Recently a petition has been filed by well-meaning but misinformed animal rights activists in an attempt to get the sport of Weight Pull removed from the United Kennel Club list of activities. The petitioner used such extreme animal rights sources as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to support the point that weight pull is cruel and inhumane to the dogs. They also claim that retired dogs are simply dumped at animal control.
Click here for an example of a UKC weight pull event
Weight Pull, done sensibly, is neither cruel nor inhumane. Much time is spent in training simply walking the dog (with a weight behind them), an activity that is overwhelmingly recognized as an excellent bonding activity and healthy for both dogs and humans. Sports injuries related to resistance work are far less frequent than sports injuries related to the jumping, running, and fast turns that are present in dog agility, a sport praised by the aforementioned petitioners. Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, and the owner should be allowed to ascertain what sports would be most beneficial and appropriate to their companions and choose accordingly. Not all dogs are cut out for the sport of agility. And believe it or not, the people who are out there training their dogs for this sport actually like them and are happy to have them retire in their homes. Weight pull enthusiasts are not monsters.
We, the undersigned, are enthusiasts of the working dog in all its amazing glory. We believe in all legal sports -- including weight pull -- and we petition the United Kennel Club NOT to buckle under the pressure of animal rights activists who largely have never seen a weight pull in person nor gotten input from the participants. We realize that there are always going to be those who hold a trophy in greater importance than their dog's welfare, but by our collective voices, let us state that those bad apples are in the minority.
We love our dogs and enjoy the many opportunities that the United Kennel Club offers to work with them.
Please protect the sport of Weight Pull!