Rethinking the word "Abuse"...

I watched a TV program recently where a young lady was kidnapped while hitch hiking to a friends house in California.  She was abducted, held against her will, and relegated to being a sex slave for many years.  She was tortured, made to sleep in a coffin sized compartment under her captors bed, and basically sensory deprived in order for her captors to maintain control over her.  She was lied to.  Told there was an "agency" that constantly monitored the house and would injure her and track down her family if she tried to escape.  She was physically and mentally manipulated in order to maintain control over her, and keep her docile.  I don't think that anyone reading this blog would disagree that this was "abuse".  The girl finally escaped with her life, if memory serves some 8 years later.  But I am sure that she will never be the same.

Now, take that story, and compare it to the recent story of  Rebecca Sara Joy Cross. A professional handler, and the woman who handled Knopa, (American bred, Russian owned McVan's to Russia with Love), the flawless Scottish Terrier who recently won BIS at Crufts.  Rebecca was absolutely fire-bombed by the KC and the internet community for lifting Knopa under her jaw, and by her tail, on and off of the exam table. People far and wide were screaming "abuse" at the top of their lungs, and calling for little Knopa to be stripped of her title.  That's right, "Abuse".  Putting it in literally the same category as the woman's plight mentioned above.  The last I checked the internet petition to strip Knopa of her BIS title had gained some 90,000 signatures.  That is a terrifying number of people who are uneducated and misinformed. 

I'm not here to argue about "if" Rebecca was reminded by judges or stewards throughout the day not to present Knopa this way.  Rebecca herself has even made a statement saying that nerves and the pressure of the moment had her acting on autopilot, and has apologized for her actions.  I would like to see any of the rest of us do any better under that type of "Super Bowl" sized pressure.  What I am here to argue, is that Rebecca's handling of a working type of terrier was in no way abuse, by any stretch of the word.  And here is why.

Working terriers were bred for centuries to be hearty and hale little dogs.  They were tough, rugged, and downright nasty when they had to be.  They were bred to, among other things, control any type of animal that would jeopardize the crofters meager livelihood.  This meant facing off against badger, fox, weasels, rats, and so on.  These dogs were, if not loved, looked upon with such importance that great care was taken not to lose a good one, should their attitude get them in over their thick, cinder block heads.  They were feisty, game, and in the case of the Scottie at least, had HUGE TEETH.  If one of these dogs went into a hole and for whatever reason could not or WOULD not come back out.  The farmer grabbed the only handle that was available.  The tail.  Grabbing one by the hip or leg and pulling, especially if the weight of what ever varmint they were in the process of dispatching was compounded on the other end, could end up in a dislocation, break or a permanently lame dog.  Not to mention if you have ever seen a working terrier in a hole, they tend to fold up their legs under them, and shift their weight backwards toward the rump, so that they can dig in, and leverage themselves from being dragged into an open space in the borrow where the prey would certainly have the advantage.  The tail is usually the only thing you have to grab.  And sometimes could mean the difference between life and death of a very important member of the farm and family.

The sturdiness of the tail is no accident.  The base of these terrier tails, when well bred, is thick with muscle.  You certainly wouldn't worry about breaking the tail, because of all the support it has.  It is literally no different than hauling a friend up by their forearm, or pulling someone over a ledge using their arm.  If someone is dangling to their death, you certainly don't grab a finger, which is delicate, fragile and not capable at all of supporting the full weight of a person.  You grab their forearm, ideally, and haul them back to safety.  An area of the body that has copious and strong muscle attachment to withstand the mechanical force.  Selective breeding has made terriers this way.  And even though most don't get stuck in a hole and have to be dragged out by their tails anymore, the structure of well bred dogs is still there. The breed standard, written to preserve the original purpose and structure of the dog, as well as responsible and conscientious breeders make sure that it is so. 

Now back to those teeth.  If you have never seen the teeth of a Scottish terrier, you would likely be surprised to know that their teeth are literally as large as any German Shepherd.  And the standard calls for Scotties to be roughly 20 lbs or so.  That's right.  An 80-100 lb dogs teeth, tucked into the mouth of a 20 lb dog.  Now that you know that, and hopefully are familiar with the fact that terriers in general are quick to let you know if they are experiencing unfairness, or discomfort, or just put out with the whole situation, why would ANYONE do anything to a terrier that would cause it pain, and risk being nailed with those massive teeth? The answer? Being lifted by the tail, when done correctly as Rebecca did Knopa, doesn't cause them any pain.  If you look closely at the associated video from Crufts, of the terrier Group judging, the judge even lifts Knopa up by her tail.  This is to check the musculature and attachment of the tail.  What most good judges SHOULD do.

And if that's not enough to convince you that no abuse was going on, there's also this.  I went back and watched the Terrier Group judging for Westminster KC, held just a few weeks ago.  In the terrier group, the Cairn, Lakeland, Norfolk, Scottie (which was also Knopa) and the Sealy were all lifted off of the judging table in this manner.  And nobody....said.....anything.  There were no gasps from the crowd, no comments from the announcers, no scowling by the judges, and no public outcry.  Seems strange that if this "abuse" was happening so often, and so publicly that no one was all up in arms after Westminster.  But they weren't. Terrier tails are, in judging, considered part of their overall attitude.  It conveys keenness, readiness, and that attitude that Terriers are renowned for.  Why would any handler in their right mind risk breaking, fracturing, dislocating, or injuring the tail, because after all, the tail has it's own set of points within the standard? If a terriers tail isn't correctly carried, it is penalized and you lose the ability to convey the overall "attitude" that is what terriers are known for.  Because as far as I have ever heard, and I've had Scotties almost 30 years, not one terrier has ever been injured by using this method. 

The internet has become a dangerous tool.  It allows people to take misinformation or doctored facts, and spin them to gain virtual lynch mobs against literally anyone who has an email, Facebook or connection of any sort.  One misinformed person, took the time to capture one frame of video, turn it into a photo, and start spreading the word far and wide that this was not only "abuse" but abuse so bad that their win should be taken away from them, and some that thought that Rebecca should never own or handle a dog again, ever!  And more frightening than that, is the number of breeders that were jumping on the bandwagon as well.  People who should know better, be better educated, and a better judge of both dog behavior and handlers reputation and character than the general public.  While we all may not choose to lift our terriers in this manner, and that decision is certainly yours to make, we as breeders, owners, fanciers, handlers, groomers and anyone with a vested interest in pure bred dogs need to put aside our difference, preferences and opinions and fire back at the world that THIS was not ABUSE! 

Abuse causes pain, anguish, insecurity, humiliation, worry, anxiety, fear and control.  I saw none of that between Knopa and her handler.  On the contrary, every video I watched of Rebecca and Knopa, just before Rebecca lifted her off the table, she adjusted her lead, kissed Knopa quickly on the head, put one hand under he jaw and one had on her tail, and lifted her swiftly to the ground.  Less than 2 literal seconds.  Does that sound like abuse? Or does that sound more like a caring partnership between two thinking creatures who love and respect one another? Knopas tail was up and she was ready to go, as soon as her feet touched the floor, and she showed like a champ!  Scotties are tough little dogs, but they are also quite sensitive and have an innate sense of fairness.  You simply can not "abuse" a dog, and get it to show the way that Knopa does.  If she were literally being abused, she would shut down.  The judge would see it, the crowd would see it, and she would not shine like she does in the show ring.  It's time we relegate the word "abuse" to those situations that really deserve it.  Situations where mental and physical anguish are EVIDENT, and not presumed by someone sitting behind a computer screen and taking "evidence" out of context.  It's time we stopped abusing the word...."abuse".