OK. SO I need to have a rant about the whole Dog vs Owner vs dangerous debate.
Many people have been going on the defensive about dogs commonly being labelled as dangerous, by saying that it’s basically all about how they are raised. This argument is generally to do with staffies, bulldogs and rottweilers, bull terriers etc.
Victoria has recently taken to banning some breeds of dogs because they are deemed too dangerous. These may be pure or cross bred American Pit Bull Terriers (or Pit Bull Terriers), Perro de Presa Canarios (or Presa Canario), Dogo Argentinos, Japanese Tosas, or Fila Brasileiros. They also have a tight restriction on other breeds they deem to be dangerous including the muzzling of some breeds when out in public spaces and strict fencing laws etc.
The statistics really speak for themselves I’m afraid. Dog attacks are becoming more and more frequent and yes, generally speaking they almost always involve dogs from the breeds or cross breeds of the above listed types.
The popular argument that “the dog is not dangerous, it’s how they are raised” is wearing a little thin, and if one actually does their research and digs into the facts about these dog attacks (particularly in regards to attacks on children and infants), one would have a better understanding as to why this excuse just does not gel.
More often than not these attacks are by a family pet, often been in the family for years and loved and cherished by the owners, and actually trained properly to be able to deal with children. When people turn around and use “these dogs aren’t dangerous, if you raise them right” that’s effectively blaming the owners for their child being mauled by a dog. That’s not a fair call - and nobody is in a place to judge. The do not know how the dog was raised, the factors behind what happened or the tempermant of the dog. So many people are quick to jump on the "let’s blame the owner/child for being bitten because we love (Insert dangerous dog breed) and I own one and mine isn’t dangerous so it’s not the dogs fault it must be the owner".
There is no way of accuaratly 100% predicting an animals behavior. Not even the best of the best can stop some animals from reacting the way they do. I have had family friends whom have trained their dogs to the best of their ability even professional training - only for these dogs to turn. We do not know what goes on inside an animals brain, we cannot even begin to comprehend their thought pattern and their triggers. Hell we can barely comprihend the human brain - what gives us a right to believe we know animals any better?
Animals are tamed and domesticated by popular society - so we can have a buddy, a best friend, a companion. But they are not naturally like that - anymore than we humans are natural sea dwellers and are able to breathe underwater. Laughable? The same goes for any animal society tries to domesticate. Their own natural ability and instinct will always over ride any good training. There is no rhyme or reason as to why animals suddenly turn. There are not always clear indicators. But NOONE - no owner, no parent and especially no child can actually predict and can be 100% certain of any animals behavior. It’s one of the risks of mixing children with animals.
People should stop with the blame game. In most cases, it has NOTHING to do with how the dog was raised. Some over riding instinct gave way to every other trained behavior. In some cases, dogs will attack out of jealousy especially of infants and new family members in the household, feeling threatened or well, because they can. Animals are not governed by the same rational logical though processes people have. We cannot expect to understand or predict their behavior because that is impossible.
