These things really get to me...

[Maisie]

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=7113253

 

[katebar]

That''s terrible Maisie

.
On Christmas here in Australia a 5 week old baby was mauled to death by the family dog as well.
I guess one must always be aware that even the most beloved pet can turn without warning.

 

[Maisie]

We are considering getting a dog next year. We are hoping to get a puppy. I know its very unlikely for a dog to turn but you just can''t guarantee it, I will never leave it alone with James!

 

[BriBee]

Do you know what breed you might be considering? Although nothing in life is GUARANTEED, I think that many breeds out there are more prone to "turning." I don't think I'd ever own a Pit bull or Rotweiler (sp?) or Doberman because I'd be afraid of something like this happening. I have owned Labradors my whole life, and they are the most gentle and loving dogs (after you get through the hyper puppy stage, ie: first 2 years

)

 

[katebar]

Yes the dog here was a Rotweiler and whilst I know you can''t say ALL of this breed is dangerous one must be cautious.
We had a golden retriever which was the most docile dog but one day she turned on my husband for no reason what so ever.
We had no choice but to get rid of her as our children were young and we could''nt be sure she would not attack again so we gave her to our babysitter who never had a single problem with her.

 

[movie zombie]

i read somewhere that the docile lab is changing due to some aspect of breeding practices. i wish i could find where i read that bit of info. it is a real pity as labs....especially golden labs....have had such a great reputation as a fab dog with kids.

movie zombie

 

[AmberGretchen]

This is a very tragic story, however, I would like to point out that it specifically states that the dog was kept in the backyard (i.e. not in the house). This is a highly inappropriate thing to do with any dog, because it leads to undersocialization and the dog not knowing its place in the pack. This link has two .pdf files that can be downloaded for free, on the lower right-hand side of the page, on the myriad reasons that dogs should never, ever be tied or otherwise left out in the backyard away from their families. Clearly this dog was also not supervised sufficiently.

FYI, as someone who works A LOT with dogs and has studied dog behavior a fair bit, there is no evidence whatsoever that many of the commonly demonized breeds (pit bulls, rottweilers in particular) have anything inherently in them that makes them aggressive to humans. In fact, pit bulls were bred for the opposite effect, to be exceptionally docile and affectionate to humans, though not necessarily to other dogs. In fact, the American Temperament Testing program for dogs finds that pit bulls pass temperament testing at much higher rates than most other species, including cocker spaniels, and at rates roughly equivalent to beloved breeds such as Golden Retrievers.

I too grew up around Labradors, and while many are docile and affectionate, some are not, particularly if they have been poorly/irresponsibly bred, which, sadly, the vast majority have, due to their popularity. They can be wonderful dogs, but as with any other dog, caution is warranted. For those who aren't aware, the woman in France who had a face transplant due to injuries caused by a dog, that was a Labrador Retriever that did that damage to her face.

These stories are always tragic when they happen, but it must be said that no dog or cat should EVER be left unsupervised with a child. Ever. No exceptions whatsoever.

Also, I think that the idea about dogs just "snapping" is really a misconception. In every single case I've ever heard of or studied, there were some warning signs, and/or things that could have been done to reduce the likelihood of such a tragedy. First and foremost is spaying and neutering pet dogs - unneutered males are known to be more aggressive, especially if they are trying to access a female in heat, and unspayed females, especially if they perceive a threat to their puppies, are also more aggressive than their fixed counterparts.

Another common problem is that many people don't take the time to truly understand dog behavior and train their dogs appropriately. You have to take the time to make sure your dog understands his/her place in the pack (you are always the alpha, not them), and you have to understand that the things that humans find threatening aren't the same as what is threatening to a dog. If you do something that makes your dog feel threatened, he/she is only acting on their natural instincts and can't be blamed for trying to defend itself. The is one of the main reasons a dog and a child should NEVER be left alone together - children can't understand how to act around dogs safely, and can easily and unwittingly do something to make the dog feel threatened. This isn't the dog "snapping" for no reason, its the dog acting on its natural instincts that it is our responsibility, as humans who domesticated them and welcomed them into our homes, to understand.

Anyway, I'll come down off my soapbox now. But I really think its so important for people to understand these things and not have misconceptions, because it really can be hurtful and in many cases fatal for the dogs involved, whereas if we all took the time to educate ourselves about these things, tragedies like this could be avoided, and maybe millions of dogs wouldn't have to die in shelters every year at public expense.

