Menacing Breeds

An article in the HoS today shows the stupidity of the idea of “menacing breeds”. A child was bitten, and significantly injured, not by a Pit-bull or Bull-mastif, but by a Fox Terrier. This particular animal has not been put down and is still allowed to be around children – because it is small.

While there is no doubt that a big dog attack is far more likely to result in serious injuries and even death, small dog bites outnumber big dog bites by a very large margin. Based on his ED experience, the MacDoctor would estimate this margin to be of the order of 10 to 1, possibly greater, if one excludes police dog bites (which are not, to all intents and purposes, accidents).

Small dogs are vastly more excitable than large dogs. They are far more likely to suffer the fate of the poor dogs in the picture above and be dressed up and treated like toys or, worse, like children. They are far more easily intimidated by strangers and much more likely to be hurt by unsupervised children. Consequently, they are far less predictable than large dogs. The vast bulk of ACC expenditure on dog bites will be from small dogs (though that does not stop people from using the ACC figures as an argument to control large breeds).

In general, people forget that dogs are animals and tend to interact with them on a human social level; talking to them, pampering them and treating them almost as equals. Unfortunately, dogs are pack animals and their social interactions consist mainly in establishing hierarchy. If the dog owner does not establish him/herself as the leader, then the animal’s behaviour will be much less controlled and may possibly be dangerous. Sadly, the sort of people who like to own Pit-bulls and Bull-mastifs are often the sort of people who are masking their own inadequacies by having a large animal. The net result is a large, uncontrolled animal. Add in the fact that many of these idiots like to goad their (uncontrolled) dogs to scare their friends/neighbours/gang members and you have a dog attack just waiting to happen.

The reason why you should always approach a strange dog with caution is because you have no idea how strange the owner is.

There are, of course, some dogs that are inherently dangerous. A combination of bad breeding, poor ownership and/or illness will make an animal insane. Like this one?:

Scary isn’t it? I’m sure the photographer though this was a great picture of a ferocious dog. And perhaps it is. Sadly, however, this animal is actually chewing the bar of its cage because it is literally scared out of its mind. It has been ripped away from all familiar surroundings and is now locked in a cage that smells of frightened animals and death. I would be scared too.

If this dog had been a small breed, it would have been released to its owner by now. Because it is “menacing” it lingers in a cage, becoming more insane by the day.

I read that his owner is trying to get him back and I wish her luck, as she seems a responsible owner. Unfortunately, at this stage, it may be better to put this poor creature out of its misery.

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