Respect for dogs: A nonviolent education is possible – Testify!

Respect for dogs: A nonviolent education is possible – Testify!
28.09.2017
Respect for dogs: A nonviolent education is possible – Testify!
Domestic animals

A call for Witnesses: One Voice invites you to share your experience of nonviolent education. Dogs are not weapons!

A respectful dog training

A positive and non-violent education, provided by professionals, exists. And it is happy and fulfilled that these dogs live their lives. Our companions are not weapons, and One Voice is formally opposed to training so-called defence dogs. But the association does not tar all with the same brush, many great educators implement methods that respect dogs and allow humans to live with them a relationship of complicity and harmony.

Testify!

With us, show that, without blows, shouting or domination the dogs flourish with us. The fulfilling game and the complicity can only exist with respect. So that the caring education of our canine companions becomes the norm, share your testimony! Whether you are an educator yourself or have chosen this path for the dog (s) with whom you share your life, send us your photos and videos, we will pass them on to our blog or our networks.

Together, let’s get to know the positive methods for good and happy dogs. Let’s refuse the violence. Respect for our canine companions!

Discover below a list (not exhaustive) of canine educators who put into practice non-violent methods to accompany very gentle dogs:

• Pacific dog
• Training dog
• Connexion canine
• Objectif chiens
• La team Cap dog
• Merci mon chien
• Animacoach
• Chien presque parfait

• Un air de chien
• Dog faculty
• Humeur de chiens
• Cani-Feeling
• Skydog
• Dog Island
• La classe canine
• Naturellement chien

One Voice responds to the Central Society for Canines

One Voice responds to the Central Society for Canines
26.09.2017
France
One Voice responds to the Central Society for Canines
Domestic animals

One Voice has taken note of the position of the Central Society for Canines, denouncing the behaviour of the trainers that they have filmed and being ready to punish their heavy handling of dogs.

One Voice welcomes this commitment even if it seems difficult to talk about simple excesses when this type of phenomenon is so widespread. This type of training favours a hierarchical type of relationship with an animal that will only too often be trained by means of violence and domination, to the detriment of the real needs of the dog.

Fortunately, there are more and more animal-friendly methods of training for defence than others. One Voice however condemns the very principle of using these dogs as weapons, believing that they are companions of life that deserve another destiny.

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Unique investigation: One Voice denounces the violence used in the sport of dog obedience training

Unique investigation: One Voice denounces the violence used in the sport of dog obedience training
20.09.2017
France
Unique investigation: One Voice denounces the violence used in the sport of dog obedience training
Domestic animals

The investigators of One Voice have infiltrated a dozen French dog training centres between 2014 to 2017 known as defence for sporting purposes (obedience trials) or security (guarding). The images and proof they have just brought back illustrates the violence used in the training of these dogs, which end up aggressive and dangerous.

This activity, which has nothing to do with leisure, feeds the networks with so called working dogs. It causes the abandonment of dogs that have become aggressive and dangerous. This situation leads to the unfortunate and predictable accidents leading to them being put down. One Voice is calling for a ban on this type of dog training, dog training involving biting and of so-called « defence dogs » that turn them into lethal weapons. It is a question of respect for the dog as a sentient being, but also a question of national security. All dogs are entitled to the respect and warmth of a loving home.

The conditions of the investigation

The ring (obedience trial) is the most popular dog sport in France with over 7000 licensed members and nearly 750 clubs registered in 2016 (1). The dog training community of the Ring in France is a very closed organisation and the trainers are suspicious of any newcomers. In took three years for the investigators of One Voice to be fully accepted, and to be able to film with a hidden camera the activities of several centres, including some very famous ones. Their observations were reported (to read or download the investigation you’ll find it at the bottom of this page).

What is the Ring ?

Considered as a canine sport, training for the Ring consists of obedience, jumping and biting tests in which dogs must, for example, jump fences, bring back objects, refuse bait and attack and bite on command, in different stages. Dogs must obey instantly, without thinking. They must be an extension of whoever controls them (the « handler »). The Ring is reserved for so-called defence dogs, mainly Malinois and German shepherds.

Instead of a fun activity of complicity between the human and the dog, the fusion that seems so perfect during competitions is far from the fruit of a wonderful communication. It is actually based on a violent denaturation of the animal.

A dog « handler » explains: « In the Ring, it is completely robotic, it is a mechanical thing. The dog is just a robot that obeys, we teach it, it learns very quickly. Not so much a robot, since it is learning, but it can only do what it is taught. In the Ring, it has no opportunity for anything else, there is no freedom for the dog, it is completely submissive. »

Unacceptable training conditions, similar to methods of torture

The coercive methods observed are the result of mistreatment or even cruelty: cries, electrocution, spiked collars, choking by hanging, whipping and lashing, brutal hits from whips and cables, deprivation of food, all are common practices from a very young age. The investigators filmed many scenes and discussions which are visible on the site that is dedicated to this campaign.

