Comments on: Dogs v.s. Hogs: Lose your faith in humanity

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 00:52:01 +0000

At this point, after 100 comments, nothing new is being said and no ground is being gained, so it’s time to close the comments off. I think both sides have said their peace and there’s enough here for people to decide for themselves.

Thanks to everyone for your participation.

(PS – Marcus… I removed your last post since this string of comments has gotten long enough and I preferred to end on your on-topic comment.)

By: Marcus de la Houssaye

Marcus de la Houssaye — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 22:43:02 +0000

Just when I thought we were getting somewhere by clarifying these events that we love to participate in, here comes some ignorant know it all with “hog fighting”. This is no different than a hog dog rodeo – it doesn’t exist! If you want to critisize me and attack my behavior then know what you are talking about before you open your mouth! This is a complex issue and part of what makes it so complicated is the laws very from state to state. And then in the state of Louisiana it is illegal to catch pigs in a pen during competition, but not illegal to do it in the woods during hunting. Let’s face it, there is a lot of wrong going on in the world. Have you done anything except point fingers at the wrong doers? That doesn’t make the world a better place. We in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, have thousands of homeless people and animals as a result of natural disasters. Some people will never recover, because they are too old, discouraged, poor, or disabled to “start over”. Has any of you people who claim to care so much about animal welfare, done anything in the last 90 days to relieve the suffering caused by mother nature? I am not talking about monetary donations, but actually took someone in, an animal or human. If you care so much, you now have an opportunity to show. “Caring” is an action, not a feeling. While you are trying to figure out what to do, I think I”ll go kill another of those pesky, stinking, environmentally destructive hogs and feed some of my hungry guests who are refugees of the hurricanes. And by the way some of these attacks against hog hunters are so rooted in hatred, I am beginning to wonder if the real issue is animal cruelty or intolerance of carnivorous humans. There sure was a lot hunters and fishermen who turned out to search and rescue the victims of Katrina. Literally, thousands of men who have been in boats all their life were turned away by FEMA who left refugees for days without food and water. If the federal government had got out of our way, we cold, insensitive, bloodthirsty hunters and fishermen could have evacuated New Orleans in 2 or 3 days. Not only the people but the pets too! Now if you want to complain about suffering and pain and neglect, do so to your congressman. And if you want to make the world a better place, get out in it and volunteer to help someone get the mud and ruined furniture and appliances out of their house even if they are not vegetarian. We have a lot of recovery left to do in Louisiana and points east and west. Oh, you thought we were getting back to normal here on the Gulf Coast because it is not on CNN anymore? We have over 500,000 homeless people as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
BTW, staying with family and friends is also homeless even if they are so generous to share their home. And I won’t even begin to touch on the jobless issue or people who lost their business.We have our work cut out for us. It would be nice if we could put away our differences and work together to get involved and make the world a better place for those of us who lost it all this year. Accusing me of being insensitive to suffering, when I was willing to risk my life, to save the victims of the New Orleans flood? Well I guess you can’t count on folks to be there for you, unless they are a bunch of redneck, hick, moron, hunters and fishermen.

By: Starr

Starr — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 18:02:32 +0000

If you decide to ask how I know… I run my own dogs in the pen.

By: Starr

Starr — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 18:01:03 +0000

For Erica…
I would have to say you are ignorant one. They are in the pen with the dogs & hogs. The handlers (1-2) are not only in the pen but so is pen help. Depending on the pen, sometimes up to 4 or more. It’s people like you that show just how bright you are when you get up and try make yourself look like someone with “expert testimony”. So tell us…

What else do you know?

By: Erica

Erica — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 02:42:37 +0000

Rednecks that support Hog fighting are so ignorant! I would love to put them in the ring with pitbulls and wild hogs and sell admission tickets! I’m sure there are a few people on this board who would LOVE to see that!

By: Starr

Starr — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 02:34:50 +0000

Oh almost forget…

On the cruel part, what happens if you are hiking, or camping (whatever you do) and find the massive irrate sow with piglets and she gets you down? Are you going to let her just go at you knowing good and well, that she doesn’t care if you are in pain or not? She will NOT stop, and feel sorry for you. You will be like my friend but probably missing more than three fingers. Would you perfer that if people with hog dogs were close let them loose and save you, or keep them on their leash and let them eat you. Where the events are legal, they serve a purpose. They are NOT just for fun. Some people cannot afford to have a facitily at home to teach their dogs how to do this in the wild. If you take the chances of running a inexperienced dog in the woods, you will more than likely not have a dog. In an area like those, the dog can be taught about getting in a bind with a hog. Out in the woods, there is no vet (just the dog 1st aid kit which most owners are better than vet), and there is no help. You will have to look at the fact that alot of these dogs are pups, and in the woods the hogs will FAR outweigh the dogs. I would rather be teaching my 15-30# pup in a spot where they can helped instead of throwing them out in the woods to a massive hog with 3 or more inch cutters on them. The dogs have the instinct to do this in them. It is straight to pure breeding. As for being social dogs, I have never seen any that were bad around people. They get out too much to have behavior problems. The only thing they need is for their instinct to be honed.

Catahoulas are no different than the bulldogs used. Their instinct has been bred into them for ages. Their primary use is for cattle, and hogs. I have even seen some that make excellent coon dogs.

