report.
The report summarizes the consequences of food insecurity
and poor nutrition: "Children receiving inadequate nutrition
during the early years score much lower on tests of vocabulary,
reading, comprehension, arithmetic and general knowledge and
have poorer psychosocial outcomes. Undernourished children are
more susceptible to illness, have diminished attention spans
and are unable to perform tasks at school as well as their
nourished peers." This is one way in which inequalities
reproduce. Parents "suffer increased stress and higher levels
of depression."
Doggie Delis 'R' Us
Dogs too will need good nutrition to excel at the doggie
obedience schools. And now we have Doggie Delis to ensure they
get that nutritious meal. Complete with nauseatingly precious
names like "Woofles Doggie Deli" and "Start Barking CafŽ,"
doggie delis are signposts, albeit minor, along the road to the
fall of Western civilization.
A recent "go see" of a local doggie deli by your intrepid
reporter found one such outlet offering a "schnoodle sandwich"
for Fido and a salmon steak for kitty. A number of the products
looked more appetizing than some of their competitors' fast
foods and canned meats catering to humans. One product for
dogs, "Go Natural," includes lamb, millet, brown rice, flax
seed, cinnamon and rosemary, and excludes poultry fat,
by-products, and various chemicals. A sign in the cafŽ
implores dogs: "Hey Poochies . . . please keep your paws off
the glass."
A Modest Proposal
Jazz musicians seem to have a tradition of healthy dislike
for dogs. When Eddie Harris spits out the lyrics to "Compared
to What"--"tired old ladies kissing dogs / I hate the human
love of that stinking mutt / trying to make it real compared to
what?"--you know he means it. Dog owners who hear the tune
must know what the aristocrats of the ancien regime felt like
when St Juste held forth. The great drummer Ronald Shannon
Jackson continued the tradition with his album, Barbecued Dog,
in the 1980s.
Jackson's album title contains a constructive proposal both
to alleviate hunger and poor nutrition among Vancouverites,
while, at the same time, assisting in cleaning up our streets
and making them safer: a recipe.
"Barbecued Dog a la ancien regime":
Two cloves crushed; 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced; 2
onions diced; 1 litre wine vinegar; 2 jalapeno peppers; 2 tbsp
brown sugar; 3 tbsp oregano; 3 tbsp mustard seed; 1 can tomato
paste; 1 litre beef stock; salt and pepper to taste; one
50-pound dog, any breed.
Cook onions, garlic, jalapeno, until glazed and transparent.
Add oregano. Cook for a short time. Add mustard, sugar, and
tomato paste. Add wine vinegar, and reduce by half. Add beef
stock and reduce until the sauce is quite thick and can easily
coat a spoon.
Gut, skin dog.
Season dog, apply sauce. Roast on open spit for two hours or
until tender.
(Republic staff writer Reed Eurchuk never got over the death
of his Beagle-Spaniel cross, "Peanuts," 35 dark years ago.)
Front Page » Archive » Vol
2 No 57 » here
top of page
| 
