Week 13_4/21/16_Free Lassie

                  It's been years since a real leader could lead us to the promise land. We need a leader that isn't afraid to speak his mind or tell the truth. Obviously, I am talking about our dog overlord. We've had Lassie and Old Yeller, which both met unfortunate fates. Dogs need to be given their own rights so that they won't have to rely off the generosity of humans. They say that dogs are man's best friend, but where are the dogs benefitting from this friendship? Leashes, harnesses, and muzzles have all been employed to shut out the opposition to this oppression at the hands of humans. Along with a select few believers of the Canine Independence Movement, we can free all canines of their positions on the lowest socioeconomic scale. Dogs need to be able to fend for themselves, just like they did in the beginning. Before dogs were abused and bullied into submission by the humans, they were wolves. Today, humans will not harm wolves or harass them. We respect them from a distance and admire their wildness. Wolves are a symbol of solitude and independence while the word 'dog' is often used as an insult, and dogs continue to be physically or mentally abused by their 'owners'. Nobody owns a wolf, you see. In addition, a human would never kick a wolf, so why do people continue to kick dogs?

                  In modern society, dogs continue to live in squander and without dignity. It is common nowadays to see dogs dressed up in silly costumes and paraded around like objects. Surely, the dog did not plan to wear this, and most of the time, dogs will paw at their ornaments because they did not give their permission to wear this. They were forced into those outfits the same way that kidnappers force children into their cars. The canine experience is miserable and dull at best. They live at the literal beck and call of their owners. All day, while their owner is at work, dogs have no enrichment and cannot leave their enclosed spaces. Deep in the forest or mountains, wolves roam around as they please. They are taught that certain behaviors are unacceptable. They just are, yet dogs aren't accepted as they truly are. Owners claim to love their dogs as if they were children, but we wouldn't lock up our children in the house all day and forbid them to leave the property. If we did that, Child Services would come and extract the child from that situation. Yet, it is perfectly acceptable to hold a dog captive all day.

                  The canine lineage is one of finesse and honor. We need to recognize their rights by setting all dogs free, and if the dog chooses of its own free will, we can live with them in harmony. Dogs need to stop being paraded around as 'show dogs' and punished for trivial things that we accept in other wild animals. Every day, more dogs are being forced to procreate against their will so that we may have variations on color, size, and ability. It's simply unacceptable from an ethical point of view. You do not truly love your dog unless you set them free and let them be their authentic selves.