Memorial Day

Across the USA today we are remembering those who have died while serving our country. These soldiers came from our society - they lived among us and died away from us. Some chose the military as a way of life and ultimately death; other were conscripted to fight when necessary and died as a consequence. None of them wanted to die as early as they did - after all, they're missing out on the future to which they contributed their life. For that, we honor them.

What does this have to do with dogs? All dogs are conscripted to serve humans in one way or another. No dog gets to choose their future; maybe they don't want to or maybe they can't, we don't know. Fact is, we decide whether that cute little puppy becomes a family pet, a police dog, or frisbee star. Or worse... a racetrack dog, a pit fighter, a laboratory experiment. And then there are the dogs for whom nobody made a choice; unwanted, they are eventually euthanized.

Without that particular freedom of choice, dogs continue to faithfully serve us, even if it kills them. Police dogs charge armed criminals simply because their handlers say so; laboratory dogs lick the hands of the researchers that torture them. Millions of unwanted dogs in shelters and humane societies eagerly follow the technician into the euthanasia room, happy to be getting out of their cage for a walk.

In 231 years of United States history we have lost approximately 2 million lives to war. In comparison, 2 million dogs (or possibly more, depending on the source) are euthanized in our country every year.

These loyal dogs deserve to be remembered among our fellow canines today. It wasn't their choice, but they sacrificed their lives to make us aware of the problems that all dogs face, aware of the responsibility that we humans have as their evolutionary custodians to ensure that these innocent lives were not cut short for nothing.