If you have read
One Second After, and if you are a dog lover, you probably hated the part where the family finally got around to eating their beautiful dog. Pretty close to cannibalism ...
but that might end up being as realistic a scenario as some others in a true long term SHTF episode.
Pampered pets like "FLUFFY" and "CUDDLES" just might not make it in TEOTWAWKI,
and you should be prepared to deal with that.
This is not to say that
SOME dogs might not be a tremendous asset in any long term SHTF scenario. In fact, one of the major turning points in human civilization is when mankind domesticated the Wolf, as a hunting partner to assist us in our survival. I personally love
SOME dogs, and flat out feel that most good dogs are inherently better than most people. Like Mark Twain said, "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man."
I have had dogs as my best friends for decades ... two Doberman and three German Shepherds. In fact, I am currently awaiting the inevitable death of my Beautiful 11 year old German Shepherd. He has a genetic condition known as Canine Degenerative Mylopathy, which slowly but surely paralyzes him from the back end forwards, until the internal organs also go. Not pretty, not happy, but also not that uncommon .... over 40 breeds are known to carry the gene that causes this condition.
[;{(
All of my dogs were highly trained as
COMPANION dogs first, and some even competed in Obedience Trials to get their official
CD diplomas. A well trained dog can be an asset in your life, wherever that life may lead .... even up to a SHTF scenario.
BUT,
a poorly trained dog [ yours or perhaps the neighbors? ] is better off thought of as snack food ...
as has historically been the case in many cultures, where dogs were kept as a convenient source of food.
A couple of my dogs were also trained in Schutzhund, which is an entirely different can of worms than just owning a pet or companion dog.
Schutzhund is now mostly a SPORT, involving tracking, obedience, and protection. Schutzhund training is equivalent to the training a police dog gets, and in many cases Schutzhund bred dogs end up as working police dogs. At one time Schutzhund was a breed standard test, and the only way SERIOUS working dog breeders could ensure that their breeds kept the instincts that they desired, and in Europe this is still the case. No European breeder will breed a working dog unless the dog can prove good temperament with at least a Shchutzhund 1 degree [ Equivalent to a 1st degree Black belt in martial arts ].
However, in North America - where dog breeding is BIG Business rather than a labor of love - the AKC and CKC requirements for temperament require only that
" The judge be able to approach and pet the dog without the dog biting or running away". Contrast these requirements with my last Schutzhund dog, where our training club flew over a German certified Judge to evaluate our dogs individually for three days, to qualify for a BH degree, BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED THE SCHUTZHUND TRAINING.
SO,
owning a true WORKING dog first of all requires the selection of a candidate with proper character and temperament. If you get a European line Schutzhund bred dog, you get some assurances that the breed will still have courage, workability, and the physical requirements to meet the challenges.
Unfortunately, much as I love the genuine German Shepherd breed, I can not recommend most of the North American versions. The N/A GSD breed has been bred primarily to win beauty contests, with little or no emphasis given to their actual working abilities. And I have seen too many dangerous [ genetically inclined to be shy/sharp ] examples of the N/A GSD breed, with zero courage [ cowering away from STRANGERS rather than confronting them with calm authority] which are also physically incapable of jumping over a 4' fence without blowing out their elbows or hips. These
"slope backed needle nosed weasel beaks" [ as I call them ] would have been culled by any serious European GSD breeder, but instead here in N/A, they are actually capable of becoming "Champions", and passing on their deficient genes to more and more puppies.
SO,
if you are serious about "Prepping" with your K9,
I suggest you take a hard, realistic, and practical look at what your K9 has to contribute.
PROTECTOR/ASSET IN AN EMERGENCY/BEST FRIEND?
OR
Snack Food?
The opinions expressed here are given away for free,
and may be worth less than you paid for them,
YPMMV
LAZ 1