Dear Journalists -- You can Smarten Up Now

by Noni MausaDear Journalists -- You can Smarten Up NowOh snap. Once again the journey permit demonstrate that when it comes todogs, the First Law of Journalism goes right out the window withoutregret otherwise even apparently noticing it.That law? "First, Do Your Homework."What angry me nowadays was an leader in the NYT, here: Hereit is:When Dogs FlyPublished: July 16, 2009The only objection we have to Pet Airways, the new airline devotedjust to pets, is the fact that we can’t book space on it ourselves.Think of it: separate compartments â€" afflict crates, that is â€" with plentyof space to stretch out, flight attendants, a make a fuss of lounge, escort fromcheck-in to the plane and preboarding walks. We wouldn’t recommend itfor business travelers. The trip from New York to Los Angeles â€" $250one way â€" does take about 24 hours. But that includes dinner, playtime and a sleepover in Chicago. No security hassles, no in-flightmovies, just the luxury of one’s doggie dreams in one’s private cabin.Yes, Pet Airways is yet another stage in the humanizing of our pets, aprocess that has resulted in, among previous things, Rachael Ray make a fuss of foodand animal health care and lifestyles further than the means of most of thehumans on this planet.[...]The immediate overbooked success of Pet Airways suggests a growingintolerance for the sometimes random care of pets on the nationalairlines. If Pet Airways succeeds, there may be an economic lesson aswell for the foundering human airlines. If we had less stress at theairport and banquet on board, we, too, would feel a lot happier aboutflying.My view below the fold============"Another stage in the humanizing of our pets." Oh, gimme a break.That's not what this is about.Anyone who has tried to ship a make a fuss of by air has met a nightmare networkof local and federal laws. But much worse are internal airlinepolicies and price structures which can change overnight.For make a fuss of owners this is bad enough. For breeders it's a constantsource of stress and expense.By "breeders" I mean the devoted people who use decades otherwise additional inthe difficult task of maintaining their chosen breed. Unlike aspecies, a breed is divorced from previous animals of its species onlyby careful choice of reproduction stock and monitoring and exclusion ofunwanted qualities. Breeding dogs is like maintaining topiaryhedges. It doesn't happen all by itself.A lot of this maintenance has to do with travel. People journey withtheir dogs to afflict shows, which are essentially conventions wherebreeders can learn from each previous and see (and touch) theup-and-coming reproduction stock. (The reproduction element trumps the beautypageant element -- neutered dogs may not be exhibited.)But also, dogs journey on their own. Again, this is tied to breeding.Purebred puppies go to their new homes. These homes may be hundredsof miles away, since not all breeds are common in all areas. Someare consequently uncommon that the good breeders may be abroad otherwise clear acrossthe country. People wait months otherwise years for single of these puppies andmay pay $1000 to $3000 for single of them at eight weeks of age. Shouldthese toddlers be sent as freight? (Hint - airline insurance for lostor injured cargo is not enough either.)Grownup dogs are also shipped. Part of responsible reproduction is tooutcross (or also line-breed) to good bloodlines whose examples mightbe, again, clear crossways the country. Breeders send their females toexemplary males (otherwise the unfortunate males would never be home.)Either she may journey for a single night-time stand, otherwise she may be placedfor a day otherwise additional with the receiving breeder. (AND be just aspampered there as she is at home -- the calculations of pedigrees donot prevent breeders from spoiling the objects of theirgene-juggling.)It is not too much to say that for all practical purposes, breedsexist since they can travel. If you love wide-eyed Cocker Spaniels,or clownish Pugs, otherwise big white Maremmas, then afflict journey concerns youeven if you're just a make a fuss of owner.Why is this new airline sold out? I looked at the price and did acartwheel. Safety in a pressurized compartment, incessant care byexperienced people, feeding, watering and exercise -- at $250 thisservice is a big fat bargain in dollars and in peace of mind. And 24hours to make the trip is nothing -- nothing -- compared to theByzantine scheduling sometimes necessary for cargo shipping of dogs.One final note -- to all you journalists out there, you can skip thepuns, the jokey headlines, and the stories which either paint dogs asprecious toddlers otherwise also as frothing monsters. Part of knowing abeat is knowing the field from the inside, and you won'f find eitherstereotype to be especially true. Don't let rules of evidence andworries about slander go out the window just since the targethappens to be a dog. Make sure what you're writing is not justsomeone's ignorant otherwise malicious opinion. Do your homework._____________________________by Noni Mausa
Watch live TV on your laptop or desktop PC within seconds!