By: Starr

Starr — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 02:22:36 +0000

Yes, we are talking about catch events. They are not legal in some states. Where we are they are NOT legal, but they are legal in many states. But I love to see a good catch dog in the woods hunting. They can keep a 400# plus hog from eating you (ask a friend, before getting run a tree by one, he lost three fingers to it which it ate).

As for bay events they are a different story. Do you find it right for most of you to jump on someone that runs dogs at bay events when you know nothing about them? Which most of you do, you lump them all in one catagory with no regard for anyone else. Back to the we don’t care about anyone but ourselves, as usual. A bay event is no different from a sheep herding trial. Works on the same principals. So what is wrong with that? I say I have hog dogs, and you people go into fits. Still lumping dogs together without asking simple questions that could distinguish the two kinds. It is kind of like saying I have horses. Most people just generalize it being the hack horse you trail ride not the 5 gaited show horse in the ring.

By: Rex

Rex — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 22:15:33 +0000

Catch events are not illegal in MS. I know this for a fact. We even have an on-duty officer on patrol at these events. Pain is caused to animals everyday “in the name of science”. That’s not right either, but it’s done.

By: Liv

Liv — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 21:14:07 +0000

Yay! It appears that some finally understand we are talking about the *illegal* events that have been shown on the news and are being brought to light by many animal welfare groups. What is interesting is that it seems some hunters took it a little too personal, especially since they are saying what they do (baying) is not the same as the [catch] events we are discussing.

These catch events are illegal for a reason – they are inhumane and exploitive. And once again, the old �to each his own� additive just doesn�t work in this situation, not when you are talking about something that is abusive to another person or animal. So, try again as to why people should not be outraged over this “sport.”

By: cq

cq — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 18:44:05 +0000

Everyone is avoiding one simple fact. The fact is that these hogs are being attacked and the attack is causing prolonged pain. Can you supporters answer this simple question and forget all the other b.s.? Does the hog feel pain? Since you cannot understand that question, let me ask another. If screams of horror come from an animal or human, is it likely pain is being experienced? How can you promote this? You can talk all you want about catch trails, bay trails, etc. but you are not answering the question. What exactly don’t YOU understand?

By: Starr

Starr — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 18:41:21 +0000

I am wanting to say that Catch Events are illegal almost everywhere. I know where we are they are illegal. Bay Events are the only things allowed. At most of these events Catch dogs are not allowed. That is the #1 rule. No Catch dogs allowed. Catch dogs do occasionally show up but they stand out like a sore thumb (most are there for sale to other hunters or have been bought & being brought to their new owners), and you never seen them as trying to be passed off as a bay dog. Most of those dogs are stictly used in the woods except for private facilities that train them.

***Sorry but can’t send you examples of them, I would hate to know someone was harassing them (friends of mine) because I was using their facility as an example.

By: Rex

Rex — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 17:30:30 +0000

Hog catches are illegal in LA. I have been to both the hog catch and bays. Although, we use pitbulls as catch dogs at the bays. I don’t think anyone is trying to justify their existence. Their lots of things in this world that can’t be justified. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. It doesn’t mean it’s right or wrong.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:26:10 +0000

As I mentioned back up in comment #50, I’m specifically talking about the events featured in the article and on the undercover videos.

By: Marcus de la Houssaye

Marcus de la Houssaye — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:19:24 +0000

OK Ryan, it looks like you want to learn something for a change and not act like you know it all. READ YOUR OWN BLOG! #30 JAMES MAKES A GOOD START DESCRIBING A FIELD TRAIL! #31 I BUILD UPON JAMES’S DESCRIPTION AND ELABORATE. #52 I SHOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CATCH TRAIL AND A BAY TRAIL.AND IN #64 I POSTED A NEWSPAPER WRITERS ARTICLE CLEARLY SHOWING THE HUMANITY OF THE UNCLE EARL’S HOG DOG TRAIL. I WENT TO THE PETA MOVIE TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING. IT IS A CATCH TRAIL WITH PITBULLS. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT CATCH TRAILS ARE ILLEGAL, AND BAY TRAILS ARE NOT. A HOG DOG TRAIL IS NOT A CATCH TRAIL. AT A BAYING, A DOG THAT CATCHES THE PIG IS DISQUALIFIED. WE DO NOT USE PITBULLS AT A BAYING, WE USE CATAHOULAS MOSTLY. DO YOU KNOW WHAT A CATAHOULA IS? BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW A CATCH TRAIL FROM A BAY TRAIL. BY THE WAY, THE CATAHOULA HOUND IS THE OFFICIAL STATE DOG OF LOUISIANA. MAYBE THIS IS ALL TOO COMPLICATED FOR KNOW IT ALLS. THE PROBLEM WITH KNOW IT ALLS IS, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LEARN WHEN YOU KNOW IT ALL. A BIGGER PROBLEM IS TV DOESN’T SHOW THE WHOLE PICTURE. WE MIGHT BE ALL A LOT HAPPIER IF WE DIDN’T WATCH SO DAMN MUCH TELEVISION! WELL, I GOT ONE BIG PROBLEM WITH TV SHOWING PEOPLE THINGS TO GET EM MAD AT SOMEONE ELSE, BUT NOT SHOWING THE WHOLE PICTURE. BTW – THIS HOG HUNTER IS A TV PRODUCER/WRITER AS WELL!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 14:08:38 +0000

OK, so what are these events called? I have yet to see a single message even begin to provide a decent justification for their existence.