Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
There seem to be news stories all the time about dogs that attack and the owners are shocked because they were never mistreated.
I have one friend who was attacked by another friend's German Shepherd back when we were 12. The dog practically ripped his ear right off.
This was a dog that we all knew well and played with. It was from a good home, but for whatever reason, that day something was stuck in it's craw.
Dogs are animals of pretty high intelligence and like humans, are complicated. Some humans, no matter how well they are raised, are just complete jerks. I believe the same thing is true with dogs. The question for me is, are there sometimes have genetic links? I believe that sometimes they are and certain breeds are more like to "snap". That's not to say that all pitbulls will eventually snap despite being raised well, but I just don't see why anyone would risk it. The fact that it happens at all and that they are capable of terrible damage, should be enough to not get one.
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True story from late August . . . . .
I'm walking my two Golden Retrievers, leashed, near Elbow Lake when a father with a little boy comes from the other direction.
The little boy is jabbering away as little boys do and holding out his hand, wanting to touch the dogs. The father asks for permission to approach and I grant it.
My dogs have met other children earlier in the day as well as after this encounter, all without incident. Both of them, rescues, love humans as far as I've seen.
The little boy starts approaching my dogs, jabbbering in a high pitched voice all the way, but, as always, I'm watching my dogs closely.
My Golden boy Pete starts to wince, leaning away from the boy and then stepping away from the boy . . . then he bumps into his Golden girl sister Ruby and can't retreat any further from the boy.
I'm watching this develop and I'm already on the move to place myself between the little boy and my dog and telling the father to reach for his boy . . . . just as my Golden, still wincing and apparently afraid of the child, turns and starts a low-pitched warning growl at the boy.
By that time I'm in between them, chastising Pete and the boy is being held by his father. Nothing further happened.
We continued our walk and encountered a few other children along the way with nothing similar occurring.
If you're a parent, you should never let your child approach a strange dog alone.
As a dog owner, you should always be ready to step between your dog and a unknown child.
A few years ago, not more than 50 feet from this same obscure spot as the incident above, something similar happened with one of my then 12 year old Golden's. As far as I knew, through more than a decade of experience together, my Golden loved little kids and viewed them as opportunities to steal food. But this little girl leaned over my Golden's shoulders and my dog turned to me with a look that plainly said: "Do something about this or I will . . . ." I moved fast and ended the situation.
A child leaning over the shoulders of a dog could be viewed by the dog as an attempt at dominance, with a instinctive reaction.
Aside from those two situations, I've never had occasion to worry about the four Golden's I've owned biting people.
Yet, two "almosts" has been enough to keep me wary.
My point with the above comments is to illustrate it doesn't take a terrible, abusive owner to create a dog that may bite. It doesn't mean the dog is a "jerk" either. A biting situation with horrible consequences can come out of an everyday, normal circumstance.
Know your dogs. Be aware of their reactions if they're in an unfamilar situation and have their backs if they need you.
Pete, left, at Elbow Lake, just before the incident above . . . .
Cowperson