Dissection of Live Dog in UT school classroom

A biology class lesson in Gunnison, Utah involving the dissection of a live dog. The dog was still alive, but the teacher said it was sedated before the dissection began.

With the students watching, the sedated dog's digestive system was removed.
www.local6.com...

The link is provided above for more details. The dog was scheduled to be euthanized anyway, but I'm not sure how I really feel about this one.
What does everyone else think? Is this morally right to introduce students to this sort of thing? Or could this desensitize a person even more?
As a parent I can certainly understand the outrage particularily if the parents weren't notified about this taking place before hand.

Any thoughts?

I cant find any info on the link you provided.
can ya check it again?

Sorry try this one.

www.drudgereport.com...

and then it will take you to this

www.local6.com...

This was on the TV news this morning. It's sickening.

I can understand if it was a vet school training future
animal doctors. But this is CHILDREN who were forced
to butcher a live animal. There was absolutely no
reason what so ever to have them do this. None.
The kids could have used the time honored 'tradition' of
dissecting a pig or a frog. Heck .. if they wanted to be
'progressive' they could have used a pickled DEAD
puppy. No reason what so ever to use a live animal
at that age. Vet school, yes. Otherwise, no!

This is sadistic and cruel. I want to know if the teacher
pushed this. I want to know if this is part of a set
teaching schedule and if it happens each year. I want
to know if the school board approved of this.

If I was a parent of a child who had to do this, I'd be TICKED!

This teacher is one sick man.
How can he and the head condone this? How about letting them them see his digestive system working?

Sick....just sick!!!!!

In addition to that the principal seems to think this was a fine idea as well. I totally agree with Flyersfan. If it were for vet school ok understandable but school children? I wonder what this did to some of the kids that witnessed it? Or perhaps you will get an unbalanced kid that now thinks it's fine to dissect live animals and tries it at home.

I think I am more floored than anything that this was allowed to take place

I can't believe that nobody else has any comments on this?
Is there anyone on this board that lives in or around the area that knows anything about this first hand?

(great avatar- reminds me of my 2nd wife 'the morning after' :lol

The dog teacher is lame as is the principal. A substitute teacher no less.

Vet school, I agree. Regular school, no way.

Utah= conservative heartland

Thanks Joe, actually picked it because that's the nice shade of blue we all sport coming off a MN winter

If anything, they should have notified parents and kids ahead of time so they could make the decision of whether the dissection was viewed or not - there's no mention of this in the article.

But, seeing as this happened at a high school, these kids are old enough to make their own decisions on the spot. If they had a problem with it, they could have left.

Originally posted by parrhesia
If they had a problem with it, they could have left.

I don't think so. I highly doubt they just 'could have left'.

Schools require students to be where they are supposed to be.
Those students were supposed to be in that class room. To leave
a class room without permission or just because you disagree
with what is being taught is an act that could easily get you
suspended. PLUS, the teacher is the authoratative figure. For
a student to go against the authoratitive figure goes against the
grain. AND they are taught to trust the teachers. Then there is
the peer pressure of being 'different' if you leave.

Psychologically speaking ... I highly doubt that those kids could
have 'just left'. That would be against school rules, against what
they have been taught to do (respect authority, trust teachers),
and they would have 'disobedience and suspension' hanging over
their heads as well as the peer pressure. Plus - where would they
have gone? Don't forget .. they are KIDS .. not grown up with
lots of cynicism and knowledge of other avenues to go through.
(like you and I have)



[edit on 5/13/2005 by FlyersFan]

I was shocked to read this. A live animal? I have never heard of this in high school before. Well, in my HS genetics class we did sedate and analyze fruit flies, but geez that was a fly.

As for the school thinking this is no big deal, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that, but believe me, it is a big deal to a lot of people. I always liked disecting the frogs, etc in school, but a live animal? Especially a dog. No way..I would have been in trouble because I would have walked out. I would encourage my child to do the same.

Wonder if there will be much objection to this....

[edit on 13-5-2005 by frogs453]

[edit on 13-5-2005 by frogs453]

Originally posted by parrhesia
If anything, they should have notified parents and kids ahead of time so they could make the decision of whether the dissection was viewed or not - there's no mention of this in the article.

But, seeing as this happened at a high school, these kids are old enough to make their own decisions on the spot. If they had a problem with it, they could have left.

Doesn't anyone read links anymore?

"The school's principal, Kirk Anderson, said notifications went to parents explaining the dog was going to be euthanized and that the experiment would be done with the dog's organs still functioning."

What a sick situation. If any of my 4 daughters came home with a note telling me they were going to be dissecting a live but sedated dog I would be calling all the news channels BEFORE the dissection was allowed to start.

If it was so important to see the digestive system still working I'm sure the teacher could have located that on FILM through a Vet school. I think the teacher and the Principal should be fired. Obviously they have no common sense and cannot be trusted to make proper choices.

Jemison

Doesn't anyone read links anymore?

Yes, Skibum I did read the link and a student herself goes on to say the following:

"It just makes me sick and I don't think this should go on anywhere and nobody's learning from it," student Sierra Sears said.

Perhaps notification went out but to me this implies that both the students and the parents at least some of them didn't understand the full implications of the "experiment". I may not have depending on how the "notification" was stated. Never would I have thought that a live animal would have been used.

I had a reply for FlyersFan, but it's irrelevant, I think, since a notification was sent. I see no reason for complaint if a notification was sent home.

And I did read the article, I guess I just missed that part.


[edit on 13-5-2005 by parrhesia]

I can see where people may be upset. But it was a biology lesson, and seemingly a very educational one. I think, though, the kids should have been given the decision to partake in or opt out of this particular lesson.

I think it is cruel that they did this on a live animal. I'm curious why they thought it was necessary for it to be alive while conducting this dissection. Was there really any advantage to this?

Also, the fact that they did this on an animal that many associate as "man's best friend", I suspect that there would be some psychological damage to some of these kids, even if they thought they could handle it.



[edit on 13-5-2005 by Faeryland]

Originally posted by DDay The dog was scheduled to be euthanized anyway, but I'm not sure how I really feel about this one.

Not just to DDay, by the way ... Does that fact make it ethical ?

The fact that the animal was regarded as waste anyway, and due to be destroyed, changes no single part of this for me I'm afraid. I am never surprised by our attitude to nature, frequently disappointed, yes, but never surprised.

Clearly this may be perceived as the subjective rant of some tree-hugging animal rights terrorist, but when we're all constantly hungry, and fighting 200mph dust storms everyday of our lives, or we are wondering why the Great Plains are now a brackish salt marsh, we'll maybe think back to a time when we had everything and didn't even realise it.

Maybe we'll also wonder if removing the organs from a live, albeit it sedated, dog did really represent 'education' and move us forward as a species.

0951 - what I meant by that statement was that I couldn't believe that something like this could even happen at all much less in our school system and being supported by a teacher and principal and for them to call it education. This wasn't a fly or dead toad they were taking apart but a living - living creature.
No living creature should be regarded as waste and that is what made it difficult for me to discern how I felt about that. I just could'nt get my mind around what they were thinking is all.
By no means was I supporting this.