One veterinarian said ill-tempered dogs can't usually be trained to be safe. Fred Hartman, a regional veterinarian for the Texas Department of Health, estimated that there were about 650 severe dog bites in Texas in 1995. They aggravate it and train it to attack but have no idea how to control it. As it gets to be an adult, they don't know how to handle it, and so they neglect it. He said he doubts an owner could successfully retrain a vicious dog.
Somebody needs to correct that.
But Karen Medicus, president of the Texas Federation of Humane Societies, said the bill doesn't go far enough to educate dog owners who act irresponsibly. Medicus agreed that animals who severely injure, not only those who kill, should be put to sleep. If an animal has the propensity to do that, I wouldn't want them to endanger anyone else. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement .