Hashtag Away the Big Lie

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382 – August 2019

By Sandy Weaver

For far too long the AR people have defined dog fanciers to the general public, and it has not been a pretty picture. They’ve convinced many people that we are cruel users of animal flesh – people who abuse dogs for our own glory and sport. And we’ve been complicit, whether we know it or not, because we tend to be a pretty insular, elite group who carefully monitor the quality of homes/people our puppies are allowed to go.
Just what is the abuse? We cage our dogs. We keep them in runs. We control their lives, from the type and time of meals, to the type and time of exercise, to the type and time of breeding. We haul them out just to go to dog shows, where they are expected to make us look good by winning, and when they don’t, we treat them harshly – at least, that’s the charge leveled against the fancy by groups like PETA and HSUS. We don’t allow our dogs to be dogs and we only sell our dogs to each other, not John and Jane Q. Public, so we can hide our crimes from dog lovers.
We all know that’s a bunch of hooey, and so do the animal rights people, though that doesn’t stop them from employing the Big Lie technique against us. In case you’ve never heard of it, the Big Lie technique goes like this – “yes, we know it’s not true, but if we repeat it often enough, people will believe it’s true.” This technique is employed with great skill by politicians, lobbyists and anyone who’s trying to separate a sucker from his or her money. Yep, AR people fall into all three of those camps, and they’ve used the Big Lie technique against the dog fancy quite skillfully.
The time is now to take back the narrative. There’s a grassroots, coordinated effort underway to show the public how our dogs REALLY live – that they have lives, often far richer lives than many pet dogs. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the other social media outlets are the perfect avenues for spreading the truth about well-bred dogs.
Here’s what you can do, starting right now, to help people understand the truth about the dog fancy – that we’re for dogs, for humane, reasonable laws, and for responsible ownership and stewardship of dogs and breeds. We’re for rescue – heck, the fancy INVENTED rescue! – and for adoption and for saving and rehoming and loving all dogs, regardless of pedigree.
Want to help spread the truth? It’s easy – post pictures of your dogs just being dogs and use the hashtags #secretlifeofshowdogs and #perfectfitforlife. If you’re new to hashtagging, note that there are no spaces and no punctuation – when you post a hashtag correctly, it becomes a clickable link. These two hashtags make the truth about the dog fancy searchable, so anyone who wants to find out more about your dogs and other show dogs can do so by searching for these hashtags. Here’s what they mean:
#secretlifeofshowdogs – pretty much an “in your face” rebuttal to the charges of abused show dogs. When you get a picture of your dog sleeping in a funny position, loving up on someone, playing with another dog, out in nature, etc., etc., etc., post it with this hashtag. Note – please don’t tag pictures of crated dogs or dogs in runs, as that plays into the Big Lie. Make these pictures that John or Jane Q. Public will see and smile about.
#perfecfitforlife – this refers to the care a good breeder takes in placing their puppies. We look for a home where the dog will be a part of the family and stay in that home for life. Use this hashtag every time you post a picture of one of your dogs or of a puppy you’ve produced. Again, please avoid crate and kennel pictures – think marketing and getting out our message of spoiled rotten dogs, not anything that could be interpreted as “abused show dogs”. This hashtag provides a great educational opportunity – people ask, “what does that mean” and the door is open for you to educate about responsible breeders and how we care about our puppies for their entire life, not just until the check clears.
Commit to posting at least a few pictures a week on whatever social media page(s) you usually use. My goal is one picture per day on Facebook, which is pretty easy to do. I post one picture and use both of the above hashtags on it when posting. If you’ve been active on Facebook for any length of time and taken pictures of your dogs, chances are that just checking your “memories” each day could net you several pictures a week. And if you’re not already, become a member of the Preservationists of Purebred and Purposefully Bred Dogs Facebook page for lots of other great ideas and resources. It’s a closed group – you can find it and see who runs it when you search for it. Ask to become a member and join the over 6,000 other preservationists who are working together to change the perception of purebred dogs and responsible breeders.
We can take back the narrative. We must take back the narrative. And these two hashtags, used regularly and well, will be the way we bury their Big Lie and share the Real Truth.

About the Author:
Sandy Weaver is an author, professional speaker and judges some Working breeds. When she’s not traveling to speak or to judge, she’s spoiling her two retired Siberian Huskies.

http://sandyjweaver.com

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=168080

Posted by AnthonyA on Aug 26 2019. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.