Hunting dog breeder lets puppies tear quails apart
A deadly “game” to desensitize: PETA recently received a video which, according to the whistleblower, shows a breeder of so-called hunting dogs from the Potsdam-Mittelmark district.
The short clip shows a woman presenting five puppy dogs with a live quail to kill. The puppies of the «Weimaraner» breed quickly begin tearing and plucking at the defenseless bird.
At the beginning of the video, the woman can be heard introducing the quail’s death struggle with the words “Today we have some murderous intentions here.” She explains that this is already the second quail whose life ends in this dog kennel. According to the informant, the footage dates from July 2021. Apparently, the young animals were being trained to attack and kill live animals. PETA filed a criminal complaint with the Potsdam public prosecutor’s office on 28 October and submitted the video as evidence. Under animal protection law, it is prohibited to “train an animal against another living animal to increase its aggressiveness.”
Feeding live vertebrates to animals is also generally prohibited. PETA expects criminal investigative proceedings to be initiated. The animal rights organization is also calling for a ban on keeping animals, as well as the revocation of breeding and hunting permits for the perpetrator.
The cruel video is shocking, but unfortunately not surprising – animal cruelty is commonplace in hobby hunting and the training of «hunting dogs.» Such offenses rarely come to public attention. In addition to these illegal acts of animal cruelty, dogs are also permitted, in some cases legally, to be trained on live ducks and foxes, which suffer mortal fear in the process. We demand that hobby hunting and the associated abuse of dogs be banned once and for all!
Peter Höffken, specialist adviser at PETA
Dogs suffer under hunting training
Training dogs for hunting purposes and misusing them to chase wildlife is, in PETA's view, ethically indefensible. During «training», so-called hunting dogs are frequently forced into obedience through methods such as the one described above, as well as through the infliction of pain. Electric shock devices, spiked collars, kicks to the paws, pinching of the ears, and in some cases even blows are among the methods that many hobby hunters still use in dog training today. Animal cruelty in recreational hunting is a widespread problem.
Injuries and suffering in recreational hunting
Dogs frequently sustain serious injuries during recreational hunting when shot wild boar, foxes, or badgers attempt to defend themselves in their burrows. PETA advocates for a ban on recreational hunting, which would also render «hunting dogs» obsolete. These four-legged animals deserve a loving home where they are properly cared for. They need training methods built on trust and exclusively positive reinforcement that also stimulate them mentally. The criminality surrounding recreational hunting further demonstrates that such cases are far from isolated incidents.
HOBBY HUNTER RADAR
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