Bo, a Schipperke search and rescue dog owned by Patricia Boggs of Cabot, was nominated for the 2008 AKC Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE) as a search and rescue dog in Arkansas
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Throughout the years, an untold number of Arkansans have relied on dogs to assist in everyday life and to provide companionship.
While dogs continue to serve in many of their more traditional functions, dogs have also taken on new and unique tasks that enhance the lives of their owners and the community. Therapy, medical assistance, and search and rescue are only a few of the many services dogs provide to the people of Arkansas.
Unfortunately, the media spotlight on an individual and infrequent dog attack can create the false impression that dogs pose a significant threat to the community. Sensationalized publicity, along with a lack of understanding about the infrequency of dog attacks and of their true causes, has resulted in reactive and uniformed policies focused on certain types of dogs. More than a dozen different towns and cities in Arkansas have banned or restricted certain types of dogs in the belief that focusing on the appearance of a dog will address what is, in fact, a problem with the owner.
Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in significantly lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.
Fortunately though, most of the residents of Arkansas understand and recognize the value of dogs, irrespective of their individual physical characteristics.
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National Canine Research Council
