Stupid people shouldn't be allowed to own dogs

I have a dog. He's only a year old, but I can honestly say that he behaves better than every dog in my entire neighborhood, and really, most of the neighborhood agrees too. I grew up studying dog behavior, learning from experts, etc., so I know how to properly and humanely raise a dog. I treat my dog like a dog, but that doesn't mean I don't love him. It means I love him, and respect him, and understand him. Cesar Millan states that the highest level of respect is letting an animal be what it is supposed to be. Too many people forget this, and though they have good intentions, they end up treating their dog like a human, which is harmful for the dog.

People who don't properly train and take care of their dog really bug me. People who abuse their dog bug me even more. In my area, there have been many, many attacks on both humans and pets by large, aggressive dogs. Mostly the big breeds like pitbulls and German shepherds. I believe it was last year that a pitbull literally ripped the skin off of a little Omaha girl's face. This has led to some very strict rules about who can keep what dog.

I don't have anything against pitbulls, really. I'm just kinda terrified of them now because I was a victI'm of a pitbull attack. I was walking my little corgi, Scout, down MY street right near MY house when these people opened their door, unleashing their pitbull on me and Scout. And like everybody who saw it said, my dog was just minding his own business when that dog came rushing out and started snapping and me and Scout. Praise the Lord that I knew how to defend myself against a dog attack. Eventually, after just watching us like it was funny, the owners pulled their dog inside. No apology or anything.

Naturally, we called animal control. This is a street on which many, many young children live, and an aggressive dog is as unacceptable here as it is everywhere else. And mind you, the owner of the dog has always seemed somewhat unstable to me. I occasionally hang out with the guys while they talk politics around the firepit, and this guy just really creeped me out.

But he thought it was MY fault that HIS dog attacked ME and my dog. I should be allowed to walk my dog on my street. I wasn't even in his yard or anything, and even if I was, that's no reason for a dog to try to rip my guts out. That's a sign of instability. My dog doesn't really even bark at other dogs, even when they are in my yard. He just wags his tail and kinda "woofs," wanting to play with them.

The guy tried to blame his dog's behavior on the fact that he had a tumor (though he did keep changing the story), but I believe that if a dog is in so much pain that he becomes that aggressive, maybe it's time to put the poor dog to sleep so he won't be suffering anymore. But the fact that the story kept changing makes me and those around me less likely to believe anything he says.

So I have trouble feeling safe on my own street now.

 

That really sucks. I really dislike people who treat animals like that. I wouldn't say I treat dogs like dogs... or like humans. I expect them to connect with me and behave the way I expect them to. And you know what, it works. Other people's pets behave better for me than for them, right off the bat. I am just firm and consistent. No need to discipline excessively... I wish I could give lessons to people. My horse basically understood English (I don't have him now). I just expected him to do what I asked, but obviously didn't expect him to understand and interact like a human. He was still a horse. But a horse who knew what to expect from me. Calm, consistent, fair, respectful treatment. Behave like a reasonable dominant animal, and all other animals will listen to you... I could stop a charging dog in his tracks, and I can deter a horse running toward me (not a panicked or enraged one, but most others).

Anyways, rant. I get you though. I wish there was some actual way to fix the problem you're having. If something was savaged, that dog would be taken, but that owner would just get a new one. And no one should have to be savaged to eliminate one unstable dog. Unstable animals come from unstable people.

What did you do to stop the pit? I've offered my knee into a dog's chest before :/

 

"Walk softly and carry a BIG stick". As big of an animal lover that I am, should a dog attack me, and try to bite me, and I don't care whose it is, I will kill it one way or another. If I am bitten, the owner will not be able to afford another one
Hate you had to go through that Scout. Sounds like some pepper spray may need to go in your pocket while you're walking.

 

i'm sorry you had to go through that my parents tend to treat my dog as more of a human than a dog, but she's never been aggressive towards anyone or any other dogs. she's just lazy and spoiled, lol.

