Dangerous dogs or lousy owners?

In the spirit of laziness, and as promised, I give you not a new blog entry, but rather an article by me that was published in Pugwash News Issue 25 (25th Feb 09), on the topic of the dangerous dogs debate. Anyone who knows me will be aware that this is one of my few “hot button” topics, which will get me arguing passionately any time anywhere; to the point where I once attacked a guest at one of the McDougall dinner parties over the issue! This article barely begins to say what needs to be said on the topic, but I think it covered it pretty well in the space Jacob was willing to give me. Enjoy!

Two unrelated but sadly similar incidents occurred recently that have spurred me to put fingers to keyboard and type furiously.

Before I go any further with my views on the dangerous dogs debate, let me state emphatically what sensible people have been repeating, mantra like, for years: there is no such thing as a dangerous dog, only an irresponsible owner.

The first of the unfortunate incidents was the death of a baby, “mauled by the family dogs”, as the news put it. Now, I am not heartless – I feel for this poor family and do indeed believe this is a tragic occurrence. But it could have been avoided. To my mind, the headline should have read “Idiot grandmother leaves small baby alone with excitable untrained dogs”.

The dogs were put to sleep shortly after. This is the typical knee jerk reaction after an event like this: blame the dogs, not the people who left their children alone with the dogs, who didn’t train their dogs in the first place, who probably left the dogs with few other outlets for their energy. I’m not saying the dogs were completely innocent in this case, merely that they are not entirely to blame either.

If you do not have the time or knowledge to properly care for a pet, you should not have one. If you have a small flat with no garden, you really have no right owning a large hyperactive dog, especially if you do not take the time or trouble to exercise it, both physically and mentally. If you do not do your research, or put effort into training and socialising your pet, you deserve every problem behaviour they throw at you. I’m generalising, and being quite harsh, but this is how I feel. When I run away and start my own country, there will be a dog license that all potential canine owners have to qualify for before they are allowed anywhere near puppies with big ‘love me’ eyes,

The second inciting incident was that an acquaintance of mine had his cat attacked, unfortunately, by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. He started on the typical rampage of how these ‘devil dogs’ should all be culled, which forces me to tote out that other age old chant: blame the deed, not the breed. Yes, Staffies and Rotties and other such dogs have a reputation of being nasty – this is because of their history (long since made irrelevant), the media portrayal of these breeds as macho, and ignorant people who want to look tough perpetrating this image by buying these breeds, raising them improperly and with violence, and then being shocked when they bite. It’s a vicious circle.

But, in fact more people are bitten by Jack Russells than any other breed. Staffies are one of only three breeds actually recommended by the Kennel Club as being good with children. There are Rotties and Dobermans who are being trained as Guide Dogs, who visit people in old folks’ homes, who are the most placid and sweet animals you could ever meet. These dogs are not dangerous. Any dog, any time, anywhere has the potential to bite – so just as you cannot assume that all Muslims are terrorists, you cannot assume that just because a dog is of a certain breed that it is ‘evil’.

Most dog bites occur because the animal is frightened, and feels backed into a corner where they have no other option. Often the dog has been sending out “that’s actually really annoying me, please stop” signals for some time beforehand, but they have been ignored or mis-read by the human in question. The growl is the last in a long line of warning signals, but it is often the first one we take notice of. A little understanding of the way a dog’s mind and body language works goes a long way towards a happy, healthy and bite-free relationship.

I’m skimming the issue, but I hope some of the points I’ve raised with make you think. The next time read something in the press about a dog attack, or a ‘dangerous’ breed, don’t jump on the anti-dog bandwagon right away. Try to see through the media hype. I’ll say it again, and I will be saying it until the day I die: there is no such thing as a dangerous dog, just an irresponsible owner.