History of the American Dog
Dogs are believed to have traveled into America with early man as pack animals and hunting companions. They helped man conquer the polar ice caps, the forests, deserts and jungles. Both species thrived because of their relationship.
The conquistadors brought dogs with them to help conquer the new world. Some bred with the native American dogs and some were left behind to naturalize. They are believed to be the foundations for the Catahoula Leopard Dog and other American breeds.
Early settlers came with dogs, horses, cattle, sheep and goats. They needed hunting dogs, watch dogs and herding dogs to help them survive in the new land.
Early explorers and trappers traveled with dogs by land and by water. Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition had a Newfoundland that helped him hunt on the expedition and was his beloved companion.
George Washington was a noted sportsman and imported hounds and herding dogs, as did Thomas Jefferson.
Daniel Boone & Davy Crockett though in different times in history shared a love of hounds and hunting. They relied on their hounds for survival.
Sled dogs allowed for Arctic exploration.
The history of the US is rich with stories of the invaluable contributions of dogs. But animal activists seek to remove dogs from our lives through government mandated surgery and laws that penalize responsible owners and breeders.
Mandatory Spay Neuter seeks to eliminate dogs "one generation and out" through government mandated spay & neuter.
Mandatory micro-chipping is a step in the animal activist's goal to identify, locate and eliminate dogs from our lives.
Breed specific Legislation seeks to make specific dog breeds and those that look like them, either illegal, or difficult, risky or expensive to own.
Love of our dogs is part of our history.
We must fight to keep it part of our future!
"The makers of our Constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. They recognized the significance of man's spiritual nature, of his feelings and of his intellect. They knew that only a part of the pain, pleasure and satisfactions of life are to be found in material things. They sought to protect Americans in their beliefs, their thoughts, their emotions and their sensations. They conferred, as against the government, the right to be let alone - the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men. To protect that right, every unjustifiable intrusion by the government upon the privacy of the individual, whatever the means employed, must be deemed a violation of the Fourth Amendment. And the use, as evidence in a criminal proceeding, of facts ascertained by such intrusion must be deemed a violation of the Fifth."
--Justice Louis Brandeis - OLMSTEAD v. U.S., 277 U.S. 438 (1928)
