Beloved Pet or Vicious Killer?

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN POLAND

A JOGGER is attacked by an aggressive dog and thereafter bleeds to death. A girl is killed by her own Rottweiler. Before his parents’ eyes, a nine-year-old boy is fatally injured by a stray German shepherd. These are just a few of the tragedies that have been caused by purebred dogs in Poland.

To prevent such tragedies, some authorities permit people to keep certain dogs only after obtaining a certificate. Barbara Zaleska, a member of the Polish Kennel Association, argues that the certificate should be issued for the owner rather than for the dog “because it is the owner that decides whether mastiffs, Rottweilers, and bullterriers will turn into beasts or remain friends of humans.”

In some cases dogs are deliberately trained to be killers. The methods of the trainers allegedly include beating, starvation, and even “killing practice,” which involves training the dog to attack and tear apart dummies. Next, the dog is made to attack weaker dogs that are certain to be killed. When training is finished, the dog is ready to take part in actual dogfights, to the delight of gamblers and bloodthirsty fans.

The Bible plainly states God’s view of cruelty to animals. It says: “The righteous one is caring for the soul of his domestic animal, but the mercies of the wicked ones are cruel.” (Proverbs 12:10) Those who want to please God do not subject animals to sadistic mistreatment. We can be happy that in God’s new world, the practice of training animals to be killers​—for sport or for any other reason—​will end.​—Psalm 37:9-11.