Campaign starts to adopt dog that killed Alberta baby

[CaptainCrunch]

I have to say, I'm on board with Jaydorn and Rouge (shockingly). there are other animals to save that are in dire circumstances through no fault of their own, they're just unwanted.

I think people flock to the rescue because dogs are just inherantly cute and have the nickname man's best friend. In this case whether the dog was agitated by crying or acting in what its mind defined as self defense, its up to the owners and the owners alone.

I honestly think its a little sad and a bit rude that they're being put under pressure to make a decision about the dogs future by these people, and if they decide to have the dog put down for whatever reason, they could be villified or called insensitive by the adopt-a-crowd.

In otherwords, these people are putting their nose into the affairs of a family that is burying their kid.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by jaydorn

The stupid... it burns.

RougeUnderoos hit the nail on the head, there are many other dogs waiting/hoping to be adopted right now in shelters in every city/community in this country.

Literally every person who signs a petition to save this dog could stop at a shelter TODAY, take home a pet and STILL there would be animals that get put down because they were surrendered for some trivial reason.

Dog scratched up the hardwood floors? Put down.
Little Timmy wasn't feeding/cleaning up after rover? Rover goes bye bye.
An infant is dead... "This dog deserves a second chance and should be re homed"

This isn't even a debate about what the husky thought it was doing or it's intentions, this dog in question is in no way more worthy of adoption than any other pets at the shelter RIGHT NOW.

If you want to save tragic animals DO IT, go to the shelter, right now. Their waiting for you!

Those dogs aren't in the news. If I'm some busybody on an acreage somewhere else, I can get my name in the paper saying I'll adopt this dog, and the chances of actually getting it (and having to do the work involved in taking care of a medium/large dog) are minimal.

If I go get a dog (that would otherwise get putdown) from the local pound/shelter, I get all of the work and none of the press time.

It's people who are more into hearing themselves talk than into helping animals.

[Knut]

I think the dog should be put down as a lesson to other dogs. It may prevent senseless baby killing in the future.

The above was sarcasm. I think it is up to the family to decide what to do with the dog, wether it is put it down or put him up for adoption. I also think that campaign to adopt this dog is ridiculous. As others have pointed out there are tonnes of other dogs out there waiting for adoption.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Those dogs aren't in the news. If I'm some busybody on an acreage somewhere else, I can get my name in the paper saying I'll adopt this dog, and the chances of actually getting it (and having to do the work involved in taking care of a medium/large dog) are minimal.

If I go get a dog (that would otherwise get putdown) from the local pound/shelter, I get all of the work and none of the press time.

It's people who are more into hearing themselves talk than into helping animals.

I'm some busybody living on an acreage southwest of the city and I think the dog might be fine in the circumstances I'm in (fenced four acres, dogs can't get out and coyotes never come in.)

From all accounts this wasn't a vicious, unprovoked attack.

The only worry I would have is that if this was indeed a sled dog, based on my one experience in that environment two winters ago, in talking with the professionals, the nature of their upbringing and their job means these are not dogs that are easily transitioned to general household pets. In my circumstance, I'd worry about the welfare of my four cats . . . . but that's true of any new dog coming into the house.

I would really wonder about the quality of life this particular dog was living in the first place.

Pete and Ruby watch some elk on the other side of their fence at daybreak . . . no chains, no kennels, everyone is safe.



Cowperson

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Cowperson

I'm some busybody living on an acreage southwest of the city and I think the dog might be fine in the circumstances I'm in (fenced four acres, dogs can't get out and coyotes never come in.)

I don't disagree that the dog may be fine on acreage somewhere, and by the tone of your posts I'm sure you're an excellent dog owner and this dog would be fine in your care.

If you (or someone like you) wants it, the right course of action isn't to start a public campaign, it's to quietly reach out to the family and let them know you'd be willing to give the dog a good home. Big difference, IMO.

[CaptainCrunch]

I love your dog pictures cow, I think that they're awesome.

I would almost agree that a dog like a Husky, that would almost be a free range hyper pack dog would probably be a poor choice for a city dog being crated up and around kids.

