Die Hunde
USA Today :
At $4K each, K-9 imports draw howls
The government imports hundreds of untrained bomb- and drug-sniffing dogs from Europe each year for as much as $4,535 apiece, four times the price charged by American breeders, says a federal report out today.
The high canine price tags are prompting outrage from congressional and government spending critics and U.S. breeders, who say taxpayer money is being wasted.
“What kind of dogs are these — gold-plated?” asked Leslie Paige of Citizens Against Government Waste.
No, it’s just that Europe has far higher dog breeding standards than America. Just ask anyone who has owned American-bred German Shepherds and German-bred German Shepherds. It’s just about like comparing a Pinto to a BMW.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., called it “irresponsible” that the government is spending so much, even before it pays $15,000 per canine team for 13 to 15 weeks of training.
Now there’s the pot calling the kettle black. Let’s rely on the animal husbandry abilities of Bennie Thompson’s constituents. Go to any black neighborhood and you’re likely to find feral dogs roaming around in packs. Most of those are former pets jettisoned by their owners out of pure disinterest.
Lee Titus, director of CBP’s Canine Enforcement Training Center in Front Royal, Va., where the dogs are trained, said 90% of the dogs come from overseas because Europe has a long history of breeding dogs with the proper temperament for security duties. U.S. breeders, he says, breed mostly “pretty” show dogs or pets.
German Shepherds from Germany tend to be bred for temperament and health, while American German Shepherds tend to be bred for appearance and size, and that big size is too much for its bone/joint structure, leading to those infamous bone disorders and hip problems. Then again, Americans and their penchant for dogs’ appearances has done a lot to screw up several good breeds.
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