BIG DOG, BIG MAN?

We’ve all seen them; bull-necked, snarling creatures, straining at the leash, aggressively intimidating those with whom they come into contact.
With names like Spike and Biff; Killer and Sheba, they wear their leather collars sporting the pointed spikes like a badge.
People avoid them like the plague, fearful of being attacked by such vicious beasts.
How frightening they are as they strut, proudly, their way through the public domain, threatening anyone within reach with untold horrors.

And then of course, there’s the dog!

But if I may be serious for a moment, this issue is one of great importance. Dog attacks on people (mainly children) result in horrific injuries, both physical and emotional, often leaving the victim with a sense of perpetual fear towards all our four-legged friends.
This is followed by condemnation from the ‘good people’ of such violent animals, and the suggestion that they should be ‘wiped out of existence’ to quote a talk show host.
Let me say at this point, I don’t subscribe to this ‘wiping them out’. I love animals, especially dogs, and find them to be loyal and friendly. I’ve encountered vicious ones and have found the experience to be unnerving at times but not frightening.
Personally, I’m more concerned by the thug on the other end of the chain.
We must realise that dogs (all animals, in fact) are ultimately driven by nature, and as such are not subject to civilization’s laws. We can of course train most of the ‘nature’ part out of them but never will we be able to completely erase it.
Once accepted, the onus is on all of us to take responsibility for our own actions (and those of our inquisitive children) when in the presence of dogs.
Point in fact: recently on one of those anal TV shows based on people’s desperation for fame (and blatant stupidity), a perfect example of how a given dog can snap was shown.
We enter the scene to see a mongrel-type dog sniffing at something in a kitchen. In walks a small child, who proceeds to walk up to the unaware animal and insert her finger into the dog’s anus. The poor dog near jumped out of its skin. Funny stuff – har-dee-har-har!
Wouldn’t have been so funny had the animal snapped (which surely wouldn’t surprise any one of us – I mean, have you ever had a finger inserted without warning in your orifice? A sure way to get a punch in the mouth if you’re the owner of the finger). The little girl may have sustained a significant injury and doubtless the dog would’ve been put down.
All because we as adults were remiss in our responsibility to supervise our children. In this case, not only remiss in supervision, but actually videoing, therefore condoning the act.
And herein lies the bigger problem. We let our children clamber all over dogs, pull their ears, even kick and punch the animal while we watch and claim ‘oh, he’s such a well natured animal’. Well, well natured or not, dogs, just like people, have a limit and young children are surprisingly adept at finding these limits – to their horror and pain when they receive a vicious bite or worse, serious mauling.
And the typical reaction to it – execute the innocent party with a self-satisfied sanctimony.
Of course no-one wants to see vicious animals prowling the streets (if only we could put all these types down – see first paragraph), but a certain amount of perspective must be applied instead of resorting to the arbitrary extermination of anything that threatens humans, regardless of provocation.
Recently, I watched a Discovery Channel programme concerning the ASPCA. In one case an owner of a mongrel-type dog had kicked and jumped on the animal because (he claimed in order to justify and prevent his arrest) it had bitten him. Thankfully no-one bought his quite obviously manufactured excuse and did indeed arrest the offender. Bravo for the ASPCA!
But it just goes to show the way we treat our pets is nothing short of criminal. And when they inevitably turn we exclaim shock and outrage and execute them.
There are no such things as bad dogs – just bad owners and careless people.