{"id":963,"date":"2014-12-03T05:33:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-03T05:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clickandtreat.com\/wordpress\/?p=963"},"modified":"2014-12-16T19:00:15","modified_gmt":"2014-12-16T19:00:15","slug":"let-biting-dogs-lie-fix-em-or-forget-em","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clickandtreat.com\/wordpress\/?p=963","title":{"rendered":"Let Biting Dogs Lie: Fix \u2018em or forget \u2018em."},"content":{"rendered":"

My best friend recently put down his 3-year-old Rottweiler, Zeus. He had a very aggressive cancer. I trained him when he was 12 weeks old and he was part of my extended family. When the diagnosis was confirmed, it was a slam dunk decision to give him his last few weeks of life based on quality and then end it before he suffered. This loving and thoughtful decision points out a glitch in our cultural perceptions. While ending a life to prevent pain and suffering seems to be the logical choice in all cases, what would you do if the problem was behavioral and not medical?
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A Problematic Shift in Circumstances:
\n<\/strong>I was just recently contacted by a vet who decided to breed a single litter of purebred dogs. She found a good sire for the litter and double checked everything she could. Needless to say the pups were raised with exceptional care. They all found homes and then something started to happen. Three of the pups grew up and bit people. One was returned and has bitten twice more in the care of the breeder. It doesn’t get along with other dogs. It can’t be trusted in an adoptive home. Now it’s not such a clear cut decision. He’s perfectly healthy \u2013 and capable of making someone else perfectly unhealthy. Ironically, a behavioral “cancer” is doubly dangerous. Eventually the dog will bite the wrong person or bite too often and the aggression cannot be covered or hidden any more. Meaning he will die, it’s just a matter of time. The problem is that he will end up hurting other animals or people before he does. Though physically healthy his behavior is going to get him killed\u2026as it should. There is no place in civil society for dogs that bite people.<\/span><\/p>\n

If that sounds harsh consider the alternative. There are many dogs that are protected and shielded from the consequences of their actions. The owner’s love for the dog is touching until you consider the victims. I once worked with a doctor whose large-breed dog was known to be “touchy” about food. The owner had a birthday party for his daughter. The dog bit a little girl in the face over a piece of cake. If it had been the birthday-girl the owner could have more readily solved the problem \u2013 he was a plastic surgeon. The dog didn’t let his owner off the hook \u2013 he bit someone else’s daughter. The parents of the injured child weren’t very understanding. It was their child.<\/p>\n

That’s where love, intelligence and responsibility often part company. If you have two of those components the dog may live. If you don’t have all three and prioritize the latter two, there are going to be problems. A love-only owner will protect their dog, no matter what. An intelligent and responsible owner will realize that if it happened once it can happen again. That limits the dog’s life, sometimes considerably, but may allow it to live. Any action not designed around the dangers associated with having a biting dog is reckless.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s Be Perfectly Clear:<\/strong>
\nTo drive this point home requires understanding a very important fact. Transferring a biting dog does not relieve the owner of liability. The same is true for animal shelters, trainers, groomers, veterinarians or any other person who may want to save a “misunderstood” dog. In a court of law it’s even worse on professionals. They should know better. This fact is often unknown or unconsidered in the rush to save a life. Again, love puts all logic aside as the future victims of the dog are not weighed into the decision. This perspective can come back to haunt those who wish to ignore the reality. Imagine being sued by a victim two owners down the road. That you judged the first owner as responsible and gave all the cautions and warnings may mean nothing. Try getting sympathy from a jury when the plaintiff’s attorney points to the scarred face of a child.<\/p>\n

What to do about it:<\/strong>
\nThe first thing to do when you get in the middle of a biting dog problem is start to think rationally. Why are you getting involved? Is it owned by a friend, loved one or colleague? If it’s just a dog that came to your attention you have to question putting yourself at risk. That is because seven out of ten dogs in this country aren’t going to see their first birthday. Most of those dogs have no history of biting. To save a biter while five or six other dogs die is a big decision. That means the only reason to save the dog is that you somehow heard about it. Mickey the Pit Bull mauled a little boy in Phoenix, last year, and a flood of support gave him special treatment. He is currently in a program with inmates at the county lock-up. During the time he was held at Maricopa County Animal Control I was there with a client to adopt a dog. Even if you love Pits to death, about 80% of the Pit bulls in the kennels at that time were destroyed without ever attacking anyone. The only thing that made Mickey special was that he disfigured a child. Why didn’t those dogs get a chance? Because nobody knew about them.
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If you are bound and determined to save an aggressive dog there are a few things that can reduce your risk.
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