I Hate Dogs and I Am Not a Horrible Human Being

Crappie Fishermen Save 38 Dogs From Drowning In Mississippi's Grenada Lake

A group of fishermen are being celebrated on social media for rescuing a boatload of hunting dogs from Grenada Lake earlier this month. Technically speaking, it was more than one boatload, since all 38 hounds wouldn't fit in the fishing guide's bass boat. They had to make a few trips to haul the dogs back to shore, where they were all reunited with their owners.

The group included Bob Gist of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and his friend, Brad Carlilse of Covington, Tennessee. The two met in Memphis on June 8 and headed to North Mississippi, where they booked a trip with local fishing guide Jordan Chrestman on Grenada Lake, a sprawling reservoir that's known for producing trophy crappie.  

Gist told reporters with Action 5 News that they hadn't been on the lake for long when they noticed a mass of dogs swimming near the middle of it. Chrestman drove his boat over to find dozens of hounds swimming in circles. Each dog wore an e-collar and had a number painted on its side, and the fishermen later learned that the hounds had been participating in a fox hunt in Grenada. The pack chased after a deer that ran into the lake. Gist said the dogs were at least a mile from shore, and he guessed they'd been treading water for at least 45 minutes to an hour.

Each of the hunting dogs was wearing an e-collar and had a number painted on its side.

Photo via Facebook

"[Brad] and I were just lucky enough to be in a boat with a guide that knew we needed to act, so we did," Gist explained in a Facebook post. "We all pulled dogs from the water and Jordan managed [the] recovery like he had done it before. He is the hero here."

Gist said that they scooped up 27 dogs in the first load and then ran them back to shore, where a few of their owners were waiting. The fishermen then made two more trips and eventually got all 38 of the fox hounds back on dry land. Gist also told a local news outlet in Jonesboro that some of the owners tried to pay them for saving the dogs. He said they turned down the money and were just happy to be in the right place at the right time.

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"By the time they got to the exhausted dogs, they could barely swim," according to one Facebook post hailing the fishermen. "Bob told me they grabbed the last four dogs as they were sinking under water."

E-collar Ban Criticised By Dog Trainers And Sheep Farmers

Fears have been raised that a blanket ban on controversial electric training collars could spark an increase in dogs attacking farm animals.

The government has announced legislation which will outlaw the use of "e-collars" for dogs and cats in England from February 2024.

Commonly known as shock collars, they dispense varying levels of electrical pulses to correct errant animal behaviour via a remote control from up to two miles away.

Campaigners at the Kennel Club welcomed the ban on these "cruel and unnecessary devices" as a "historic moment for animal welfare".

But the move has drawn criticism from sheep farmers who warned the "irresponsible and unnecessary" ban will increase livestock attacks - and the number of out-of-control dogs being shot.

Fears have been raised that a ban on e-collars could lead to a rise in dog attacks on sheep (Image: Newsquest)

Phil Stocker, chief executive of the National Sheep Association, described the collars as an "effective training aid" and said farmers are alarmed over "the failure of government policy to help protect their flocks from the growing menace of dog attacks".

Norfolk trainer Steve Swallow, of Breckland Dog Training in Ashill, echoed those concerns.

But rather than an outright ban, he is calling for better regulation of both the equipment and the training industry, to ensure the collars are not misused by pet owners.

"They should not be banned," said Mr Swallow. "At the cheap end of the scale, the shock collars you can pick up for £30-40 online - they should be banned.

"But the technology and safety features we are using is streets ahead of where it was.

"If people are worried about their pets, or concerned about livestock, which most people are, then put regulation in place that means the collars can be used in an ethical and responsible way.

"It needs to be a nationwide network of certified trainers that are qualified and responsible to use this equipment, and limit the sale of them to through recognised dealers. Let's be sensible about it."

An e-collar used at Breckland Dog Training in Ashill (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Mr Swallow said he uses modern e-collars to deploy "very low-level stimulation" to reinforce recall commands which dissuade dogs from danger or chasing other animals.

"Because people use the word 'shock' it becomes very emotive, they say it is barbaric," he said. 

"The traditional way of teaching dogs in some quarters is if the dog goes wrong, you 'light it up', you correct it at the highest level.