The behaviour of dogs is irreparably transformed

This type of training does not only treat the dog as an object, it turns it into a weapon. While the authorities established a law in 2008 prohibiting biting, these dogs are transformed into real killing machines for the purpose of leisure.

Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice, says:

« Training dogs for the Ring is not a hobby. It is organized torture, with the sole objective of satisfying the ego and the need for domination of those who orchestrate and publicize it. How many dogs are sacrificed and how many dramatic accidents will it take to put an end to this legalized cruelty, which turns dogs into weapons? One Voice is calling for a ban on this type of dog training and the training of so-called defence dogs. »

These practices are obviously sources of suffering for dogs, who seek only to protect themselves from punishment by submitting to the contradictory orders of their trainer. This violence condemns these dogs to isolation outside of the training: isolation made necessary due the potential danger they pose towards other beings. Trainers « put them away » like equipment into transport crates, into car trunks or in cellars. Deprived of the love of a home, subjected to extreme violence the rest of the time, their confinement, which in itself is a matter of abuse, reinforces their aggressiveness. One Voice recently complained in several cases about dogs detained in this way.

(1)
General Terms of Use 2016

Website for the campaign: dressage-des-chiens.fr

Cases related to security and dressage:

• In July: Echo: https: //twitter.com/onevoicean …

• In August, Amos: https: //twitter.com/onevoicean …

• In February, trial of a trainer: https: //twitter.com/onevoicean …

Articles:

https://one-voice.fr/en/blog/one-voice-demande-justice.html

https://one-voice.fr/fr/blog/clubs-canins-en-perdition.html

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Abuse of security dogs: One Voice rebels

Abuse of security dogs: One Voice rebels
20.09.2017
France
Abuse of security dogs: One Voice rebels
Domestic animals

Between July and September 2017, the ordeal of three Malinois is highlighted. Found in appalling conditions, all three were exploited for guarding. One Voice has lodged a complaint to stop the abuse of these dogs whose history is all too often a result of suffering.

The appalling living conditions of the security dogs

Thanks to the alerts issued by witnesses, the fate of three dogs has been revealed to the general public: their living conditions were deplorable. The 12-year-old was found in the dark, locked in a crate barely 1.5 meters in length. He was in a state of leanness more than obvious and suffered from bedsores. It was then the turn of a of a 9-year-old Malinois to be released. Locked up for two years in a van, he was fixed to the floor with a carabiner. When it was found, the heat was unbearable. He had no water, no food … and could breathe only through a slit left at the rear doors of the vehicle. In September, another case was recorded: a dog having spent several months locked in a transport crate, in a car park. All were exploited as security dogs. One Voice filed has filed a complaint against their torturers.

To become a security dog

The exploitation of certain breeds of dogs in the example of Malinois and German shepherds is authorized for the benefit of the security sector as soon as they reach their first birthday. Muzzled and kept on a leash, the animals ensure with their partner or « police officer » the security of a site or an event and the people. The work is exhausting: they are chained up, walk for hours without being able to rest or drink. When the end of the day arrives, they do not find shelter in a cosy kennel: most are « stored » in cages like vulgar tools. Yet these dogs, who have not asked to work and who need care and great attention suffer from continuous hardships. Why inflict such abuse on them?

Violence as a method of learning

Broken, physically and psychologically, by a training that has forever changed their behaviour, some dogs, become unusable for leisure, are reduced to the rank of security dogs. Binding the animal by violence and daily torture, the training consists of exercises of obedience, jumping and of course biting. At the end of this pseudo training, the dog can, on command and mechanically cross obstacles, use his sense of smell to follow a track or bite without letting go on the order of his keeper. What he will no longer be able to do, however, is to trust a human being, whom he can attack without warning. The dog then becomes too unpredictable to live in a family and is thrown out of society…

One Voice protests and files a complaint!

With the greatest hypocrisy, the trainers of these centres offer future security guards’ courses on the general knowledge to acquire on their animal: personal hygiene, first aid and animal psychology … Was the training so bad that the three dog owners left their dogs in such deplorable conditions? This type of environment has the effect of contributing to reinforce their aggressiveness and to force them into isolation. One Voice lodges a complaint against these individuals mistreating their poor dogs. It’s time to recognize that they are sentient beings who suffer and that they experience emotions!