 

I owned a Pit Bull, best dof I've ever had. And the only type I will EVER have from now on. I worked at a humane society for 7 yrs., most aggressive breed? German shep. and those nasty little ankle biters.

 

Nothing wrong with pit bulls if their owners are stable, reasonable people.

 

Nothing wrong with ANY dog if they are treated properly. I've been chased by a savage German Shep when I was little (I think I was 7 or 8) and I can say it scared the life out of me. I really think they should introduce some compulsary animal control test type thing to prove you can control a dog before you get one to stop people's dogs going savage. My dog is as friendly as a Cory (lol) because of the way he is treated.

 

It would nice if something like that would work but people are liars and deceivers so..

 

I totally agree with you Scout.

I am so sorry you and your dog had to deal with the trauma of being attacked by a dog being raised by an ignorant person.

I have two dominant-personality dogs (giant schnauzer is one and the other is an abused lab mix rescue who was expected to decide when he should protect without any guidance until he came to me). Neither is allowed to be dog aggressive, food aggressive, toy aggressive, or people aggressive. They are so good, we can give them anything (including meat) and take it right back without them showing any aggression. Amazing how well dogs behave under proper guidance, isn't it?

I wish people had to pass a test showing they were intelligent enough to be a proper leader for dogs and children before they could have either one.

 

Yeah, I really like the practice of training dogs by taking their food and giving it back etc... my dog is SO good about food. I can put my plate with steak on the floor if I'm eating on the couch, and he won't move a muscle.

 

There is no "most aggressive breed." Believe me, I was practically raised by dogs because I had a very, very busy family. My parents often weren't even home, so my schnauzer/border collie mix became like a father figure to me, and I learned so much about dogs from him.

So no, there is no "most aggressive breed." There are strong breeds, like the bulldog-type dogs, mastiffs, German shepherds, but they're very well behaved when in the right hands. Geez. I still wonder why people are still thinking some breeds are inherently more aggressive than others. For the first several years of my life, I had been convinced that I was part-dog (seriously - probably from the schizophrenia but also likely from my past), so naturally, I find that very, very offensive. It's like saying humans of a certain race are more aggressive than humans from another race.

 

The conception that one breed is more aggressive than another is partly founded in truth. It's not necessarily the breed as selective breeding. In horses, some stallion lines really do behave the way they are known to behave. Stallion 's progeny are known to be high strung, flightly, and excellent jumpers. Stallion yyy's progeny are known to be difficult to handle, stubborn, and have great stamina. And so on. Some lines of dogs are going to inherently be more prone to aggression, to a degree. Breeds are unfortunately are lumped into this. I do not believe that "nature" is more decisive than "nurture," let me just say that. But a dog from the "mean" line might take less maltreatment to become aggressive than a dog from a "sweet" line.

I don't know... it's unfortunate. I've grown up with a gift for getting into most animals' minds (not to sound pretentious; I fully believe anyone could if they used their empathy...) ... but some animals are so cut off from humans... they don't want to talk. It's so sad. (I used to think I was part-animal too.) The upbringing and treatment of the animal plays the ultimate role in deciding its demeanor, but there is a grain of truth in the "nature" argument.

 

I've never owned a dog...and I never will. I can tell that dogs are extremely difficult and time intensive to keep "correctly," and I don't do things that I can't do correctly. About 80% of the dogs I've seen are "bad" dogs that do whatever they want. I know I wouldn't do any better because I'm really lazy...but that's why I don't get a dog!

Cat's are entirely different. When you don't properly train a cat, they jump on the kitchen counter...they don't attack children. That's a BIG difference in responsibility for the owner.

(Cats are actually pretty easy to train. Not to sound abusive, but a little rough handling asserts you as "Alpha" and they'll do whatever you want. It's essentially how cats themselves do it, but that means you have to really read them and know the boundaries. too much or too frequently and they'll just see you as a threat. Not enough and they'll see you as "beta"...I've seen so many girls that are betas to their own cats!)

