Thomas, a five year old boy, was attacked by an American Staffordshire Bullterrier over the week end. On the social estate in the south of Brussels where he lived dogs are not allowed but they are “tolerated”. The boy was walking in a narrow alleyway with his grand parents when the dog jumped on him from behind and bit him in the neck and on his head. The dog would not let go. Its owner had to physically open the dogs mouth to release the boy’s head. Thomas is in a coma as a result. The dog has been put down.
It is of course terrible when such things happen but we have to ask ourselves why. Why is it that these dangerous breeds often fall into the wrong hands and are owned by irresponsible people who do not train them properly? Or train them wrongly?
These type of dogs have existed for millennia and were used in battle and for guarding, but they also served utilitarian purposes, such as farm work. Specifically, these dogs accompanied farmers into the fields to assist with bringing in bulls for breeding or slaughter. They were known as cattledogs or bulldogs. They helped the farmer by subdueing the bull if it attempted to gore him. Typically a dog would do this by biting the bull on the nose and holding on until the bull submitted. Because of the nature of their job, bulldogs were bred to have powerful, muscular bodies, and the resolve to hold onto a violently-struggling bull, even when injured.
Eventually these dogs' purpose inspired the widespread practice of the bloody sports of bull baiting and bear baiting. They were also bred to be intelligent and level-headed during fights and remain non-aggressive toward their handlers. As a result, Victorian fighting dogs generally had stable temperaments and were commonly kept in the home by the gambling men who owned them. After immigration to America, the dogs were bred to be even stronger to work as much as farm dogs in the West and fighting dogs in the big cities. In addition to the "locking jaw" ( the dog does not let go ) myth, it is widely believed that "pit bulls don't feel pain". However, pit bulls have the same nervous system of any other breed, and they can and do feel pain. Historically, those dogs that would tolerate or ignore discomfort and pain and finish the task they were required to perform were the dogs that were bred and the sort of dogs breeders strove to produce. Interestingly enough, pit bulls or dogs that appear to be pit bulls are the most commonly found dogs in dog pounds and they are often destroyed due to the stigma associated with the breed.When aggression becomes a problem the reasons can often be traced to such things as improper handling, lack of socialization or training, a misreading of dog behaviour by the owner, lack of discipline, or even disease. When an owner is startled by a sudden, aggressive outburst, it is generally because he has been unaware of problems that were brewing. Dogs involved in attacks overwhelmingly have a known history of aggression, even though many dog owners deny or minimize this fact. Here in Belgium pit bulls are sometimes used for dog fighting, due to their strength, courage, dog-aggressive tendencies and widespread availability. Although dog fighting is illegal, it is still clandestinally practiced. Often authorities are incapable of stopping this. In England pit bull terriers are regulated under the Dangerous Dogs Act, administered by the government agency DEFRA. There is no proper legislation about dangerous breeds in Belgium but from what I have read, it would seem that the various political parties which have studied this issue have not come up with a realistic proposal that could lead to an enforcable law.
