Handler punished over police dog’s pregnancy

Handler punished over police dog’s pregnancy

Sep. 14, 2006. 01:08 PM REUTERS MALDA, India � An Indian policeman charged with guarding industrial plants in the state of West Bengal has had his salary cut for failing to stop his guard dog from becoming pregnant, officials said today. Authorities at a steel plant in Malda, 220 km southwest of the state capital Kolkata, took a dim view of constable Sunil Kumar’s oversight after the dog mated with a stray and gave birth to 10 puppies. “It is a very sensitive issue in our department,” S. Bhatnagar, the deputy inspector general of the state’s Central Industrial Security Forces, told Reuters. “The Labrador could not carry out her duties properly during her pregnancy and at time of delivery she was on leave.” Kumar, whose pay has been cut from 3,540 rupees ($77 U.S.) a month to 3,295 rupees, on Wednesday appealed against the decision in the Kolkata high court. “When an animal experiences the urge to mate, it does not pay heed to its trainer,” he told reporters in his defence. But his boss is sticking to his guns. “A biological phenomenon relating to a sexual urge is a different issue, but it had been established he was not serious about his duties.”

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Oh, I dunno… how about they spay the dog?!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 09/14 at 12:40 PM

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  1. Having grown up in other countries, primarily Asia, it’s a cultural thing to not consider invasive surgery as a normal solution for inability to be responsible.

    USA (okay, North America) is probably tops for persistent demands by activist groups of all kinds, for the replacing of always assumed lack of responsibility with “dumbing down” surgery.

    http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/why_you_should_spay_or_neuter_your_pet.html

    As it says there:
    Spaying or Neutering Is Good for You
      * Spaying and neutering makes pets better, more affectionate companions.

    Shades of Stepford Wives.

    I think it’s par for the course that so much about pet ownership continues to deteriorate for those who are responsible.

    Neutering irresponsible owners tho, on the other hand… }>

    sigh… am still having trouble getting to the blog - let alone trying to comment. Glad if this makes it this time. :-)

    Posted by Semavi Lady  on  09/15  at  01:54 AM

  2. I know spaying/neutering isn’t essential if a person is responsible, but as this story points out, the dog’s handler was not responsible.  I’m also friends with someone in the Philippines who does a lot of rescue work, and lack of spaying/neutering there has nothing to do with owners “assuming responsibility”—it has to do with owners not valuing their pets enough to want to spend money on them. 

    Sorry you’re having problems getting to the blog… I really don’t have a solution, as I don’t know what the problem is.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  09/15  at  02:18 AM

  3. Yep, as I said: it𠏋 a cultural thing to not consider invasive surgery as a normal solution for inability to be responsible.

    It isn’t a cultural thing at all in most places to consider invasive surgery as a solution for anything. Whereas, it’s natural for us to immediately think about surgical solutions for the most minor things. Mine was just a cultural comment. Not a defense of what happened.

    Where I lived in the PI, it seemed that street dogs were kept to a minimum due to the popularity of some dishes… One of my own dogs was stolen from our yard one time. Disappeared forever. :(

    Posted by Semavi Lady  on  09/15  at  03:55 AM

  4. If the dog had a hip injury that prevented her from doing her job, would they perform surgery to correct it and get her back to work? It seems similar to perform this “corrective” surgery so she can continue her important job.

    Most Americans treat spaying or neutering their pets as a routine part of ownership, like immunizations. It’s difficult to understand another culture’s bias against this simple solution. Simple, except some pets die during this surgery.

    Hey, maybe he can sell the now-famous puppies to make up for his lost wages?

    Posted by Victor Tabbycat's Mom  on  09/17  at  12:47 PM

  5. I doubt there would be surgery to repair a hip problem. :( 

    In many of the countries I’ve lived or know something of the culture, an income of $100 per month is unheard of. More like $100 per year. Quality vet services and anesthesia are just not going to be there.

    My experiences in Asia with regard to guard dogs is that male dogs could command some sort of (cheap) price as puppies. Females were given away as useless, or killed once their cuteness wore off. Neutering a dog intended to be a protector (if it were even possible) would be considered a joke. It’s ‘common knowledge’ that a dog missing his ‘nads is no guard dog at all. 

    Hopefully the handler of the female lab learned something and the puppies get good homes. :)

    Posted by Semavi Lady  on  09/17  at  04:50 PM
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