From: schalene@sequent.com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: A tragic accident
Date: 8 Apr 92 14:40:40 GMT
Article-I.D.: sequent.1992Apr8.144040.1447
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc.

In article <ku0ledINNrt5@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu> primeaux@duncan.cs.utk.edu (David Primeaux) writes:
>
(tragic story of dog killing woman deleted)

>Locally the media are quoting the director of the local humane society
>(no attempt to quote here, however) as saying several things:
>
>	1.  most of the dogs that bite humans are chows or chow mixes
>	    (and *not*, as one might be led to believe, pit bulls or 
>	    dobermans)
>
I recently read (a magazine in my vet's office can't remember the
name) that the AKC reports that most dog bites that are reported are
from Cockers.  Which was distressing to us because we had a
wonderfully even tempered Cocker for 11 years.

>	2.  most fatal attacks by dogs on humans occur when the dog is
>	    (or has been) chained
>
I could see this.  Dogs that spend their whole life chained up do not
have responsible owners and haven't been properly socialized.  Its not
the dog's fault they're mean, its their owner's.

>	3.  never take in an adult dog, unless you are sure of its history
>	
Never is such a strong word.  I'm sure we've all known people who have
had wonderful experiences with adult dogs from the pound.  I used to
think the risk of getting a good dog from the pound was greater than
from a breeder, but I'm not so sure about that any more either.  The
one thing you can do with a breeder that you can't do at the pound is
screen the breeder (as they're screening you) and make sure they are
reputable and responsible.  Things like getting references, asking
lots of questions, visiting dogs they've placed, etc.

>	4.  at the first sign of aggressiveness (presumably, aggressiveness
>	    towards a human), a dog should be taken to an expert for 
>	    evaluation
>
This is so important.  Its amazing how much easier it is to train a
dog if you know where his/her head is at.  I didn't realize this until
I got serious about training and started reading and auditing courses.
One breeder (Clumber Spaniel) we talked to had all her litters checked
out by a canine behavior specialist.  They did a variety of tests on
the pups, looking to see how they reacted.  Then the breeder placed
the animals with prospective owners based on what you were looking for
in a dog.  She didn't let the people pick out which one they wanted.
Af first this kind of turned me off, but the more I thought about the
better I liked it.  For instance, my husband and I wanted a pet as a
companion.  We might have picked out the most dominant one simply
because he was male and we liked his coloring.  But a more docile pup
would have been better for us.  By doing this the breeder really made
us think about what we could provide a dog, and in the long run we
decided against Clumbers because of their exercise requirements.  We
ended up with a small breed bred to be a companion dog.  Something I
never thought I would do.  But once you bring that little bundle of
fur home, you love them regardless of their size.  

>	5.  neutering male dogs can reduce the tendency to be aggressive.
>
Also protects your pet against disease later in their life.  If you're
not going to show or breed you dog, its probably a good idea.  We
never neutered our Cocker and regretted it later when he developed
prostrate cancer.  However, we never thought it was necessary because
he didn't display and aggressive tendencies or even want to run off
when the neighbor's bitch came in season.  He would sit by the door
and moan, though ;-)
>
>Now, just a couple of personal observations.  First, I think the media is
>handling this tragedy in a responsible manner.  Secondly, as owner of a 
>*very* docile, laid back, neutered, pound-rescued chow-mix, I am somewhat
>un-nerved by this story -- even though we have had Roosevelt for about a year
>now and dot him as a puppy. Thirdly, if indeed the couple were chow breeders,
>this is an unsettling and frightening story indeed.  
>
I think if you haven't had any problems with Roosevelt by now, you
don't have much to worry about (except maybe community hysteria).  I
think the bottom line is any dog can be a deadly weapon-- its not a breed
specific thing.  Good breeding and responsible ownership should take
care of most problems.