The media has gone very quiet on the fate of poor 5 year old Thomas but I gather the poor lad may be paralysed for life on one side. The carotid artery was severed in the attack; a blood clot developped as a result and Thomas suffered a thrombosis followed by an embolism.
Of course we are asking ourselves why the Belgian Government is not addressing the problem of dangerous dogs? There are always more pressing issues in politics. I remain convinced that the problem lies with irresponsable owners who are incapable of handling dogs. Dogs are not born aggressive and it is not in their instinct to attack. They are conditioned by their environment and by the people who interact with them. Most dog owners do not know what to do when they first get a dog. I am repeating myself but a dog is not a cuddly toy, not a baby human, not a fashion accessory. A dog is a pack animal who reacts to certain rules which humans ignore or fail to implement. It is therefore very important to follow training classes with experienced trainers who will guide an owner through a process which is informative but also fun. A dog is a very responsive creature and wants to please its owner. So yes for me it is quite clear: a dangerous dog has an irresponsible owner.
8 comments:
I agree with you, eurodog. Mind you, my dog before Simi was one I rescued and he was lovely with me and with women, but he hated men! It wreaked havoc upon my love life!
Now an even greater tragedy, due to the location of the bite.
I think dog obedience training is essential for all dogs, although some are more difficult to train than others. My Westie was a very strong alpha female and it took me a long time and several courses to become number one with her. I also once had a schnauzer who was a fear biter and for his whole life I had to be very vigilant with him with children who often are aggressive themselves with dogs. Fortunately he never bit a little child but I never trusted him alone with them. He was obedience trained but could not overcome this flaw. I read that they are made that way by over anxious mother dogs.
regards
jmb
Hello, your blog is quite interesting and well written, I enjoyed reading the first two posts.
I work at San Francisco Animal Care and Control and I wanted to add a comment regarding a human behavior I have observed over the years. Some people choose large guard dogs and pitt bulls because they are afraid of them and want others to be afraid of them too. These dogs aren't really treated as pets. They are 'back yard dogs' and the owners do not socialize them on purpose. When these dogs get loose from the yard...well you know the tragedies that can occur. Today I worked in two kennels housing over 20 dogs and all but 5 were pitt bulls. The numbers are sometimes overwhelming.
Thank you for your blog and for the opportunity to post my comment. Violets Vintage
Hello Violets Vintage,
Thank you for your visit and your comment.
What you are describing happens here too. The authorities know about this but seem powerless to do something about it. (or turning a blind eye) We suggested at the dog club to give the owners of these dogs who are known to the police, special classes to show them what they could achieve with their dogs. We were going to start with obedience and later do agility. The police had identified a gang and through a lenghty and awkward process they were introduced to his. We set everything up and the youngsters involved were quite excited at the idea But when the time came to start nobody turned up. So now I know they carry on terrorising their neighbourhoods. It is difficult to change people's attitudes.
Have a super day.
jmb,
Thank you for your comment.
I rescued Belle from a farm where she was going to meet a certain death. She is very nervous and insecure and frightened by certain other dogs especially other females. She will bite given the opportunity. I watch her like a hawk. She is quite obedient with me but takes my children and husband for a ride.
I am a dog trainer but certain situations are beyond repair. Early exposure, the environment and the interactions with humans and other dogs condition a dog.
Dear Eurodog,
It is wonderful that you did try working with the authorities and the gangs who keep dangerous dogs.
I am sorry that it didn't work out. On a brighter note; here in San Francisco it is against the law now if 'high risks' dogs are not spayed and neutered. Some owners have responded in a positive way and bring the animals in to be fixed. This process also gives us a record of the animal and owner and an opportunity to observe the animals health. This law also prevents any impounded dog to be redeemed to owners who won't agree to spay/neutering. Here is a link to the law on the SFACC web page.
http://www.sfgov.org/site/acc_index.asp?id=48310
I like to think the spay and neuter law is a small step in the right direction. It was very contoversial and I think our agency got involved in a legal battle over it because some organizations felt it targeted cetain breeds.
Thank you again for your blog.
Best regards, Violets Vintage
It is totally wrong to refer to certain breeds of dogs as "Dangerous breeds" True some breeds of dogs have the potential to be more aggressive than others as they have been deliberatly bred for aggressive tendancies. I refer to the guarding breeds such as Rottweiler, Doberman, GSD's and so on. This does not mean that these dogs as a breed should all be spayed and neutered. It is 100% the owners fault if a dog attacks a human and rarely the dog's. I own GSD's, Border Collies, and a Doberman. Now which one would you say is the most likely to attack anything that moves. It is the border collie!!!The GSD and the Dobe would only attack IF I WAS IN DANGER and even then it would be if I gave them a command to guard. The Border Collie (who I believe is mentally unsound) lives in the same environment as the other dogs but is the one I cannot trust with humans. We should look more to the fact that these guarding breeds are more capable of causing serious harm to a human if they are aggressive rather than other breeds such as the Border Collie. The collie will chase, bark/growl, and frighten a human but he will not "savage" them due to the fact that the dog has been bred to heard and not to attack. The most the collie would do would be to nip the human. The poor old Rottie and the Dobe get so much bad press when actually the most fearsome (as in the breed that is most aggressive, tenacious and unpredictable) is the Giant Schnauzer. Of course it is a terriable tragedy when a human is savaged by a dog but I blame the society and governments that allow irresponsible dog breeding, no laws controlling dog ownership and lazy, incompetant dog owners. Impliment stricter laws forcing dog owners to attend basic training courses, dog taxes and so on and maybe this damage will cease.
Dog Lover
Anonymous dog lover,
Thank you for your comment. Much appreciated.
I agree with you 100%. I have a very difficult Border Collie. They do not make good family pets.
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