To ban the training of dogs and save the victims from! this abuse, please sign and share the petition!

Crédit photos : Ksenia Raykova/Shutterstock.com

Investigation: the violent training of so-called defence dogs

Investigation: the violent training of so-called defence dogs
20.09.2017
France
Investigation: the violent training of so-called defence dogs
Domestic animals

A difficult investigation by One Voice into Ring training clubs reveals the torture suffered by dogs.

The investigators of One Voice have infiltrated the world of Ring training. What they witnessed is comparable to torture. This so-called leisure turns dogs into weapons. Let’s mobilize to ban it!

The Ring, what is it?

Ring training is reserved for dogs of so-called defence breeds, mainly Malinois and German shepherds. Considered as a dog sport, it consists of obedience, jumping and biting tests during which dogs must for example jump palisades, bring back objects, refuse baits and attack and bite on command in different staging’s. Dogs must obey instantly, without thinking. They must be an extension of the one who controls them, real remote-controlled objects. And to turn a dog into a robot, into a weapon, you have to break it…

A difficult survey

Between 2014 and 2017, the investigators of One Voice infiltrated the very closed world of dog training. The methods used and what they could film, revealed incredible violence.

Threats, restraint table, electric shocks, whips, strangling … Dogs have to bear everything. The credo of the trainers? For this to be effective, it must be painful. Choke collars have ground sharp tips, whips are equipped with round cable, and several electric collars can be used simultaneously … The worst is probably the table of contention, on which the dog is tied short and whipped to bark and attack … And if he tries to escape, he hangs himself! According to Dr. Nathalie Simon, a behavioural veterinarian and consultant for One Voice, these methods are like torture…

Continuous suffering

The ordeal of dogs does not stop at training. When they are no longer used, some are « tidied up or put away » like ordinary tools, locked most of the time in transport crates or car trunks, in the sun and without water. Sometimes the crates are placed in cellars. They come out of these cases only to suffer the blows. The cases are so small that they usually cannot stand up. And if they do not work well, they are deprived of food … This is the terrible existence which they have lived since they left their mother. Since then, they have not had the slightest caress. And the training is such that they have unlearned a number of natural behaviours to mechanize their aggression, they bite on command and do not let go … Finally, some become so dangerous that a family life would be impossible in their state. Moreover, for those who become uncontrollable, the outcome is often a life of guarding. They will have to walk for hours, muzzled and at the heal, without water or food, and go from hand to hand…

Dogs are not weapons!

This situation is untenable. The suffering of these dogs, as the danger they represent – the training has turned them into real weapons – cannot be tolerated!

Please sign the petition so that the training of so-called defence dogs is prohibited. Dogs are our companions. All have the right to be respected and loved.

One Voice calls for justice for Chevelu the Cat!

One Voice calls for justice for Chevelu the Cat!
14.09.2017
Draguignan
One Voice calls for justice for Chevelu the Cat!
Domestic animals

Draguignan, on the night of May 30th 2017, Chevelu a little cat dies under the force of heavy blows. Thanks to the work of the police, the culprit a recidivist, has been found. One Voice will be a civil party at the trial, on September 15th, for the violence to be condemned as such.

The terrible death of Chevelu

The skull of Chevelu was smashed. Traces of blood were observed on the wall of the building near which we found his little dead body. His wounds testified to the violence unleashed on him. For this homeless cat, who struggled on a daily basis to survive, his existence ended from the worst of cruelty. His torturer, who tried to incriminate a gang of young people, was identified by the police, after a thorough investigation. His confessions, which join those of his companion, hint at the terrible scenario of Chevelu’s last moments. Chevelu knew him, Monsieur M. fed him sometimes … His mistake? Sitting on Mr M’s scooter and supposedly urinating on it… It was enough to cause an uncontrollable anger. And when confident, Chevelu let himself be approached, he then received the first kick. So strong that he was thrown against the wall. Two other kicks followed. Safety shoes do not forgive. Note that, according to Pierre Gallego, consultant veterinarian for One Voice, the conclusions of the autopsy report are more like this « think of an action exerting a centrifugal force on the head, probably by holding the cat by the tail or the hind limbs and projecting the head against the wall. »

Then, Mr. M. made up his story, threw off his shoes, the murder weapon, and set up a scenario with his friend so as not to be accused…

A recidivist torturer

Ms. C. confessed to being afraid of him. That would explain why she protected him … It must be said that his criminal record is heavy: he has already been convicted for starving his dog in his own apartment. Their child of barely 7 months is placed in custody. He was to visit him the next day. For One Voice, this drama is a new illustration of the link between violence against animals and humans. The blows fall on the victims, regardless of the species to which they belong. Cruelty is blind. The executioners attack the weakest which permit terror to prevail. We remember the case of the dog Léa, whose rapist was already known for acts of paedophilia…This link cannot be ignored.

