yournamehere - I'll be the first to throw some (mostly gentle) flak in your direction:
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Originally posted by yournamehere
I agree that owners are responsible for the behavior of their dogs, but I'm going to go in another direction here and say that there are certain dogs that are prediposed to being dangerous.
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All the same,
because these dogs are known to have some temperamental characteristics that could predispose them to aggression, people who own them should be held to a higher standard of responsibility. Even the most notorious breeds have a large proportion of temperamentally submissive animals who can be socialized and trained to be perfectly polite. If you can't train and control a dominating dog, you shouldn't have one. But don't blame the dog.
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....and I truly believe that there is something in their genetic makeup that causes a few of them to snap and just "lose it" every now and then.
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As people have said above, is this perception based on science or on the media hype that talks about every pit bull attack and leaves us all with the impression that these dogs are monsters waiting to snap?
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Let's face it - certain breeds carry certain, deliberate traits, and a big apology to all you Pit Bull owners out there, but the world would be a better place if there were less Pit Bulls and more Golden Retrievers. Yeah - I'll catch flak for that, but that's my opinion.
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In fact, most dogs that bite or kill are mixed breeds. When police, witnesses or victims are asked to estimate the breed, they usually focus on the notorious ones. If they look like they have chow or pit bull in them, that's what they're listed as. My dog looks like a chow but has more border collie and black lab in her. But what people see is "chow" and they're scared of her despite the fact that she's really a big chickenshit.
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Now - getting back on thread here - I think anyone has a right to protect their property against any legitimate threat. If you don't want your dog shot, keep it on your own property.
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Now there I agree with you.
That said, most dogs that bite are actually small dogs - poodles, cocker spaniels, etc. People don't train them because they're just sooooo cuuuuuute and everyone knows they're loving family dogs who would never hurt anyone. Pfft.
Here's some info about the bad rap given to big dog breeds:
http://dogs.about.com/library/weekly/aa100102a.htm
While they're most likely to inflict fatal wounds because of their size and physiology, if they do attack, they actually account for a very small number of dog attacks.
And her's a truly horrifying story about a Pomeranian, of all breeds:
"The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictibility is the October 2000 death of a 6-week-old baby, which was killed by her family's Pomeranian dog. The average weight of a Pomeranian is about 4 pounds, and they are not thought of as a dangerous breed"
from
http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html
Bottom line: personal responsibility. Emphasis on the
person.