"But in the educated modern world, the use of an e-collar is based on weeks and weeks of conditioning training before any correction is issued. We do not go for high level, we start off at zero and we work to find the dog's working level."

Mr Swallow said only rewarding positive behaviour with treats was not enough to deter dogs from instinctively chasing pheasants, deer or sheep in the countryside. 

"There are people out there who say they can do it without the use of any aversive techniques, but they have not proven how it is done," he said.

Herrick the dog wearing an e-collar at Breckland Dog Training in Ashill (Image: Sonya Duncan)

One of the key campaigners for the ban is the Kennel Club, whose chief executive Mark Beazley, said: "The legislation banning electric shock collars is a historic moment for animal welfare and will put an end to the misery and suffering of countless dogs who are still subject to these cruel and unnecessary devices.

"There is simply no excuse for using these devices, which cause physical and psychological harm, especially given the vast array of positive training methods available."

Defra says the ban will not include collars which use alternative stimuli, such as noise, spray, or vibration, while invisible fencing systems which train animals to stay safely within a set boundary will also still be permitted.

A government spokesperson said: "We want to protect dogs and cats from these harmful devices which can be all too easily open to abuse and proven to cause long-term harm.

"However, we recognise the impact attacks on livestock have on our farming community – which is why we are tackling this important issue by bringing forward new measures this parliament."

Defra also said the Animal Behaviour and Training Council maintains national registers of qualified trainers and behaviourists, and anyone with concerns about their dog's behaviour when outside "should keep their dog on a lead".

Sligo Group Critical Of Plan To Ban Use Of E-collars For Dog Training

The National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC), with over 500 members in Sligo, has criticisd Agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue's plan to ban e-collar devices for dogs.

The e-collar/electronic collar is a training aid, which comes with a wireless remore cotrol. These collars transmit electric stimulation or low intensity shock which helps the trainer teach the dog difference between right and wrong behaviours.

Use of these e-collars has been banned in several European countries on the grounds of animal welfare and is soon to be introduced in Ireland as well.

Sligo has more than 134,000 sheep, which risk attacks when dogs escape from the control of their owners. Latest figures have showed an increase in livestock worrying with 268 incidents across Ireland in 2022, a 24 per cent rise on the previous year.

There were a further 791 cases of aggressive dog behaviour reported to local authorities. National Chairman of the Regional Game Councils, John Butler said that the ban is totally ideological and without any evidence whatsoever.

"Peer-reviewed science shows that these devices do no harm to a dog. Once trained, the dogs avoid attacking sheep and so don't get shot by farmers or destroyed by police or vets. It is sheer madness for the government to prefer dogs, which are only following their natural prey instinct, to be put down, rather than having them trained by an e-collar with a low-level pulse from a 9-volt battery."

Minister Charlie McConalogue had said that the move follows months of "significant consultation" and advice from the Advisory Council on Companion Animal Welfare set up in 2021. NARGC wants the government to acknowledge the benefits of e-collars instead of putting a ban on them.

Luke Henderson, Secretary for Sligo Regional Game Council told The Sligo Champion that the legislation itself is flawed.

"On one side the government is banning the use of e-collars but the domestic fences that can give electric shocks to stop the dogs from going past certain areas would still be available. "The second thing is that the number of livestock worrying due to dog attacks has increased a lot in recent years.

"People who want to enjoy the countrysie should absolutely be able to enjoy it, but if they insist on having their dogs off the lead, they should have them under control.

"E-collars are an insurance policy to control dogs, it's not a case of using it for ultimate brutality. Personally, I don't use the device myself, but I do know people who use it, and it is only a short-term measure to train the dog.

"If trained properly, the dog starts to understand certain behaviors like you do not chase sheep etc, and then the need for e-collar remains lessened.

"The flaw in the legislation is that I can put on a domestic fence, which basically gives the same amount of shock to the dog if it tries to cross it, but when it comes to the life of a livestock, we are not supposed to use what is simply an added insurance policy."

The ban only applies on electronic shock collars operated by handheld remote controls. Anti-bark collars and electric fencing would not be affected.Dog-owners who are already using the e-collar on their pets can continue to use it, but it cannot be used on any new animals.

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