Page 28 - Chow Life - 2025 01 Spring
P. 28
The Changing Face
of Our Enemy
by DR. CARMEN L BATTAGLIA
Background to focus on learning what they do and how they
use technology and information. It quickly became
Marketing specialists, military commanders, obvious that my efforts would require a significant
lobbyists, Animal Rights Activists and successful investment of time and effort. My search led me to
business men have several things in common. They study different groups, each with well-developed
are all prone to study and focus on the successful aggressive working agendas. I became more
strategies of others if it furthers their goals and convinced that I was on the right track when I
objectives. The best are good learners who believe learned that our enemy and our competitors both
it is important to know what and how their use the print and social media, TV and internet
opponent thinks, recruits and functions. They also technologies. With these tools they reach wide
have a need to know how they can grow the size of audiences and many sympathizers. While the
their organization’s foot print. average person has little interest in learning what
and how organizations grow or accomplish their
Given my background and love for dogs, and the objectives, for me it was key to understanding our
constant threats against them seen daily in our enemy and our competitors. My efforts quickly
local communities, I was motivated to study this brought to light that each were capable of taking
problem and write this article. This exercise caused a bad review, a negative report, a dog incident or
me to learn more about the strategies used by our a religious message to promote their cause or mar
enemies and our competitors. My approach was
a reputation. I learned that both preferred to use
the technical tools of the media because they could
quickly adapt and alter their message in order to
influence others and spread the “truth” as they see
it.
This paper was aimed at understanding their
goals in the context of the many combinations
of methods they are willing to use. My efforts
ultimately led me into the territory of four
organizations, each with different working
agenda and target audience. The common
denominator for each was their ability to
adapt, combine ideas and carefully craft
their messages. For these reasons I called
this paper "The Changing Face of Our
Enemy".
My first effort began with a trip to a
conference of explosive detection canine
handlers in Upstate New York. The conference
was sponsored by the Department of Homeland
Defense. My role was to speak about AKC’s effort
to help develop a breeding program that would
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