 

[scarleta]

Amber Gretchen said it so well.Nothing can be added to it as you are 100% correct on this one.

 

[Mara]

"These stories are always tragic when they happen, but it must be said that no dog or cat should EVER be left unsupervised with a child. Ever. No exceptions whatsoever."

___________


I agree with this, but it''s so sad that it has to be the case. Unfortunately, I really do think that we, as humans, don''t understand the domesticated animals as we like to believe. We don''t know what they think, we know they don''t think and view things as we do, but we can''t help but give dogs and cats ''human'' emotions which they do not typically possess.

 

[Jypsie]

AmberGretchen - GREAT post!

A few things for those considering adopting a puppy.

1. Do NOT purchase your dog through a store. Contact the national or international breed club and ask for recommendations for how to go about adopting the breed you are looking at.

2. As soon as you adopt the dog, regardless of age, start training by implementing the NILIF (nothing in life is free) approach. This will establish you as the pack leader and alpha. This is the basis of having a successful and rewarding relationship with your dog. It''s really not optional, your dog must view you as Alpha - if you aren''t willing to establish yourself as such by doing what needs to be done to make that happen, then please reconsider adopting a dog.

I have done tons of research and I work with dogs that have been rescued from horrendous situations of abuse, neglect, etc. To be an effective and responsible dog owner you must learn to understand your dogs way of communicating, it''s also the owners responsibility to offer the dog appropriate physical and mental exercise and socialization. I hate to read stories about people who give up a dog because it "turned" - dogs do not turn. It''s inadequate training on the owners part, and pushing another dog back into over-crowded shelters, rescues, etc because of the choice to not assert the effort to be a responsible owner really gets under my skin. When you sign on the dotted line it''s not that you sign up until it becomes inconvenient or too much work, or effort, etc.

It''s for life!

Unfortunately, it''s because of stories like this one that organizations like the ones I volunteer with are needed, and it''s stories like this and animal owners like this that make our job sooooo incredibly difficult and important.

*sigh*

 

[princesss]

AG and Jypsie, great posts. You both said everything I wanted to, but much more eloquently. Yes, this was a tragedy. But with proper training, socialization, and attention, it''s an avoidable one.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Thanks scarleta, jypsie and princess. Its nice to have kindred spirits on this board

Mara is correct too, that we really don''t totally understand animal behavior and it is sad that we can''t leave kids and pets unattended. But we are learning a lot more - there have been some amazing advances in understanding animal behavior and I have a lot of faith that we are making progress towards improving the understanding between domestic cats and dogs and people.

 

[Deelight]

That story is awful. The poor family


Maisie any dog no matter the size if capable of inflicting damage and being agressive towards other animals and humans. On the Gold Coast there is a Maltese terrier that is on the dangerous dogs list and must be muzzled in public not your typical idea of what a dangerous dog is. The media however tends to have certain breeds of dogs they like label as villains when dog attacks happen, I have seen reports on TV where the breed in question has been misrepresented in order to give a better headlines, and thus certain breeds get worse raps then others. In saying that though I am not defending any types of dog related aggressions.

If your looking for a dog for your family I would recommend having your new puppy throughly socialised and trained. When we first got our pup we took him to Puppy Preschool can''t recommend that highly enough . Also if you can find it I recommend a book called "Who is the boss" (I can''t remember the author sorry) it essentially explains dog behavior and pack structures and how dogs view themselves within your family unit (otherwise their and your pack). Violation of how dogs see themselves within a pack can cause massive problems and aggression.

I used to own a a American Staffy (otherwise known as a pitbull) and never ever would I have worried with him I have never ever meet a more docile, loving, tolerant, affectionate and gentle animal. They are actually more human orientated dogs and love company (they tend not to like the company of other animals unless they are properly socialised). Unfortunetly these kinds of dogs (and others) get a bad rap due to how people raise them and what kind of image they choose to use them to personify, most of the time problem dogs are raised by problem people. Every single person who ever meet my dog feel in love with him he was the kind of animal that would cry if he saw a child or a another animal if he could not play with them. In saying that though I would never leave any child with any dog or cat unattended, no matter how much I trusted my animal.