Article Reflection No. 53 (6/3/2023)

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Article: The War on Dogs

Reflection:

In the History Today article “The War on Dogs”, writer Stephanie Howard-Smith connects modern society’s love and sympathy towards the creatures with the 1760 London cull. Stemming from the fear of rabies and other diseases spread by these canines, this mass killing was thought to have been exaggerated by news platforms, according to Howard-Smith. As shown in 1760, there were two groups of people with different opinions of the culling: those who “saw the dogs of London as walking contagions” and those viewing them as amiable (Howard-Smith 11). Since COVID-19 had prompted a proposal to kill all of Britain’s cats—which was met with public outrage—this topic is timely and raises the question of to what extent (if such event occurred) the people would react.

I believe that one of the most interesting aspects of history is the connections and questions that can be formed as a result of comparing an event in the past to a similar one in the present. With the invention of rabies shots and similar medical tools as well as the increased personal connections between human and dog, it is interesting to wonder how these factors have influenced government policy.

Expound- to present (in detail and in a systematic way); to explain