This Could Be Your Child

[Amstaffs4me]

Puppymum the truth of the matter is its the little dogs that scare the crap out of me!!

I find them to be more snappy and unpredictable !

I can read my dogs easily but I never put them in a situation where they have the opportunity to do anything that is not expected from them...

One of my girls was attacked by a Chi x Pom when she was 1 and to this day that impacts on her life, she is scared to death of small dogs .

My girl did NOT retaliate!! Sad thing was everyone thought this was hilarious

Imagine if that was reversed and it had of been my girl that attacked the Chi x ?? Different story no doubt about it !!

Now I am left with my beautiful girl who we constantly work with to overcome her fear just to be faced by this dog every week at obedience

Beautiful Pics Shel :rolleyes:

I also have a Tatt and 4 Bull breeds, does that make me one of those people??

The original pic in this thread depicts to me how I see my Bull Breeds and I feel sorry for those who can't see them for what they truly are

EFS

Edited July 3, 2009 by Amstaffs4me

[Teebs]

I also have a Tatt and 4 Bull breeds, does that make me one of those people??

looks like it

Anyone else wanna come over to the evil side?

[Amstaffs4me]

I also have a Tatt and 4 Bull breeds, does that make me one of those people??

looks like it

Anyone else wanna come over to the evil side?

Come on come join us ..... :rolleyes:

[puppymum]

That's a bit like saying everyone who weighs over 95kg has the potential to be an efficent violent attacker, so we should lock them up in case they do something nasty. Or that people who have tattoos are more likely to be criminals, so we'd better kill them (I have a tattoo btw).

That's why I don't think BSL is the answer - but I do think breeding can play a part. Do you believe that genetics plays NO part in aggression and temperament, and that a breeder's only role is in breeding for looks? There are bad breeders, just as there are bad owners, and I believe this can also contribute to aggression problems in dogs.

And in regard to owner's contribution, what do people think are the best ways of ensuring they do the right thing?

I suppose what I am interested in is what people think the best ways to prevent dog attacks is - just saying afterwards that the owner did the wrong thing is no more helpful than BSL.

[shel]

Yup - so as you say, you need to be looking at the whole picture of what puts dog and owner 'at risk' and work on programs which address it. Which is exactly what BSL doesn't do.

There are models have been shown to work in reducing dog bites, but in order the implement them we have to stop looking to quick fixes driven by spittle-spewing animal welfare groups trying to get pets out of the hands of the 'undeserving' and instead work to respect, support and educate all pet owners in the community. This includes acknowledging that a bite is often the last in a series of nuisance behaviours and that support (followed by penalties for non-compliance) is required when problems start.

From KC Dog blog Feb 2009

In 2008, Calgary has record low number of aggressive dog incidents

Well, the city of Calgary had the lowest number of aggressive dog incidents that they've had in over 25 years. Last year, the city with over 1 million population, recorded 340 aggressive dog incidents, 145 of which were bites.

In 1985, the city (which had a population of 600,000 at the time) had 1,938 aggressive dog complaints, including 621 bites. You can see their progression charted out here.

Bill Bruce, and the rest of the folks in Calgary, have opted to take a breed neutral approach to their animal control and instead of focusing on breeds, focused on the reasons behing aggressive dog incidents.

"We want to look at everything that led up to an aggressive dog attack," said Bruce. "We're hoping to find four to six common things that people do that causes dogs to bite. Our goal is not to have anyone bitten by a dog."

It should also be noted that it appears that the population of 'pit bulls' in Calgary is increasing during this time when dog bites are going down.

Why are more people not following this model?

But you see, that means more work for under resourced rangers (who are often not specialised in dog welfare or behaviour) and the need for the government to put serious consideration into the issue of animal management. Much easier to let the media hype up the latest dog attack and let councils ban breeds in response to ill-informed public outcry.

Edited July 4, 2009 by shel