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Yet another group is a victim of discrimination

There were a lot of heroes on and post September 11th. One group that is often seen in videos of the days after the attack is the Search and Rescue (SAR) dog teams combing the scene for survivors. SAR dogs were a vital part of the response team. Several hundred dogs, along with their handlers, worked 12 hour shifts on the dangerous pile of rubble seeking survivors. Many of these heroes were German Shepherd police dogs and many suffered from cuts, breaks, and dehydration. Veterinary Medical Assistant Teams were on site to administer IVs, flush eyes, clean wounds, etc. These dogs were exposed to asbestos and other toxins in the air as well as to poisons and fires on the ground.

Days of national disasters aren't the only time that SAR dogs work. They often are called in to subdue a dangerous criminal or to search for missing children or even to visit nursing homes as therapy. Many German Shepherd dogs are chosen as guide dogs that allow blind or other challenged people to have a quality life. Yet these working canines are among the dogs that are now the victims of selective discrimination by the insurance industry. Some home-owner's insurance policies blacklist certain dogs being allowed coverage. This means that one of the handlers, who many times is a police officer, may not be able to get home-owner's insurance because their company blacklists breeds that it deems dangerous'. So a Shepherd or a Rottweiler can put its life on the line with its handler but it may not be able to live with her.

Dogs cannot be the victim of profiling. If a dog is vicious it is not a breed issue. It is an owner issue.

A second from of bias occurs when insurance companies permit the dogs in question but then require a fenced yard. Individuals in condos and town-homes (where many cannot fence in) then become a target too. This is not only unjust but it is baseless. A fence may actually cause more bites. An owner with a yard is apt to let the dog out' and not walk him or train him properly because we have this big yard.' A dog is more apt to be left alone outside, bored, and unexercised. This, too, can lead to aggression. So requiring a fence eliminates some owners from consideration and is utterly nonsensical as a protectant. A high energy dog requires a forty five minute to one hour walk regardless of its property size.

The Humane Society estimates that 40% of us own a dog. German Shepherds are the #3 most popular dog in America according

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