My girlfriend is a vet tech and agrees that there is no particularly "bad" breed, it's all how the owners keep them. That is except one breed that would be outlawed if it weighed even 10 lbs more...chihuahuas. They're smaller than a house cat so they're extreme aggression is just "cute." But imagine if they were of a more moderate size, you could only find them in zoo's!

 

I have to agree there are not "aggressive breeds". There are however "dominant" breeds that require intelligent, non-abusive and dominant handling (not as hard as people think). Dogs can be dominated without ever hitting them. Not allowing them to go first through doors, not allowing them on furniture without an invitation, and feeding them after the humans eat work great and don't require any form of abuse whatsoever. It's also a great way to earn respect from them without teaching them fear of the human hand.

Travel, I have to go 50-50 with you. Most chihuahua's I've met are nippy. However, my next door neighbors have the sweetest chihuahua. I trust him with my daughter and I never thought I'd ever trust one around her. I guess it just goes to show:

Don't fear the dog, fear the owner. LOL

 

I'm so betta to my cats - I like it that way. I don't even try to keep Mitts off the counter. But FWIW, even a cat that you think is trained to stay off the counter is doing it when you're not home.

 

Pit Bulls are now banned in Ontario and there currently is legislation in the Canadian parliament to ban Pit Bulls through out all of Canada. The list is…

A Pit Bull Terrier;
A Staffordshire Bull Terrier;
An American Staffordshire Terrier;
An American Pit Bull Terrier; or
A member of a class of dogs that have an appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar to the four types of dogs that have been identified.

I have mixed feeling about these laws as I’m well aware that there really aren’t “bad dogs” just bad owners. On the other side of the coin because there is enough irresponsible dog owners I don’t mind that these people are no longer able to keep these animals.

I have raised a German Sheppard, a Rottweiler and a Husky to name just a few. All my dogs have been well behaved, friendly and obedient. It is unfortunate that a few bad apples can spoil the bunch.

 

Dozey, I gotta agree with your apples comment. I've rescued two dogs in my life. Both had aggression issues before they came to me. My current rescue is still a work in progress (lab mix) because he's had 5 years without a solid alpha. He's about 90% complete after 2 years (he was abused in addition to lack of solid alpha), so I'm pleased with that. My giant schnauzer never had issues because I got him at 7 weeks from a breeder, so he's never had a chance to develop anything that I haven't been able to resolve quickly.

People just gotta do their homework on their breed of choice before adopting or buying a dog. Also, people don't realize, but most rescues end up being a work in progress because bad traits they've developed (because of people) have to be undone AND they need to have proper guidance and training, so it's not an easy task.

 

I've loved dogs ever since I was a kid. I was attacked once by... a cocker spaniel. Not exactly the sort of dog one thinks of as "aggressive" or "dangerous" or, even an "ankle biter". Just goes to show you any breed can bite, given the right circumstances. That's what I don't like about breed bans. There was recently a little bit of agitation here in Seattle to ban pit bulls (it failed to even be seriously discussed by city council, I'm pretty sure), and I learned an interesting fact then: Pit bulls do account for the highest number of dog bites in Seattle, but guess what breed comes in second? Labrador retrievers. My question for people was, Should we ban those, then, too? I doubt anyone would be for banning *that* breed. In my four years volunteering at the animal shelter, though, I sure have seen a lot of "difficult" black labs.

 

Meg1220,

Funny you should mention that. I fostered for a lab rescue (that's how I got my latest rescue) and a lot of those dogs had aggression issues. People not doing their homework on what the breeds require. Labs are high energy dogs and if they can't exert that energy with exercise, they'll exert it somehow and that's a good way for aggression to be born. Frustration-just like people-but they speak canine, not human.

 

Meg1220,

Funny you should mention that. I fostered for a lab rescue (that's how I got my latest rescue) and a lot of those dogs had aggression issues. People not doing their homework on what the breeds require. Labs are high energy dogs and if they can't exert that energy with exercise, they'll exert it somehow and that's a good way for aggression to be born. Frustration-just like people-but they speak canine, not human.

