A well trained dog can be almost as indispensable as a well trained horse when it comes to surviving.

In defence of cats.I have four of them, they are all working cats (well maybe three). Definately needed, definatedly include in my prepardness plan as of course is my dog.

We use to have cats during the recession of the 80's......

Looks more like rabbit to me. 😆

I have 2 cats on the land and I have kept a tally of their kills.

4 Moles.
16 Mice.
5 Gophers.

I consider rodent control vital. Cats simply do a better job than my traps do. Some dogs kill rodents as well so that is good. But my cats eat far less than a dog. They are also big meowers when they see and hear anything.

Feral dogs use to be a problem in the Tecumseh, Sandwich East, Windsor area in the late 50 and early 60s. 2 weeks of every year, every stray dog and cat seen were shot on sight, this was mainly to control rabies but also to control dog packs. Some countries have seen the effects of dog packs, and they will take down a child or a grown up depending on how hungry they are. In Germany any dog running loose is shot in the forest by the Förster(in) m(f), some not more than 10’ away from their masters.

I think that takes animal control to an entirely new level.

In Germany any dog running loose is shot in the forest by the Förster(in) m(f), some not more than 10’ away from their masters.

If it was my dog, they'd be wondering why that Forster never returned at the end of his shift. They'd never be able to ask him because they'd never be able to find him. 😈

Ah yes the German method...VERY direct 😮

Feral dogs use to be a problem in the Tecumseh, Sandwich East, Windsor area in the late 50 and early 60s. 2 weeks of every year, every stray dog and cat seen were shot on sight, this was mainly to control rabies but also to control dog packs. Some countries have seen the effects of dog packs, and they will take down a child or a grown up depending on how hungry they are. In Germany any dog running loose is shot in the forest by the Förster(in) m(f), some not more than 10’ away from their masters.

Nowadays Yecch! I can imagine a ravening pack of Jack Russells and minature Poodles forming in most peoples neighborhoods. Could get nasty...

In the dog park the we visit, we see a variety of dog that I would not want to meet in a pack, a few of the Bull Mastiffs, Great Danes, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Huskies, Boxers, Bulldogs, Afghans, Standard Poodle, Rottweiler, etc, etc, etc. While that Jack Russell and Toy Poodle have you by the ankle and/or balls the other ones will have the time to rip your throat out. 😈

back home in Romania feral dogs are a common sight in each city .People got used to them even though ERs see lots of cases of dog bites every month and occasionally some unlucky guys are getting their femoral punctured and die. Back in the 80s when Ceausescu came back from N Korea where he exchanged some ideas on how to torture your own people with the other "dear leader". Among those ideas there was one to move everybody from houses into apartment buildings so he put down lots of neighborhoods and all those people had to let their dogs go on the streets. In the meantime they have multiplied and every time some city council wants to euthanize them some ONG will start crying and saying that they will take care of them which not always happen.

I have heard in the news how dangerous hungry packs of dogs have been in Canada. There aren't that many fatalities per year it seems, but in a shtf scenario, the number of packs would skyrocket beyond what we have now and it would not be an issue solely for reserves and isolated communities.

From the following website;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2387261/

In Canada, public debates on dog attacks are dominated by studies from the United States. An electronic search of media reports in the Canadian Newsstand database, for the years 1990 to 2007, identified 28 fatalities from dog-bite injuries. Predominant factors in this case series were owned, known dogs; residential location; children’s unsupervised access to area with dogs; and rural/remote areas, including aboriginal reserves in the prairies. A higher proportion of sled dogs and, possibly, mixed-breed dogs in Canada than in the United States caused fatalities, as did multiple dogs rather than single dogs. Free-roaming dog packs, reported only from rural communities, caused most on-reserve fatalities. Future studies are needed to assess if this rural/urban divide is observed in nonfatal attacks and if the breeds that bite in Canada are different from the breeds that killed. Breed representation in this paper and, perhaps, multiple-dog overrepresentation should be understood in the context of the overall Canadian dog population.

We have started to stockpile dog food now and admittedly, it was a lower priority in my mind until we got our 6 months of food and water set up. We have the sheppard and doberman that many of you have already met; I feel that they would be a significant security contribution if we had to secure a location. And as 'Cares' pointed out; they are damn good bedtime heaters! 😀

(That being said, in relation to priorities, I already know that I'm lower on the list than the dogs as I am better able to fend for myself in her mind 😳 )

It actually surprises me that those who call themselves preppers .... would actually let themselves or their family die instead of eating their pet animals. I also find it interesting how over the last few decades society has elevated animals to equal or even surpass humans.

I mean look, it's illegal in Canada for me to shoot my injured dog on my own property and at the same time my under age daughter can go to a doctor without my consent and have an abortion killing a unborn human baby. How twisted is that?

I like my dogs.... but when the stored food is exhausted, the game in the area have dried up, my cattle have been eaten, my horses were served on a plate.... then a .22 will be placed behind the ear of my dog, shinned out and thrown in a pot by the days end..... no problem.

Times ahead will certainly separate the men from the boys.....

To some a dog is only a tool... to be used ... to others a dog is a trusted and loved member of the family. To put someone down because of their beliefs and how they relate to a "member of the family" isn't very respectful or tolerant. You have an odd definition of what makes a man.