Hope all goes well Mr. Pelican. Hopefully your mother in law recovers well. I can understand what see is going through. About 8 months ago I was involved in a terrible traffic accident and received a terrible head injury. Everyone in the emergency room said I was going to be disfigured for the rest of my life. My forehead was split open from ear to ear and I could touch my skull. Well to make a long story short I was very lucky and have a long scar. I pray she will be as fortunate as I was. Wishing her the best.
My Grandad used to breed Collies some time ago. He used to say that Collies then had been inbred too much and their skull wasn't large enough to house their brain, hence it affected their temperament from what it should have been. I don't know if it still applies. The best rule with dogs is to not completely trust any dog especially with food or kids. If you have a dog, get it used to its food being handled after it has been given it as at some point a child will wander up while it is eating. All dogs should be used to thinking that they at the bottom of the pecking order and not sleep on beds etc where they think their family status might be elevated. This is a sidetrack and not at all related to the unfortunate incident with GPs mother in law.
One of the my most hated sayings usually comes from a dog owner when their dog is carving up some person (my kids) in some public park after being left off the lead to run a muck when they say "oh he/she has never done that before" I absolutely hate it and generally follow up by cursing the owner and then saying afterwards with a pause "oh, i've never said that to a dog owner before, forgive me" I say fuck them ! sorry but it's a real bain for me, that and the shit they leave on the footpath when no one is looking. I once was out walking one evening and some idiot owner let his dog out for a shit or piss in the street that night before he tucked him up in his bed to cuddle when it attacked my daughter of 12. The shitty dog didn't go for me because it weighed up it's options and went for the weaker of the two but what the dog and the the owner didn't BARK upon was I was so enraged I dropped kicked the mongrel asshole dog so hard I sent it 5 feet in the air & broke it's collar bone on landing, then I had to deal with the dog owner chasing me with a baseball bat. Sure no cops to be seen and I had to defend my self with my phone compounded with a some shadow boxing to the owner believe it or not a good phone video can deter anybody with a baseball bat when you have proof they are attacking you with a bat. Anyhow, sorry to hear about your in laws and BTW, I am a dog lover (always had dogs) I just hate idiot owners who shouldn't be owners of a loving creature. Remember, it's the owner who turns the dog into a beast....
'Remember, it's the owner who turns the dog into a beast....' may be its the dog that turn the owner into a beast, carrying and chasing you with a baseball bat
Hope your mother in law has a speedy recovery, GP. A horrible situation ---- It's too easy for a lot of people to say that it's the fault of the owner not the dog in these situations. It is said without really looking deep enough onto the requirements of the dog. Owning these larger breeds comes with great responsibility. Its simply not enough to give them a good loving home and treat them well. Socialization from an early age and obedience throughout the life of the dog is a must. You also have to keep them active and well exercised. Not to mention you also have to be very careful and do your research on the breeder of the dog. Far too many backyard breeders breeding dogs with poor temperament. There are so many things that need to be taken into consideration when you are choosing and raising a dog but most people are far too ignorant on what they are and thats where the trouble starts. On another note, I have a Rottweiler and always have him on a leash when walking him. It gives me the sh!ts when we encounter someone that has their little fluff ball off their leash running up to us yapping, lunging and running circles around us and when my boy responds with any type of excitement, i'm told by the other owner to "control my dog". Have to just laugh it off though. Probably one of those people that have something against me because they assume I think I'm tough, LOL
Sorry, but I'm reading between the lines here that you maybe another "oh, my dog has never done that before...." by default in your passage you seem to be fully aware of the damage your dog can inflict on another "fluff" ball of a dog but also any humans nearby so, that in it self screams to me that your dog is a dog that would attack at will ! :/ therefore the temperament of that dog doesn't make any difference because it's in the genes and you can not breed it out. Yes you raised it from a pup when it licked you to death but would you leave that same dog near anyone else but yourself??? Even a Great White Shark or Crocodile as a tiny thing is cute but when it's full size you're not going to snuggle up against them. I see a beach nearby me (Cronulla) gave into dog lovers for a very short, brief time only to find that those idiots who didn't know that all dogs are not the same found out real fast because there were attack after attack down there of big dogs taking on small passive dogs. See, your Rottweiler (German Shepherds, Bull Terrier(s), bull dogs, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, included) will always feel the need to enforce their position in the dog hierarchy and you will not stop it. I've had this same conversation for many years with many of my friends who are dog lovers and I absolutely love how they change their minds when they have kids. Suddenly, it's "oh, you were so right" where can I get rid of it? when they have had a close miss. BTW, even a collie will attack if put in a situation. As a kid I was attacked by our very much loved collie and was in hospital for 8 weeks nearly loosing my eye so, don't be fooled by the breed of the dog and remember they are animals not humans like some people think. Each dog is has it's own very unique gene and will be perfect in the right location but when you have an attack dog as a pet be very aware :|
I would tell the owner that you have your dog on a lead at your side, if anything thing happened to his little dog off his lead wondering freely, legally he is at fault. @ GP, I sure hope your mother in law is doing okay and will recover well.
