Dogs

[4getmenot]

After reading the horrible article of the baby girl being killed by 2 rottweilers at the weekend I'd like to ask do you think these attacks that are happening more frequently now, are the fault of the owners or the dogs?

[45703]

Apparently not.

[saxy_jag]

In a wild situation (dingoes, wolves etc), dogs will kill other dogs' offspring in order to assert dominance.

So, the Alpha male (ie the owner) in this situation has gone, and now there's a lesser male in his place - with offspring. What, I ask, is any normal dog going to do in this situation?

However much we like to think our pets have evolved over the past several thousand years, they are not so far removed from their wild relatives.

[lankeela]

This was not the action of a 'normal' dog.

[4getmenot]

thats why I stick with goldfish :-) and Mr Tall believe me redcrx has had no sleep bless her. :-)

[4getmenot]

You cannot define normal. pet dogs nowadays come in all shapes and sizes and nowadays the younger generation are using dogs to make a statement about themselves. Some even thinking the meaner the dog the better

[4getmenot]

It was normal in a way, they had it as a guard dog and all it was doing was guarding the place. It wasnt a pet.

[saxy_jag]

I'm sorry, lankeela, but it was. If people fail to exercise proper control over domestic dogs, their wild instincts take over.

[4getmenot]

lenkeela is used to the 'normal dogs in his/her dog magazine.

[redcrx]

Lankeela, can i just ask what a 'normal dog' in your opinion?

[lankeela]

A normal dog is a well bred, well reared, well socialised and trained dog of any breed who is owned by a person who is responsible for the training and actions of his or her dog.

A dog who is left to its own devices without training or socialisation and even encouraged to be aggressive as that is the image the owners want to portray is not in my opinion a normal dog.

[4getmenot]

these dogs wernt reared for that they were there to guard the pub, normal to them and their owners. If you had said what you have just said 100 years ago people would be saying that is not normal. Dogs originally were wild animals then hunters and I do think alot still have the killer instinct, but that is 'normal' to them. Protecting their territory was 'normal' to these dogs.

[redcrx]

so a normal dog is one that is bred and trained not to follow its canine instincts?
why do people breed dogs such a pitbulls and rottweilers if not for their agressive stature and possibly aggressive nature then?

[lankeela]

From a five month old baby?

[sp1814]

There's a breakers yard near to where I used to live that used to have problems with burglars.

They bought two attack dogs (basically, they were wolves) and there were no more burglaries.

However, it was pretty scary walking past the yard at night, because you had these two Cugos leaping at the chain link fence as you walked past.

I read in one of the dailies that the owners of the pub kept these dogs to guard against burglars...we don't know at this point whether there was genuine (criminal) negligence involved.

[4getmenot]

the dogs were put in a strange situation with two 'new owners' just like if a rabbit moved they'd have killed it unfortunately the baby did. What would you say blood hounds, police dogs are then?

[jedimistress]

Dogs are beautiful creatures, not cruel. These dogs obviously were not your average domesticated pet. Not socialized, but left on a rooftop all day. They were probably bored out of their skulls.
My dog will snap at children when cornered, but only out of her own fears, experience & self protection. I keep young children away from her. She wouldn't maul or bite, just snap.
My sisters children could climb all over her dog & he wouldn't bat an eyelid.
They are all individual (yet the same) creatures and their upbringing, experiences & personality will define them & how they act & react, in the same way as a humans.
Their guardians have a duty to know them and their personalities in order to prevent something like this. I don't blame the dogs at all.

[sp1814]

I would just like to thank Miss Inquiry for posting the following link:

http://www.users.bigpond.com/daniel1977/kits.h tm

(Page down to the bottom picture).

I would also like to ask where I can send my dry cleaning bill because I just laughed and spat coffee over my suit trousers.

[lankeela]

I have had German Shepherds for over 30 years. Not one could be called even mildly aggessive in any way, shape or form, but I have no doubt that any one of them would have protected me from an attacker had someone tried. This is a natural guarding instinct, not to drag a five month old baby from its cot.

[redcrx]

were they aware that it was a baby? Or was it just something on their territory, a threat that needed to be removed. Why do puppies chew toys? surely they must realise its not food?
We are talking about dogs, they are not humans and cannot be expected to have the same thought processes as we do.

[admarlow]

jedimistress - all you can say it that your dog has not mauled anyone...yet. You can never say never with an animal (ask Steve Erwin)