When a Labrador Retriever named Charlie bit my 7-year-old brother’s face, my family and I learned that the organizations responsible for dealing with aggressive animals are flawed. The dog had already been reported once for biting another child, yet even after our repeated complaints to Animal Control and the Bylaw Office he still runs loose. This experience led us to wonder: what if Charlie been a Pit Bull or a Boxer? If that had been the case, he likely would have been put down regardless of his history or motivation. The reasons for this breed discrimination are plentiful, but may be unfounded.
My brother's post-Charlie face. Surgery was later required to remove scar tissue.
Breed Stereotypes
Often, dog breeds that are regarded as inherently aggressive can be sweet and gentle, while those seen as cute and harmless may very well have vicious streaks. How a dog is raised plays an important role – an abused or poorly trained animal, regardless of its breed, is more likely to bite than one that has been brought up with care, respect, and obedience training.
Some breeds do, in fact, exhibit what seems to be a genetic predisposition to aggression. However, because of their cute appearances and lesser sizes these breeds may not be the ones we typically fear. For example:
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Papillons: intensely loyal to their owners, possessive to the point of hostility
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Chihuahuas: dislike children, prefer adult company
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Toy Poodles: bite for self-defense purposes, may perceive playing as an attack
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Cocker Spaniels: can suffer from a genetic disease called “rage syndrome,” which causes them to spontaneously attack even their owners
Alternatively, stigmatized breeds such as Boxers, Bulldogs, and Rottweilers can often be playful, gentle, and good with children. Generally, if raised properly most dogs will only bite a person if provoked or motivated by some
external source.
Media Influence
Why, then, is a clearly aggressive dog like Charlie allowed to remain at large while other dogs are condemned to wearing muzzles because they
might bite? Perhaps the media are to blame for this phenomenon, since stories about stigmatized breeds are shocking and therefore more highly publicized. In the same way that people are more afraid of shark attacks than airplane debris falling from the sky (though you have a higher chance of being killed by the debris), media coverage of certain events can skew public opinion. Click
here and
here for some examples of publicized Pit Bull attacks. On the other hand, perhaps these types of attacks are in the media not because certain breeds are necessarily more vicious than others, but because they have more physical potential to cause serious damage.
Pet vs. Owner: Who is to Blame?
As discusssed in the second article above, another controversial issue is whether the dog or the owner is at fault when an animal harms somebody. As exhibited by the following video, pet owners can have a heavy influence on their dog’s behaviour:
The dog in this video is obviously dangerous, but his owner is at fault for training him to act that way. However, some well trained dogs may bite unexpectedly if they are provoked, have a sore spot, or even just if they snap at a fly and accidentally get a mouthful of their owner. You never know how a dog may react to certain stimuli, regardless of its breed. In such cases the owner is not necessarily at fault, but they are still responsible for their animal’s actions. Further details about owner responsibility can be found in the
Dog Owner’s Liability Act, which unfortunately deals mostly with Pit Bull-specific information but also includes some general legal guidelines.
Overall, the key is to be reasonably wary of any breed before you get to know and trust individual animals. If any of the opinions stated in this article clash with your own, please feel free to step in and tell me how things look from your perspective. Do you feel that certain breeds are genetically inclined towards aggressive behaviour regardless of upbringing? Should some breeds require muzzles in public? If so, do they need to be muzzled because they’re prone to violence, or because their physical power alone is dangerous? Do media representations create an unfair bias, or do some types of dogs really attack more often than others? Tell me about your own thoughts and experiences, good or bad. New ideas, information, and stories are always welcome and appreciated.
