Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGrimm
There are people who are eccentric in all aspects of life.. The truth lies in the meaty part of the bell curve.
My sister has a blue-nose pitbull and while he is a great dog, he is tenacious and I wouldn't trust him around my child unsupervised. She, on the other hand is convinced he would never hurt a child and will let him hang around her infant child unsupervised.
Our family boxer is probably one of the most affectionate dogs I know (I might be slightly biased). He loves the neighbourhood children and we often let him off leash while we are puttering around the front yard (we live in a cul-de-sac), he is extremely friendly and we had never had a violent incident until last summer.
My wife was suntanning in the back yard and the meter reader came walking around the corner and startled our dog, he proceeded to snarl and charged at the meter reader who bolted back through the gate to the other side of the fence. Had my wife not witnessed it I would never have believed it could happen.
I am not sure he would have attacked the guy, but the fact is, as much as you think you know your dog, when instincts and self preservation kick in, they can be dangerous.
There should be aptitude tests and licenses required for all dog owners. Dog ownership is a privilege, and anyone who cares enough about the animals should have no problem ensuring they are fit to co-habitate.
|
I used to have the same attitude with my old rottie, that she'd never hurt a fly, unless the fly hurt her first. I knew she was territorial about the house, but most dogs are.
One day me and the woman were camping and went down to a spring there in the river valley. There were some nice people down there that offered us beers out of their stash, and as the guy was handing a beer to my ex, he let go before she grabbed it, and it started to fall. He was pretty quick and snatched it out of mid air, and that set off my dog. She lunged at him and barked at him like I never heard her bark before. It was a "you touch this woman and I'll kill you" kind of thing.
It took her a few minutes to completely calm down, but I was always worried after that. On one hand, I guess I knew that the ex was safe as long as our dog was with her, but on the other hand, I'd sure hate for a situation like her nephew to come running up to her to give her a hug, and the dog mistaking that for a reason to defend, and for me to not be there to hold her back.
Anyway, as much as I loved (and still do love) rotties, I don't think I'll ever own one again. Or any dog that has that killer instinct. I would hate to have to put down my dog because it went ###### and bit a child or an adult or anyone. At least with the mutts I have now, they just don't have the capability to seriously harm anyone. They're still cute and awesome and fun, and I really don't have to worry if they were to get out of the yard and go explore the neighbourhood. Worst that would happen is that they would get hurt, not that they would hurt someone.
I think guard dogs should be behind fences in junkyards or chained to tires on farms or whatever. And I guess if you want to have a dog like that on your property at home, that's your prerogative, but I don't really like seeing them off leash in public, even at the dog park. Especially at the dog park. They're dangerous, and people know it. Seriously, of all the dog attacks you hear about, 7/10 are pitbulls, then two of the remaining are rottie and doberman, and then the last one is just random. But it's never a lab or a retriever, or a cocker spaniel. So this is why pitbulls get such a bad rap, and pitbull owners need to stop whining about it and pretending that their dogs are just as docile as the labs and retrievers.