Exactly. Funny how labs have a reputation for being such wonderful family dogs (and they are, in a way), but they can really potentially be quite high-maintenance.

 

I do flyball with my dogs, which is a game involving lots of really worked up dogs of all different sizes and types running together with strange dogs they've never seen, around strange people, in a strange environment, and people screaming at them, and such. You see a lot of staffies and border collie/staffy mixes. They do fine. It's in the training.

The breed specific legislation is dangerous because it promotes a very dangerous lie. The lie is this myth that there are "dangerous" breeds and "safe" breeds of dogs. There are no safe breeds of dogs. Any dog, if sufficiently neglected and/or abused, will hunt you down and eat you. But breed specific legislation makes ignorant people buy goldens and labs and chihuahuas and not socialize or train them, then they are bewildered when the dog goes for some toddler's face.

Meanwhile, the idiots who think tough dogs are cool buy the pitties, isolate them from any potential for normal socialization because they are illegal, breed them ignorant of proper care, and dock their ears with scissors in the garage to make them look even tougher. Then the unsocialized, poorly bred and pretty much insane pack of dogs then slips out the gate and terrorizes the neighborhood.

Okay, I'll stop ranting now.

 

I agree with the "no bad breeds, just bad owners" line of thought. One of my sisters has a neighbor who has a chihuahua. The chI is allowed to do whatever it wants wherever it wants. This tiny little chI will launch itself at my sister if she so much as sets one toe out of her own door. The dog has claimed the entire street as its domain and attacks everyone all up and down the street. The owners don't care and won't do anything to contain their dog.
On another note, the neighbor across from me has a german shepherd that was abused for the fist 4 years of her life. He rescued her and she is the sweetest thing in the world. The only danger from her is her knocking you over because she is so excited someone is there to pet her.
A neighbor down the street from me has rottweillers. They, too, are some of the sweetest dogs I have ever met.
A neighbor behind us have a couple of mixed breeds. These two dogs are kept chained in a small fenced area most of the time. You can't get within two houses of them without them barking and lunging at you showing extreme aggression.
A friend of mine has 15 chihuahuas. They are very well behaved and obey her implicitly.
All of my dogs that I have had have been well trained. My current puppy (9 years old) will do just about anything I ask her to do. I can take food out of her mouth with no problem. She would not dream of even nipping anyone. I would trust her with any age child. She is a true mixed breed (dna testing could not find any specific breed as a dominant breed) so there really aren't any "breed characteristics" that I can depend on. She was 9 months old when I got her from the pound, so I have no idea what her early life was like. So is she a product of "nature" or "nurture"?

I think it is a combination of the normal breed characteristics (retriever type dogs are generally more mouthy - hounds are generally more vocal - etc.) and how they are raised, trained, treated.

 

We have some neighbors, that have two female dogs , not sure what breed , anyway each one of them has had a litter of puppies recently because they fail to get the dog spayed ! They have a litter now because of that , the other day , the owner was chasing one of the dogs down the street , here we have a no leash law, I would hate to see the dog get run over , he tends to chase cars and lay in middle of road !

 

Another note on the breed-specific legislation: In many cases, the "dangerous" dogs are reacting to what they believe is a threat, not to themselves, but to their "pack," (in this case, the family they live with).
For example, pit bull attacks can generally be split into two groups; attacks made by mistreated dogs, and attacks made in defense of home or family. The dog makes a mistake, thinking that an unattended visitor is an intruder, or a person moving to hug a family member is actually attacking, and bites. The real problem is that pit bulls' jaws are really destructive.

As was said above, it's not fair to condemn a breed when it's the owner that should know their animal and how to handle situations like this. My cousins had a shar-peI like this (not mean, just overly protective), and they would just lock the dog up when visitors came around, because a visitor who was unattended, even for a second or two, was in danger.