I read different to that in boyd's post. It is always awkward when walking a dog on the lead and others don't. There is a thing called a responsible owner, I refer you my previous post which is how I read Boyd's. http://forums.silverstackers.com/message-597380.html#p597380
Good advice. Alsatians are known for suddenly turning on people. Although the incidence of dog on human violence is low, it is best to consider whether you are after a family pet, a working/hunting dog or a guard. Staffies, pit bulls, rottweilers, the doberman and blue heeler are also breeds which carry a risk. I don't think banning breeds is the answer, but people should only buy a dog which is fit for purpose. Breeding was, historically, deliberate. If you want a pet, get something suited to your likely environment and interaction. Cases of aggression tend to pop up in the British press, perhaps more frequently than here due to space issues; a few are linked below. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...eenage-girl-death-charged-animal-cruelty.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...abbed-23-times-irate-pet-owner-fight-dog.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-runs-owner-arrested-obstruction-justice.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...led-death-watched-TV-escaped-pitbull-dog.html
Sorry but you weren't reading between the lines, you were making huge assumptions and then basing your argument on those assumptions. What I AM fully aware of is that I have a large male Rottweiler and even people who own dogs let alone people that don't like dogs are intimidated just by his appearance, having one off leash would scare the crap out of almost anyone. Also we regularly see other dogs off leash and if my dog was off leash there's a big risk of them running onto the road while playing. My keeping him on leash is part of being a responsible owner and not wanting to make people uncomfortable and also to avoid a potential traffic hazard. Nothing to do with "me being aware of the damage my dog can inflict". We always go to this fully fenced park often where my Rottie gets to interact with these fluff balls off leash and you know what happens? They chase each other around for a while and then my Rottie ends up rolling around on his back with the little dog jumping all over him. Any humans near by will get slimed on. I know for a fact that no one will be "attacked at will". Once again, all assumptions. It is true that these large working breeds are naturally quite dominant (never did I argue otherwise) but in saying that, as I mentioned before, thats where socialization and continued training for the life of the dog comes into play. Yes I would and I have many times before with no troubles what so ever. With strangers? hell no but I wouldn't leave my kids with strangers either. What breeds were they and how was their dog selected/raised/trained? Thats a point I always try to make to people that point the finger at these large breed dogs and paint them as 'aggressive breeds'. It is actually ALL dogs that can potentially be agressive. Its just that larger breeds are able to do more damage so thats why you NEED to be on top of things with them. Problem is most people fail in that capacity. Here we are in agreement so theres no argument there. A rottweiler is not an attack dog unless it was trained specifically to do so. It is a working dog first and foremost. Based on an assumption but I'll bite anyway. No, its not in its genes. My dogs breeder follows a strict code of ethics and selects the sire and dam carefully based on their physical conformation and temperament in accordance with the breed standard. This process has been done for many generations from a long line of proven Rottweilers both in the working and show capacity. Any aggressiveness will only come due to a genetic anomaly and is quickly weeded out. Those dogs are never made available to homes and definitely not suitable to breed. But with such strict breeding practices, this is a rarity. Aggressiveness is not a desired trait for the breed. The Rottweiler was originally used for many duties including the guarding of livestock. Wouldn't be much good if it killed all the sheep now would it? And yes, aggressiveness can be bred out. Its how we we were able to start to domesticate wolves and has been supported by the Belyaev Experiment. That is why I advocate only approaching legitimate breeders especially if it involves large working breeds. I brought home a beautiful, stable puppy. From that point on, it was up to me to commit my life to the dog and put in countless hours of hard work raising it. It was what I had to do to be a responsible owner and my duty towards my family, friends, community, the breeder, myself and most of all my dog. All worth it though!