Travellers and Dogs

Barry and Margaret Williamson
September 2011

Introduction

A woman living with her husband in SW France wrote asking us to link to her website. They do own two motorhomes, but her website is entirely devoted to publicising her Kindle book. This book, in turn, is the 'true' story of an ill-treated stray dog 'rescued' in Spain. The dog, the narrator of her book, thinks, hears internal voices, makes decisions and finally finds god and happiness.

You can have a taste of the book at: The Shepherd Girl's God (click on the image of the book). The 'Shepherd Girl' is the dog (an 'Alsatian Bitch') and 'God' is its rescuer.

Apparently the author aims to donate a small amount of the proceeds of sale to a Spanish charity which 'rescues' animals. Sometimes rescue dogs are taken to the UK and other western European countries. We have come across this animal rescue phenomenon among expatriates in Greece; perhaps it is an essential part of the ex-pat life for some people.

This is our response to her suggestion that we link to her website and we would welcome your comment. We regard her attitude to dogs as a small symptom of wider contemporary delusions, following the demise of what has been for 2,000 years the single dominant delusional belief in one god. Or perhaps we are overstating the case?

By the way, Margaret knows that cats are an exception to much of what is expressed in this polemic! Indeed, they are an exception to any rule. They are just exceptional!

The gist of our reply was as follows:

“We have problems with your attitude to dogs. As cyclists, we have had too many unhappy experiences with the creatures. It's unfortunate that certain animal species have been given some of the characteristics of human beings, when this is clearly delusional. This absurdity starts in the nonsense that is taught to children, involving animals that dress, talk and generally behave like human beings. It is further promulgated by 'adults' who find it easier, indeed essential, to form patronising relationships with animals, rather than being able to form loving and caring relationships with members of their own species. Or perhaps for some unfortunate adults there is an inability or lack of opportunity to express maternal/paternal care for young human beings.

It is also extremely patronising for people with animal fixations, developed in affluent western countries, to enter other people's countries to 'do good' to their discarded animals. In most countries in the world, people treat animals as animals. They let them run wild, they eat them, they domesticate and breed them, they control their numbers, and sometimes they have them do work. For example, horses and other species carry people and pull carts and ploughs, canaries warn of noxious gases in mines, dogs are used to guard other domesticated animals against wilder species.

They don't want to share their homes, hearths and beds with animals, give them human names and characteristics, write books about them, dress them up or transfer human feelings onto them.

Foreign interlopers, people willing to devote their lives to 'saving' a few animals in someone else's country, at the same time ignore the real needs of that country. Do you have any idea of how many people in Spain, for example, are in dire need of food, warmth and shelter? How many are homeless 'strays'? How many immigrants from North Africa, imported to do manual work, are now abandoned and destitute? While you write about one or two over-protected dogs.

And what is the point of taking a couple of abandoned Spanish dogs to the UK at great expense? Our own country already has more than 7 million dogs, including over 125,000 strays picked up by local authorities in the 12 months to September 2011 (an increase of 4% over the previous 12 months). Is that not enough inconvenience and expense? Do we not have enough disease carried by dogs? Enough people attacked, injured and even killed by dogs? Enough road accidents caused by dogs? Enough noise made by dogs? Enough mess on the pavements and in parks left by dogs? Enough valuable protein consumed by dogs, while millions of human beings starve around the world?

I (Barry) have worked in India (a total of two years spread over 8 visits), Iraq, Hong Kong and Malawi. We have travelled in Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine, Turkey, Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, South Africa, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and Fiji (to mention but a few countries with large numbers of people in real need) and we have seen what human suffering is – and on a mass scale - while you pamper your 2 dogs.

We would suggest that dog numbers be severely limited, that they be licensed, muzzled and kept on a lead in a public place. And that their owners should be criminally responsible for any damage caused by their animal. If a person were to threaten us with a knife in the street, that would be a very serious offence. And yet we have been threatened with injury by a dog on several occasions, while walking or cycling, and no offence has been committed. If a person were to defecate in a public place and walk away from the mess, leaving it for people to tread in, that would be both offensive and an offence. For a dog, that would just be offensive!

These are all matters that concern a traveller in the world. Why should we have to carry a dog dazer each when cycling or walking? A course of 3 injections against rabies is expensive but essential: Margaret was once bitten on the leg while travelling on the back of a motorbike and has also been knocked off her bicycle by a dog!

And how does 'God' come into this? What a jumble of delusion. Perhaps one superstition leads on to another. One false belief opens up a whole network of false assumptions.

You should get in touch with the reality of your own humanity. Get in touch with your own species and their needs. What could other travellers gain or learn from sharing your experience of holidays on the Algarve, with or without a stray dog or two?"

Readers' Comments: 

Martin Jeffes wrote:

“Thank you for sharing your reply to the mad dog woman. It was superb.”

Cynthia & Martin Webb wrote:

“We so so so agree with  you ... our sentiments precisely ... Although we would probably just have said "No"!   Your rhetoric, as ever, is very readable and enjoyable.

PS  We have just had another 5 minutes enjoyment re-reading your email. May we forward it to some chums who (a) don't motorhome but (b) share our sentiments on the subject?"

Henry Love wrote:

“Always remind me never to cross you! I upset a hotelier in Scotland three weeks ago when I asked for a room that had not had a dog sleeping in it for at least a month. The look of astonishment was a picture worth painting. I like dogs, as dogs, but don't like to be licked, slicked or crapped on by perfume-smelling old ladies' toyboy substitutes, any more than boring Boris' big ego snarler.

Good things for herding sheep though.

Glad to see that you ring-fence us from these fantasy ladies with pooch fetishes.

I suggest you keep this one secret from the Caravan (aka Cruft Mobile) Club, where the caravans and motorhomes are surrounded by doggie woofer people who think you are very odd if you travel in a motorhome rather than treat it as a kennel on wheels.”

Ian Shires wrote:

“Wow, that told her. I agree in every way, even though I am a dog lover ... not a cat lover!”

Graham Peacock wrote:

“Well! After your 'review', I just had to download the sample to my Kindle  and see what all the fuss was about. I cannot say I was impressed by the writing or the subject and, in fact, gave up reading well before the end of the sample. I got the drift of her book, I think. I cannot see that she is likely to make much money for her charity, nor can I see how the one
reviewer on Amazon found enough merit in it to give it five stars. I pondered on whether to give my own review, then thought I had better not.

I know from personal experience how time consuming the production of a book can be and getting it right, proof reading etc. is a major undertaking. Let's just say that the cliché “We've all got one book in us" is not necessarily true. I read in the Guardian at some time that “Contrary to the popular myth, we don't all have a book in us and pretending otherwise devalues great writing”, which is probably more true in relation to this book.”