Posted: Jun 14, 2005 5:41 pm
Well - I personally do not believe "banning" a particular breed will solve anything. Like with people, I truly believe it is more a case of "nuture" then "nature". There will always be the "Jeffrey Daumers" of the human world and the canine world, but those truly evil creatures are very rare in both.
Dogs (and children) are mostly a product of their environment. If someone can't create a suitable environment to nuture the dog in a structured loving home, then they have no business owning one of any breed IMHO.
My next door neighbor has a German Shorthair Pointer that definitely falls into the category of "untrustworthy". This is a rescue dog they adopted that had been abused and they insist that she is kind hearted and friendly with everyone. They asked me to take care of her over a few days last winter (at her house, not mine) and that dog cowered and growled at me every time I opened the door. This put me on my guard as far as letting my kids play outside whenever she is out (she is NEVER on a leash). We were having a little picnic over Memorial Day and the neighbor stopped over with the dog off lead again. I almost had a stroke when one of my other neighbors was holding her 7 month old baby in the dogs face to give it kisses and the dog was growling very low. No one noticed the growl except me and I quickly asked to hold the baby to get her away from the dog. This dog is a ticking time bomb in a neighborhood full of kids and speaking to the owners is completely pointless. They "know" the dog is a cream puff and wouldn't hurt a fly. I wecome suggestions on how to deal with this before one of the kids does get hurt.
Anyway, thanks for letting ME rant.
Alexa
Dogs (and children) are mostly a product of their environment. If someone can't create a suitable environment to nuture the dog in a structured loving home, then they have no business owning one of any breed IMHO.
My next door neighbor has a German Shorthair Pointer that definitely falls into the category of "untrustworthy". This is a rescue dog they adopted that had been abused and they insist that she is kind hearted and friendly with everyone. They asked me to take care of her over a few days last winter (at her house, not mine) and that dog cowered and growled at me every time I opened the door. This put me on my guard as far as letting my kids play outside whenever she is out (she is NEVER on a leash). We were having a little picnic over Memorial Day and the neighbor stopped over with the dog off lead again. I almost had a stroke when one of my other neighbors was holding her 7 month old baby in the dogs face to give it kisses and the dog was growling very low. No one noticed the growl except me and I quickly asked to hold the baby to get her away from the dog. This dog is a ticking time bomb in a neighborhood full of kids and speaking to the owners is completely pointless. They "know" the dog is a cream puff and wouldn't hurt a fly. I wecome suggestions on how to deal with this before one of the kids does get hurt.
Anyway, thanks for letting ME rant.
Alexa