For World Dog Day on 10 October 2023
From the perspective of an Aiderbichler
(written by Gisela Pschenitschnig)
A dog decides once for the rest of its life. It doesn't ask itself whether it really wants to grow old with us. He simply does. His love, once we have earned it, is absolute.
~ Pablo Picasso
The dog is a rescue dog, playmate, counsellor, laboratory animal – he is just as Pablo Picasso described him. Faithfully at the side of man for as long as it should be.For thousands of years, people have been “on the dog”The dog is descended from the wolf and the domestication of wild wolves began over 80,000 years ago. People can choose from around 350 different dog breeds to decide which breed they want to keep. Dogs are therefore regarded as pets, but also as working animals. Working dogs are trained in special training units for fighting crime, as rescue dogs or as herding dogs.
The dog as a family member
The dog and its human can form a team
It is not uncommon for a dog to replace a human. It replaces deceased loved ones, a life partner, and for many single people it is the “number to call when needed”. A dog can listen, it does not argue, it does not contradict and its loyalty and love is with humans for as long as it lives.
The Gut Aiderbichl dog project
For many years now, there has been a Gut Aiderbichl in Romania. Aiderbichl started out with over 300 strays living in a fenced-in area with no protection from the weather. They were fed by a woman who did not shy away from bringing the dogs buckets of water, as there was no well for miles around.At the time, Dieter Ehrengruber realised “We have to help here!”. People in Romania bring their cats and dogs to the Aiderbichl staff to be neutered, but things don’t get better and more respectful for the animals overnight. Many abandoned adult and sometimes seriously injured dogs and unwanted puppies are left in plastic bags outside the door or thrown over the fence. In due course, our four-legged Romanian dogs are also placed with people who are not looking for the breed but for a friend.
When dogs attack people
The controversial keeping of so-called “fighting dogs” is always a major issue. A horrific incident in Upper Austria with a fatal outcome for a female jogger lasstthe waters run high.
In principle, it is probably the case that a dog is not vicious by nature. It is humans who train them. This is best done in suitable dog training courses, but sometimes also on your own.
Why does a dog attack humans? A dog is an animal, which does not mean that it automatically attacks people. Who knows what makes a dog attack a human? Either he’s trained to do that or something is irritating him for a moment? It’s fear, uncertainty, …what is it? You have to observe your animal and learn to interpret its body language. The dog does exactly the same thing: it observes and interpretsthe body language of humans and can thus become a human’s best friend.
Visit us at the Gut Aiderbichl Academy for a suitable course on dog training and the like: akademie@gut-aiderbichl.com .
Enjoy the day with your four-legged friend. But never forget that he is an animal with his own instincts.Your thoughtful Gisela