You would probably know better then me but wouldn't a dog like that see a new entrance into the family as a rival for his or her social standing in the pack.

Chances are the parents were spending a lot of time with the baby, and the dog probably noticed that whenever the baby cried the parents came running.

I'm not sure if it was a motherly instinct.

But I'm no dog expert.

[Superfraggle]

There are two separate issues here getting mixed together.

Issue #1: The dog is going to be put down, not because noone wants it, but because it (accidentally?) killed a baby. This campaign is about speaking out against that.

Issue #2: There are many dogs who are going to be put down/live the rest of their lives in pounds because noone wants them. This campaign is not about them.

If the campaigners just want a dog, then it would be totally valid to tell them to just go to the pound and get one. That's not what this is about, though. This is about people speaking up against society's knee-jerk reaction to kill any dog who harms a human regardless of intent or future risk.

As for the bears thing, relocation has been mentioned...although it generally either ends up with the bear's return or its death. My personal opinion is that the bears should not automatically be hunted down for having an incident with a human. If the bear actively hunts humans or is aggressive without reason, there is a case for dealing with it, but if the bear was just startled by a surprise bike coming around the corner, or trying to protect its cubs from people getting too close, it's our fault for encroaching further and further on their territory, not their fault for being bears. We can afford to lose a few humans. Bears are in trouble.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I love your dog pictures cow, I think that they're awesome.

I would almost agree that a dog like a Husky, that would almost be a free range hyper pack dog would probably be a poor choice for a city dog being crated up and around kids.

You would probably know better then me but wouldn't a dog like that see a new entrance into the family as a rival for his or her social standing in the pack.

Chances are the parents were spending a lot of time with the baby, and the dog probably noticed that whenever the baby cried the parents came running.

I'm not sure if it was a motherly instinct.

But I'm no dog expert.

It might be best in a single dog home and probably in the country within a controlled environment.

Generally, I agree with the notion this isn't a dog that should be automatically euthenized, even as I understand there are definitely circumstances where that needs to happen.

But I'm not expert either.

I think the parents of the dead child should be out of the dog sledding hobby. That's an ugly business.

Cowperson

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

what's the point? put down this dog already and go to the local pound and adopt a loving animal before they're put down for no reason. the whole sympathy towards animals angle really goes too far sometimes, if a dog ever attacked a member of my family i would shoot it myself

Would you still shoot the dog if that member of the family was beating the dog? If that was the case, and the dog bit your family member, I'd say the family member deserved what he or she got.

By the way, I've got a Golden Retriever and have received many nips while playing with the dog... thats the way they play with other dogs and sometimes they get carried away and do it to humans. Not once have I considered shooting my dog.



... and to everyone else who is reading this, I am NOT saying that the baby deserved to be bit. ... but if it was truly an accident, the dog does not deserve to die. Take your anger out on the parents who put their child in such a situation but don't take revenge on the dog.

[FlamesAddiction]

My sister had a dog that was part husky and part German sheppherd that changed its behaviour drastically after their 1st child was born. The dog would growl and get very jealous. Then one day the dog wouldn't even let her near the crib so they gave the dog up.

Dogs are a lot like people. Environmental conditions and upbringing play a part in how they behave, but some of them are just straight up arseholes.

[ranchlandsselling]

I'm in the market for a Husky. Or Husky mix, or Malamute, or Great Pyrenees. I briefly thought about this dog . . . But, there's plenty of others out there and to go after this dog would be weird. Plus the gf would probably object. I hope someone adopts it, I hope someone adopts all the dogs.

For everyone saying that there's tons of other dogs out there - what makes them so special over this dog? Assuming the death wasn't aggression - and just bad luck, it seems on par with any other dog needing rescued. Also in Calgary there's not too many Husky type dogs looking like that (close to purebred) that I've seen in the rescues. You usually end up with some mixture. Maybe this Husky is exactly what some people are looking for.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

My sister had a dog that was part husky and part German sheppherd that changed its behaviour drastically .

