Dangerous Dogs - Who's to Blame

A situation I am constantly asked to help with is that of "dangerous dogs." These are dogs that have bitten someone and presumably pose a threat to the public. Animal control officers are quick to point the finger at the animal and try to move to killing it as quickly as possible. What seems to be overlooked here is the question of "Who is to blame?"

Are we to assume a dog was born dangerous and seeks out the person it wishes to bite?
Do dogs become aggressive in certain situations?
Does something or someone drive the dog to become aggressive?

If we can assume that a dangerous dog is one that bites, then all dogs must be considered dangerous. As a trainer, I approach all dogs with the presumption that all dogs can and may bite. What motivates a dog to bite is what I'd like to examine. Dogs bite for several reasons, including, fear, anger, territory, and some are trained to bite, as in police and protection work. The primary focus of dogs that we need to look at are those dogs that bite out of anger. Anger or aggression in dogs is something that is instilled in them often times by lack of, or improper training. That is to say a dog that has been improperly handled is likely to bite out of anger or fear. Fearful dogs generally bite only when approached, where angry dogs have a propensity to strike out to bite.

If a dog owner has a situation with a dog that has anger or aggression issues, it should be looked at seriously. There is a high risk that this dog will bite someone at some point, or even that the dog may get away from the owner and bite. If this happens, who is to blame? If a dog is well behaved its entire life and gets away from the owner and causes damage, who is to blame? IF an owner owns a dog that has the likelihood to become dangerous and does not train it, who is to blame?

I think the answer to these questions is quite simple, the owner of the dog is responsible for the damages the dog inflicts. If its an eye for an eye, then the owner must pay restitution for the damages inflicted. Many who argue this from a biblical standpoint misinterpret the scripture and demand that if a person takes anothers eye, he too should have his eye cut out. This makes no sense according to the law, but I'm not here to argue this. What I would like to address is the logical standpoint of punishing a dog for being a dog. If a dog bites someone, does it solve the problem by killing the dog? Are all the problems solved?

I've been involved with several dangerous dogs and have rescued and trained them and they enjoy happy lives. I will go on record to say that not just anyone should own a dog that has aggression issues, nor do I think just anyone should own any dog. A dogs temperament is something to strongly consider when getting a dog. I've seen that many people do not have the capacity to deal with a dog that has some behavioral issues. Again, does that mean they should be killed?

I would agree on many standpoints that is an animal poses a threat to the public we should examine options to protect the public. However, if there is an option to protect the life of an animal without killing it, should that be considered? Are there sanctuaries, rescues or places that will take dogs that can not be in the public? What do we do with wild animals that we have wrongly captured that would pose a treat to the public such as lions, elephants, wolves, etc? And when these options exist, are we able to put our egos aside and step up to the plate?

What I've seen in dealing with some animal control agencies, is that ego tends to get in the way of compassion. I'm not only talking about government agencies here, but private rescues as well. People love to play God and make their decisions based on what feels right to them. Have we come so far only to slip down this fast? Are we the barbaric shadows of our ancestors? Do we kill people that we are afraid of and cage trophy animals for our ego? There are many things to consider. We have domesticated animal, much against their will. Animals are still wild in their instincts. No matter how sweet your little dog is, when his drive clicks, your dog becomes a wolf and few people are going to stop him. If you'd like to read more about how dogs are like wolves and about their drives, I'd invite you to visit my Black Belt Dog Training website. My point in all of this is simple, if we've taken it upon ourselves to live with these animals, we must accept responsibility to train, understand and live with them. The key word being LIVE with them. There are murderers, child molesters and sexual offenders walking the streets of our country who pose far greater threats to our society than dogs. We should kill all the dangerous dogs when they are causing the greater risks. When the streets are 100% safe from dangerous people it will be the right time to start killing the dangerous dogs. In the meantime, lets try to figure out a viable solution to dogs that have some behavior problems without killing them.

This post relates directly to a situation that I am currently involved in. I will discuss it in further detail in the near future.