I’m sure you have read in papers or heard on the news about breed banning in certain states across the U.S and now in Canada as well. The attacks on children, men, women and other dogs have become wide spread. The vicious breeds that are circulating and causing pain and suffering to anyone who comes near them are now being judged by the public and in all hopes plan to be banned from existence.
Now, my question to you is…..Is it truly the breed of dog? Or is it the person behind the dog? Now before you get your hackles up about this, of course I am against dog aggression of any manner whatsoever. Of course I believe that if a dog of any breed is capable of purposely creating damage and harm to anyone or anything it should be euthanized immediately. But there is an entire world that people do not see or understand. First of all, let me explain that any breed of dog is capable of losing their mind and becoming massively aggressive, this is definitely something I know from experience. Any breed of dog can have certain triggers that can cause him to do something completely irrational. And of course you must remember that just because a dog is small and cute does not mean that it can’t cause any damage, there are cases where a small dog can create more damage than a large dog can.
My point to all of this is, there are certain breeds that are becoming singled out in all of this madness. Yes of course these particular dogs are powerful, yes they are large, and yes some of these dogs were bred to fight BUT you must remember that every person who breeds these sort of dogs and every person who buys this sort of dog has a lot to contribute to these problems. Bad breeding and wrong ownership is a massive problem that nobody seems to want to look at. Do you realize that possibly a good 80% of the people who own pit bulls are men who like the look of the dog and feel that it enhances their manliness? Or people who buy them as “Guard Dogs” and go about that term completely wrong and train their dog to attack anything that breathes, or quite frankly people who will buy one just because they want to be “cool” to own one and never socialize it around dogs or people or follow any of the procedures that you would do with any breed. What about the people who buy a Rottweiler just because it is a beautiful colored dog, or because it is strong and bulky looking and then not train it or spend the time needed with it and let it grow up knowing that he has run of the household and anything that walks by it? The other breeds such as the Doberman, the English bulldog, the German Shepard, unfortunately the list goes on.
Do you realize that there are many people who claim to be “breeders” and do it solely for the money or to have that title, they care nothing about what they are breeding or how or who they are selling these dogs to. There is a reason why ethical breeders produce litters, to better the breed, better their disposition and better their health among many other reasons. These people dedicate themselves to their particular breeds. I must say, I have owned a pit bull in the past and he was the most kind hearted soul you would ever meet and he saved me from an intruder in my house. I owned a Doberman in the past as well, who actually was a retired police dog and was again one of the best dogs I have ever known. I currently own an English bulldog, who in their right mind could ever claim her to be vicious. She is absolutely lovable and has won the hearts of every person she has ever encountered; she came from a horrible past and unfortunately I never owned her from puppy hood, you could never tell.
How many dog shows do you think there are? You know, I have been to more than I am able to count, and I have encountered many of these “vicious” breeds. I have received sloppy smooches from many of these horrific animals as well. Funny how well mannered and well behaved they are compared to the horror stories you are exposed to at times on a weekly basis. So you see, as unfortunate as it is to hear and see the stories of the families and pets that have been affected by these horrible acts, and rightfully these animals have been disposed of due to their crimes, it is not right to completely blame the animals acts due to his breed, You should also consider where this dog came from, who bred him but more importantly, who raised him. There is no excuse for the violent crimes these particular dogs perform, but on that same token, there is no excuse for the crimes the pet owner has committed of not properly taking responsibility of their pets.