Violence must be condemned

September 15^th, the association will be a civil party at the trial of Mr. M. His goal? For us to obtain an exemplary punishment, which will put him this dangerous man away, having already proved that he is capable of the worst. He must not create a new victim. His partner is scared for herself, but also for her cats and her daughter. Yet today, he faces 2 years in prison, a derisory sentence in comparison to the violence committed against Chevelu. If a human had perished under his blows, it would be life imprisonment. Why the difference? To condemn violence for what it is and not according to the one on which it is exercised.

For a criminal policy to evolve and for violence to be condemned regardless of the victim, please sign and share our petition! 

Trial for the cat Chevelu: One Voice asks for an exemplary sentence

Trial for the cat Chevelu: One Voice asks for an exemplary sentence
11.09.2017
Draguignan
Trial for the cat Chevelu: One Voice asks for an exemplary sentence
Domestic animals

On September 15^th, One Voice will be a plaintiff in the trial of the tortured cat Chevelu in Draguignan, kicked to death last May. After a summer marked by an upsurge in acts of cruelty on dogs and cats, the association is calling for exemplary punishment for this man. A man whose past is marked by recurrent acts of violence and already condemned for allowing his dog to die.

 

Investigation

The story of Chevelu the cat moved many in France, sparking social network interest within a few weeks. The cat was found dead, its skull fractured, after visibly undergoing acts of extreme cruelty. Thanks to a thorough investigation by the gendarmerie, which made every effort to identify the culprit (s), including DNA analyses of the victim’s hair, which quickly implicated the defendant Mr. M in the death of the cat. His testimony, as well as that of his companion, which made it all more possible to assess the violence experienced by Chevelu.

Facts

That evening, in the centre of Draguignan, Mr. M. came down from his apartment where he lives with his partner, Mrs. C. He saw Chevelu on his scooter and that was enough to make him fly into a rage of anger. He knew Chevelu, a homeless cat, who was known by a neighbourhood association. He had fed him on a regularly basis. So, when the cat came down from the bike, the man pretended to feed him. Chevelu, confident, approached. Mr. M. then he gave the cat his first kick. He wore safety shoes, with a reinforced toe. Chevelu flew into the wall.  But that was apparently not enough for Mr. M who caught the cat again for a second kick, throwing it back against the wall. After a third kick, the cat collapsed, its head bleeding. So Mr. M. got rid of his shoes, he threw them into a rubbish bin and went to bed … With his girlfriend, they then concocted their story to make sure that a group of young people in the neighbourhood were made the suspects.

Note:
According to Dr. Peter Gallego, veterinarian and consultant for One Voice, the conclusions of the autopsy report were as follows « think of an action whereupon an exerting centrifugal force is applied to the head, probably by holding the cat by the tail or the hind legs and then swinging its head against the wall.  »

The suspect

Mr. M. was not unknown to the authorities. His criminal record is already well provided in convictions for violence, not only towards animals but also humans with the threat of a weapon. In particular, he allowed his dog to starve in his apartment. Mrs. C. will admit in her testimony to be afraid of him because « he breaks things ». Yet, or because of that, she protected him … Their child, barely 7 months old, has been placed into care.

The link between violence

This case is just another dramatic illustration of the link between violence against animals and humans. The blows fall on to the victims
regardless of the species. Many countries have already understood this, especially with regard to the fight against domestic violence, where the penalties and accompanying measures apply to the victims, spouses and abused children as domestic animals (United States, United Kingdom …).

Arielle Moreau, lawyer for One Voice, explains:

« Chevelu was a very vulnerable little being. He had no chance of escaping his executioner. He fell into a trap. After having put his trust into
this man, his torturer kicked his skull with his shoes, which he used as a weapon, before getting rid of them in an attempt to escape prosecution. If Chevelu had been a human, his murderer would have been sentenced to life. But he is a cat, and today the maximum penalty is only two years, which is ridiculous. »

Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice says:

« Getting an exemplary sentence for Chevelu goes beyond just giving him justice. Mr. M. is a repeat offender. Similar cases are numerous enough not to discount the probability that he will start again if his evil act is not condemned as he should be. And who will be his next victim? His partner is scared for herself, but also for her cats and her daughter. For One Voice, violence must be condemned for what it is. Mr. M. is a dangerous man. He must be put out of harm’s way, to protect everyone. »

Procès pour le chat Chevelu

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