I am confused; someone please enlighten me: how is someone attempting to explain a culture with which they're familiar any more "sick and degenerate" than other who try to explain the unexplainable? Aren't there people out there trying to explain why Benoit killed his wife and child? Aren't there people out there trying to explain George W.'s actions in Iraq? It is human nature to try and understand "why" someone does something that seems "abnormal," whether it's to ourselves or to others that our attempts are directed.
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I put all defenders of the indefensible in the same category. Stupid. There is no sane defense for dog fighting, cock fighting or steriod pumped wrestlers killing people ( or racists of all colors attacking and killing people just because of their color, BTW). I do not care to "understand" the demented mind that enjoys dog fighting, or cock fighting or any other "sport" that uses animals to tear each other to pieces for enjoyment. This type of "culture" should best be "understood" as a deviant, degenerate subculture destined for rapid extinction, hopefully.
They are sick individuals, regardless of their color, and should never be allowed to own another animal as long as they live.
As to your relatives- did any of them mistreat their animals? Did they starve them, electocute them, beat them or repeatedly strangle them? Probably not. They loved them in their own way and understood their dog's need to be part of a disciplined pack.
Not treating a dog as you would a fellow human being, but treating it as a dog, is not abuse. Dogs and other animals are not people, no matter how much we want them to be. I learned that from "The Dog Whisperer". Since I stopped treating my toy schnauzers like children and started treating them like dogs, their lives, and mine have never been better. I don't love them any less and they still "love" me but they are much happier and more contented now that I understand their place and my role as dog pack leader.