Once again, pictures show brutal training methods – but the lobby continues to fight doggedly to make training of this kind possible for everyone. Eleven major animal protection organizations are now forming a common front and calling for strong action.
The photos were taken a long time ago south of Graz. The dog sports field in Unterpremstätten is officially listed as a training place for the Austrian Dog Association (ÖKV) and offers training with “heart and mind” on its homepage. The animal welfare expert and former official veterinarian Prof. Dr. Rudolf Winkelmayer is horrified: “Obviously cruel training methods, as clearly visible in this video, must be stopped immediately! Animal welfare-friendly, contemporary dog training must be carried out with a lot of empathy and on the basis of current behavioral biology findings.”Strong togetherA broad alliance of animal welfare organizations has now been formed, because the case shown is by no means the only one. They have formulated a joint statement (see at the bottom) that provides for a uniform and better regulation for the benefit of animals and people. According to the police, the case from the video is now with the public prosecutor’s office in Graz, and investigations against the protagonists shown are ongoing. At the ÖKV’s press conference scheduled today on the topic “Purpose dog sport is not the problem” they distance themselves – as always – from scenes of this kind. False scaremongering The ÖKV and other interest representatives practice appeasement. However, they rely on deliberate false reports and unsettle many dog owners through scaremongering. One broadcast speaks of a “ban on dogs playing” and that the training of rescue, guide and therapy dogs would also be prohibited in the future. That is of course wrong. Signs are good. On Tuesday the “Krone” met animal protection spokesmen Josef Hechenberger (ÖVP) and Dietmar Keck (SPÖ) to talk about necessary improvements. “It would be desirable if private protection dog training was banned not only in Vienna, but nationwide. The controversial “working dog training” should only be carried out by trainers who are proven to be qualified in animal welfare,” said Tierecke boss Maggie Entenfellner after the promising appointment. United Front of Animal Rights In a joint release by the largest NGOs, the so-called protection training, in which a dog is trained to bite on command into a so-called protective arm that a person is wearing, is clearly rejected. Clear statement: “Protection work must be reserved exclusively for authorities, Because there is sufficient reason to assume that the aggressiveness and thus the danger of dogs is at least temporarily increased by the so-called protection dog training,” the animal rights activists make clear. Eleven organizations are joining forces! Tierschutz Austria, Vier Pfoten, Tierschutzverband Lower Austria, Arche Noah, Association against Animal Factories, Gut Aiderbichl, Animal Quarter Vienna, Animal Protection Ombudsman Office Vienna, Pro Tier, Pfotenhilfe Lochen and Friends of the Crown Tierecke Association are jointly in favor of a general ban on biting and attack training for dogs owned by private individuals. You can read the detailed statement here.
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