You just can't trust a mutt/hybrid. They're unpredictable by their very genetic nature. Purebred is the way to go.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Rerun

You just can't trust a mutt/hybrid. They're unpredictable by their very genetic nature. Purebred is the way to go.

What an ignorant statement.

[bizaro86]

There are some assumptions on this thread that society treats unfairly dogs who bite and they are all dealt with harshly, when that isn't necessarily true.

My father was bit by a dog at a bus stop about a year ago. The large dog was pulling the (very small) nanny who was walking it. She couldn't control it. When it was reported, they basically said they can only remove a dog who has already been declared dangerous who then bites someone again. And they couldn't declare this dog dangerous because there weren't any witnesses other than the nanny and my father, and the nanny said nothing happened. The huge bite marks on his leg weren't sufficient evidence of a bite. So society pays for leg physio, and the dog is free to bite again.

Because of the huge outcry that comes from any "dog getting put down" story, authorities are very careful with that. Anyone saying they'd be happy to take it in the press is just looking for publicity and trying to stir up trouble.

[octothorp]

To me, dogs are inherently blameless: everything about their acts are the results of millennia of selective breeding, combined with training (or lack thereof). If my dog pisses on the floor or barks at the neighbours, it's my fault for not training properly or selecting a breed that's not appropriate for city living.
There is no concept of morality when it comes to dogs. The idea of punishment for any purpose other than a) training or b) safety is completely irrational, and is applying a human concept of morality to a creature that has no such concept. Tragic incidents like this are often caused from people forgetting that they've got an animal in their house, and instead assuming that it will behave like a person.
On the other hand, I certainly understand the point that many animals get put down for far less than this. This animal, though a tragic story in human eyes, is no more or less deserving of adoption than other animals that have ended up in shelters for a combination of bred instincts and poor training/handling.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by pylon

What an ignorant statement.

I guess I should have posted it in green.

I was alluding to the myth that mutts are healthier than purebreds and I thought I would turn it around in that purebreds are more predictable (behavior wise) than mutts.... (which of course I don't believe either as I believe a dogs behaviour is not only determined by his genetics but also by his environment)

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Would you still shoot the dog if that member of the family was beating the dog? If that was the case, and the dog bit your family member, I'd say the family member deserved what he or she got.

By the way, I've got a Golden Retriever and have received many nips while playing with the dog... thats the way they play with other dogs and sometimes they get carried away and do it to humans. Not once have I considered shooting my dog.



... and to everyone else who is reading this, I am NOT saying that the baby deserved to be bit. ... but if it was truly an accident, the dog does not deserve to die. Take your anger out on the parents who put their child in such a situation but don't take revenge on the dog.

I was out walking with my two older Golden Retrievers, Abby & Keeper, a few years ago up at Elbow Lake. Both were very experienced by that time with people and kids and very calm by that age.

Some parents asked if their small children could come over and pet the dogs. I agreed and the dogs were calm as the kids were petting them.

Then one of the kids, about five years old, put herself over the shoulders of Abby and pressed down . . . and Abby immediately looked back at me with concern and questioning, basically saying, "Do something about this or I will."

You could see this was a situation that could rapidly escalate as the child was effectively but unwittingly putting herself in a position of dominance over the dog . . . . and the dog might react in that situation.

I immediately went "Whoa" and asked the parent to pull the child off, which they did, then had a good and hopefully educational conversation with them about it. Nothing happened as a result.

You gotta pay attention around little kids.

Cowperson

[Lithium]

What kind of parent has a 2 day old human accessible to a dog in the first place?
The mother should be in quarantine, not the dog.

[puckluck]

Shoot the parents first.

Are charges being laid against the person who was in charge of the kid?

[Bertuzzied]

I got really lucky as i got one of the laziest Shibas in the world. I was really worried when my son was born that she would bite his ass, but we put her aside and her double the attention she normally would have gotten.

I've known at least 4 o5 shiba owners who had to give them up due to their aggression towards a new baby. so i got really lucky. well my brother or my parents would have taken her anyways.

One breed i would NEVER trust around a new infant or even small kids is an Akita, the 10 times bigger version of my shiba. those dogs are pure evil! hehe