Dogs

[TheMercenary]

What do you think?

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/shou...eds-be-banned/

[DanaC]

So, a handful of fatal incidents warrants the banning of certain dog breeds?

They can take my dog from my cold dead hands.

[TheMercenary]

We are on our 4th Rhodesian Ridgeback. In Germany and the UK they are restricted. They are one of the few dogs I would trust implicitly. We once owned three at one time. Never had to worry about anyone robbing our house or coming in uninvited.

[DanaC]

Rhodesians aren't restricted in the UK.

My Bro's dog Amber was a rhodie.

[Aliantha]

Our dog Cleo is part ridgeback. You'd never find a sweeter temperament in a dog, and I'd say that about every other one I've ever met.

[BrianR]

I am solidly in the "no bad dogs, only bad owners" camp.

Dogs only do what they are trained to do. Or, in the absence of training, what their instincts tell them to do. Some people choose a dog for the wrong reasons and get over their head wrt training/care issues. These are what I call bad owners. They choose a dog for it's looks/temperament/social status and not for it's inherent strengths.

Before I get a dog, I research it's breeding, which tells me a lot about how it is likely to behave. I have a whole pack of different breeds so the dog MUST be a good pack animal. Loner dogs won't do well and will likely fight a lot. It has to be bred as a companion animal. I have two hunting dogs and they are Trouble when they get bored. They were rescues so I broke my own rule with them.

They each have their own personality and each fits well in the pack. We're going through a change of leadership right now. Junior, my longtime pack leader is ten years old now and is slowing down to the point that he cannot maintain control over the bigger pack members. And he knows it. The alpha spot has effectively been taken over by the German Shepherd Dog. And she is not shy about flaunting that to the rest. I expect that to settle as everyone accepts the new leader.

All in all, dog ownership is a joy, but there are some prices to be paid and not everyone is willing to pay them. People use dogs as lawn ornaments, either because they are not willing to train them to be good housepets, don't know how, or only wanted the dog to show off to neighbors. Two of these reasons should disqualify the owners from dog ownership. I have helped some people to learn how to housebreak a dog and train it to b a good pet. Others cannot be trained and they are people that I feel should not have a dog.

I can go on for hours about this so I will cut myself off for now.

To more fully answer the original question, there are a few breeds of dogs that should never have been bred at all but they can be saved by restricting ownership to only trained, responsible people. My favorite breed for this example is the American Pit Bull Terrier. Lots of people hate this breed and many communities have banned the breed entirely. The APBT is really a sweetheart and a great family dog with strong protective instincts. But the owners either do not train the dog properly or allow it to run the house.

Yes, a dog will dominate a human if it is permitted to. The Pit Bull will definitely do this as it is a very strong-willed animal and it takes a stronger person to control it. But it can be done. Most of Michael Vick's dogs have been rehabilitated. Even the smallest dog can be a tyrant if allowed to.

An owner must be willing and able to set limits on the dog and enforce them fairly. And consistently. That is the key. A dog will test you from time to time and you must be able to handle that. If you cannot, you either have chosen the wrong breed for your lifestyle or the wrong pet. You must be willing to devote the time and energy necessary to your family member, and that is exactly what a dog is: a family member. A perpetual five-year-old. Treat the dog well and they will provide you with many years of faithful companionship and love. Treat the dog wrongly and be prepared for a long nightmare.

Prospective dog owners, in my opinion, should have to take a short course on how to be a responsible dog owner. If you cannot demonstrate the skills needed to own a dog, you shouldn't have one. I also believe strongly in spaying/neutering unless one has a permit to breed dogs. There are entirely too many unwanted dogs in the world. Sterilization should be mandatory without a permit as breeding opens a whole new can of worms, which I will not get into now.

*Gets off her soap box*

Wow, I really feel passionately about this subject, don't I?

[Sundae]

Now y'all know I'm not a dog lover.
But I do love some dog owners.

Dogs are like childer. In the wrong hands they are WMD. And once they are primed it takes years and money and love and trouble to disarm them.
And you can snuff out dogs, but not babbies.
If they are badly damaged inside it doesn't stop them breeding.
No physical disabilities maybe, just a hugely fucked-up family situation.

Breeding problems are not confined to dogs.

[Gravdigr]

Right now my town is about to pass a law, and I believe it will pass, requiring owners of "vicious breeds" to maintain $100,000 liability insurance on the dog.

For me, this boils down to 'outlawing' certain breeds. At the very least, it is thinly veiled class discrimination. Few people can afford that. One of my buddies has already tried to insure his pit bull. His homeowners insurance company said "Hell no". He called literally every insurance company in our town. No takers.

[Rhianne]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Right now my town is about to pass a law, and I believe it will pass, requiring owners of "vicious breeds" to maintain $100,000 liability insurance on the dog.

For me, this boils down to 'outlawing' certain breeds. At the very least, it is thinly veiled class discrimination. Few people can afford that. One of my buddies has already tried to insure his pit bull. His homeowners insurance company said "Hell no". He called literally every insurance company in our town. No takers.

Now I wonder why that is? Normally insurance companies are pretty keen to take your money - do you think they know something?

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by Rhianne

Now I wonder why that is? Normally insurance companies are pretty keen to take your money - do you think they know something?

For insurance companies, such dogs are like trampolines.
They won't insure for either because both are serious accidents waiting to happen.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

He called literally every insurance company in our town. No takers.

Thats because of how they've been bred.
I've seen so many that are simply wonderful. Never a problem - but that one time...

its what their instincts tell them to do.

[Aliantha]

Most, if not all home insurance policies over here include a public liability amount of up to at least $1 million. This covers anyone who is hurt on your property and needs medical assistance. Normally it covers things like people slipping on your drive way and putting their back out or tripping over the hose type of scenarios, but I'm pretty sure it covers things like dog attacks also if they happen on your property.

One thing I will say is that people who fail to restrain their dogs to their own yards should be prosecuted whether they're vicious or otherwise.

No one wants to step in your dogs' shit when they're going out to pick up the morning paper people!

[Lamplighter]

It's pretty much the same here in the US.

But most companies do send out inspectors on new policies, and will not accept
the new policy if there are conditions they do not cover, (or learn about later).
Once canceled, it can be very hard to get coverage through another company.

Some companies write policies that exclude certain breeds
and almost all companies exclude any dog with a history of biting.

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by BrianR

I am solidly in the "no bad dogs, only bad owners" camp.

Dogs only do what they are trained to do. Or, in the absence of training, what their instincts tell them to do. <snip>

I'm in real agreement with most everything in your post,
but need to disagree with the wording of your lead.

Many/most of the "viscous" attacks come, even by so-called "trained" dogs,
when the owner is not around to exert control.
And multiple-dog situations increase the risk of pack-behaviors.

There's too many news accounts of children being attacked
in their own home or playing at their neighbors, to support the notion
that situations can be controlled at all times.

For me, any biting dog needs to be a dead dog...
and training a so-called sporting/fighting breed is akin to training a tame rattlesnake.

[Aliantha]

I think a big part of the problem with dogs these days is that people keep dogs on blocks that're too small for them and they get frustrated. Also the societal issue of some kids being brought up in a home with no pets and then they get released into a yard where a dog lives after the owner says it's ok, but the kid doesn't know how to treat an animal and there's every chance they'll do something to upset the dog.

I remember when I was a kid, everyone had at least one dog and usually a cat or two as well. You just grew up knowing when to try and play with an animal, and when to leave it alone. If a kid has no experience with animals, how can they be expected to keep out of trouble?